Trigger warning!!! Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, possessive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries. ***EXCERPT*** Blood everywhere. Trembling hands. "No!" My eyes blurred. His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved—dead. Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother. *** Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move. At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession. Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom. The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her. On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother. She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his. But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?
View MoreKASMINE'S POV.
"No..." I whispered, my hands trembling uncontrollably as my blurry eyes took in the sight before me. "Wh.. What have you done?" I choked, taking slow steps backward, away from the man who I had thought was my savior and protector.
I was wrong.
"Kasmine..." He called in his familiar deep voice that always remained calm no matter the storm raging in him.
"Don't come near me. You... You just killed him... You killed him..." I sobbed, feeling my limbs grow weaker by the minute as I kept staring blankly at the young man lying lifeless before me.
We were in the woods. Just the two of us and the dead man.
"Stop being dramatic, Kasmine. He tried to force himself on you!" Kester's tone was a bit firmer now.
"He didn't! He barely even touched me! He was just talking to me, Kester! You just took an innocent life!" I screamed.
I was fed up. I didn't know how much of this I could take anymore.
Kester, my stepbrother, is the Alpha Of the Crescent Moon Pack. It was all so cute and harmless - his protectiveness towards me. But as we grew, it slowly turned into something else. Something that made me even more terrified of him.
Never did I ever imagine that my stepbrother would ever kill anyone because of me, let alone an innocent man.
"Come on. Let's get back to the party," He stepped toward me, but I stepped backward.
How could he sound like he didn't just kill an innocent person? How?
"Get away from me! Don't come near me!" I shrieked, turning on my heels, but I was no match for him. He was way faster than my small legs could ever carry me.
Kester held me firmly in his strong arms, and I felt disgusted being so close to him.
"Stop it, now!" He yelled furiously, unleashing his Alpha command on me, and I immediately lost my will to him. But the terror and pain were still there, "you will act like the good girl you are and return to the party immediately," He commanded, his deep green eyes almost piercing the depths of my soul as he held my gaze.
I nodded sheepishly, unable to fight against his Alpha aura.
As I walked back to the party - his girlfriend's party - I began to wonder how my life turned out to become this sour.
I was once a sweet little girl who lost her father at the age of five. Two years later, my mother found love again with the Alpha of our pack, who had also lost his mate. Kester was fourteen, while I was seven.
He protected me like the big brother I saw him to be. He never allowed anyone to bully me. He never went a day without getting me gifts. I was the envy of my friends because I was loved and pampered by my big brother.
But right now, I don't think my friends would still envy me, knowing what I have been going through for the past four years.
When I turned sixteen, I noticed Kester's protectiveness becoming a little too much. He never allowed other men to come near me, and neither did he allow me to spend so much time with my female friends anymore.
He always wanted to be the one I spent all my time with and tell all my secrets to. And as the years went by, it began to reach an unhealthy point.
At twenty, I still don't have a boyfriend. Having a boyfriend would be over Kester's dead body. He kept telling me that I should keep myself for my fated mate when I got my wolf at twenty-one.
Father and mother saw nothing wrong with everything Kester had been doing. They kept saying they felt happy I had a protective older brother.
Now, I desperately look forward to turning twenty-one in a few months and meeting my fated mate. I am desperate to be free from his control. I feel suffocated already.
*
Days passed by, and I couldn't get over the gory image of the innocent man who was killed in front of me. I couldn't sleep or eat. I haven't set eyes on Kester either. He only comes home during the weekends to visit Mum and Dad.
Kester Hamilton, the CEO of Zamford Technologies, is a big name in the country. He took over the company just about the same time he took over the Alpha position from our father, former Alpha Kade Hamilton. And since then, he has taken the company to great heights.
At twenty-seven, he had already made a name for himself. His pack is the biggest in the country. He was the envy of all.
Thankfully, I had to deal with his controlling presence only during the weekends. But that didn't mean I was free during the week, as he had bugged my phone and laptop. No calls or text messages come in or go out of my phone without him seeing them.
So much for a big brother.
My alarm blared for the fourth time, and I jumped out of bed. I wouldn't want to be late for class. Being in my final year in college, we were expected to go on an internship program according to our fields of study.
As a computer science student, I have already submitted the three tech companies I would love to work with for my internship.
None of these companies were as good as Kester's, but may I be damned to add his company to my list! Not when I have been so desperate to be out of his reach as much as possible.
Jake and I already submitted the same choices, and hopefully, we will be posted to the same company. There, I'd have more time and freedom to be with Jake without Kester ever finding out.
Jake is a guy I admire so much. And I couldn't be more thankful that he also felt the same way for me. He just hadn't asked me out yet, but I am still hopeful. Perhaps spending more time during our internship program might spark things between us a little further, and he might ask me to be his girlfriend.
The thought of seeing Jake today made me blush hard.
"What's happening?" I asked Claire, who looked like she had just been through hell, as I approached the school entrance.
She heaved a sad smile with an eye roll, "I was posted to J&F Technologies," She said, and I understood why she was sad.
Since high school, Claire has always had a crush on Kester, but he hardly ever notices her. Probably because she was a little too chubby for him. He liked slim, model-like girls.
She had submitted his company, hoping she'd be posted there, but she wasn't. I felt sorry for her. This was the only opportunity she had to be close to him for at least six hours daily for the next three months. But she missed it.
"I am so sorry, babe." I said, pulling her in for a hug, "Did you see mine? Where was I posted to?" I asked, pulling her towards the information board.
She wasn't saying anything, and I wondered why. The Claire I know would have already told me where I was posted, even before I got the chance to see it for myself. But I ignored her. She was probably still sad about her posting.
My eyes eagerly scanned the long list pasted on the board, and the first name I looked out for was Jake's. He was posted to Plush Technologies.
I nervously searched for my name, praying to the Moon Goddess that I'd also be posted to Plush Tech, but I paused abruptly when I saw my name.
"No... This must be a mistake." I said with wide eyes and trembling hands. "How..."
My heart drummed in my chest, and I felt my head spinning as I tried to grasp what was going on.
How the hell was I posted to Zamford Technologies?
My stepbrother's company.
KASMINE.The doorknob turned.My heart sank. My breath froze in my chest like ice splintering through my lungs.I whipped my head around, scanning the room. It was small, pathetic, and cramped. One window nailed shut. No back door. No closet to hide in. And, stupidly, stupidly, I hadn't even locked the damn door when Jake left.It creaked open slowly, like the beginning of a horror movie where the girl never survives. Except this wasn't fiction. This was my life. My reality. My punishment.And there stood.Kester – my so-called mate.Tall. Lethal. Beautiful in that cruel, haunting way only the devil himself could be.The scent hit me harder. It was strong, smoky, and spicy. Masculine, wild, and so mine.My body betrayed me on the spot.My traitorous wolf, Zera, whimpered inside me, "Mate. Mate."No. Not now. Not this time.But Kester saw it all – the flicker in my eyes, the way my knees trembled, and the flush that crept up my neck.He smiled. That goddamn arrogant smirk he always had
KASMINE.We had to move. There was a tightening in my gut and a pull of dread that refused to loosen.I didn't trust Kester. Perhaps he must have followed us last night without us knowing. Or he even had someone do the following. Maybe that was how he got to know our location.We had left as soon as Jake returned from getting me some new clothes, a toothbrush, toiletries, and little thoughtful things he knew I'd be needing that made me want to cry because he knew without being told.See why I had to love Jake? He was gentle in ways I didn't know I craved. Attentive in moments most people would overlook. He was so kind, loving and caring.The new motel was small, almost tucked away from the world, sitting quietly on the edge of nowhere, and it was really far from the previous one.Since we moved here, I felt more at peace. It was almost seven PM, and there have been no calls or texts from Kester yet.Good.I shifted beneath the thin motel sheets and winced. My body no longer felt like
KESTER.June's laughter followed after the silence.I didn't react.But I felt the slow burn crawling up my spine. It wasn't anger or fear. Just a quiet, dangerous fucking fury that pressed like cold steel behind my ribs."You think I'm stupid?" she asked, lifting her head, chin tilted with a smirk that told me she thought she'd won.I didn't answer. I just looked at her."I've seen the signs for months, honey," she continued. "Hell, I saw the signs long before you can ever even imagine. But I said nothing."I tilted my head just slightly. "What signs?"She laughed again, slowly walking away from the table, pacing like she was giving a TED talk about betrayal. "Don't play dumb, Kester. You know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about."My silence was its own kind of answer.She turned sharply. "You've been fucking your stepsister."I didn't flinch. I didn't give her the satisfaction. But my hand curled into a fist by my side."I saw you," she continued, almost as if she was cutting he
KESTER."What's going on, Kes?" June's heels clicked on the marble floor as she walked toward the mini bar, her reflection glinting off the glass cabinetry as she poured herself into the room like she had truly become a part of the home.I didn't even turn to face her. I didn't look up. My fingers curled around the crystal glass of whiskey, my eyes fixed on the ice slowly melting inside it with lethal quietness.I was thinking of when would be the best time to go and get my mate and take her back home. When would the best time be to shatter the illusion of freedom she thought she had? This afternoon? Or tonight?June was just one final piece on the board. One final checkmark before I cleaned the house.Karina - check.Wescor and Belinzo - check.Kex and the fake Elvris - double-check.Ongoing deal with the real Elvris - check.Alpha Mellors' irrevocable contract - check.June - about to be checkmated."I just saw the news about Karina. This is... Who would have ever thought?" She drop
KESTER.Her eyes darted from the screen to Jorja, to Dad, to me. Searching for a reaction or for someone to tell her this was all just a bad dream.No one said a word.Not even Jorja—Queen of Constant Commentary. She stood frozen, one manicured hand on her chest, the other under her chin as she watched the show."Here." She said, regaining some boldness. "You can check my phone. I never sent such a text to anyone." She handed the phone over to Lance, who navigated through her text messaging app. After a few seconds, he flashed the screen in her direction, and I swear, her eyes almost fell out of their sockets.The text messages were there on her phone. The dates showed that she had sent the text just two days ago."No. No." She shook her head, "There is... There is a mix-up here. I can't recall doing any of these... No." She was trembling, taking slow steps backward. "Someone must've… drugged me or set me up or something. This isn't—this isn't fair."Fair?I almost laughed.She looked
KESTER.I didn't waste a single second. The moment Jorja spun on her heel, I was right behind her.She was fuming, and that said a lot.Jorja valued image above breath itself. Her obsession with appearances had governed every move she'd ever made. She hated anything that would ruin her image or that of her family.So, if she looked like she wanted to throw someone through a window, I knew the situation was beautiful.No wonder Kasmine was really scared about our secret. With a mother like this? Shame was a goddamn religion."Good morning, Alpha," The five men greeted in unison.I peeped outside and caught sight of two matte-black vans and a Hilux parked on the driveway.A few more men flanked the vehicles, securing the perimeter. And, of course, a curious audience who wouldn't miss the spectacle for anything in the world had begun to form.The icing on the cake? The news reporters were here to cover the spectacle. I'm certain her mate, Alpha Wes, would have a wonderful time watching h
KESTER."Kester? Aren't you concerned that your sister just left without a word?" My father said to me as soon as I stepped into the house.I'd spent the night in my office, tying up every thread, smoothing out every wrinkle in my plan. Today was execution day. Every piece was falling neatly into place—Karina included. And once that was done, my company and my Alpha title would be secured, solidified, and untouchable. Then I can go get my mate and take her back to our home, and we'll live in peace.Things had never been this perfect before.Everything was aligned, gliding forward on greased rails.Suspiciously perfect? Maybe.But perfection isn't impossible—not when you have the right brain and a flawlessly loyal right-hand man like Norlan. With Norlan, even impossibilities get scheduled and signed off.The intervention team should be pulling up any minute now. And June proposed to visit tomorrow. I didn't stop her. She had to be here for me to end things with her."She's fine. No one
KESTER.The one thing the Moon Goddess had ever done right was chaining Kasmine to me with something she couldn't undo. Something she didn't choose and didn't have a choice in.Fate.I should worship the Moon Goddess for it. For once, she wasn't playing games. She gave me the one thing I ever wanted, the one thing that was mine.And Kasmine… sweet, confused, little Kasmine… she still thought she had a say in all this.I know exactly what's spinning in that pretty head of hers. She thinks the next step is rejection. She thinks that the bond we share is something she can sever with a few muttered words and teary eyes.That has to be the funniest fucking thing I've ever imagined. Because let the world split open, and the Draegor himself crawl out of the pit of hell to rule this earth—I would never reject my fated mate.Fuck.'My. Fated. Mate.' The sound of it made a dance erupt in my stomach.I couldn't believe this was happening, in all honesty.I didn't plan on telling anyone yet. We
KASMINE.My legs propelled me before my brain had the time to think. I ran as fast as I could into the crowd.All I could feel was him. That magnetic, horrifying pull closing in like a vice around my ribs.I reached for Jake and pulled him by his arm. He was the closest person I could find. Claire was nowhere to be found."Jake. Jake. Come." I couldn't even form the words I wanted to say."What—babe, what's going on?" he stammered, confused, half-turning toward me.I didn't answer. I just yanked him with everything I had, dragging him out of the crowd and into the parking lot like the devil himself was behind us.Because he was.I felt Kester's presence closing in on us like smoke. It was so fast that my heart almost jumped out of my mouth.His scent grew stronger, too. And it was mixed with fury and danger.Panic clawed up my throat."Jake!" I practically threw myself into the passenger seat of his car—the old, beat-up piece of junk his uncle barely lets him drive. I didn't care. I s
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