Chapter 12.

Kira's POV.

Should I go to Damian's car or stay with Julian?

I sit frozen in my seat, staring at Damian like he’s grown a second head. How dare he asks me to ride with him after leaving me behind like I was nothing?

“I—” I start to speak, but his sharp voice cuts through.

“Kira, in the future, you must know that I don't like to repeat myself… Now get out of the car and go to mine,” Damian snaps, his tone cold and commanding.

My fingers twitch, and a familiar fear coils in my chest while my body reacts on instinct. I reach for my bag, already shifting to climb out. I don’t want to make Damian angry because I know what happens when Alphas get angry…

I remember it clearly.

(Flashback)

I was eight, hiding behind the kitchen counter when Alpha Gregory stormed into our house. His face was red with rage, while his voice boomed as he yelled at my father. Something about missing goods at the storage unit.

My poor father tried to explain, with his hands raised in defense, but Alpha Gregory didn’t care. With one swift move, the Alpha grabbed my father by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

The crack of plaster still haunts me but it's my father's red face and wide eyes that haunt me even more because I remember I wanted to scream, and run to him, but my step mother’s hand clamped my mouth, and held me still.

"Stay quiet," she had whispered. "The Alpha might kill us all if you intervene."

I stayed quiet and scared as told because when Alpha Gregory’s wolf flashed his furious eyes. I learned then that an Alpha’s anger wasn’t just loud—it was dangerous…

(End of flashback)

"Kira!" Damian’s sharp voice jolts me back to the present.

My breath stutters, and my hand freezes on my bag strap once again. But before I can move, a warm, firm hand catches mine.

“Wait.”

Julian’s voice is calm but firm, and when I turn to him, his silver eyes meet mine — steady and unyielding. His fingers tighten just slightly around my wrist, more like he is telling me not to move.

“She isn't moving until you ask her nicely,” Julian says, his tone low and dangerous as his shifts his attention to Damian.

I blink, heart stuttering in my chest. Did he just… stand up for me?

In front of him?

Damian’s expression twists in disbelief, and then into something uglier. His gaze flicks down to Julian’s hand still holding mine, and his upper lip curls.

“Why should I?” Damian sneers. “Since when do you care how I speak to my mate?”

My heart skips again — this time for a different reason… Damian called me his mate… Does it mean that he is acknowledging our mate bond now?

“She’s not your mate,” Julian cuts in, releasing my hand. “You rejected her. Remember? Or did you forget that you have appointed her as a servant in your own home?”

Damian’s face darkens, and he steps closer to the car, his fists clenching at his sides.

“Watch your mouth,” He growls. “You may be my elder brother, but you’d do well to remember your place — beneath me.”

I blink in shock. Elder brother?!

I snap my gaze back to Julian, and suddenly it clicks. I now see the resemblance to Prince Damian and recall that Alpha Magnus Blackwood had two sons. The eldest, who was the heir, was rumored to have died in battle after a tragic accident. But if Julian is alive... then the rumors were wrong.

My heart pounds in my chest. All packs thought prince Julian Blackwood was dead and that’s why Damian was named heir — because Julian’s injuries had taken him out of the picture. Yet here he is alive, in a wheelchair, and apparently hiding from the world.

“Beneath you?” Julian chuckles dryly, the sound sharp and mocking. “Please. You wouldn’t last a day in my shoes.”

“What shoes are you talking about?” Damian laughs mockingly and the tension crackles like lightning in the air, sharp and suffocating. I can feel the storm brewing between them… Damian’s mockery radiating like heat, and Julian’s anger sparking just enough to stoke the fire.

This is bad. Really bad.

I clutch my bag tightly and push the door open. “It’s fine Julian,” I say quickly. “I’ll go.”

Julian’s gaze flicks to me, and I catch something in his eyes — regret, maybe? Or disappointment? Either way, I know what I’m doing. Julian’s in no position to challenge Damian — he’s...

My stomach twists. He’s crippled. Whatever happened to Julian, it left him stuck in that wheelchair. He can’t fight Damian even though he is his younger brother— and Damian knows it.

"Smart choice," Damian mutters as he steps away from the car. His confidence and smugness makes my skin crawl, and I immediately regret agreeing to go with him to Crimson Crown.

'And a rejection would have been better?' my wolf scoffs, reminding me that rejecting a mate can be deadly especially for a weak omega as me.

I hesitate by the door, my fingers curling tightly around the strap of my bag. Guilt bubbles in my chest as I turn back to Julian.

“I’m... I’m sorry,” I say softly. “For causing trouble between you two.”

Julian’s gaze flickers to me again, and this time, there’s something softer in his expression. Not quite pity, but something close.

“I have told you to stop apologizing for everything,” he says, his voice quieter now, almost tired.

I nod stiffly, swallowing the lump in my throat. Without another word, I walk toward Damian’s car — but I can still feel Julian’s eyes on me the entire way.

Oh goddess, why did you fate me to the rude brother?

I walk slowly toward Damian’s SUV, my bag clutched tightly against my chest. The guards are still working on replacing the tire, their low murmurs filling the air. Gravel crunches beneath my shoes as I pass Julian’s car, watching as it rolls past me down the road.

Julian doesn’t look my way, and I try not to feel bad because I was just a nuisance, dragging him into tension with his brother.

I swallow hard, feeling the sting of guilt. I’d nearly caused two brothers to fight — because of me.

“Don’t ever go near Julian again.”

I jolt at the cold voice behind me.

Damian steps too close, I can scent his intoxicating scent all around him as his eyes darken like ice with a sharp expression and his jaw tight with restrained anger.

“Do you understand me?” he says quietly, his voice low enough that only I can hear. “Stay away from him, or I’ll send you back where I found you.”

My breath catches because his words are like a sharp humiliating slap that leaves me speechless.

“I—”

“I’m serious,” he cuts in, stepping back and pulling out his phone like I’m no longer worth his attention. Without another word, he turns and strolls a few feet away, scrolling through his screen like I don’t exist.

I stand frozen for a moment, watching him as my heart pounds painfully in my chest. This is definitely worse than being bullied back home, yet he’s still trying to control me like I’m some burden that won’t go away.

I should’ve stayed in Julian’s car.

The thought rushes in before I can stop it, and I hate how true it feels. Julian, despite being cold and guarded — had treated me better than Damian ever had.

“Prince, car’s ready!” one of the guards calls.

Damian doesn’t even acknowledge the man. He just slips his phone into his pocket and climbs into the backseat of the SUV. His guards follow in their front seats, leaving me standing awkwardly outside.

I hesitate. Do I sit up with Damian in the back or should I even be in this car at all?

“Are you deaf now too?” Damian’s sharp voice cuts through my thoughts. “Get in.”

I jump at his tone and quickly move to the passenger door. Before I can climb in, Damian snaps again.

“Not there,” he says, voice hard and cold. “In the back with the luggage. I can’t sit next to an omega.”

I freeze for a second, his words hitting harder than I expect. This is definitely the worst I have ever been degraded in my life.

I bite the inside of my cheek and force my legs to move, heading to the back. As I climb in and shut the door, I stare out the window, my chest tight with frustration and hurt.

Oh goddess, will my life get any better than this moment?