Chapter 18

KASMINE.

I couldn't believe it. My brother kissed me?

It felt like a nightmare, the kind you can't wake up from no matter how hard you try. My thoughts were a tangled mess, my chest heaving as I stumbled back, pressing my trembling hands to my lips. The taste of him lingered—mint and something darker, something I didn't want to name.

"I can never be yours, Kester! You're despicable!" I spat, my voice cracking as I tried to push past the storm brewing in my head. My body betrayed me, weak knees wobbling beneath me as I bolted from the bed, needing distance, air—anything to erase what had just happened.

He leaned back lazily against the headboard, smirking as if my outburst amused him. The sharp edge of that smirk sent fire racing through my veins, anger, and humiliation warring for dominance.

"How could you?" I choked, glaring at him through my tears. "How could you even think—" I tried to catch my breath, but my words dissolved into sobs I hated myself for. Stupid, stupid tears, falling when I needed strength. His silence only made it worse, his deep green eyes watching me like I was some kind of prey.

"How could you think this is okay?" My voice was barely above a whisper now, strangled by the lump in my throat. I hated him for kissing me, but worse—I hated myself for the way my body reacted. For the way my cheeks burned, the way my stomach tightened with an unfamiliar heat I couldn't extinguish.

He tilted his head, that damned smirk never leaving his face as if he knew the slight effect he just had on me.

I had been kissed before, on a few occasions. But this? This was... This was stupid! Unacceptable!

I desperately tried to erase the memory of whatever effect this forbidden kiss had on me. Even though his lips tasted like nothing I'd ever had and felt soft and succulent... Even though he kissed me like his life depended on it and it made heat pool at the bottom of my stomach... It still didn't make it right.

He was my brother. And Selene forbid it that I ever allow such nonsense to continue. I'd rather die!

"You're overthinking, Mine," he said softly, his voice so low and suggestive that it made my skin prickle.

"Don't call me that!" I snapped. "I am your sister, for fuck's sake! You shouldn't have my nude in your room! Kester!" I sobbed. I felt betrayed.

I expected shame, regret—anything to crack the cold armor he wore so effortlessly. But instead, he laughed softly, shaking his head like I was a child throwing a tantrum.

"You're not my sister, Kasmine," he said, his tone calm, detached, and cruelly certain. "You're mine. You just didn't realize it until now."

"I'd rather die than..."

Before I could finish, he was on his feet, moving so fast I didn't even see him leave the bed. In an instant, he was standing before me, so close I could feel the heat of his body, his scent suffocating me.

"One more word," he growled, his fingers gripping my chin and tilting my head back, forcing me to meet his eyes, which had a faint glow in them, signifying his wolf. They burned with something feral, something that made my pulse stutter in terror.

"One more word, Kasmine, and I'll strip you naked right here. I'll pin you to my bed and fuck you so hard. And I won't stop until the only thing coming out of your mouth is your desperate pleas for mercy."

His voice was low and rough, each word dragging a shiver down my spine. I froze, my breath catching in my throat. He meant it. Every terrifying, filthy word. I saw it in his eyes, and my body betrayed me again, trembling under the intensity of his gaze.

I wanted to scream at him, to claw at his face and run as far away as possible. But all I could do was nod, my voice stolen, my body frozen in a storm of fear, and…

The rest of my words died down instantly in my throat as I swallowed them like a stubborn lump.

"Now, be the good little girl you are and go back into your room before I change my mind," He whispered so close to my ears that the corner of my eyes stung with a certain kind of tears... The kind that not only comes from embarrassment but from something more... Something I would never admit his voice does to me whenever he sounded that way.

I nodded frantically.

"Good," He released my chin, his fingers brushing my skin one last time before he stepped back and opened the door for me, "Now, leave."

***

Tears burned hot trails down my cheeks as I picked up my phone with trembling hands, dialing Claire's number for what felt like the hundredth time. Still unreachable.

The knot in my stomach tightened as I switched to our secret phone, trying Jake next. No signal. I couldn't risk calling him on my actual phone. Kester would see it—he always saw everything.

It was a Monday morning, and I was meant to be ready for work. But may I be damned if I ever face Kester after he kissed me.

My lips still felt like they didn't belong to me, tingling from something I didn't ask for—didn't want. His kiss wasn't just wrong; it was disgusting. Forbidden.

And worse? I couldn't stop thinking about it.

My mum promised to return my calls two nights ago when she was done making dinner... I guess she was still cooking up until today.

Typical.

My phone chimed suddenly, jolting me. My breath caught as I scrambled to check it.

Kester.

My heart gave a sickening lurch, and I hesitated, the screen glaring up at me like a taunt. It was a text.

I didn't want to open it, but my thumb moved before I could stop it.

"Would you rather I come to meet you at home and finish what we started? Or you'll be the good little girl you are and come to the office?"

I froze, his words sending a shiver down my spine. My fingers hovered over the screen, trembling as I typed back.

"I'm not coming."

I pressed send before I could second-guess myself, my pulse thundering in my ears. The seconds dragged painfully as I stared at the phone, waiting for his response.

One minute.

Two.

Five.

Fifteen.

Selene... He isn't coming back home now, is he?

I panicked, fighting the temptation of texting him again to be sure he wasn't coming back home.

I shot up from the bed and bolted to the bathroom, the cold tiles shocking against my feet. I barely spent five minutes in the shower before rushing back out. I didn't even care that I was dripping wet when I grabbed a towel, hastily wrapped it around me, and bolted back into the room.

I peeped into my phone again but there was no response from him.

An idea came to mind, and I instantly picked up my phone and called Riley, Kester's secretary. Thankfully, she answered immediately.

"Kasmine. Why aren't you here today?" Riley asked before I even spoke.

We had become close over the past few weeks. She was such a sweet soul. But, of course, Kester would never let me make friends easily, not even with the female folks.

"Riley, is Kester in his office?" I asked, ignoring her question. I could swear she heard my heart thumping from the other end of the line.

"Uh... No. He..." She was saying when I hung up before she could finish, my hands clammy against the phone.

My heart raced faster. He wasn't in the office.

I moved on instinct, yanking open the closet and pulling out the first dress I could find—a simple gown, wrinkled but good enough. I threw it onto the bed as I grabbed my hair dryer, fumbling with the cord. My hands wouldn't stop shaking.

I couldn't let him meet me here. He would make good on his promise.

Just as I plugged in the hair dryer, I heard the sound of my door open with a force that sent the dryer flying off my hands.

"I guess we have an unfinished business, Mine."