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Home / Werewolf / BETRAYED BY MY MATE CLAIMED BY HIS STEPBROTHER / 09. Crossing The Line

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09. Crossing The Line

Author: Stellina
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-19 23:07:00

ZACH WINCHESTER….

The sound of soft footsteps stirred me awake before the sunlight did. Years of discipline made me a light sleeper, but last night’s whiskey had nearly knocked me out cold. Nearly.

Her scent lingered in the air, something soft and faintly sweet like vanilla and something more dangerous beneath it. I inhaled deeply before my eyes even opened. I looked at the bed and found it empty. I sat up quickly.

She was awake before me.

Last night’s incident flashed in my mind. The laughter that came too easily. The way her eyes lit up with fire and revenge, wild and alive. The way the night bled into something heavier. Darker. Needier. We’d both ride the high of it riding the edge.

But she pulled back and stormed off to her room. When I came to check on her I wanted to leave but I stayed back to make sure she was fine after the rejection.

I stood up, my heart pounding harder than it should have. The silence in the room was louder than any scream. I left and padded outside the liv
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  • BETRAYED BY MY MATE CLAIMED BY HIS STEPBROTHER    EPILOGUE -2

    NATALIA…..It’s strange how peace can feel foreign, how silence can feel almost loud when you’ve lived through too much noise.For years, I thought I’d never find it. That love wasn’t meant for people like me — broken, scarred, stitched together by pain and pride. But here I am now, sitting on the balcony of our home, watching the sunrise paint the world gold, and realizing… I made it.We made it.The wind brushed against my hair, carrying the scent of the garden below. The roses Knox planted last spring have started to bloom, rich crimson and pale pink, a burst of life that somehow mirrors us.I ran my fingers over the ring on my hand. The same one he’d slipped on my finger under the fireworks that night.Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me. Slow, familiar and grounding. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. I knew it was my husband.He wrapped his arms around me from behind, chin resting on my shoulder, just like he used to do when everything between us was uncertain and

  • BETRAYED BY MY MATE CLAIMED BY HIS STEPBROTHER    EPILOGUE -1

    ARIELLA…..The morning light slipped through the curtains like spilled gold, warming my cheek and coaxing me from sleep. The soft rhythm of steady breathing brushed against my neck, and for a fleeting moment, I lay still listening to the sound that had become my favorite lullaby.Zach’s arm was slung protectively around my waist, his body pressed close, his warmth anchoring me to a world I had almost lost. His scent cedar and smoke, with the faintest trace of the forest wrapped around me like a promise.So much had changed.So much had broken.And yet… somehow, we were here.I shifted slightly, and his fingers instinctively tightened around me, even in sleep. My heart melted. This man, the one everyone had blamed, the one who had carried guilt like a second skin, had never once stopped fighting for me.When I finally slipped out of bed, my feet touched the cool wooden floor of the little cottage we had built near the edge of the woods. Outside, the world was silent—dew glittering on w

  • BETRAYED BY MY MATE CLAIMED BY HIS STEPBROTHER    77. Confession Under The Fireworks

    NATALIA…..When Knox told me to get ready that evening, he didn’t say where we were going, just handed me a box wrapped in silver paper with a faint, knowing smile.“Wear this,” he’d said. “And trust me.”Trust him.The words had come easily from his lips, but they lingered with warmth long after he’d left the room.When I opened the box, my breath caught.Inside lay a dress — soft satin the color of moonlight, shimmering faintly under the lamplight. It wasn’t loud or extravagant like the dresses my parents once forced me to wear. It was… beautiful. Simple. Elegant. Me.There was also a small velvet pouch inside. When I opened it, I found delicate jewelry — a necklace of tiny diamonds, a bracelet that gleamed like frost, and matching earrings.And beneath all that,. a pair of heels, nude with subtle crystal straps, perfect in size.I smiled before I even realized it.He remembered my size.When I finally stepped out of the room, dressed in what he’d chosen, I found Knox waiting by the

  • BETRAYED BY MY MATE CLAIMED BY HIS STEPBROTHER    76. Open Challenge

    “Why haven’t you signed the divorce papers yet, Zach?”Alpha Nathan’s cold voice crackled through the phone, laced with anger and authority.Zach’s jaw clenched as he stared out the window of his office, knuckles whitening around the phone.“Because I don’t want to divorce my wife, Alpha Nathan,” he replied firmly, his tone calm yet heavy with conviction. “You’re making a terrible mistake by trying to separate us.”Alpha Nathan scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.“Don’t lecture me, boy. Do as I say or be ready to face the consequences.”Zach exhaled slowly, struggling to keep his own temper in check. “Let me ask you something, Alpha Nathan,” he began, his voice low but sharp. “If Mrs. Davenport were kidnapped by your enemies, who would you blame?”There was silence on the other end.“You’d blame yourself,” Zach continued. “You’d tear yourself apart for failing to protect her. And tell me, what would her family do? They’d take her away from you, wouldn’t they? Because you failed

  • BETRAYED BY MY MATE CLAIMED BY HIS STEPBROTHER    75. I won't Divorce Him

    Ariella stirred when a sharp knock echoed against her bedroom door. Her eyes fluttered open, heavy from sleep, and she instinctively reached for the source of warmth beside her. Her fingers brushed against Zach’s bare arm, and the memories of the night came flooding back in a rush.Her heart skipped a beat.The window. The secret visit. Zach sneaking in at midnight.And now—it was morning.She turned her head toward the window and froze. Sunlight poured in, bright and accusing. Her gaze darted to the clock on the wall—10:07 a.m.“Oh, Moon Goddess…” she whispered, sitting up in panic. “Zach! Wake up!”Zach groaned, rolling onto his side. “Five more minutes…”“Five more minutes and we’re both dead!” Ariella hissed, shaking him harder. “It’s ten already! Someone’s knocking!”That got his attention. Zach sat up, eyes wide and hair a complete mess. He blinked toward the door, then at the window—their escape route and whispered, “I’ll climb out.”Before he could move, the sound of a key tur

  • BETRAYED BY MY MATE CLAIMED BY HIS STEPBROTHER    74.Torn Between Blood And Bond

    ARIELLA DAVENPORT…..The first thing I felt was light — soft and warm, spilling across my face. Then came the ache… a deep, bruising heaviness that ran through my limbs. My throat burned when I tried to breathe, but the scent of home—lavender, wood smoke, and faint pine told me I was safe.When I opened my eyes, I saw white walls and sunlight filtering through lace curtains. The crown crest on the blanket confirmed it, I was in my father’s pack.My mother sat by my side, her eyes rimmed red but full of relief. “You’re awake,” she whispered, pressing her trembling hand to my cheek.“Mom…” My voice was hoarse. “What… happened?”Her smile faltered. “You’re safe now, that’s all that matters.”I looked around to see Zach but he wasn't in the room. “Where is Zach, Mom?” I asked.My mother hesitated, then sighed softly. “He never left, Ariella. He’s been staying in a cabin nearby since the night we brought you home. Your father… and brother—they don’t want him near you.”Her expression falt

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