Ch.2

Emereo

Tresia was actually entertaining Lincoln instead of telling him to fuck off like she usually did with people, and it pissed me off.

She knew quite well the bastard was just trying to play his fucking game. That asshole ran after anything pretty, and I could see Tresia was his target tonight. My finger tapped lightly against the wineglass I'd been holding for the past twenty minutes without taking a single sip.

“Emereo, how about you introduce me to your father? It's our chance to come public, you know.” The blonde she-wolf beside me whispered, making my brows furrow immediately.

Introduce her? What's her name again? I barely even knew her. Just because I'd let her come to my office a few times, she thought she was special. I threw her a glare, and her body visibly flinched.

“Find your partner for the night. Get out of my sight,” I growled, and she soon scurried away without arguing.

I still couldn't stop thinking about how my father had hit Tresia in public. Her cheek must hurt like hell. I wanted to pull her up, drag her back to her room, and put some ointment on her face. She'd probably complain about the sting, then tell me she was fine when she clearly wasn't.

I'd done that enough times to know how it went.

But I couldn't even cross the room to check on her without drawing attention to myself. Father had already made it clear that Tresia was an embarrassment he didn't want near his guests. If I went over there now, he'd probably find another reason to humiliate her, and I wasn't in the mood to watch him do it again.

Fucking useless.

I took a sip of wine, my eyes returning to the woman who'd been the cause of my headache tonight.

Tresia had taken Lincoln's offered drink, and now they were standing near one of the tables, talking. She'd tilted her head slightly, listening to whatever nonsense he was telling her, and when he leaned closer, she smiled.

I stared at her mouth. Since when did she smile at men like that?

Tresia had always been beautiful. Even as a child, she'd had those unusual silver-blue eyes that could hold your attention longer than they should. As she grew older, her features became sharper, her eyes brighter, and her beauty harder to ignore. Yet she spent most of her time hidden away in her room, wearing her mother's old clothes that she'd remade with her own hands.

Tonight, she wore a dark dress that should have looked plain beside all the expensive gowns in the room. Instead, it fitted her beautifully, following the shape of her body without showing too much. Her white hair fell around her shoulders, and her pale skin made her eyes stand out even more.

But then—should a brother be noticing all that? I'm probably broken and twisted somewhere.

She was standing with Lincoln, but it was clear she knew what she was doing. She'd looked at me more times than she'd looked at him since he approached her, and every time our eyes met, that little smile returned to her lips.

She was doing this on purpose.

I set my glass down before I crushed it in my hand.

To the pack, Tresia was already a disgrace. To Father, she was a stain on the Bellamy name, a daughter he'd rather hide than acknowledge. Now she'd decided to give them something worth gossiping about.

“How far does she intend to take this?” I mumbled.

A part of me was fascinated by the way she'd started fighting back. Tresia had never been weak, no matter how often Father called her useless. She'd simply been forced to live like someone who had no choice. Watching her turn that quiet resentment into a weapon made me wonder what else she had up her sleeve.

But did she have to use Lincoln?

Tresia's sudden interest in him would only make him more determined to have her. He'd take her to his bed, satisfy his curiosity, and move on to the next pretty face.

And Tresia would be left dealing with the consequences.

I didn't want that for her.

That was what I told myself, anyway.

I pushed away from the table and walked toward them before I could think better of it. I wasn't going to stand there watching Lincoln paw at her all night.

Unfortunately, by the time I reached the other side of the room, they'd already started moving in my direction.

Lincoln had his hand resting against Tresia's lower back, guiding her through the crowd. She looked up at him with that same innocent smile, but when her eyes met mine, the innocence disappeared.

There was a sly little grin on her face.

Fucking hell, Tresia…you know you shouldn't get under my skin this way. What is your plan?

"Emereo!" Lincoln greeted me, stopping in front of the group of people I'd been standing with earlier.

"Why didn't you introduce me to your sister before now?" Lincoln asked, looking at Tresia as though he'd just discovered a treasure. "I've seen Karen a bunch of times, but I had no idea you were keeping the most beautiful woman I've ever seen hidden away."

I glanced at Tresia. She was watching me, waiting for my reaction. "It seems you didn't find it hard to make yourself known to her," I replied.

Lincoln laughed, apparently missing the warning in my voice.

I leaned down toward Tresia. "How are you feeling? Should I take you away from here?"

Her lips curved into a smile, and for a moment, I thought she'd tell me the truth. That her cheek hurt, that she was tired of being here, that she wanted me to take her somewhere quiet where nobody could touch her without permission.

Instead, she glanced at Lincoln before looking back at me. "Alpha Lincoln has done well, Brother. I'm very okay with him holding me."

Holding her? My fingers curled at my sides.

The words shouldn't have meant anything. She was my sister, so why the fuck did I want to rip his hand away from her?

No. He shouldn't be the one she was comfortable with. I should be the one she turned to when she needed someone. I should be the one she trusted enough to let close, but she was standing in front of me, smiling at another man and telling me she was comfortable in his arms.

I hated how much those words affected me. "Good," I muttered, straightening up. "Then enjoy yourself."

Tresia's smile widened.

She turned to Lincoln and pulled him away before I could say anything else. I watched them move through the crowd, her hand resting on his arm while he leaned down to whisper something in her ear. She laughed again, and he looked entirely too pleased with himself.

My jaw clenched so hard it began to ache. I was going to kill that bastard.

Just then, a she-wolf beside me touched my arm, trying to draw my attention back to her. I'd forgotten she was there.

"Alpha Emereo, would you like to—"

"No."

She blinked. "But I haven't—"

"Then don't."

She withdrew her hand, muttered something under her breath, and walked away. I didn't bother watching her leave.

My attention was on Tresia.

I'd seen Tresia around men lately. They said she'd become some shameless woman who couldn't keep her hands off anyone. I knew she was deliberately feeding those rumours, and I knew exactly who she wanted to hurt with them.

Father would be furious if he knew how far she intended to take this. But Lincoln? Lincoln was a fucking manwhore.

He wouldn't understand that Tresia was playing a game. He'd think she wanted him, and he'd take every opportunity she gave him.

I watched him lean closer to her, his hand settling on her waist again. My glass was still on the table behind me. Good. I'd probably have shattered it by now.

Then Tresia stood, said something to Lincoln, and took his hand. He rose beside her, smiling as she led him toward the exit.

I stared at their retreating figures, my heart pounding with an anger I couldn't explain. She was going to her room… with him.

The thought made something inside me snap. I couldn't fucking endure it anymore.