Chapter 3

Sable

Before Joss and Rhett returned to their bedroom, they apologized for Brant’s behavior. I just gave them a smile. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. I had been wanting to see him all these years, and this—this was the first time I did.

And with the way he had turned out—worse than I ever imagined—I wouldn’t feel a shred of guilt if I succeeded in my goal of destroying his life and making him pay for everything he’s done.

I went back to my bedroom and prepared to do what I had already planned. I grabbed my books and headed to the kitchen. I’m used to reading there. I share an apartment with Rosie, my roommate. We’re not that close, and she snores a lot, so I prefer the kitchen for studying.

I sat at the kitchen island, spread out my books, and settled in. I stared at them for a moment, the tip of my pen resting lightly against my lips—I wasn’t chewing on it, just thinking.

It took me somewhere between ten and twenty minutes to actually start reading.

I’ve always wanted to be a nurse and take care of people, just like my mother took care of us—and the Paxtons. One thing I learned from her was to never expect anything in return for the kindness you give. Because if you do, you’ll almost always end up disappointed.

'That dick...' Selene muttered.

“Can you let me concentrate? I'm reading,”

'Oh, please. You can’t tell me you don’t want your mouth wrapped around it… pop in and pop out.'

“Ew, no, Selene! Why are you always filled with dirty thoughts?”

'You know I’m not wrong… that Brant is different.'

“Well, don’t forget we’re here to get our revenge,” I reminded her.

She didn’t respond. Her silence was enough. I took it as agreement and turned back to my books. After a while, I stood up and walked over to the fridge to grab some water—maybe then I’d finally feel ready to head to bed.

I opened the fridge, took out a bottle, and turned.

I stumbled back with a small gasp.

There he was.

Standing right in front of me.

Brant.

I hadn’t heard him come in. My heart slammed against my ribs, and for a second, I forgot how to breathe. The bottle in my hand was cold—but his presence? That was colder. He looked straight at me, expression unreadable.

'Ohh, he’s here,' Selene mumbled in my head, her tone almost gleeful.

“Will you excuse me? I want to pass,” I said calmly.

“Who are you, really?” he asked.

Is he serious right now? I sighed, annoyed, but decided to answer— I wasn’t in the mood to deal with him.

“Your brother told you I’m his personal attendant.”

“Looks like I’ll be needing some attending too,” he muttered, his gaze dipping to my lips and lingering just a beat too long.

“Excuse me?”

“You know… what you saw in my bedroom. You want it—don’t lie. You wouldn’t have been there if you didn’t,” His voice was rougher now, and his irises glowed faintly—his wolf starting to break through.

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words that came out weren’t mine. They were Selene’s.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Selene purred through me. “I give the best blow job in the whole city.”

My hand moved on its own, sliding to his belt as the cold water bottle slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud. I worked the buckle slowly, eyes locked on his. He looked stunned—like he hadn’t expected me to actually do it. But he didn’t stop me.

Our wolves must have taken control. My body swayed instinctively, hips shifting with a rhythm that wasn’t mine—slow, seductive, and unstoppable.

'Stop it, Selene,' I said internally.

'No way. Are you kidding? I’m not missing an opportunity like this,' she replied.

“What’s going on?” As soon as I heard Dani’s voice, I pulled my hands away from him and reached for the bottle on the floor.

Brant turned around. “Dani? You’re still awake?” he asked.

“Yeah. I kinda woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep, so I thought I’d get some water,” she said.

I grabbed my books and walked out of the kitchen, mumbling a quiet “Goodnight” to Dani before slipping away.

Once inside my bedroom, I shut the door and locked it, pressing my back against it as I let out a shaky breath.

“What the hell did you just do, Selene?” I snapped. “He’s our enemy. We’re here for revenge. Why do you always drag me into trouble?”

'There’s nothing harmful in having sex with a hot, handsome stranger,' she replied.

“Brant is not a stranger—he’s the enemy! And you won’t do this to me.”

'Didn’t you feel that connection? He’s—'

“Don’t you dare...” I cut her off sharply. “Let’s just get ready to sleep.”

***

I woke up early despite having gone to bed late. My thoughts the night before had been filled with Brant and the tangled, complicated feelings I had toward him. But no matter what, I’m still getting my revenge.

I slipped into a pair of black leggings and a loose grey hoodie, tying my sneakers tight. As I stepped out of my bedroom for my morning jog, I bumped into Joss in the hallway. I looked up and saw he was dressed for a jog too—wearing dark joggers, a blue athletic shirt that clung to his chest, and running shoes. His hair was slightly messy like he’d just rolled out of bed and gone straight to it.

“Good morning,” he said, steadying me with his hands on my arms.

“Good morning,” I replied, a small smile curling on my lips.

“Going for a jog?” he asked.

I nodded.

'Where the hell do you think we're going?' Selene sneered in my head.

We headed out together. We started jogging side by side, but he was faster than me. I pushed myself harder, trying to keep up as we made our way to the park. We used to come to this park every day with Mum and Dani, and sometimes with my stepdad when he wasn’t too busy. We always had a lot of fun. Brant never joined us—he said the park was boring.

Eventually, we stopped and sat on a bench. He crossed one leg over the other and looked at me.

I smiled at him, studying his features, trying to read his expression. Already, I was plotting how to get close to this brother—to find his weakness and use it to ruin him. I didn’t care how innocent he looked behind those glasses. 'No, mister, you won’t fool me. You’re just like the rest,' I thought.

'He looks boring,' Selene said.

“I’m sorry for what my brother did yesterday,” Joss said, breaking the silence. “You’ll have to be extra patient with him.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied coolly. “I’ve dealt with clients far worse than him.”

We chatted a bit more before jogging back to the mansion. I tried to flirt with him along the way—just a little—but he didn’t seem fazed. Honestly, I don’t even think he noticed. It was like my charm bounced right off him.

When we entered the mansion, Kit and Rhett were already at the dining table. Joss walked over and sat with them.

“Good morning,” he greeted.

“Good morning,” Rhett replied, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth. Kit mumbled the same, barely looking up from his phone as he stabbed at his bacon.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned around. It was Brant. He walked past me without a word and sat down at the table.

“Danny… my breakfast,” he called out.

I walked over to join them and stood beside Rhett. “Good morning,” I said.

“Good morning, Sable. How was your night?” Rhett asked, his eyes briefly flicking to Brant as Danny came out of the kitchen and placed a plate in front of him.

“Good morning. How was your night?” she greeted him, and I heard Brant mutter something that sounded like “Good night” in response.

“I had a fantastic night,” I answered with a smile.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Rhett smiled.

“How are the eggs, Joss?” Dani asked.

“They’re so good, Danny. Good morning,” Joss replied.

“Good morning, son.”

I headed toward the kitchen when I heard Brant’s voice again.

“If you want to continue this... whatever you call it, you need to get yourself a new personal attendant. Fire this one.”

My heart skipped a beat. I kept walking, forcing myself into the kitchen, trying to hold it together.

I just hoped Brant wouldn’t tell Rhett that I had almost given him a blow job. I hadn’t even started my work here—I’d only arrived yesterday. I couldn’t afford to get kicked out now.