02

SIENNA

I woke to the taste of metal and bile rising in my throat, with a pounding in my skull. Felt like my head was splitting open, and the fact that my curtains were open wasn't helping matters. My tongue was dry, my lips sticky, and everything just… hurt.

My room smelled different, though. Looked… emptier too. A single memory flashed in my head at once and so, praying to the moon goddess that it was just a bad dream, I dared to turn to the side.

It took a lot of willpower not to scream.

I was in fact, not in my room, but my stepbrother's, and he was lying naked beside me, asking to be killed by his ruthless father for the atrocity we had committed. For a moment, I was frozen by his perfect beauty—his hair which was tousled on his head, swollen lips, chiseled face. Damon stirred but didn't wake, his cock pointing upwards even with how sticky I felt between my thighs.

It was okay, though, because I was on the pill. I guess?

Fuck. How did I finally manage to have sex with my high school crush, only to forget almost all the details?

I could only recall pieces — the bottle we had both finished, the heat of his palm everywhere on my naked skin, the way I’d leaned into him because my head had told me to. I’d been drunk, stupid-drunk, but not entirely empty. He kissed me and I’d kissed him back. The rest was foggy, and I wanted more than that.

My bottom lip slipped under my teeth and my thighs clenched as I watched him sleep, wondering what it would feel like to have a redo of this now that I was… awake. Would he want that? Had I been good enough for him? I knew he’d gone through so many girls.

Damn. Why was I thinking of continuing this taboo, though?

Then I felt it—the heat crawling up the side of my neck.

I sat up fast, the sheets twisting around my legs while my heart hammered in my chest. The mirror across the room gave me a glimpse of how bad I looked; hair tangled, eyes swollen, my dress crumpled on the floor. And there, just below my collarbone, glowing faintly under the slant of light, was a mark.

Not a bloody hickey, a full bite-mark!

It wasn’t deep, but it curved like a crescent, small and almost elegant even as it felt like fire against my skin. My hand trembled as I brushed it. The skin burned under my fingertips, and like magic, the memories of last night came rushing back, especially his mouth on my skin—neck especially, and the heat of his breath when he called out my name.

My stomach churned.

"No, no. This can't happen, we're not mates. We're siblings for crying out loud… we're not… oh fuck." I whispered, stumbling toward the bathroom. The sink came on and I splashed water on my neck, scrubbing at it hard enough to make my skin raw. The mark didn’t fade. It glowed faintly still, as if it were alive.

The sound of my own heavy breathing filled the room. My wolf stirred inside me, restless but silent. Anika was usually loud but now she was quiet, maybe as confused as I was? I could feel her pulse beneath mine, uncertain.

“This isn’t happening,” I muttered. But what the hell was even happening?

I scrubbed again until my neck stung red, then pressed a towel against it. It was no use. The mark only dimmed, like it was hiding from the light, but it did not disappear.

I was still scrubbing when I heard quiet footsteps behind me, and his scent filled my nostrils, stronger than usual. I shook with fear. What happens to me? I thought while staring dead into Damon's confused orbs through the mirror.

"What is happening? Why is your hickey glowing?" His voice was shaky, like he knew what this meant for sure, but was doing his best to not believe it. Makes two of us.

I spun around to face Damon, taking a deep breath. He was wearing boxer briefs now, even if he was still obviously rock hard under there. I quickly looked away, gauging his expression—he looked annoyed, I didn't want him to be. I wanted to carry this fear alone for some fucked up reason. So I quickly shook my head,

"It's nothing. I mean, I'm sure it's nothing serious. It'll go away."

He watched me for a few seconds, seemingly unconvinced. Then he finally muttered, "Cover it up, we don't want anyone seeing that. Also, you have to leave now, before someone comes in here and sees something they shouldn't."

But I didn't want to leave. My body hurt and my head was throbbing lightly but I still asked, "How about we… take a shower together first?"

He glared at me, looking irritated as well. I knew his answer.

"Hard pass. Leave, sissy. It's called a one night stand for a fucking reason." He spoke crudely, and I nodded quickly, scurrying out of the bathroom whilst trying to ignore how the mark stung where it was by the side of my neck. My eyes filled with moisture, and I knew I was a crybaby, but my emotions were heightened for him.

Goddess, what the fuck was going on?

I threw on a shirt I picked on his floor, gathered my clothes and exited his room, running across the hallway until I got to my designated room. I typed in my password for the door, then pushed it open, slamming it shut behind me.

Oh, I was screwed. Hard.

*****

I'd spoken too soon.

Two weeks after I had sex with my stepbrother, I stood in front of my bathroom mirror shaking like a wet leaf. Two impossible lines stared back at me on the pregnancy test strip… I didn’t even know how I was still holding the damn thing.

"I'm pregnant. Fuck, I'm pregnant with Damon's child." I slapped my free hand over my mouth after the admission, scared of the wall's ears picking up on this.

I should not be pregnant. I couldn't be. Aside from the pill, I was not Damon's mate. The Alphas in this pack, no one could carry their child except their mates… else, it would be a great curse to the pack.

I touched the bite-mark at my throat; it immediately thrummed like a second heartbeat. I quickly pulled my fingers away from it, screwing my eyes tightly shut. Oh, fuck.

Damon had been ignoring me since the morning I left his room, acting like I didn't even exist. How was I supposed to tell him about this?

The bathroom door chose this moment to creak open, whoever it was not even giving me a chance to hide the strip.

I threw it in the sink on instinct and spun around with the speed of light. For some reason, I had gotten a bit dizzy from the action and it was only when my vision cleared properly that I saw him.

Damon stood in front of the door, looking more pissed than I had ever seen anyone in my life.

"I don't know why but for some weird reason it sounded like you were calling for me. Do not fucking do that again. We need to go see a healer or something to even take out that mark, I—"

"I'm pregnant!" I blurted, deciding to just say it once and for all. Damon froze, then his gaze landed on my stomach, before coming back up to my face.

"Are you stupid?"

I shook my head no.

"Then what the fuck do you mean by that? Do you just want to piss me off?" He was nearing me now, and I almost peed my pants with every step he took.

The bathroom smelled unnaturally sweet since he entered, and I just wanted to enter his skin. I knew it was all the mark's doing. I didn't know if I wanted it undone.

"Damon, please." A bead of my first tear rolled down my right eye, and I sniffed but it didn't stop the others from pouring down. I felt my throat close up on me and my insides churned with emotions. "I would never lie about something like this. Look," I turned around at once, grabbing the folded test strip from the sink.

Then I faced him again and started to ramble,

"It's a bit rumpled, I thought it was going to be mom, not you. But! But, I took three others first, they're in the trash and I can show you too, I—"

"Wait, fuck. How did you… I can't…" He paused, running a hand through his hair, his breathing coming fast. The tiny tremor of his hands showed how scared he was despite being angry and I knew why. His father was a beast.

His next words were like ice on my skin,

"Take that thing out."

"What?"

He gave me a look that clearly asked if I was insane.

"Did you plan to keep that curse? Take that child out before someone else finds out and we are beheaded for this! Do you really plan to be beheaded for a cursed child? My dad would make sure we are dead and the chances of a curse is eradicated."

The last sentence was a plea. It was the first time I had seen him this uneasy, and I knew he was right. I should really take the baby out. We both knew it would do us more harm than good… but why?

Why did I suddenly feel like this pregnancy was all I needed all along? For the first time in my life I felt something I couldn’t name, the baby felt like a small, stubborn light inside me. I could have my own person, I would never feel so alone anymore.

I nodded once to his request, despite my thoughts. His shoulders dropped a little in relief. On the outside, I'd agreed. Inside, I clenched my jaw and made a decision I knew I would have to fight to keep.

Damon didn’t leave at once. Instead, he took a few more steps so he could get in front of me, whispering against my ears while I struggled to breathe from the proximity,

"If I find out that bastard is still in you, I'll kill you myself."

I swallowed, my lips trembling—not with fear but simmering rage—as I replied, "I'll take care of it."

He nodded once, then pressed a kiss to my forehead and left me there, swinging the bathroom door shut behind him. Oh, he had a totally different thing coming for him.