All Chapters of REBORN: CLAIMED BY MY MATE’S BROTHER: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

ANASTASIA'S POVNicholas’s fingers were sliding gently through my hair, slow and careful like he was afraid to break something fragile. I could barely breathe, watching the way his grey eyes stared at me like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. The deep intensity in them had every nerve in my body fluttering. It almost felt like he could read every ridiculous thought I was trying not to have.“You have the most gorgeous hair,” he murmured, his voice low and thick with something I couldn’t name.I froze, unable to move away. Even if I could, I don’t think I would’ve wanted to.Then he leaned in, closing the space between us, his breath warm against my cheek.Oh God. He was going to kiss me.Every beat of my heart felt like a hammer against my ribs, my mind screaming everything and nothing at the same time.My eyes fluttered shut. My lips parted, welcoming.“Anastasia,” his low rough voice said my name, rumbling through me like a storm.“Yes,” I whispered back, breathless,

ANASTASIA'S POVThe mirror in front of me showed a woman I barely recognized. Her hair was swept into a loose, swirly bun, a few tendrils escaping to frame her face like they had a mind of their own.Clara’s hands fluttered over my shoulders, dusting shimmer across my collarbone, while Arissa circled like a proud director inspecting her work.Around me, the room was a mess of opened boxes, tissue paper, perfume samples, and shopping bags from our earlier spree.“I still think this is too much,” I murmured, eyeing the mountain of bags. “We didn’t need half of these.”Arissa had gone completely overboard, despite all my protests.She gasped, clutching her invisible pearls. “Excuse me? We needed ALL of them. Like I told you at the mall, Nicholas won’t mind the bill,” She planted her hands on her hips, “trust me.”That was what she said. Still, it bothered me. I couldn’t shake the unease pooling in my stomach. I didn’t want Nicholas to think his new bride was some spoiled frivolous brat.

NICHOLAS' POVAnastasia was staring at me with fierce determination etched all over her face, and damn if it didn’t do something to me. There was something else beneath that look too, something I couldn’t quite place no matter how hard I tried. Desperation? Anger? Vengeance? I didn't know.She wanted me to compete for Alpha King. Wanted me to WIN. And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.Not that I could focus long enough to think it through. She was standing there, all fire and resolve, looking like a warrior goddess ready for battle. Escaped tendrils of her golden hair swayed around in the soft mountain breeze and… damn.I was torn between turning away and pulling her in for a hard kiss.Kissing her… that’s all I’d been thinking about since she walked down the damn aisle to me, looking beautifully unreal. My wolf growled low, restless in my chest.I raked a hand through my hair, trying to ground myself. “Is that what you really want?” I asked, and her nod came instantly, c

NICHOLAS' POVBelieve me when I say I'd fantasized about this moment hundreds of times.During the day and during the night.All through my past life and even this one.I'd imagined it down to every detail—Anastasia’s lips on mine, her breath mingling with mine, her body pressed so close that I could feel the wild flutter of her heart…But all those fantasies, they all paled in comparison to the real thing. Kissing Anastasia was nothing like what my mind had conjured.It was so much MORE.And I’d never felt more alive than I did.She was all softness and warmth, all innocence and quiet gasps, her taste sweeter than anything I’d ever known. When her tongue brushed against mine, tentative at first, then bold and surrendering, something inside me nearly snapped.Her fingers slid up my chest and Goddess… the heat of her touch seeping through the cotton fabric of my shirt was too much to bear and I swore I could feel her heartbeat thundering against my own as she pressed into me as if to s

ANASTASIA'S POVBefore I could even turn fully, Nicholas’s arm shot out, yanking me behind him. His body went rigid, back straightened, every part of him poised and ready.“Nicholas—”“Stay behind me,” he said, voice low but hard as steel, his eyes narrowing as he glared at nothing in particular.My pulse skipped as my eyes darted around, trying to see what he’d already sensed.And then I saw it.A massive, reddish-brown wolf, lurking in the bushes to the side. It tore through, its paws pounding against the earth, as it charged straight for us, its snarls sending terror across my body.It wasn’t one of ours. That's for sure. Its scent was wrong, feral and unfamiliar. And I could feel its brimming murderous intent.“Nicholas!” I cried, but he was already moving.He grabbed my arm.again, yanking me aside just as the wolf flew past. Its claws slashed through the spot where I’d just stood. The air whooshed past my ears as Nicholas pulled me back again, his reflexes impossibly quick.I stu