All Chapters of After Nine Escapes, I Chose His Brother: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

When the wolves of the Silvermoon Pack saw that there wasn't a trace of humor in my eyes, they went completely still.After all, this wasn't the first time Cain had bolted before a mate-bonding ceremony.Three years ago, the rumor that "the Abel family's daughter got dumped by her fated mate" had spread like wildfire across the entire territory. For six months, I was cornered and taunted by my own kind, yet still I refused to let go of the ceremony.The old Alpha lunged forward two steps, his voice rough with desperation. "Elena, Cain's just lost for now. Give him a little more time..."He dialed Cain again. The second the call went on speaker, Cain's impatient voice crackled through."Dad, don't feed me that line. Everyone in the pack knows Elena would walk through fire to mate me. There's no way she'd choose someone else. Besides, I'm not canceling the ceremony—just postponing it. Lina's wolf has been unstable lately. She needs me by her side."Lina's soft, breathy voice follow

Cain's eyes narrowed as they landed on my hand, his wolf gaze sharp with impatience."Elena... can you quit with the theatrics? I said the ceremony was delayed, not canceled. Playing these push-pull games just makes you look desperate."His voice carried the crushing weight of a top-tier Alpha.Lina pouted, tugging at Cain's sleeve, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. "Cain, this is a limited edition by a famous designer! I've been trying to get my hands on it forever!"Cain's expression softened instantly, and he pushed the tray of rings toward her. "Try it on, then."Lina's eyes lit up, and she reached for it—but I caught her wrist, my voice cold as frost. "Did no one ever teach you not to touch what isn't yours?"I hadn't even used force, yet her eyes welled up instantly, tears spilling down her cheeks. "It hurts! Cain, I think my bones are breaking!"Cain's face went dark in an instant. He shoved me aside.My back slammed into the sharp corner of a display case—pa

I smirked and said flatly, "Fine."In front of the entire pack, I stepped forward and looped my arms around Cass's neck, leaning close to murmur in his ear. "Let's go."Cain's enraged roar tore through the air behind us, but I no longer cared what he was shouting.In the nearby lounge, the healer was already waiting.Cass was tense at first, only relaxing when the healer confirmed I was all right. But when his gaze dropped to the cut along my jaw, a flicker of cold violence passed through his eyes."Sorry... I was too late."He reached out as if to touch the wound, but his fingers trembled. He clenched his fist and pulled back.I held the steaming cup of herbal tea, my mind still fixed on Cain's claws driving toward me—for Lina. Even knowing how biased he was, even knowing that orphan girl would always come first, I never imagined he would actually try to hurt me. Try to kill me.I remembered when we were pups, sneaking into the forbidden forest and getting cornered by a pack o

Cain froze, caught completely off guard.Lina's eyes darted, as if she'd just noticed something. Pointing at Cass's attire, she said, "Brother Cain... isn't that the ceremonial suit only the groom wears?"Cain's gaze slowly traveled to the black-and-gold robes embroidered with the Alpha King's totem. His face contorted with fury. "Elena... you actually dare to make him your mate?"He lost control, words spilling out in a frenzy. "He's a bastard! A mongrel whelped by some stray she-wolf! Have you lost your mind, mating with him?"His glare seemed to bore holes straight through Cass. "Elena, when did you start... creeping around with him? Was it when I was inspecting the Northern territories, or while you were hiding out at the Alpha estate nursing your wounds?"Cain acted like a wronged mate, desperate for proof of my betrayal. But he forgot—his Northern inspection was a public duty, and he'd taken Lina to see the auroras. When I was injured at the estate, he'd been busy squiring L

I turned to see Cain approaching with Lina in tow.Both wore ill-fitting backup ceremonial outfits—wrinkled and sloppy. Lina's expression was difficult to read, a strange mix of pride and resentment. Marrying Cain had always been her greatest desire, yet the extravagant wedding she'd dreamed of was nothing like this makeshift ceremony trailing behind mine.As they passed, she pressed herself against Cain, deliberately revealing the fresh kiss marks on his neck—a smug claim of ownership. "From now on, we're one family."I arched a brow and, playing along, replied with mock solemnity, "Little brother, sister-in-law... may you always be together. Locked tight."Lina preened in satisfaction, but Cain's fists clenched at my words. I ignored him, took Cass's hand, and under the priest's blessing, we exchanged our tokens.With the heat of onlookers' gazes on my back, Cass lowered his head and pressed a gentle kiss to my neck, sealing the mark. I felt the bond settle deep in my soul and w