CHAPTER 44: CHAPTER 44: TAINTED GROUND

Author’s POV ~

They arrived in a breath, the three brothers...Kael, Lucian, and Luca, storming into the room with the urgency of men who already knew they were too late.

The sharp echo of boots against marble rang through the air, but it wasn’t the sound that struck first—it was the tension and thick aura radiating from Aeron.

Aeron paced inside the room like a caged beast. His figure rigid with fury, his hands clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned bone white.

Lucian and Kael were the first to step closer, and the moment they caught a glimpse of Aeron’s expression, guilt settled into their bones like a cold, unrelenting weight.

Their eyes avoided his not because they were afraid, but because they already knew. They didn’t need words. They had felt the line they crossed the second they made the decision to bring her here.

Kael’s shoulders were tense and unmoving, as if bracing for punishment, while Lucian’s jaw was tight with conflict. They weren’t just brothers; they were wolves who worshipped the ground Aeron walked on. To disappoint him was the same as betraying themselves.

And today the unspoken rule had been broken.

No one entered the alpha quarter. Not friends, not any lovers... Not even the guards who protected their lives. This was the last untouched part of their world—an inherited place of silence and safety, sacred by choice and instinct.

Aeron had made sure of that. He hadn’t needed to say it out loud; his brothers had always known it. And yet, she had been brought here. The moment had happened, and now there was no way to undo it.

Aeron’s voice finally broke the silence, low but resonating like distant thunder. "What the hell is she doing in our bathroom?"

The words weren’t shouted, but they hit with enough force to make Lucian flinch. He tried to speak, but no answer came. Kael looked like a child who had just realized the fire he started had burned down the whole house.

They knew how much Aeron valued this place, but still they brought her here, and the weight of their mistake was heavy.

Before another word could be said, the storm truly broke.

Luca didn’t wait for explanations. His temper, always quicker than the others, erupted like a match tossed into dry kindling.

He was already moving before any of them realized it, crossing the room with brutal speed, his expression twisted with rage and disgust.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached the bathroom and tore the door from its hinges, the crash of wood splintering against tile echoing like a gunshot through the quarters.

Aeron called his name sharply, but it was too late.

Luca was already inside.

When he emerged, his hand was wrapped around the upper arm of a figure that should not have been there. Selene. She was barely clothed, her body still damp from her rushed wash, the gown clinging to her like a second skin.

Her silver hair dripped down her back and cheeks, wet strands plastered to her face as if trying to hide her. Her eyes were wide and dazed, not fully registering what was happening as Luca dragged her into the open and tossed her forward without a shred of gentleness.

She landed with a heavy thud at Aeron’s feet, her breath knocked out of her lungs, her hands instinctively pulling at her torn gown to cover herself.

Her knees scraped against the cold stone floor, her body curled inwards like she was trying to disappear. The silence that followed was heavy and horrified, broken only by the faint dripping of water from her hair to the floor.

Luca stood over her, his chest heaving as he glared down at her like she was something rotten that had invaded his den.

"You filthy little thing," he spat, voice shaking with rage. "You came here to seduce him, didn’t you? You thought if you stripped down and waited like some damn slut, he’d fall for it."

Aeron didn’t speak. He also wanted to know why she was here in the first place and naked.

But his mind was still tangled in the image of her from earlier—naked, unguarded, trembling under the shower. He could still smell her, her soft scent clinging to the air.

But his body didn’t move. His mind warred between fury and something far worse. The memory of his wolf’s voice whispering what he never wanted to admit.

Selene remained on the ground, trembling, saying nothing. Her face was pale, her lips parted slightly as she fought to breathe. She looked broken. Like someone who didn’t even have the strength to beg.

Then, Luca raised his foot.

And drove it straight into her stomach.

She let out a breathless cry, crumpling further, arms wrapping around herself as the pain rippled through her. Her body jerked from the force of it, but she didn’t scream. She just winced and trembled, as if this wasn’t the first time she had tasted pain and humiliation.

"Luca!" Aeron snapped, the word sharp and loud, cutting through the room.

But Luca didn’t stop. He pulled back, foot raised again, fury painted across every line of his face. His instincts were screaming that she had invaded what wasn’t hers. That she had dared to touch what belonged to their eldest brother. And he would not forgive that.

But just as his foot was about to come down again, Lucian stepped between them.

He moved with speed none of them expected, shoving his shoulder into Luca’s chest and blocking the blow with his own body. The room froze.

Lucian stood tall, unflinching, his body a shield as he stared into Luca’s blazing eyes. His voice, when it came, was tight and controlled.

"She’s not here to seduce anyone. If you want to hurt someone...hurt me. I was the one who brought her here."

Silence followed after his words.

Luca’s face twisted in disbelief, and for a heartbeat, it looked like he couldn’t comprehend what he’d heard.

"You what?" he breathed, his voice cracking with shock.