Tasting 160

160–After A Brawl

Nora:

As the commotion escalated, I huddled even closer into myself. Finally, a third growl reached my

ears, and when I dared to open my eyes, I saw Nash step in between them and shove Brody away.

The next to burst into the living room with great energy was Silas.

The moment he entered, the voices began to fade. It wasn’t magic but his growls.

“Enough!” Silas shouted, stepping in front of Ryker while Nash positioned himself behind, wrapping

his arms around Ryker’s stomach to restrain him. Ryker was behaving wildly, limbs extending and

skin darkening.

“Look at me.” Silas demanded, grasping his brother’s face firmly. Ryker continued to resist until his

gaze met Silas‘.

Suddenly, his movements began to slow, and the dark energy around him dissipated.

“Now listen to me, Ryker. Don’t let him take control. Keep him inside,” Silas said firmly, his veins

pulsating in his neck. I had never seen him. so commanding.

“Listen to my voice. Leave him behind and come out on top,” he continued, and Ryker obediently

listened.

While they attended to him, I turned to Brody and observed him getting to his feet, clutching his

stomach. Naturally, an alpha’s pride would be wounded after being attacked in his girlfriend’s

mansion. He

wasn’t weak, just no match for Ryker. If it were anyone other than my stepbrothers attacking Brody,

he would have torn them to pieces.

But Ryker! There was something profoundly dark about him, almost inhuman. It was unsettling

because we all have a bit of that inhuman side within us.

Brody rushed out, presumably heading for the woods to transition. I remained standing, watching

Silas comfort Ryker until his body returned to normal.

Silas finally stepped back, gently wiping the blood from his nose. Meanwhile, Nash released Ryker

and stepped away, glancing in my direction.

“Are you okay?” Silas asked in his deep, husky voice, though he didn’t look directly at me, focused

on cleaning up the blood.

I wondered why.

I knew he was the pack’s healer, but I didn’t understand the extent of his abilities until now. Was he

hypnotizing Ryker or simply comforting him? I couldn’t be certain, my mind was clouded with worry

about what would happen now that Ryker was fine and Brody was nowhere to be seen for him to

take out his anger on.

“Why don’t you ask her what she was doing in the arms of that alpha?” Ryker hissed, quickly

regaining control. He had healed despite being on the verge of transitioning.

“Ryker! Dad allowed it,” Nash muttered under his breath, placing his hands on Ryker’s chest to

prevent him from approaching me any closer.

“Huh? Dad allowed what?” Ryker hissed angrily.

“You know, the whole thing—Dad suggested it would be a good idea for her to date Brody,” Nash

explained. The moment he said that, Ryker pushed him back. Nash wasn’t expecting it, so his body

recoiled further than intended.

“Hey, calm down,” Silas grunted, hands on his hips as he watched his brothers weari

“Who is Dad to make that decision for her?” Ryker jabbed his finger into the air, referring to their

father.

“I am her stepfather, and she agreed with my decision,” Lord Atwood intervened, likely arriving after

hearing the commotion.

“But why? Why does she have to datug

someone to prove her innocence?” Ryker’s open disagreement with the decision was surprising. He

didn’t bother hiding his frustration.

“Ryker! I hope you’ll let it go. She’ll date someone eventually, so just leave it be,” Lord Atwood tried

to pat his shoulder, but Ryker stepped away, avoiding his touch. His eyes held judgment, and I

could only imagine how Lord Atwood must have felt.

“Really Nora?” Ryker called out for me this time. It was certain from his gaze that I needed to think

before I responded to him.

“Are you dating him?” he groaned.

I gulped but I knew my answer. He had hurt me when he kept asking me to do this and do that or

else he wouldn’t accept me. And now he was acting like a stubborn child before everyone.

“Yes,” I mumbled meekly but everyone heard me clearly.

“She didn’t have to date anyone to prove anything. So what if someone

thinks I kissed her? I’m fine with it. Why is it bothering everyone else so much?” As Ryker spoke

those words, I saw Lord Atwood’s eyes widen, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Did you–” Before Lord Atwood could ask him a question and potentially provoke a confession,

Nash stepped between them once. again.

“A hypothetical statement won’t benefit us, Ryker. I asked Dad the same question before, and he

explained why it’s important for her to remain our stepsister. Her mother made a deal with our

father, and he’s honoring that agreement despite the pain of not fulfilling it,” Nash tried earnestly to

make Ryker understand that he shouldn’t push further.

“So? He made the deal, not us. Why should we bear the burden of his actions?” Ryker argued back,

inciting Lord Atwood to hiss in response.

“She is not a burden,” Lord Atwood corrected him. He shook his head. wearily, prompting Silas to

step beside him and wrap an arm around his shoulder for comfort.

“Dad needs to rest. You take care of these two and make sure they’re in separate rooms,” Silas

instructed Nash, prompting me to secretly roll my eyes at him. Silas could be so peculiar. He always

seemed to lighten up when it was someone else’s mess; otherwise, he maintained a stern

demeanor all day.

“Come on, Dad, let me take you to your room or maybe Cain’s studio,” I heard Silas joke as they left

the living room.

“Now, she has chosen to date Brody herself. I hope you’ll respect her decision like the rest of us,”

Nash directed Ryker’s attention towards me, though it wasn’t the smoothest way to explain my new

relationship with Brody. I felt a bit uneasy until Ryker looked at me in shock, and I

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