Tasting 66

66–The Bad Stepbrothers

Nora:

I dashed through the woods, branches scratching my skin, yet my body healed effortlessly because

of my wolf being active in the moment. All I could think about was getting to Natalya and save her

from whatever evil games these brothers were playing with her.

The leaves rustled and the wind whispered, taunting my frantic search. But I shut out the noise,

focusing solely on the task at hand. Each moment dragged on like an eternity, the weight of

responsibility pressing down on me.

I couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt for leaving Natalya alone with my crazy stepbrothers in the

woods. They would interrogate her and then punish her, pulling me into their twisted game. They’d

made me call her, so now she probably thought I was in on it.

My breath caught as I tripped over a root and tumbled face–first onto the ground.

“Hey, calm down. I’m sure she’ll be okay.” Akira reassured me, but tears blurred my vision, and my

mind swirled with terrifying thoughts.

“How can you be so sure? You know what those brothers are capable of,” tears streamed down my

face as I sniffled and took deep breaths.

It was unfair how the brothers played such a cruel game.

“I admit I lied!” her distant scream pierced through the air, and my heart sank. I winced as I

imagined what might be happening there.

As I poised to dash towards the direction of the voices, a grip closed around my arm, and I was

yanked back into the familiar scent of a stepbrother’s chest.

“Let me go,” I whispered under my breath, attempting to break free. Cain twisted my arms behind

my back, pressing my chest against his own while restricting my movement.

“What are you doing?” he whispered, his tone sharp and unfamiliar. “Leaving the mansion in the

middle of the night to come here and save your friend?”

He had never been so harsh and rough with me before. I could only gaze into his eyes, illuminated,

by the full moon. Though I was powerful, I was shocked that he held my wrists firmly in his hands

behind my back. It was an uncomfortable position to be in with my stepbrother.

“You all lied to me,” I hissed back at him, grunting as I shifted and realized our bodies were

uncomfortably close.

“Nora! She was lying to us. Do you have any idea what that meant?” he leaned over, causing my

body to jolt as he tugged on my wrists.

“Enough!” he yelled, and my protests ceased. Now it was just us, facing each other with our bodies

pressed together, his arms tightly around mine, pulling them back behind me.

“Enough!” he repeated himself, but this time more like a whisper. Our eyes locked, delving into each

other’s souls as the full moon reached its peak, and I felt a flicker of unease within me.

Without hesitation, I understood what was happening.

The reminder of Akira being left alone while Cain was so close to

finding out about her identity made me worried. I began to squirm a little, attempting to reach my

fingers behind my back to adjust the ring on my finger.

“What are you–” Cain was in the midst of asking me why I was moving so much when he fell silent.

Even my body lost its ability to move as my heartbeat slowed down before synchronizing with his.

In that moment, everything else faded into silence, and the only sound I could hear was his

heartbeat melding with mine. Our hearts beat in perfect harmony before I heard Akira utter, “Mate!”

“Ah!” my gasps shattered the moment, and he released me. His eyes watched my face in horror.

“What the heck is going on?” he almost seemed frozen, but his lips. formed the words as he finally

realized we had felt the mate bond.

“ARGH!” a blood–curdling scream from afar diverted my attention from him to Natalya. It was her

screams.

Avoiding Cain, I turned on my heel and rushed towards her. As I reached the open area of the

ground, I was shocked to see Natalya, wounded and on her knees, with my stepbrothers standing

around her.

I swiftly adjusted my ring and attempted to push through them, but Ryker stepped forward and

grabbed my arm, thwarting my efforts to reach her and pulling me away.

“Let them finish their round,” Ryker hissed, restraining me from approaching her. She knelt with her

head bowed, blood seeping from multiple wounds. Her muted cries would haunt me forever.

“Cain! How the heck did she leave the mansion from you?” Ryker hissed at Cain, who had followed

me here in silence. I couldn’t focus.

hadn’t even lifted her head.

“Let her go. Fine, she lied, she’s admitting it,” I muttered through heavy breaths as Ruyker dragged

me away. Now Cain was left behind with them.

“The test is long over. This is her punishment for lying to us,” Ruyker pushed me against the tree,

and I dropped to my knees, hands on the ground and head buried.

“Is that how you’ll punish me as well?” I asked, and when he didn’t answer, I raised my head to

meet his gaze.

“Nora!” he grunted under his breath.

“It’ll be worse for me, because who the heck am I to any of you anyway?” my voice cracked as I

complained in whimpers.

“You don’t have to worry about the mate bond. I’m more ashamed to feel a mate bond with

someone as cowardly as you than you would ever be to feel it with me,” I hissed, meeting his gaze

directly.

“Okay, you’ve had enough time to stop this. Now get up. I’m taking you home,” he shook his head

and roughly approached me, grabbing my arm and trying to pull me to my feet.

“Don’t touch me. I can walk on my own, and I won’t leave this place until I hear from Natalya,” I

shrugged my arm free and hissed at him, watching him glare at me.

Then a blue signal was released into the air, “the test is over. They’ll ake her to the hospital,”

Ruyker announced as he observed my face.