Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother

Brett’s POV

The next morning, I found myself at the entrance of Clara’s preschool. I couldn’t explain what had drawn me here.

Among the sea of vehicles and people, I spotted them at once. A small, beat-up blue sedan carried Lilith and Clara.Jacob stirred restlessly within me, recognizing her even from a distance.

My ex-mate. My betrayer.

I hated how easily I could pick her out of a crowd. Hated how my body instinctively responded to her presence after five long years.Even now, just a silhouette was enough to recognize her. Her slender frame, the way she moved, the gentle tilt of her head as she spoke to her daughter.

Her daughter. Not mine.

The bitterness rose in my throat as I watched Lilith hold Clara’s hand, walking her toward the school entrance. My gaze shifted to the little girl. I remembered her cold, distant look at the hospital when she’d refused the water I offered. She was nothing to me, yet somehow her disdain still pierced my heart.

Such a sweet, well-mannered child. Finn’s daughter.

The thought intensified the hatred and humiliation burning inside me.I waited until Clara had disappeared through the school doors before approaching Lilith as she returned to her car.

The surprise on her face when she saw me was evident. Last time we’d spoken, I’d made it clear I never wanted to see her again.

"Alpha Brett," she said formally. "I thought you said we shouldn’t meet anymore. What brings you here?"

I kept my voice cold. "Trust me, I have no desire to see you. If it weren’t for Cassian, I wouldn’t be within a mile of you."

"Cassian?" A flicker of understanding crossed her face as she realized why I was there.

My wolf snarled inside me, urging me to bare my teeth at her. "How many more manipulative tactics do you have up your sleeve, Lilith?"

"I don’t know what—"

"Not satisfied with seducing Finn Blackwood? Now you’re trying to sink your claws into my Beta too?" I stepped closer, invading her space,using my Alpha presence to intimidate. "Cassian and Sabrina have been happily mated for six years. Are you planning to destroy their bond too? Is that your latest scheme?"

"Tell me," I continued, "would you go so far as to sleep with Cassian if it served your purpose? Is nothing beneath you?"

Finn Blackwood. His name was like a thorn in my heart, a reminder of my greatest shame.

Once, I had loved Lilith with the same intensity that I now hated myself. Back then, my devotion to her was absolute. Even with countless women throwing themselves at the me, I never spared them a glance. Everyone in Blood Moon Pack knew she was my cherished mate.

But then she slept with Finn and got pregnant with his child. That betrayal had driven me into Vanessa’s arms, making her my Luna instead of Lilith.

And now Lilith was trying to seduce Cassian, my loyal Beta.

"You’re truly disgusting," I spat, the pain in my chest nearly unbearable as I looked at her.

She closed her eyes briefly, and I could see her struggling to maintain composure. When she opened them again, they held a mixture of pain and defiance.

"You can choose not to believe me," she said quietly. "But you should trust Cassian. He deserves that much from you."

"I trust my Beta implicitly," I snapped back. "It’s you I don’t trust. Stay away from Cassian. Don’t exploit his kindness and compassion. If you don’t, I’ll make sure you can’t stay in this city. The Moon Valley territory is mine, and I won’t have you poisoning it."

She let out a cold laugh.

The bitter wind swirled around us as I leaned closer, letting my voice drop to a threatening growl, my Alpha power lacing every word: "Don’t push me, Lilith. Whatever lingering sentiment I might have had for you is long gone."

Looking at her made my chest constrict painfully. She’d appeared so weak and frail at the hospital days ago, playing her sick role perfectly. Today, she wore carefully applied makeup. Another act, another manipulation.

"I’m warning you for the last time,stay away from Cassian. Or I’ll make sure you have no place in this city."

"And how exactly would the mighty Alpha accomplish that?Force me to disappear from Ravendale city entirely?" she asked, her voice tired.

She slid into her car, not even sparing me a glance. "Don’t worry. In two months at most, you won’t have to see me again. I won’t offend your eyes any longer."

My wolf growled, the statement triggering an unexpected surge of panic that I quickly suppressed.

"Stop using your supposed terminal illness as an excuse," I said harshly. "That trick won’t work on me anymore. I have no sympathy left for someone as deceitful as you."

Even through her strength, I could see tears forming in her eyes. She looked at me with a mixture of pain and contempt before letting out a bitter laugh.

"I never asked for your pity, Alpha Brett.If I could do it all again, I would choose never to have met you at all."

"You have no right to say such things.I’m the one who wishes we’d never met. You have no right." I said angrily.

She drove away, her back straight despite her clearly weakened state. The sight of her small figure fading into the distance sent a searing pain through my chest.

Cassian was right. The line between love and hate is razor-thin. That’s why seeing Lilith caused me such agony, such hatred.

My phone buzzed in my pocket,a message from Vanessa about mating ceremony preparations.I stared at it for a long moment before turning back toward my own car.

Lilith’s POV

This afternoon,I was standing at the preschool gate waiting for Clara when a familiar car pulled up beside me. Cassian and Sabrina walked over.

"What brings you here?" I asked, surprised to see them.

"We came to see Clara," Sabrina smiled, then lowered her voice. "Also, Lillie, I’ve been investigating that incident at the café. The metal pipe’s cut was too clean,clearly deliberate. I’ve checked the surveillance footage and the construction company’s logs. There was a suspicious person at the site, but I couldn’t track down any information on him."

My heart sank. So it wasn’t an accident after all. Someone really was trying to set me up.

Cassian said,"I’m sorry about those trending news stories. I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you."

I shook my head. "I’m the one who’s dragged you into this."

I hesitated before adding, "Alpha Brett warned me not to see you again, or he’d make sure I couldn’t stay in the Ravendale City."

Sabrina frowned."What?What’s wrong with Alpha Brett? He’s usually so rational and level-headed. How could he believe such obvious gossip?"

I gave a bitter smile. "In his eyes, I suppose I’ll always be that devious, wicked woman."

"How’s your treatment going?" Cassian asked.

"It’s not helping," I said quietly. "The doctors say... I might only have a few months."

Both Sabrina and Cassian’s expressions changed immediately.

Sabrina hesitated and said. "Cassian told me about the Moon Goddess visiting you in a dream. When she mentioned ‘the truth you sealed away with your own hands,’ could she be referring to the medical secrets leaked five years ago?"

Cassian frowned. "Medical secrets leaked?"

Sabrina nodded. "Lilith told me she was framed back then I believe her. Cassian, didn’t you have your doubts too? I’ve been quietly investigating recently but haven’t found any solid proof."

Five years was a long time. Any evidence that could clear my name had long been destroyed by those who set me up.

No matter what, I was grateful to Sabrina for fighting on my behalf. But with time running out, proving my innocence mattered less than securing Clara’s future.

"Thank you for everything, Sabrina. Brett still refuses to acknowledge Clara as his child. I’m still worried about her."

"What about Clara..." Sabrina began, but couldn’t finish the sentence.

"I’m still contacting adoption agencies," I explained, "but no suitable family is willing to take her."

Sabrina and Cassian exchanged a look.

"We’ll take care of Clara," Sabrina said, squeezing my hand. "If... when that day comes, Cassian and I will look after her. I am her godmother, after all."

My eyes welled up. "Sabrina..."

"Don’t refuse us. We’re best friends, aren’t we? And Clara is already like a daughter to me."

The next day, a news story shot to the top of the werewolf social network within hours:

"#SHOCKING: Blood Moon Pack Beta Couple in Marriage Crisis, Intense Confrontation in Public#"

The post featured photos of the three of us at the preschool gate. They had edited the image of Sabrina holding my hand to make it look like a confrontation, while Cassian standing between us was described as "mediating an argument."

Looking at this, I could only shake my head at how absurd it was.