Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother

Brett’s POV

I didn’t want to argue with Leo and Vanessa anymore. When I turned around, I noticed Lilith had already left.

I had to convince her not to marry Grant.

Back then, Grant knew Lilith and I were together, yet he still pursued her, sending her flowers. I had beaten him half to death for that.

I hate Lilith, and even wished karma would catch up with her, but she can’t marry a despicable old man like Grant.

My woman cannot marry someone so beneath her.

I quickly rushed after Lilith in the direction she had left.

My wolf senses picked up their voices in the night air,Lilith and Cassian standing near the entrance of the Shadowpine Pack mansion. My steps slowed, anger already simmering beneath my skin.

I watched from the shadows as Cassian blocked Lilith’s path.

"Lilith, no matter what’s happening, you can’t marry Grant. Why would you agree to marry a man eleven years older than you, who’s already buried several wives and has five unruly children?"

The sight of her made my chest tighten, so much thinner than before, fragile-looking in a way she never used to be.

"Cassian, I’m grateful for your and Sabrina’s help, but I must do this. Only by marrying Grant can I obtain my mother’s inheritance and provide Clara with financial security," her voice was soft but firm.

Cassian’s shoulders tensed. "I can’t just stand by and watch you walk into this dead end. Sabrina and I can help take care of Clara."

"Cassian, you and Sabrina have two children already, I can’t let Clara become your burden. Besides, what better options does a woman like me have? An ex-convict with a record, with a disabled child. What choice do I really have?"

Something in her words made Jacob snarl inside me. I stepped out from the darkness then, unable to contain my anger any longer.

"Lilith, will you die without a man?Even someone like Grant isn’t beneath you? Are you that desperate?" The words came out crueler than I intended, my voice rough with hatred.

Cassian turned. "Alpha Brett, keep your head when you speak. Don’t let hatred cloud your judgment. Lilith have her reasons."

I ignored him, focusing only on her. The mate my wolf once claimed. The woman who betrayed me in every possible way.

"Lilith, I’ll say it again. Name your price. Whatever amount you want, as long as you don’t marry Grant, I’ll give it to you."

I’d do this much for her. Despite everything. Just as I’d secretly helped reduce her seven-year sentence to five years. She had been mine once. I hated her with every fiber of my being, but I wouldn’t let her sink that low.

She didn’t even look at me. Instead, she addressed Cassian with politeness. "Cassian, thank you for your concern. I should go now."

Right on cue, her rideshare pulled up outside the mansion gates. She walked away, sliding into the vehicle without a backward glance. I watched as the car made a turn, disappearing down the winding road.

Even after she was gone, I kept staring in that direction, something heavy settling in my chest.

"Cassian, talk to her," I found myself saying. "She might listen to you."

Cassian turned to me, eyes searching my face. "Alpha Brett,I thought you’d be pleased to see her suffering? Why concern yourself with who she marries or how she lives?"

"Who says I’m concerned about her?" The denial came automatically, hatred roaring through me again. Jacob paced restlessly within, agitated by the conflicting emotions.

I clenched my fist."I’m only thinking about Clara. I don’t want that child suffering in Grant’s home. His sons are notorious bullies,they’ll make her life miserable."

Cassian knew this was true. He sighed deeply, eyes never leaving my face. "Alpha Brett, just admit it."

I turned to him sharply. "Admit what? I’ve said it before,Vanessa is the one I want to spend my life with."

"I just want you to be happy, Alpha," Cassian said quietly.

We stood there, eyes locked, before he gathered his thoughts and changed direction. "Let’s talk about the feud between the Umbra Capital Group and our Aurora BioSciences."

The two companies had been rivals for decades, constantly circling each other like wary predators.But beneath the surface of corporate competition lay a deeper struggle,three wolf packs fighting for dominance.

Whoever developed the cure for the werewolf genetic defect plaguing our kind would control the market. And in our world, market share meant more than just profits. It meant power, resources, and territory.

"Brett," Cassian continued thoughtfully, "have you considered that Greystone pack might be trying to create chaos within Aurora BioSciences first, then steal our research secrets? If that’s their game, Lilith might actually be innocent."

I could tell this suspicion had been nagging at him for some time. A doubt with no proof to back it up.

"I hate seeing you so irrational when Aurora BioSciences is facing a crisis," he pressed. "Can’t you just sit down with Lilith, talk calmly, and analyze the whole situation?"

"Your analysis sounds good," I replied coldly, "but do you have any proof? The evidence of Lilith conspiring with Finn to steal Aurora BioSciences’s secrets is conclusive."

Cassian’s face fell. "Alpha Brett, you’re truly blinded by love and hate."

I turned away, unable to continue this conversation. As I walked off, I heard Cassian call after me.

"Brett! Finn’s execution is next month. I’m visiting him next week. Do you want to come?"

Finn, the bastard son of the Greystone Pack Alpha, had never been accepted in his own pack. Once upon a time, the three of us had been brothers in all but blood.Until he betrayed our friendship, seduced Lilith, stole Aurora’s research secrets for his family’s company, and got her pregnant with his child.

He’d done his father’s dirty work for years, handling the pack’s darker dealings. The Alpha Council had been investigating him, keeping him locked in their dungeon, but never dared to execute him. I’d always suspected the Greystone Pack was pulling strings to protect him. Were they finally cutting him loose?

The hatred burned fresh in my chest. "What do I care when he dies?"

I continued walking, my shoulders tight with pain I refused to acknowledge. Jacob howled mournfully inside me, mourning what we’d lost.The brotherhood, the friendship, the mate connection that once seemed unbreakable.

What happened to us all? How did everything go so terribly wrong?