Claimed by my Stepbrothers

Chapter 5: The Price of Freedom

The rain didn’t just fall; it screamed.

I stood by the side exit of the Academy, the heavy iron door vibrating under the force of the thunder. This was it. Jax was busy "dealing" with the boy in the hallway. Roman was buried in his books in the library. And Liam… Liam was in a board meeting with the Dean, deciding the fate of students who were far luckier than I was.

I took a breath, the scent of wet asphalt and fear filling my lungs. I didn’t have a coat. I didn’t have a plan. All I had was the twelve dollars in my pocket and a soul that was screaming for air.

I pushed the door open and ran.

The cold hit me like a physical blow, soaking through my thin white blouse in seconds. The fabric clung to me, translucent and freezing, but I didn't stop. I sprinted across the faculty parking lot, my loafers slipping on the slick pavement. Every flash of lightning felt like a searchlight, exposing my betrayal to the heavens.

Just reach the gate. Just reach the main road.

I could see the bus stop a quarter-mile down the road. If I could just get on that bus, I could disappear into the city. I’d change my name. I’d sleep in shelters. Anything was better than being a "project" for three sociopaths in silk ties.

My lungs burned. My legs felt like lead. But then, through the roar of the rain, I heard it.

The low, predatory growl of an engine.

Headlights cut through the gloom, blinding me. A black car swerved across the road, tires screeching as it fishtailed and came to a halt directly in my path, cutting me off from the gates.

The door opened.

My heart didn't just drop; it died.

Liam.

He stepped out into the downpour, but he didn't run. He walked toward me with a slow, terrifying calmness, not even bothering with an umbrella. His expensive suit was getting ruined, but he didn't seem to care. His eyes were fixed on mine, and they were darker than the storm clouds above us.

"Khylie," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the thunder like a whip. "Get in the car."

"No!" I screamed, backing away, my heels catching on the grass. "I'm not going back! I’m not a dog you can whistle for!"

Liam didn't stop. He kept coming, his footsteps heavy and deliberate. "You’re shivering, Khylie. You’re going to get pneumonia. Is a bus ride worth your life?"

"My life is already over if I stay with you!" I yelled, tears finally mixing with the rain on my face. "You don't want a sister. You don't even want a person. You just want a trophy to show the world that you have won!"

I turned to run into the woods, but I was too slow.

In one blurred motion, Liam was there. His hand caught my waist, spinning me around and slamming my back against the cold, wet metal of the car. He didn't hurt me, but his body was a wall of heat and muscle, pinning me in place.

"Let go of me!" I thrashed, hitting his chest with my fists. It was like hitting granite.

"Stop it!" Liam roared, his voice finally breaking. He grabbed both of my wrists and pinned them above my head against the roof of the car.

We were both soaked to the bone, gasping for air. His face was inches from mine, his pupils so dilated his eyes looked entirely black.

"You think I want to play games?" Liam hissed, his chest heaving against mine. "Do you have any idea what happens to a girl like you in this city? Within an hour, someone would have seen that gold on your ankle and dragged you into an alley for it. Do you think I’m doing this for fun?"

"Then let me go without that ! Let me go and forget I exist!"

"I can't!" he shouted, the admission sounding like it was being ripped out of him.

The silence that followed was deafening. The only sound was the rain drumming on the car and the frantic, synchronized thudding of our hearts.

Liam’s gaze dropped to my lips. His grip on my wrists loosened, his fingers sliding down to lace through mine. The anger in his eyes was still there, but it was being drowned out by something much more dangerous.

Hunger.

"I can't let you go, Khylie," he whispered, his voice cracking. "Because the moment I saw you standing in that doorway, I stopped being the man in control. I look at you and I lose my mind. Jax wants to break you. Roman wants to study you. But me?"

He leaned in, his nose brushing against mine.

"I want to ruin myself for you."

I should have pushed him away. I should have screamed. But the way he looked at me—like I was the only light in a dark world—made my knees go weak. My fingers, of their own volition, curled around his.

"Liam..." I breathed.

He didn't wait. He crashed his lips onto mine. It wasn't a sweet kiss. It was desperate, possessive, and tasted like salt and rain. It was a claim.

When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, both of us shaking.

"Get in the car," he murmured against my lips, but this time, it wasn't a command. It was a plea. "Please. Just... let me keep you safe for one more night."

I didn't fight him as he opened the door. I sat in the leather seat, the heater blasting, as he drove us back toward the mansion.

I looked out the window at the gates fading in the distance. I had tried to run. I had tried to be free. But as I looked at Liam’s knuckles, white as he gripped the steering wheel, I realized the truth.

The gates weren't there to keep me in. They were there to keep the rest of the world out.

Because inside those walls, I didn't just have three stepbrothers. I had three owners. And the scariest part was, I was starting to love the weight of my chains.