My Alpha Stepbrother’s Breeder

Chapter Two: The Weight Of The Chain

The first thing I felt was the cold.

The second thing I felt was the crushing weight of Dylan’s gaze. He was sitting in a leather armchair across from the bed, still in the same clothes from last night, watching me wake up. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink, but he didn't look tired. He looked like a hunter waiting for a wounded animal to finally stop twitching.

"I thought I told you to stay on your side of the bed," he said. His voice was a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated in my chest.

I looked down. At some point in the night, I had drifted toward the center. "I was asleep, Dylan. I didn't do it on purpose."

"Your scent is all over my pillows," he snapped, standing up. He moved toward me with a predatory stillness that made me scramble backward until my head hit the headboard. "It’s cloying. It’s invasive. It’s exactly what you wanted, isn't it? To mark your territory.

"I don't want your territory!" I shot back, my voice trembling. "I want to go back to my own room. I want to be anywhere but here with you."

"Too bad." He leaned over me, his hands planting on either side of my shoulders, pinning me in. The raw, metallic scent of an agitated Alpha rolled off him in waves. "You’re a Breeder now. My Breeder. And in this pack, that means you don't have a 'room.' You have a kennel. And right now, this is it."

A sharp knock at the door saved me from having to answer.

"Alpha?" It was Tedre. "The High Council members are in the Great Hall. They’re asking for the status update on the... compatibility testing."

Dylan’s jaw tightened, a muscle leaping in his cheek. He looked at me with such intense loathing I felt it like a physical blow. "Tell them we’ll be down in ten minutes. And tell them the 'compatibility' is proving to be a challenge."

He pushed away from the bed and walked toward his wardrobe. "Get dressed. Something that shows your neck. No scarves, no high collars. The Council wants to see if I’ve marked you yet."

"You haven't," I reminded him, my heart hammering.

"Don't sound so disappointed," he threw over his shoulder. "When I mark you, Vienna, you’ll know. And you’ll probably wish I’d just killed you instead."

The hallway was lined with wolves from the inner circle. As we walked toward the Great Hall, I felt their eyes—heavy, judging, and hungry. To them, I wasn't a person. I was a biological clock, a vessel to save their dying bloodline.

"Well, look at the happy couple."

Chloe was waiting near the entrance. She looked radiant in a deep red dress, her blonde hair slicked back. She was a purebred, a high-ranking she-wolf who had expected to be the one signing that contract. Behind her stood Xander, Dylan’s cousin, who always looked like he was plotting a coup.

"Chloe," Dylan said, his voice flat. He didn't stop walking, forcing me to keep pace with his long strides.

"You look tense, Dylan," Chloe said, falling in step on his other side. She ignored me completely. "Is the little human-breed not cooperating? I told your father that a real wolf would be more... efficient. We wouldn't need a contract to get the job done, would we?"

"The Council chose her, Chloe. Not me," Dylan said, his tone icy.

"But you’re the one who has to touch her," Chloe purred, finally glancing at me with eyes full of venom. "It must be so difficult for you, Dylan. Having to sink your teeth into something so... fragile. I heard she cried last night. Is that true, Vienna? Did the big bad Alpha scare you?"

"I’m standing right here, Chloe," I said, trying to find some scrap of dignity. "And for someone who isn't in the contract, you seem very obsessed with what’s happening in Dylan’s bedroom."

Xander let out a sharp bark of laughter. "She’s got a spine, Dylan. I’ll give her that."

Dylan stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to me, his eyes dark and unreadable. For a second, I thought he might actually defend me.

"She has a big mouth," Dylan said, his voice dropping an octave. "One that I’m going to have to teach her to keep shut."

He looked back at Chloe. "Go to the hall. Now."

Chloe’s smile faltered, but she nodded, throwing me one last look of pure hatred before disappearing through the double doors. Xander followed, giving me a mock salute.

Dylan turned his attention back to me. "Don't ever speak for me again. And don't think for one second that just because I don't like Chloe, I’m on your side."

"I don't think that at all," I whispered.

The breakfast was a nightmare of politics and biological talk. The Council elders sat at the head of the table, their grey eyes fixed on us. Hector, my stepfather, sat next to my mother, Tiffany. She looked pale, her eyes darting to me with a mix of guilt and fear.

"The scent is not merging," one of the elders remarked, his voice like dry parchment. "Alpha Dylan, you are not engaging with the subject. The contract requires a certain level of... intimacy to trigger the fertility bond."

"She’s a human-wolf hybrid," Dylan said, his voice tight. He hadn't touched his food. "Her cycle is irregular. My wolf doesn't recognize her as a mate."

"She doesn't have to be a mate," the elder snapped. "She is a Breeder. If the bond doesn't trigger naturally, we will have to move to the second phase of the contract. The Induction."

I felt the blood drain from my face. I didn't know what 'The Induction' was, but the way my mother gasped told me everything I needed to know.

"That’s not necessary yet," Hector said, his voice strained.

"It is if they can't even sit next to each other without looking like they want to kill one another," the elder replied. "Dylan, take her back to your quarters. If there is no progress by the moon-rise, we will begin the ritual."

Dylan stood up so abruptly his chair screeched against the stone floor. "Fine."

He grabbed my arm, his fingers like iron bands, and hauled me out of the room. He didn't say a word as he dragged me through the corridors, his grip tightening every time I tried to pull away.

"You're hurting me!" I hissed as we reached his suite.

He threw the door open and shoved me inside. He didn't stop until he had me backed against the far wall, his body pressing into mine with a sudden, violent heat.

"You think this is a joke?" he roared, his face inches from mine. "You think you can just sit there and let them talk about 'Induction' like it’s a spa day?"

"I don't even know what it is!"

"It’s a forced heat, Vienna!" he shouted, his wolf finally flashing in his eyes—bright, terrifying silver. "They’ll pump you full of lunar-extract and lock us in a room until I have no choice but to knot you! They’ll take away every bit of choice we have left!"

I froze. The room felt like it was spinning. "They... they can't do that."

"They can do whatever they want to preserve the pack," Dylan growled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, glass vial I recognized instantly. It was the scent-blocker I’d been hiding in my pillowcase—the one Candice had smuggled to me.

My heart stopped.

"I found this while you were in the shower," he said, his voice dropping to a deadly whisper. He crushed the glass in his bare hand, the liquid dripping through his fingers, smelling of bitter herbs. "You’ve been suppressing your scent. You’ve been sabotaging the contract."

"Dylan, I—"

"You’ve been making me look like a failure in front of my own Council!" He slammed his hand against the wall next to my head. "While I’ve been trying to figure out why I can't smell your cycle, you’ve been cheating. You’ve been playing a dangerous game, step-sister."

"I just wanted one more day of being myself!" I cried, the tears finally breaking through. "I just wanted to not be a dog for one more day!"

"You're not a dog," he hissed, his eyes tracking the tear rolling down my cheek. He leaned in, his tongue darting out to lick the salt away. The gesture was so intimate, so predatory, it made my knees give out. He caught me by the waist, his grip bruising. "You're a traitor."

He pushed me away, his face a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. He looked like he wanted to tear the world apart.

"Tedre!" he roared.

The door flew open. "Yes, Alpha?"

Dylan didn't look back at me. He looked at the shattered glass on the floor.

"Get the maids," Dylan commanded, his voice cold enough to freeze my blood. "And tell them to bring the silver chains and the ceremonial wash. She thinks she can hide her scent from me? We’re going to strip her down until there’s nothing left but what I want to see."

"Dylan, please—" I started, my voice breaking.

He turned to me, his eyes glowing with a feral, terrifying light. "Don't 'Dylan' me. You broke the contract, Vienna. Now, we do it my way. No more pajamas. No more privacy."

He looked at Tedre, his expression ruthless.

"Get the maids. Now. And tell them to prepare the basement cell. If she wants to act like a rogue, I’ll treat her like one until she’s ready to be bred."