Claimed by my stepbrother

Chapter 7: Don’t Scream

Another howl ripped through the night, longer and closer than the last one.

Kai’s body went completely rigid against mine. His hand stayed firm on my waist as he moved us away from the window, eyes locked on the darkness outside. The gold in them was brighter now, glowing like molten fire in the dim light of my room.

“Kai… what’s happening?” I whispered.

“They’re testing the border,” he replied, his voice low and rough. “They shouldn’t be this close to the house. Not this soon.”

A third howl answered the first. Then a fourth. The sound made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

My blood turned cold. “How many are there?”

Kai didn’t answer right away. He tilted his head slightly, listening to something I couldn’t hear. His breathing had grown heavier, and I could feel the tension running through every muscle in his body.

“At least four,” he muttered. “Maybe more waiting further back.”

Fear tightened around my chest. “Should we wake your father?”

“No.” Kai glanced back at me, eyes still glowing. “If he gets involved right now, things will escalate. This is my responsibility. You’re my responsibility.”

Before I could respond, a loud crash came from the backyard — the sound of something heavy hitting metal.

Kai moved instantly.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room, down the stairs, through the dark hallway, and into the kitchen. He didn’t turn on any lights. When he reached the back door, he stopped and looked at me over his shoulder.

“Stay close to me. Do not leave my side, no matter what happens.”

I nodded, even though my legs felt unsteady.

Kai opened the door.

Cold night air rushed in, carrying with it a heavy, wild scent that made my stomach twist. Three figures stood near the pool area. They looked human at first glance, but their posture was wrong — too still, too balanced, too predatory. Their eyes reflected the moonlight with an unnatural shine.

The one in the middle stepped forward and smiled.

“Kai Draven,” he said mockingly. “And the little mate. How convenient of you to bring her outside for us.”

Kai immediately pushed me further behind him. A deep, dangerous growl rumbled from his chest, vibrating through the air.

“You’re trespassing,” Kai said coldly. “Leave while you still can.”

The man laughed under his breath. “Still trying to protect a human? How pathetic. Hand her over and we might let you keep your future rank as Alpha.”

Kai’s answer was instant and violent.

He moved so fast I barely processed it.

In less than a second, he crossed the distance and slammed his fist into the man’s jaw. The impact was brutal. The wolf flew backward, crashing into a lounge chair and rolling across the stone tiles.

The other two attacked immediately.

One lunged at Kai from the left while the second tried to go around him — straight toward me.

I stumbled back in panic, but Kai spun with a feral snarl. His hand shot out and caught the second wolf by the throat before he could reach me. With terrifying strength, he slammed the man into the ground so hard the stone tiles cracked beneath them.

“I told you,” Kai growled, his voice barely human, “not to touch her.”

The third attacker managed to land a hard hit across Kai’s ribs. Kai barely flinched. He turned and drove his elbow into the man’s face, followed by a punch so powerful it knocked him unconscious on the spot.

In less than a minute, all three wolves were on the ground, groaning or completely still.

Kai stood over them, chest rising and falling hard, hands clenched into fists. Blood smeared his knuckles. The air around him felt charged, almost electric, as if power was leaking from his body. When he finally looked back at me, he didn’t look fully human anymore.

“Lila,” he said, voice strained. “Come here.”

My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to walk toward him. The moment I was close enough, Kai reached out and pulled me tightly against his chest. One strong arm wrapped around my waist while his other hand cradled the back of my head. His body was burning hot.

“You’re shaking,” he muttered near my ear.

“I wonder why,” I managed to say.

A short, humorless breath left him. For a few seconds he just held me there, as if he needed to feel that I was still safe and whole. His heartbeat was pounding hard against my cheek.

Then one of the men on the ground groaned and tried to push himself up.

Kai’s entire body tensed. He let go of me just long enough to crouch down, grab the man by the hair, and force him to meet his glowing eyes.

“Go back to your Alpha,” Kai said, his voice cold and deadly. “Tell him that if anyone comes near my mate again, I won’t leave them breathing next time. This was a warning. There won’t be another.”

He slammed the man’s head against the ground once, hard, then stood up.

The remaining wolves scrambled to drag their injured companions away into the trees. Within seconds, they had disappeared into the darkness.

Silence returned to the backyard.

Kai turned to face me fully. Blood was smeared across his knuckles, and a thin cut marked his cheek. His eyes were still glowing bright gold as he stared at me with an intensity that made my heart race.

“You’re hurt,” I said quietly.

“It’s nothing.”

He walked toward me slowly. When he reached me, he lifted his bloodied hand and carefully brushed a strand of hair away from my face. The contrast between the violence I had just witnessed and the gentleness of his touch left me speechless.

“This is what it means,” Kai said, his voice low. “Being my mate. People will try to use you to get to me. They will try to take you… or kill you.”

I swallowed hard. “And what are you going to do?”

His glowing eyes locked onto mine without blinking.

“I’m going to kill anyone who tries.”

The certainty in his voice should have terrified me.

Instead, the mate bond pulsed hard between us, stronger than ever, pulling me even closer to him. Kai noticed. His gaze dropped to my lips for a brief, dangerous second before he controlled himself and stepped back.

“Go inside,” he said. “Now.”

“What about you?”

“I need to make sure they’re really gone… and send a message to the border patrols.”

I hesitated, not wanting to leave him alone. “Kai—”

He looked at me over his shoulder, eyes still burning gold under the moonlight.

“This was only the beginning, Lila,” he said quietly. “Next time, they won’t send weak wolves. They’ll send something worse.”

Then he disappeared into the darkness of the trees, leaving me standing alone in the backyard with one terrifying realization settling deep in my chest.

The danger surrounding me had only just begun.