Claimed by My Ex-Mate's Brother

Chapter 2

Jennifer

I woke to the stench of wet hay, mud, and horse manure.

I was curled in the darkest corner of the stables, a ratty blanket thrown over me. The cedar scent of my mate was gone. Only a rotting bitterness remained in my throat.

The backlash wasn't over. Every breath felt like cracked ribs shifting. My wolf was curled into a tight, silent ball deep inside me. When I reached for her, I got nothing but hollow echoes.

The stable doors creaked open. Two maids hauled a water bucket inside.

One flinched when she saw my open eyes. "She's alive."

The other rolled her eyes. "Cockroach. Lady Maren said to make her scrub the stalls when she wakes. The Alpha Heir is taking guests on a patrol tonight."

I pushed myself up against the wooden beams. "I need a healer."

The maid kicked a stiff brush at my boots. "The healer is tending to Lady Maren. A rejected Omega doesn't get to waste pack herbs."

Dawn hadn't broken yet. I hauled myself to my feet, my legs shaking violently. The moment my fingers brushed the bucket handle, the backlash slammed into me. I doubled over, spitting dark blood into the dirt.

"Disgusting," the maid muttered, backing away.

Footsteps crunched on the frost outside.

I looked up. Colin stood in the doorway, morning mist clinging to his dark cloak. He looked paler than last night, exhaustion carving lines under his eyes.

My wolf stirred, then immediately cowered. The rejection was complete, but my body still remembered him. That was the cruelest part.

He stepped inside, his eyes dropping to the blood on my chin. His jaw clenched. "Still putting on a show?"

I gripped the wooden stall, refusing to drop to my knees. "I need a healer."

"Maren is sick because of you. She's been running a fever since last night. The healer is busy."

Beside him, the maid lowered her head to hide a smirk.

I stared at his cloak. The overwhelming scent of Maren's cloying rose oil clung to the fabric, twisting my gut.

"It hurts, doesn't it, Colin?"

His expression shuttered.

I forced the words through my torn throat. "Rejection hits both ways. Did your chest burn last night? Did your wolf tear you apart for what you did?"

Colin closed the distance between us. Alpha aura slammed down on me like a physical weight. My knees buckled.

"Shut up." The Alpha command ripped through my skull. My throat clamped shut. My body submitted to his rank, but ice-cold hatred bloomed in my chest.

He saw my submission. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.

Then Maren's voice fluttered from outside. "Colin? Are you in there?"

He turned immediately.

Maren appeared in a white fur cloak. She leaned heavily on her maid, her cheeks flushed, eyes wet. "I just wanted to check on Jennifer. She was hurt so badly last night."

Colin's gaze softened instantly. "You're too weak to be out here."

Maren looked past him, locking eyes with me. "Jennifer, I know you're hurting, but you can't hate Colin. We can't help who we love. Blame me if you must."

A laugh bubbled up my throat. It sounded like broken glass.

"Maren, your fever cured itself remarkably fast."

Her soft expression froze. Colin whipped his head around to glare at me.

I wiped the blood off my mouth. "The healer's herbs are expensive. Even smelling them from the stables... you're not sick from fear. You're just hoping I die out here."

Maren let out a wounded sob. "I didn't—"

Colin raised his hand.

The slap snapped my head back. My scarred cheek burned like fire. My ears rang as I gripped the stall to keep from face-planting in the muck.

"Apologize to her," he bit out.

The Alpha command pressed down on my spine. Before my knees could hit the dirt, I bit down hard on my tongue. The sharp pain grounded me.

"No."

Colin grabbed the back of my neck and shoved me toward the ground. "Apologize."

Wood splinters dug into my palms. My bones groaned under the pressure. The backlash mixed with the command, tearing at my dormant wolf.

Maren crouched down, dabbing her dry eyes with a handkerchief. "Leave it, Colin. She's just heartbroken."

I tilted my head. From an angle Colin couldn't see, Maren mouthed a single word at me.

Freak.

The pain in my chest finally made sense. It wasn't because Colin didn't believe me. It was the realization that the mate the Goddess gave me was the exact same man grinding my face into the dirt.

I lowered my head, swallowing the blood in my mouth. "I'm sorry, Maren."

Colin released me. Maren stood up, a satisfied glint in her eyes, and leaned into his side.

Before leaving, Colin shot me a look of pure disgust. "Stay in the stables. If you step foot near the main house, I'll banish you from the Ironwood Pack."

The heavy doors slammed shut. Darkness swallowed the stables again.

I lay in the dirt for a long time. Deep in the stalls, an old mare nudged my shoulder.

Slowly, I dragged myself to the corner and dug under the loose hay. My fingers brushed a small, hidden cloth pouch. It held the medicinal roots I'd scavenged over the years—my only lifeline.

I popped a bitter root into my mouth and chewed.

If no one was coming to save me, I'd save myself.