Claimed by My Ex-Mate's Brother

Chapter 4

Jennifer

Maren recovered quickly. She gathered her skirts and bolted toward the main house, her voice shrill enough to spook the horses.

"Colin! Sebastian is touching Jennifer in the stables!"

Sebastian didn't drop my wrist. I tried to pull back, but he gently draped his heavy coat over my shoulders, hiding my half-shifted, misshapen arm.

"Can you stand?" he asked, his tone level.

"Yes."

But the moment I pushed myself up, my legs gave out. Sebastian's hand shot out, catching my waist. His grip was steady. Heat radiated from his touch, silencing the agonizing cries of my wolf. Instead of fighting him, my wolf pushed against my ribs, urging me closer to him through our weak, new bond.

No, I told her. We were just rejected by an Ashford in front of the whole pack. I won't hand myself over to another one.

Heavy footsteps pounded outside. Colin burst into the stables, his collar askew, his face a violent shade of pale. Maren hovered behind him, tears already streaming down her face.

Colin's expression twisted into a snarl when he saw Sebastian holding me.

"Let her go."

Sebastian didn't move. "By what authority?"

"She's a member of my pack."

"The same member you left to rot in the stables?" Sebastian countered smoothly.

Colin's eyes locked onto the dark coat draped over my shoulders. His jaw ticked. "Jennifer. Come here."

The Alpha command slammed into me. My muscles locked. My body instinctively moved to obey.

But then Sebastian shifted, his hand moving to the back of my neck. The heavy scent of cedar and frost completely obliterated Colin's command. Strength flooded back into my knees.

Colin looked like he'd been slapped. "You dare use your aura against me?"

Sebastian let out a dark chuckle. "I haven't even used my aura yet."

The Elders arrived at the doorway. The Head Elder leaned heavily on his silver-tipped cane, his wrinkled face set in a deep scowl. "Sebastian. You've barely returned, and you're already causing trouble?"

Sebastian stood up straight. His black shirt sleeves were rolled to the elbows, revealing the brutal, jagged scars left by silver chains on his wrists. "I found an adult Omega suffering from rejection backlash in the mud. Where is the healer?"

Silence fell over the stables.

Maren tugged lightly at Colin's sleeve. "Your brother misunderstands. Jennifer refuses to see the healer. She hates Colin and me too much to accept our help."

I looked right at her. "The healer's prescription for you contains silvervine."

Maren's fragile facade cracked. "You're lying."

I swayed on my feet, leaning against the wooden stall to keep upright, but my voice didn't waver. "Silvervine suppresses the inner wolf. It also prolongs rejection backlash. Your cheap rose oil couldn't cover the smell. You had the healer spike my water so I could never complete my shift."

Colin frowned. "Jennifer, enough. Maren wouldn't do that."

I laughed, though it felt like shattered glass in my chest. "Of course you believe her. She sheds a tear, and you treat my life like a lie."

Maren immediately began to sob. "Colin, I didn't. What does she know about herbs? She's just a stable Omega."

"She knows," Sebastian interrupted.

Every eye turned to him. He reached down and picked up my hidden cloth pouch from the hay, tossing it open for the Elders to see. Neatly tied bundles of black root for bleeding, bitter leaves for fever, and deer moss to neutralize silver poison spilled out.

"She survived half a month of backlash without a healer. She knows more about herbs than your precious doctor," Sebastian said flatly.

The Head Elder glanced at me. "Even so, this doesn't prove Maren poisoned her."

"I can prove it." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a dried leaf.