CHAPTER 8: THE STRAIN
744 Words
Zane’s pov
The lingering shame I felt in the mornings was eclipsed only by the blinding possessiveness of the night before. I had finally claimed my Mate. The taste of her release, the deep, satisfying thrum of the bond settling into my soul—it was perfection.
But perfection was fragile, and my twin brother was a wrecking ball.
I kept silent at the breakfast table, letting my composure anchor the scene, but I was acutely aware of every signal: the flush on Andre’s cheeks, the way her hand trembled near her toast, and the electric current that still radiated off her body from our intimacy.
Then Zakk spoke. “The house is a little tense this morning. Did something happen during the night that I missed?”
It was a direct challenge, a territorial display meant for me and for her. Zakk didn’t need to see the evidence; he could smell the aftermath. He knew I had initiated the claim, and now he was aggressively asserting his rightful share.
I met his gaze, warning him off with a flat, hard look. "Just a restless night, brother. Nothing worth discussing at the table."
I hated the secrecy, but I needed to protect her human shell, her delicate process of accepting her wolf side. Zakk, with his demanding, primal aggression, was threatening to shatter that.
Later that afternoon, I found Zakk in the connected sitting room, staring out the window, his shoulders tense. The room smelled faintly of his anxiety and his rising wolf scent.
"She's scared, Zane," Zakk stated, not turning around. "And she's avoiding you."
"She's adjusting," I corrected, walking into the room. "She just found out she's not human, Zakk. She needs time."
"Time is a human luxury," Zakk snapped, finally turning. His eyes were shadowed and hot. "The bond is screaming. She’s only felt half of it. The other half is being starved."
"She'll come to you when she's ready," I insisted, but the lie felt brittle. I knew she was confused. I knew she was feeling the pull toward Zakk, and I was doing everything in my power to ignore the jealousy that clawed at my chest. The wolf in me wanted her exclusively, but the Mate Bond's truth was irrefutable: she belonged to us.
"She came to you when she was ready," Zakk reminded me, his voice laced with resentment. "Or did you forget who was at her door first? You took the claim, brother, and I let you. But every second I spend with her in the daytime, I feel the part of the bond that is mine going unanswered."
He walked toward me, his stance suddenly aggressive, not twin-to-twin, but wolf-to-wolf. "You smell like her satisfaction. I smell like frustration. That changes tonight."
"We will not risk the secret for your impatience," I warned, stepping forward to meet his challenge. "If Father or Sarah hear us, everything is destroyed."
"Then you need to control her," Zakk shot back, his eyes narrowing. "Or I will control the situation."
I didn't have to ask what he meant. He would force the completion. He would wait for me to be with Andre, and he would simply walk in, appealing to the irresistible demand of the tripartite bond.
The stress of the dual lives—the human step-brother in the light, the possessive mate in the dark—was tearing us apart. I was supposed to be the sensible one, the protector of the family and the pack. But the thought of Zakk touching Andre, of completing that bond without my permission, sent a furious, primal growl rumbling low in my chest.
"Don't," I said, my voice heavy with warning. "Let me bring her to you. Let it be her choice."
Zakk smiled, and it was a look of cold, predatory triumph. "She chose you first, Zane. Now, the bond will choose for her. We're running out of patience, brother. Both of us."
He left the room, leaving me alone with the realization that the smooth, secretive rhythm of the past night was over. Zakk was going to take action, and the only way to minimize the fallout and ensure Andre was protected was to be there when he did.
The fragile peace of Our House, Our Secret was about to shatter under the weight of a dual claim.
- Writer
