MARKED BY MY STEPBROTHER

Chapter Twenty

Sophie’s POV

The speakers have out sharp sounds again after Victor’s announcement, then went silent. The words “official breeding program” was in the air like poison.

Or a sword of Damocles rather.

I stood as still as anything in the middle of the luxurious suite, Damon’s arms still wrapped around me. My body was exhausted, my mind was turning gears. Lucas slept peacefully in the crib a few feet away, completely unaware of the nightmare that was trying to swallow him.

Damon’s jaw was clenched so tight I thought it might break. “They’re not touching you again,” he said, his voice sounded dangerous. “Not while I’m still breathing.”

I leaned into his chest, trying to draw strength from his body, or from wherever it was I could get it from him. “What are we going to do? There are too many of them, and Lucas, we can’t risk him.”

Damon pulled back slightly, cradling my face in both palms. “This is what we are going to do, Sophie. We are going to wait. Then we play along just enough to buy time. I felt hesitation from some of the guards earlier. Not everyone here is loyal to Victor.”

We spent the next forty minutes planning in low voices. Damon checked every corner of the room for cameras and hidden microphones while I fed and changed Lucas. The baby seemed to sense the tension, he fussed more than usual, his tiny hands holding my finger tightly as if he was afraid that I would soon leave him.

A soft knock came at exactly one hour.

Two female attendants entered, carrying silk robes and oils. “The Council is ready,” one of them said quietly, trying not to make eye contact with any of us. “Please prepare.”

Damon stepped in front of me protectively. “We’re not performing for them like animals.”

The older attendant lowered her voice to a whisper. “Some of us don’t agree with this. But Victor controls the silver reserves. Just.. survive tonight.”

They left quickly.

I changed into the soft robe they provided while Damon paced like a caged wolf. When the main door finally opened, six armed guards were waiting.

They escorted us through the compound to a glass-walled observation room. The Council was seated again, watching eagerly. Victor and Seraphina sat at the center as if they had been crowned king and queen of something.

“Begin,” Victor commanded through the speakers.

Damon kept me behind him, refusing to move toward the circular bed in the center of the room. “You want heirs?” he asked. “Then you’ll get them when we choose. Not like this.”

Seraphina smiled. “Defiance is pointless. The child already exists. We only need more.”

She raised her hand, and I felt a pull on the golden energy inside me, an attempt to control it. I pushed back hard, and she flinched.

Victor’s expression went as dark as a power outage. “Very well. If you won’t cooperate willingly..” He nodded to the guards.

Four of them moved toward Lucas’s carrier.

And it all began to make sense to me. But that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Damon shifted partially, roaring as he attacked the guards. I unleashed a burst of golden energy that knocked two of them off their feet. It was chaos once again in the room as alarms began to sound.

“Secure the child!” Victor shouted.

Seraphina moved like lightning, grabbing for Lucas. I threw myself between them, slashing at her with newly formed golden claws. She hissed in pain as I caught her arm.

“Enough!” Victor yelled.

He pressed a button on a remote. Silver gas began pouring into the room from the ceiling vents.

Damon staggered, coughing violently. I felt my own knees weaken as the gas burned my lungs. Through blurred vision, I saw Victor’s men closing in on Lucas.

“No..” I whispered, fighting to stay conscious, but it was a losing battle anyway. Silver was the bane of werewolves and there was nothing werewolves could do about it.

Damon attacked one last time, taking down another guard before collapsing to his knees. His silver eyes met mine across the room, filled with pain and anger. Angry that he couldn't keep his promise. Angry that he was letting us down.

“Sophie.. protect.. him..”

My vision faded as strong hands grabbed me. The last thing I saw was Victor picking up Lucas’s carrier with a satisfied smile, while Seraphina watched me with cold, calculating eyes.

Damon’s POV

I woke up in a cold cell lined with silver. My wrists and ankles were chained to the wall. The burning pain from the silver kept my wolf suppressed.

Sophie.

Lucas.

The thought of them in Victor’s hands sent pure rage rising through me. I pulled against the chains until blood ran down my wrists, but they didn’t budge.

A small slot in the door opened. A tray with water was pushed inside, along with another note.

Victor has gone too far. The elders are meeting in secret. Hold on. — Friend

I crushed the note in my fist.

They thought they could break us. Take my mate, take my son.

They had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. And I planned to make a whole world of pain come to pass for them. For my father and for his new girlfriend. Because I was pretty sure that their alliance would see them sharing more than just interests. It was probable that they would share bodily fluids too.

I leaned my head back against the wall, breathing through the pain, and reached for the mating bond. It was faint, but I could feel Sophie, she was scared, but alive.

“I’m coming,” I whispered into the darkness. “Just hold on.”

Somewhere in the compound, I heard Lucas cry and my wolf howled inside of me with extreme primal anger.