My Step Brother's Claim; The Alpha's Open Marriage

Chapter 2

Greta

"Antonio, you're lying," I whispered, my voice trembling. "You told me you were going out of town yesterday, why is her watch in your pocket?"

"Are you f*****g deaf?" he roared. He slammed his hand against the marble counter, making the plates rattle. "I said drop it! I am the Alpha of this pack. I do not have to explain sh*t to you. I am sick and tired of your paranoid, pathetic whining."

"Paranoid?" I choked out. Tears spilled over my eyelashes. "I am your mate."

Antonio let out a dark, cruel laugh. It sounded like grinding stones.

"You are a headache, Greta. That is what you are. The picnic is off. I am f*****g done playing house today."

"But the food..."

"Throw it in the trash where it belongs," he snapped. His blue eyes were devoid of any warmth. He looked at me with pure, unadulterated disgust. "Take Liam to the training grounds. Do something useful for once instead of suffocating me."

He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving me completely shattered in the middle of the kitchen.

My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind. She was curling into a tight, miserable ball. I wiped my face frantically. I could not break down now. Liam needed me.

I drove across the pack territory to the pup training grounds. The ride was suffocatingly quiet. When Liam finally climbed into the backseat of my car, he did not even look at me. He was only five years old, but he already carried his father's cold demeanor.

"How was training, baby?" I asked, forcing a bright smile into the rearview mirror.

Liam crossed his little arms over his chest. "You made Dad mad again, didn't you? He did not even come to watch me shift. You always ruin his mood."

The words felt like a physical slap. "I am sorry, Liam. Dad is just busy with Alpha duties."

"Whatever," he muttered, looking out the window. "Can we just go to Auntie Talia's house? She promised me ice cream today."

I swallowed the giant lump in my throat. "Okay. Let us go see Talia."

I actually needed to see her anyway. I needed my best friend. I needed to look Talia in the eye and ask her why Antonio had her watch. Maybe there was a perfectly logical explanation.

We pulled up to Talia's apartment on the edge of the pack borders. I grabbed Liam's hand, though he tried to pull away from my grip. When I reached the front door, I noticed it was already slightly ajar.

"Talia?" I called out softly.

I pushed the door open. The immediate scent that hit my nose made my stomach violently heave. It was the sharp, intoxicating scent of cedarwood and rain.

Antonio.

But it was mixed with the heavy, sickeningly sweet vanilla scent of an Omega in heat.

"Mommy!" Liam suddenly yelled.

He ripped his hand out of my grasp and sprinted down the hallway.

"Liam, wait!" I panicked, chasing after him into the living room.

My entire world stopped spinning and the ground beneath my feet simply vanished, because there, on the expensive leather sofa, was my husband. His shirt was completely unbuttoned. Talia was sitting right next to him. Her hands were tangled in his dark hair. They were completely flushed, their lips swollen.

The air reeked of s*x and betrayal, but the true, fatal knife to my heart was not the sight of them together. It was Liam. My sweet, five year old son had run straight past me. He crashed into Talia's legs, hugging her tight.

"Mommy, you promised me ice cream!" Liam giggled, burying his face in Talia's dress.

Talia looked down at him with a sickeningly sweet smile.

She stroked his hair. "I know, sweet pup. Mommy has it right in the freezer for you."

I stopped breathing. My vision blurred with black spots. "What... what did he just call you?"

Talia looked up and the sweet smile instantly morphed into a wicked, triumphant smirk. She did not look shocked or guilty. She looked like she had finally won.

"Oh, look," Talia sneered, leaning back against Antonio's chest. "The tragic Luna finally figured it out. Took you long enough, Greta. Honestly, keeping this a secret was getting exhausting."

Antonio did not even have the decency to look ashamed. He slowly sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair. He looked at me with cold, dead eyes.

"Antonio..." I gasped, grabbing the doorframe to keep from collapsing. "She is my best friend. You... you were on the phone with me this morning..."

"Yeah, and it was pathetic," Talia laughed sharply. "You begging for the right amount of garlic while your husband was busy doing things you are too weak to handle. You are a terrible Luna, Greta. And a boring mate."

"Shut up," I whispered. My chest was cracking open. I looked at the man I loved. "Tell me this is a joke. Tell me you are not doing this."

Antonio scoffed. He stood up, adjusting his belt. "It is no joke. Actually, it is f*****g great that you finally know. I am tired of putting up with your miserable face every single day. I am tired of pretending I care."

"I am your fated mate!" I screamed, the betrayal tearing through my vocal cords.

"You are a mistake!" he roared back, closing the distance between us. His dominant aura crashed into me, forcing me to my knees. "The Moon Goddess screwed up! Look at you. You are weak. You are a glorified maid. Talia is a real Luna. She is everything you will never be."

I stayed on the floor, weeping violently. Liam peeked out from behind Talia's legs, looking at me with total indifference. To them, I was not a wife or a mother. I was a temporary, free babysitter.

"Get out of my sight," Antonio growled, looking down at me like I was vermin. "My lawyer is drafting the divorce papers tomorrow. Sign them. I am done with this pathetic bond."

Right at that exact moment, a sharp, agonizing tearing sensation ripped through my chest. I screamed out loud, clutching my heart. It felt like my soul was being shredded through a meat grinder.

The mating bond. He was forcibly rejecting it.

The entire room went dead silent as the sheer power of the broken bond washed over us. Even Talia gasped, stepping back.

Antonio just smirked, a cruel, heartless twist of his lips. "If you are so damn lonely, Greta, let us have an open marriage until the papers are signed. Go out. Find a hobby. Find another man. I do not give a f**k who you spread your legs for anymore. Just do not expect me to care."

He turned his back on me and pulled Talia into a deep, claiming kiss right in front of my face.

I dragged myself off the floor. I did not say another word. I could not. I stumbled out of the apartment, leaving my son, my husband, and my best friend behind.

I collapsed into the driver's seat of my car and I locked the doors and let out a guttural, agonizing scream. I slammed my fists against the steering wheel until my knuckles bled. I cried until my eyes swelled shut and my lungs burned for oxygen.

Seven years. I gave him seven years of absolute perfection, and he threw me away like trash.

My phone buzzed in the cup holder. I blindly reached for it, thinking it was a pack emergency.

The screen was lit up with a pop-up advertisement. I must have left a browser open. My blurry, tear-filled eyes focused on the sleek, black and gold text on the screen.

"The Midnight Elysium." "Elite Male Companions. Cold. Dangerous. Expensive. Total Discretion Guaranteed."

I stared at the screen and Antonio's voice echoed in my head.

Find another man. I do not give a f**k.

He thought I was completely broken. He thought I would crawl into a dark corner and die of a broken heart. A dark, twisted fire suddenly ignited in my chest, burning away the tears.

I wiped the blood from my knuckles as I clicked the link and a chat box immediately opened.

Client Services: How may we serve you tonight, Madam?

My fingers hovered over the keyboard. I took a deep, shaky breath, and typed my response.

I need someone tonight. Someone ruthless. I do not care how much it costs.