CLAIMED BY MY FIANCE’S STEP BROTHER

DAPHNE POV. “Father, I’m not a virgin,” I said. My father turned so fast I thought his neck was going to snap. “What did you just say?” he hissed. “I’m not a virgin anymore,” I forced the second version out stronger, even though the hair on the back of my neck was already standing up. My father crossed the room in three strides. One hand locked around my throat and slammed me hard against the wall. His eyes were red with fury. He was stuck halfway between man and wolf as his claws dug into my neck. All the confidence I’d felt earlier evaporated, and I stared at him in horror. “Who? Who is the man?” He glared as he tightened his grip. “Who is he?” I coughed, struggling to get the words out. “I don’t know.” The words must have pissed him off even more. He shoved me violently to the side. I hit my ribs against the edge of the table before collapsing to the ground. He ran a hand through his hair, then rushed to the shelf and threw everything onto the floor. I flinched as I scrambled backward, trying to avoid being hit by the flying objects. Then he turned to me, looking every bit the monster I always knew he was. ““After everything I’ve done for you,” he said, voice rising, “you still find a way to disgrace this family.” The veins in his neck stood out. “Why?” “I don’t want to marry him.” He laughed. The sound was too loud, too sharp. It made my stomach turn. “You are stupid, Daphne. The Alpha of Crystal Pack is more honorable than any man you’ll ever meet. He’s surrounded by prettier women than you. The only thing you had going for you was your purity and you threw it away. For what? To spite me?” He grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. I stared back. “Since I’m not a virgin,” I said, “you can call the wedding off. Stop trying to sell me to the highest bidder.” His mouth curved into a smile that made my blood run cold. “I thought you might try something like this.” He raised his voice. “Guards.” The door opened and two guards seized both my arms. I tried to struggle out of their grip, but it was useless. They dragged me out of the room and down the long corridor into my father private underground torture chamber. There was a big iron drum sitting at the center of the room filled to the brim with cold water. One guard forced my head down while the other held my arms behind my back. The water pushed its way into my nose and mouth. I kicked violently as my lungs burned. Just when I thought I was about to drown , they yanked me up by the hair and brought me back to the surface. I gasped, choking as water streaming from my nose and mouth. They shoved me under again, this time longer than the first. When they finally pulled me up, I was shaking so hard my teeth chattered. I spat water onto the floor and forced my head up to look at my father. I dragged in a ragged breath. “Is that all you’ve got?” For a second he looked surprised. Then the surprise turned into anger. He stepped forward, grabbed a fistful of my wet hair, and slammed me face-first onto the stone floor. Pain exploded across my cheekbone and I tasted my blood. I didn’t care. I was so tired of being treated like dirt. If this was the price for refusing to be handed over to another stranger the way my mother had been, then so be it. Death had to be better than that life. “Is that all?” I rasped again, blood and water dripping from my chin. His jaw flexed. “Bring her.” I panicked as one of the guards dragged my little sister into the chamber. Flora’s eyes were wide and wet. She looked at me first, then at our father. Her whole body started to shake. “Flora,” I whispered. She tried to speak, but the guard clamped a hand over her mouth. My father walked to the side table and picked up a small, thin-bladed knife and turned it in his fingers, testing the edge with his thumb. A thin line of red appeared on his skin. “If I can’t hurt you,” he said softly, “I know what can.” He stepped behind Flora and laid the flat of the blade against the side of her throat. I lunged forward on pure instinct. The remaining guard yanked me back so hard my shoulders popped. Pain shot down both arms. “Please—” I begged. “Don’t. She’s twelve. Please don’t.” He ignored me. Slowly, he turned the knife so the edge pressed into her skin. A thin red line appeared. Flora made a small, choked sound behind the guard’s hand. Tears spilled down her face. “I thought you were untouchable,” my father said, still in that same quiet voice. “Hide what you did, Daphne. If the Alpha ever finds out the truth… she dies.” “She’s your daughter!” I screamed. He finally looked at me. There was nothing human left in his eyes. “I have no use for useless daughters.” He raised the knife higher, the tip hovering just above the hollow of her throat. “If marrying him is too difficult for you, maybe Flora will die because of your selfishness” Flora’s sobs turned into high, panicked whimpers. The guard’s hand slipped just enough for one word to escape. “Daphne…” The knife started to come down when I screamed at the top of my voice. “I will marry him!” I sobbed. “I’ll do it. Just stop….please, stop. Don’t hurt her.” My father held the blade there for another heartbeat, watching me. Then he lowered it. A small, satisfied smile touched the corner of his mouth. “Good girl.” He stepped away from Flora as if she no longer existed. The guard released her. She stumbled forward and dropped to her knees beside me. I pulled her against my wet chest with the little strength I had left, wrapping both arms around her while she sobbed into my shoulder. My father wiped the knife clean on a cloth and set it back on the table. “And Daphne?” I lifted my head. “If he ever finds out you are no longer a virgin” he said calmly, “I will end her life.”