I didn't even have to raise my voice. Just a look, a tilt of my head, a shift in tone—that was all it took to make Evan falter.
We stood in the center of my chambers, the tension between us coiled like a serpent ready to strike.
He hadn't spoken yet, but I already knew. I could see it in the way he avoided my gaze, in the slight tremor of his hands at his sides. Something had happened. Something he didn't want to tell me.
I folded my arms slowly, my voice cool and flat. "Tell me the truth." He hesitated. I took one step closer. "Don't make me ask again."
Finally, with visible reluctance, he nodded once. "Yes, I did see him." I didn't breathe. "It was by accident," he added quickly, as if that would soften the blow. "Near the outer border. I didn't know I'd crossed into Crimson Fang territory. I didn't even know he was there."
"Crimson Fang," I echoed, each syllable bitter on my tongue. "You're telling me Atlas is no longer a rogue?"
He gave a stiff nod. "He's been accepted into their pack. He's not just surviving—he's… becoming one of them."
The words hit me like a slap. I reeled with fury, but I kept my expression still. Controlled. My nails dug into my palms, the sting grounding me, keeping me from losing control entirely.
That pathetic brother of mine, who had run away with his tail between his legs after I'd taken everything from him, had somehow found shelter. Found acceptance. Found a place where he actually belonged. It was supposed to be over. He was supposed to disappear.
"So let me understand," I said slowly, pacing in a small circle as I processed this information. "Not only did you find him. You spoke with him. You kept it from me. And now you're telling me he's living peacefully under the protection of Draven, the same Alpha who swore he'd never take in rogues."
Evan flinched slightly, but held his ground. "I didn't mean to hide it. I just… I thought it would upset you. And I didn't think it mattered. You're the one who'll be Alpha. Not him. That's already been decided." The words were meant to reassure. But they only twisted the knife deeper.
Because if it truly didn't matter, why had he kept it secret? Why had I sensed his unease for days now, that subtle distance in his touch, that faraway look in his eyes when he thought I wasn't watching?
"If it didn't matter," I said, my voice dropping to a hiss, "then why keep seeing him?" He blinked. Hesitated and remained silent.
The silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. I watched his face carefully, searching for any crack in his composure. Any sign of the truth he was so desperately trying to hide.
I felt it then—a sharp tug in the back of my mind. Gale bristling. Something was wrong. Something was shifting. My eyes narrowed as I focused inward, reaching for the bond that tied my wolf to his.
Blocked. Evan was trying to close me off. He was pushing against the thread of connection between our wolves—just enough to keep me out, to silence the echo of guilt radiating from him. Gale growled, low and seething. The betrayal cut deeper than any blade.
"You're hiding something," I said, stepping in until we were nearly chest to chest. I could feel the heat of him, smell the trace of forest and rain that always clung to his skin. "And now you're trying to shut me out?"
"It's not like that," Evan said quickly. "I just… I didn't want to confuse things."
"You mean you didn't want me to know," I snapped, my patience finally cracking. "You didn't want to admit that you still feel something for him. That you've been letting your guilt—your weakness—cloud your judgment."
Evan clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking beneath his skin. "I've already chosen you."
"But you still think about him!" Silence fell. He didn't deny it. The confirmation, even in silence, was devastating. After everything I had done to secure Evan.
After all the years of planning, of positioning myself, of making sure Atlas was pushed further and further into the shadows where he belonged—Evan still thought about him. Still felt something for that worthless, moon-marked runt.
My hand moved before I even realized I'd made the decision. The sharp sound of the slap cracked through the room, loud and final. His face jerked to the side. His eyes burned with surprise—but not anger. Not even regret. Just shame.
Good. That was exactly what I wanted to see. I shoved him hard in the chest, forcing him back a step. He stumbled but caught himself, still refusing to meet my gaze.
"Don't come back to me," I said, my voice cold and venomous, each word deliberate, "until you grow a spine and stop hiding behind your pathetic guilt for that pitiful brother of mine."
He stood there, silent. His broad shoulders hunched slightly, like a wolf showing submission. But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.
I turned my back on him and walked to the door, my footsteps sharp against the stone floor. Opened it. "Get out."
For a moment, I thought he might try to speak. Apologize and defend himself. Maybe even fight back. But he didn't.
Evan walked out in silence, and I slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing through the room like thunder.
I stood there for a long moment, breathing hard. Trembling. Not from sadness. From fury.
The betrayal was one thing—but the weakness? The indecision? That was unforgivable. He was mine and he was bound to me. I had claimed him publicly, had woven my life around the certainty of our future together. And still he wavered.
Still he looked at Atlas like he was something worth mourning. Like the bond we'd built meant nothing compared to whatever phantom connection he imagined existed between them.
I walked to the window and stared out at the darkening sky. The moon was rising, pale and cold, and I thought of that cursed birthmark on my brother's cheek. Moon-marked. As if the goddess herself had branded him for some special purpose. What a joke.
I clenched my fists, jaw tight. My mind raced with possibilities, each darker than the last. If Atlas wouldn't stay gone, then I'd have to remove him—for good. Running away hadn't solved the problem. Becoming a rogue hadn't erased him from Evan's thoughts. And apparently, joining another pack wouldn't either.
If he thought hiding behind Crimson Fang would save him, he was even more naïve than I remembered. Draven might be a powerful Alpha, but even he couldn't shield Atlas forever. Not from me. Not from what I was willing to do.
One way or another, I'd erase him. I'd make Evan forget Atlas ever existed. I'd burn every memory, every lingering feeling, every trace of my brother from Evan's heart until there was nothing left but me.
Because our future—his and mine—was the only one that mattered. And I would burn the world before I let Atlas stand in our way.