5
Lucia
Seven years later
Present-day
I cringe as a stream of thick, vibrant green goo fills up the tall glass. The smoothie comprises of a mix of veggies and boiled eggs that have been blitzed together to form a “complete” meal for my ailing dad.
Almost seven years went by since Dad’s accident but his condition hasn’t improved one bit.
The accident that occurred all those years ago left him paralyzed from the waist down. His spinal cord was also affected, resulting in him having difficulty forming proper speech.
His being alive is a constant source of disappointment for Callum but I thank the heavens every day for letting my dad stay with me. Dad is the only reason I get out of bed most days.
“Hey there,” a familiar voice sounds in my ear.
The sound startles me so badly, that the glass slips from my hands and falls into the sink in front of me. I cringe as the tumbler shatters from the sudden impact.
“So clumsy of you, Luce,” Callum says in an amused voice as he wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest.
I squirm, hating his lover-like embrace.
“That was for Dad,” I say, doing my best to keep an even tone. “It’s time for his meal, so I’m going to have to start all over again.”
“You’re such a sweet person,” he croons, skimming his nose along the side of my neck.
His pheromones, tasting of bitter tobacco, assaults my senses. I hold my breath, wishing he’d let go of me already.
Callum’s behavior fills me with disgust but I’m too scared of him to protest. These past seven years have shown me my brother’s true monstrous nature.
Damien, Leon, and Mikhail never came home again. I asked around at school and in our neighborhood, but no one had seen them past that night when everything changed.
Callum never wavered from what he told me.
I kept hoping they’d turn up one day but after seven years of waiting, I’m forced to acknowledge the truth. My brother killed the three young men I’d fallen in love with. That had to be the only reason they never came to see me again.
Damien, Leon, and Mikhail were guilty of nothing. Yet, they paid the price of being my friends.
My brother shows no pity for our poor father. Part of me believes Callum was responsible for the accident that incapacitated Dad and chained him to the bed and a wheelchair. He even goes as far as to complain about the money Dad’s treatments cost him.
Callum quickly stepped in to fill Dad’s position. From then on, it didn’t take him long to steal control over Dad’s company and his assets. The more I think about it, the more it seems like a planned conspiracy.
“Could you hand me that towel, please?” I say, desperately looking for an excuse to get Callum off me.
He obliges. Unlocking his arms, he moves to the counter to grab me a towel.
“Thanks,” I say as he hands me a roll of kitchen napkins. “Would you like some coffee?”
“I came to speak to you about something,” he says, his expression turning grim. “How about we meet up in Dad’s room? He should probably know about it too.”
“What are you talking about?”
He boops my nose with a manic grin I’d come to fear. “If you’re curious, hurry up and join me in Dad’s bedroom.” With a chuckle, he turns around and walks out of the kitchen.
My body sags against the counter. Dealing with Callum in a calm, poised manner always drains me.
His possessive touches and flirty innuendos never stopped touching a nerve. I can also see how much he struggles to hold himself back when I resist him.
I’m lucky he hasn’t completely lost his mind and taken what he hungers for. His love isn’t that of a brother’s. His psychotic mind is only obsessed with possessing me and making sure I’m fully dependent on him.
To stay safe, I’ve been on a consistent dose of blockers and suppressors. The first thing I do every morning is to spray my body liberally with de-scenters, ensuring my natural perfume stays masked from my brother.
An outsider might think I’m overreacting but having lived with Callum for the past seven years, I’ve become wary of him and his intentions with me. I don’t want to leave anything to chance and risk driving him wild with a whiff of my natural perfume.
Callum even stopped me from going to school these past years. He insisted homeschooling was a safer option. It came as no surprise when he employed only female betas as my teachers.
I have a high school diploma but I never applied for college. I could never leave Dad under his care. Even if I decided to be selfish and go, Callum would never allow it in the first place.
He insisted I take online courses because a college campus was a dangerous and unsafe place for a sweet, innocent omega like me.
It has been suffocating to stay under Callum’s rule but abandoning Dad is also out of the question. So, I’ve been forced to stay home and become my dad’s caregiver.
Swallowing a sob, I bury the thoughts that bring me nothing but pain.
Going to the fridge, I start collecting the stuff I’d need to make a second batch of smoothies for Dad.
When the concoction is ready, I place the glass on a tray and make my way toward Dad’s room.
Anxiety settles in my gut. Whatever Callum is planning to tell us can’t be good for either Dad or me. Knowing there’s no way to resist his commands, I steel myself.
Reaching the room, I find Callum seated on a chair by Dad’s bed. He looks relaxed and in an unusually good mood as he taps his foot to an imaginary beat.
“Hey, Dad,” I say, moving toward him.
Dad’s face crumples into a frown but I’m familiar with this expression by now. He’s trying to smile at me.
Taking the glass, I help him hold it by wrapping his fingers around it securely. He can no longer chew food, so to eliminate the risk of him choking on bigger chunks, we feed him smoothies like this.
Callum clears his throat pointedly. He doesn’t like me paying attention to anyone else but him.
Straightening up, I face him. “What did you want to tell us?”
“You’re getting married next week.” Callum’s face splits into a wide grin like he’s announcing his sudden decision to send me on a vacation free from him.
“Next week?” I ask slowly, wondering what new madness he’s up to now. Is he trying to trick me somehow? He can’t even bear for another man to look at me.
Dad makes an angry noise. “N...n...no,” he chants.
“Dad, calm down,” I say, worried his pent-up frustration would spike his blood pressure. Turning toward Callum, I ask, “You already have someone in mind?”
“Yes,” he says with a hearty wink. “It’s Freddy Stone. You know him, right? He went to school with you.”
Freddy Stone had been an extremely popular beta at school because of his close friendship with Lola Rostek, captain of the cheerleading team. He was also blatantly and proudly gay.
Callum’s dark eyes, so dissimilar to my emerald green, gleam with cruel amusement.
“That’s right, Lucy. Freddy’s agreed to marry you.”
“I don’t understand,” I say slowly, knowing there’s no way in hell Freddy would get married to a girl. “Freddy’s...gay.”
Callum chuckles. “I know! He’s the perfect guy for you.”
The confused look on my face seems to amuse him greatly. Taking deep breaths, he explains. “Freddy’s grandpa is a conservative old fart and refuses to leave his legacy to his only grandson. All because he’s gay. He’s given Freddy an ultimatum. Get married or get kicked out of his will. Guess what Freddy chose.”
“But why me?”
Callum’s expression darkens. “It’s the perfect fa?ade for us, Luce. You’ll be married to him but it’ll be me who becomes your true mate. I gave you enough time to grow up. You’re past twenty now. It’s time you went into heat and bonded with an alpha. This way, our relationship will evolve into something deeper and more meaningful. Our child will become the heir to our empire. Want to know the best part though? Our sons and daughters will inherit the Stone legacy too. Our children will be the most powerful heirs in Ashville.”
Fear and disgust shoot through me as I listen to Callum. Cold dread fills my heart as my head whips toward my dad as an involuntary reaction to my brother’s craziness.
“D...d...don’t!” Dad mutters hoarsely, his body shuddering as he tries to channel his rage at Callum. “N...n...n...no!”
“No one’s asking for your permission, Dad,” Callum says coldly. “I’m letting you know out of courtesy. You and Mom thought you could keep me away from my sister by sending me away.” He scoffs. “I don’t play to your tunes anymore. So, just keep shut and fucking breathe!”
“Don’t talk to him like that!” I shout.
Callum’s gaze zeroes in on me. The rage swirling in his eyes tells me he won’t let my rudeness go unpunished.
Stomping toward me, he grabs me by the shoulder and pushes me toward the door. He keeps pushing me vehemently until we’re both out in the corridor.
A massive shove sends me crashing against the wall. Before I can recover from the impact, Callum is on me, pushing his hard body against my soft curves.
I’m forced to stay still or risk rubbing my stomach against his growing bulge. My pain and helplessness are arousing him. The very thought sends a chill through me.
“I have finalized the deal with Freddy,” he barks in my face. “So, don’t you dare fuck things up in any way!”
“D-deal?” I choke, realizing that Freddy knows about our shameful secret too.
“He’s ready to let me fill you with child and claim them as his own heirs,” Callum says through clenched teeth. “As long as he can secretly live his life the way he wants, he won’t bother us. Don’t you dare do anything to jeopardize our arrangement.”
Tears splash down my cheeks as I see no other way out of this horrible situation but to seek death. There’s no way I’ll let Callum do those awful things to me. Death seems like the only way out of my miserable life.
“I’ll kill him, you know,” Callum whispers.
“What?”
“Dad. He’ll pay the price if you do anything to fuck up this arrangement.” He gently tucks a stray strand of my raven-black hair behind my ear. “I’ve kept him alive only for you or he’d be rotting away in a garbage dump just like those three street rats he picked up for you to play with.”
My eyes widen.
For the first time in years, Callum is mentioning Damien and his brothers, reminding me of the sole reason they’d disappeared. It was him. It was my own brother who killed them.
Hurt and rage swirl inside me, creating a storm that threatens to drown me, but all I can do is stand here and stare into the eyes of a monster.
How can we share the same blood as Mom and Dad? They were the gentlest, kindest souls. How could they give birth to a demon like my brother?
“Don’t cry, sweetheart,” Callum’s voice is deceptively gentle. “You have no idea what you do to me when you cry. I want to make you happy, darling, but you make it so difficult. Trust me, hmm? Everything I’m doing is for us.”
“I don’t want this,” I say in a broken voice as more tears spill from my eyes. “Please, just let me go. I’ll take Dad with me and you’ll never have to see us again.”
Callum closes his eyes as if my words greatly disappoint him.
“Please, Callum. This is wrong. This is all so fucking wrong!” I shout the last sentence. “We’re related! You’re my brother. You shouldn’t be wanting to do this to me.”
“That is exactly why we should be together!” he shouts. “No one’s ever going to be as loyal to you as me. No one’s ever going to love you as much as me. I’ve watched over you since you were a baby. You have no idea how much I want to protect you from the ugliness of this world. You need me, Lucia.”
“Please, Callum. I don’t want this. It’s unnatural. It’s disgusting. You’re my brother,” I plead.
“You’re too foolish for your own good,” he says, brushing his thumb over my cheek. He brings the thumb to his lips and darts his tongue across the tip, tasting my tears. “Even your tears taste so sweet.”
Taking a breath, he fixes me with a cold look. “Go along with my plan or be prepared to lose Dad.”
All the fight inside me dies in the face of that threat. I can never bring myself to be responsible for my father’s death. I’m not my brother!
I lower my head in the face of my crushing defeat.
Callum kisses the top of my head and walks away.
Tears continue to flow down my cheeks and splash onto the floor. I don’t even have the freedom to kill myself. Callum wouldn’t spare Dad if I’m gone.
No matter how desperate I feel, I don’t bother to pray.
The past seven years have shown me prayers don’t work against a devil like my brother. Only another monster can fight against Callum and free me from his clutches.
Wiping my tears, I plaster a smile on my face and walk back into my dad’s bedroom.
“Luc—”
“It’s okay, Dad,” I say, putting on a fake smile. “Don’t worry about Callum. We’ll work things out by ourselves.”
Dad shakes his head as utter gibberish flows from his lips. I know he feels as trapped as me, or maybe worse. He’s a prisoner in his own body.
Moving toward the bed, I sit down on the edge and take his hand in mine. “It’s okay, Dad,” I say in the calmest tone I can muster. “We’ve been through worse. I’m sure we’ll survive this too.”
Dad’s eyes fill with tears.
“It’ll be okay,” I repeat despite knowing I’m lying to him and myself.
Only a monster as insane as my brother can save me.