Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 5

Chapter 5

For a second, I thought he might ignore it. But then his jaw tightened, and he swiped to answer–putting it on speaker.

“What.” His voice was flat, ice–cold.

Grayson’s voice came through the line, strained and uncomfortable:

“Bro, seriously, I need help. My wolf just woke up and it’s killing me.”

“And Freya still hasn’t shown up. I don’t know what the hell’s taking her so long.”

“Thought I could tough it out, but… shit, I was wrong.”

Ryder’s gaze flicked to me. His expression was unreadable.

“Freya is-”

I pressed a finger to his lips, shaking my head slightly.

Let me hear this.

Ryder’s eyes narrowed, but he stayed silent.

Grayson kept talking, completely oblivious:

“She’s probably just stuck in traffic or something. I’m sure she’s losing her mind right now, thinking she’s finally gonna get her shot with me.”

My stomach twisted painfully.

“But honestly?” Grayson laughed–bitter and frustrated. “The whole ‘girl rushing to the rescue‘ thing? Kind of… pathetic, you know? Like,

where’s the fun in that?”

“And if I let her help me tonight, that’s it. I’m stuck with her forever. One mark and boom–life sentence. Why the hell do werewolves have to be so stupidly loyal? It’s like we’re biologically programmed to be whipped.”

Ryder’s entire body went rigid. The temperature in the room seemed to drop about twenty degrees.

“You don’t want to be loyal to her?” His voice was dangerously soft. “Then why have you been stringing her along since we were kids, Grayson?”

“Dude, come on. I was young. Didn’t know any better back then. Hadn’t seen what else was out there.”

Grayson’s tone was casual–dismissive, even. Like he was talking about outgrowing a childhood toy.

“Now that I’ve actually looked around? There are way better options. Hotter girls. Girls with actual status. Why would I lock myself down to

Freya when I could have-”

“Grayson Thornwolfe.”

Ryder’s voice cracked through the phone like a whip–sharp, furious, and absolutely final.

I’d never heard him say his brother’s full name like that before. It wasn’t just anger.

It was a warning.

“Let me make something crystal clear,” Ryder continued, voice dropping into a low, predatory growl that sent shivers racing down my spine.

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Screw My Childhood Sweetheart–His Alpha Brother Marked Me First!

Chapter S

“Freya isn’t some toy you get to play with and toss aside when you’re bored.”

“She’s not a backup plan. She’s not a convenience.”

His hand found mine, fingers lacing together possessively.

“So here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna stay the hell away from her. You’re gonna stop treating her like she’s lucky you even breathe in her direction.”

“Because if you won’t claim her?”

His eyes locked onto mine–burning, fierce, claiming.

“Don’t be surprised when I do.”

Ryder’s voice went dead cold–the kind of tone that makes people shut up real fast.

“You’re gonna regret every word of that. Trust me.”

Silence. Then Grayson actually laughed–casual, like none of this mattered.

“Regret it? Bro, if Freya finally quit trailing after me, I’d celebrate. Best news I’d get all year.”

Pain twisted through my chest like someone had wrapped barbed wire around my heart.

“But let’s be real–even if I bail, she won’t. Ever.”

“She’s fixated on me. Can’t think about anything else. There’s zero room in that head of hers for anyone new. Definitely not you.”

His voice took on this mocking sympathy.

“Pretty sure she’s gonna pine after me till she’s old and gray. Kinda pathetic, honestly.”

Then came another cruel laugh.

“What’s your plan anyway? Go full alpha psycho? Dominate her till she’s too messed up to remember her own name?”

“Cause here’s the truth–coerced feelings don’t count. Sure, maybe you’ll own her physically. But her heart? That’s mine forever. Why even try?”

White–hot fury blazed through me.

Shit, I despise him. That smug, self–satisfied tone. Like I’m just some pathetic joke to tell his buddies.

Terror gripped me–what if Ryder actually believed this garbage? What if he pushed me away again, convinced I only came out of pity?

So before that ironclad control could slam back into place–before he could overthink this–I locked my arms around his neck and caught his earlobe between my teeth. Gently.

Ryder froze like I’d electrocuted him.

A deep, ragged sound tore from his chest–somewhere between a growl and a groan–and his entire body trembled violently.

Already drowning in his rut, barely clinging to sanity. My touch obliterated what little restraint remained.

When he spoke, his voice could’ve frozen hell over.

trad Mo Firstl

Chapter 5

“Wrong.”

But Grayson kept going, totally oblivious.

“Dude, I’m telling you–she’s probably driving like a maniac right now, grinning ear to ear, convinced tonight’s when all her fantasies come true,”

“And here I am, suffering through this hell, knowing I’ll still have to fight her off when she barges in. Exhausting as hell.”

Ryder made this short, bitter sound–not quite a laugh.

“Delusional idiot.”

Phone still dangling loosely from one hand–but every ounce of his focus was locked on me.

And something fundamental had shifted in those burning eyes.

That agonizing self–control? The constant internal battle?

Gone.

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His hand slid up, cradling my head, fingers tangling possessively through my hair. Then in one fluid movement, he hauled me fully onto the bed and cocooned me against his chest–like I was something breakable. Something sacred. Something his.

Dr. Wilder, Knox, and Carter traded glances. Silently filed out. Door clicked shut.

Just us now.

The atmosphere felt charged–oppressive–like right before thunder cracks the sky open.

Heat radiated off Ryder in scalding waves that soaked straight through my clothes. My pulse hammered so violently I thought my ribs might splinter.

His voice came out strangled–barely human:

“Final warning, Freya. Leave now.”

“Because if I start… there’s no stopping. I can’t stop.”

His grip intensified–careful not to bruise, but making his intentions brutally clear.

“I don’t do halfway measures. If I claim you tonight, that’s it. You’re mine. Forever. No take–backs. No second chances.”

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