Tempted By my Evil Lycan Stepbrother novel Chapter 90

Chapter y Giffnend

“Excuse me?” snapped.

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He leaned one shoulder against the stone pillar pear the entrance and looked me over with cool disdain.

“You actually need me to save you from your future husband and his lovely family. They treat you like shit. And you still want to marry him.” His mouth curved slightly, but there was nothing amosed in his eyes. “It’s pathetic And of course, stupid. ”

I wanted to give another slap on his gorgeous face.

“Fuck off.” I growled.

Ezra smiled, lazy and evil. “That’s exactly what I’m doing. My date is waiting upstairs. Later.”

He turned and walked away.

I stared at his back.

There. That easy cruelty. That reminder that no matter how intense things got between us, he could still teave and put his hands on some gorgeous girl before sunrise like nothing had happened.

It so fucking hurt.

I inhaled sharply and looked away and rushed out of the gate.

I ran until my lungs burned.

The palace forest behind the main grounds was dense enough to swallow people whole, which was exactly what I needed.

I followed the winding trail through damp earth and low branches until sweat rolled down my spine and my thoughts thinned into something simpler. Pain in my muscles was easier to deal with than the mess in my head.

By the time I came back, my shirt clung to me, my hair was damp./But my mood had finally been improved a bit.

I pushed open my bedroom door humming a tune and stopped sharply.

My mother was sitting on the couch, waiting.

The second she saw me, she stood up.

“Mom? What are you-”

She came across the room in three long strides and her hand cracked across my cheek.

SLAP!

The sent my head sideways.

For one second, all I could do was stare at the floor. My head was buzzing with shock and disbelief.

She had hit me.

Actually hit me!

“How dare you,” she said, her voice shaking with fury. “How dare you humiliate Leon and his family like that? After everything I’ve done for you?!”

I straightened slowly and touched my burning cheek. Then I looked at her. Her beautiful tace was twisted with anger. She was hideous now.

Suddenly, the could in my head opened up.

“I’m not marrying him.” I said to her, loud and clear.

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Hat eyes widened slightly.

“WHAT?!” she yelled

“I’m not marrying Leon anymore,” I said again. “It’s a mistake.”

“Mistake?! He’s the best you can do in your lifetime! Don’t tell me you think you can do better than hire

“It’s not that. I just don’t want my life to be shaped by the person I marry!” I raised fay voice above her. “Look what you’ve turned into, mom. A monster hungry for power and money. This has to stop! I raight end up marrying a truck driver, a janitor, or even a street wolf but I’m fine with it. As long as I’m happy and free!”

There’s a short, ringing silence after that.

Mom stared back at me, her eyes icy.

There was no trace of the awakening I’d hoped to see on her face. Just coldness.

“You are such a disappointment, Riley.” She said. “You are nothing like me.”

My heart sunk. “Whatever. I’m not marrying him. Period.”

She shrugged. “But I’m afraid it is not your choice anymore.”

“What? Why?”

She folded her hands together as if she were discussing a dinner menu. “This isn’t child play, Riley. We’ve all poured our hearts into it and it’s happening. The elders have approved. The invitations are already out. The guests are coming. And the wedding will be held in two weeks.”

The floor seemed to lurch under me.

“Two weeks?” I repeated in disbelief. “When the hell-you set the date without telling me?!”

She shrugged as though it’s obvious. Something ugly and disbelieving rose in my throat.

“You can’t do that.” I snapped, rage surging through every part of me. “I’m not some doll you can dress up and hand over whenever it’s convenient. If I don’t want to walk down that fucking aisle, nobody can force me.”

That was when I heard she mentioned my grandmother’s name.

“If you make trouble,” she said, “your dear grandmother will be the one who suffers for it.

The room went silent except for my own breathing.

I stared at her, waiting for some sign that she was joking.

There was none. She looked calm and cruel and ready to pull the trigger.

“You…You wouldn’t,” whispered. “She’s family…your family. You can’t threaten me with

“No, my family is Soren, the king of this kingdom, the most powerful man on earth. And that woman is just the mother of my ex

husband, some pathetic loser I have abandoned ages ago.”

I want to scream at her or tear her throat apart. But I was too shocked and furious to life my finger.

“Dress properly and come to dinner tonight. Leon and his parents will be there.” Mom gave me a cold, warning look. “Don’t let me down again.”

She left after that.

I stood in the middle of the room for a long time after that, fists clenched so tightly my nails bit into my palms.

hand her

And Leon

And this palace

And myself for jumping into this shithole whentarily and getting my gender in Ama

Now, I had no choice but to obey

So when the maids came later with gowns and jewelry and suggestions for how to make the mons dress me

By the time I walked into the dining hall, I felt like I was heading to my own exegion

The maids pushed the door opened for me and I stepped into the brightly lit room. Everyone sitting by the long be around to look at me, King Soren, my mom, my dear “fiance” and his family.

Every single person in that room had become someone I hated.

Their gaze made me want to throw up.

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