Mated To The Alpha Stepbrother

Run

Vinorca Jona POV

My eyes widened as a slap landed on my cheek, making me spit blood onto his bare chest. I watched it slide down his abs.

"You're right, I am a bastard. This is how you make me wet? You still have the guts to spit on me like this?" He narrowed his eyes.

What was he expecting from me? Without warning, he slapped me, and he thinks I can just take it? It's not in my control! I screamed internally, my cheek throbbing. It felt like my cheekbone might be fractured from the force of slap.

"Eyes on me, not my body. Bunny, you don't deserve to see something so heavenly," he mocked. I raised my head, trying to maintain eye contact. No way in hell did I want to get slapped again. Another hit might shatter my cheek completely.

"Now tell me, how are you going to clean this, Bunny?" he questioned.

'I’d love to clean it with acid,' I thought to myself. Oh, how I wished I could say that to his face. I wanted to pour something on him so he'd feel the same burning sensation I felt now.

Same pain, same gain - isn't that the rule he taught his pack? I longed to see him in equal agony, to hear his screams and feel the same satisfaction he seemed to derive from my suffering.

But could I say this? Of course not. It wasn't just low self-esteem; it was a reflection of my powerlessness. I didn't believe in the Moon Goddess - she took my parents from me.

I didn't even believe in myself. I had no power to stand against someone like Dante.

Dante wasn't cruel enough; it was my fate that was truly merciless. Right? No matter how often I asked myself, the answer remained the same.

It wasn't about Dante being strong; it was about me being a coward from the start, unable to stand up for myself.

"I asked you something. Are you not going to answer?" Dante's words snapped me back to reality. I hadn't even tried to formulate an answer. Why bother when he'd just tell me what he wanted anyway? No need to exhaust myself further.

"You tell me," I replied lifelessly, bracing for the unexpected.

"Is that you, bunny? I love when you behave like this. How about you lick off all the blood you spat on me? Take back whatever you gave me," his lips curved into a smile.

Nothing unexpected there. Him wanting me to lick him clean was par for the course. Still, his words didn't suit him.

‘Take back whatever you gave me?’ When clearly, other than this blood on his chest, I'd given him nothing. He, on the other hand, had given me so much - so much I'd love for him to take back.

Other than adopting me, he'd never done anything good. I'd love to see that taken into consideration if we were following his theory.

"You don't like the idea, Vinorca? If that's the case, how about using your other pair of lips? I don't mind; it's your choice which pair you're better with. I can give you all the rights, but I'm not known for my patience. So it would be best if you hurry," Dante interjected, giving a twisted meaning to his vulgar words.

I have two pairs of lips, and if it's my choice, how about I give neither? I don't want to offer any part of me. I want him nowhere near me. How fair of him to phrase it like he's giving me options when in reality, it's do or die.

I either give him what he wants one way or another, or suffer the consequences. It shows how he wants things his way, without considering how much I hate it.

'I f*****g hate you!!! I just f*****g hate you to my very core,’ I screamed in my head.

"Where are you lost? I'm right here in front of you. Your eyes are on me, but your focus isn't. You seem so busy, as if you don't need to pay attention to this conversation that started with you and will end with you," he questioned, his face impassive but his words betraying his irritation.

'You know something, Dante? I don't know why you need my focus, but I'd love to tell you that my nightmares contain you, my thoughts contain you. Every fibre of my being has been burning for the past ten years,' my heart screamed the words my mouth couldn't utter.

"I choose to lick with my tongue," I replied without stuttering, keeping my voice steady. Who needs lips to lick? They're needed for sucking, not licking, so why use either pair of my lips?

"Very well, Bunny. I'd love to proceed, but I think that would be a little unfair - you using your pretty tongue and me doing nothing when you're bleeding from your pretty lips. Don't you think?" Dante spoke.

I didn't need to say anything. He'd do whatever he wanted anyway. What could I say? 'Do as I wish?’ If that were ever an option, I'd love for him to do nothing at all, to just leave me. Even in this situation, at this point, I'd be glad if he just left.

"Aww, such a great answer. Your silence means you want me to do something in exchange. Don't worry, I'll do exactly as you want," he smirked and giggled like a child. At this point, nothing surprises me anymore. He'd given me so many surprises that I no longer felt shocked by anything he did.

He backed away from me, and I stumbled. I didn't know how long I'd been standing. My blood had already dried, and I was no longer bleeding from my feet as I had been before. Now I realised how I'd managed to stay upright - he'd been holding me, supporting me as I stood.

"Just wait here, bunny. I'll be back soon," Dante said as he left.

I tried to maintain my balance so I wouldn't fall and injure myself further. What was he going to bring back? What was going on in his head? It was such a mystery.

Even though I didn't feel surprised anymore, his mind worked in ways I couldn't fathom, ways I didn't want to deal with when I was already so exhausted.

'Could you say this to his face? If you did, he'd surely have more surprises for you - surprises you definitely couldn't handle,' a voice in my head taunted.

I knew I couldn't take it, and that was the truth. I didn't even want to try. But who would listen to me? I couldn't put up a fight or run from here, not when I was naked and injured like this.

'Everyone is born naked. How come you can't run? It seems like you don't want to,' that same voice answered.

I felt irritated and confused. How was I hearing two voices in my head? I couldn't differentiate between them; they sounded too similar yet different, just like how Dante's words and actions aligned but with different intensities and emotions that sent my mind spinning.

'Run, Vinorca. This is your only chance. It's going to be your 18th birthday soon, which means you'll get your wolf. You still have time to protect yourself. Do it without thinking.'

Sudden urges rose within me, making me want to run. But how? I didn't even know if I'd get my wolf.

Not everyone gets their wolf on their 18th birthday; some get it early, some late.

How could I be sure and take this risk? What if someone saw me like this?

Even if everyone is born naked, that wouldn't justify me being nude in front of strangers.

How shameful would that be? This house is not close to the forest, so how would I cross the border? Dante would catch me before I even left the house.

Suddenly, my body felt lightweight, as if all the weight had drained from it. My feet started moving on their own. It wasn't that I didn't want to run, but something inside me was pushing me not to. Still, my body wasn't obeying me.

My feet kept walking, taking me away from where I'd been commanded to stay. It wasn't far, but it was far enough to be dangerous.

'Stop it! Please don't,' I mumbled, trying to stop myself from moving forward. This was shameless and dumb. I couldn't run like this, and I was more scared about how my own body wasn't listening to me.

I was terrified of myself. How could this be happening when it shouldn't? I knew I couldn't control what happened in my life, but I wanted to control what I did with my life.

Everything was crumbling inside me as my feet took more and more steps. No matter how hard I tried to stop myself, my toes kept creating sparks against the floor.

'What the hell? Stop this!' Tears started rolling down my cheeks as I felt pain from trying to force myself to stop.

My feet were injured and started bleeding again from rubbing roughly against the cold floor. Dante would be back soon, and if he saw me trying to leave like this, I didn't know what he'd do to me.

At this pace, I could neither escape nor stop. It felt like someone had possessed my body and was doing whatever they wanted with it. Even after trying as hard as I could, my feet kept up their mischievous acts.

Dante's eyes and words rang in my head. He'd told me to stay, and here I was, bringing another hell upon myself. This was making me more anxious. I couldn't keep up with my own body or mind, and it was leaving me deeply troubled.

'Don't look back, Vinorca. If not now, it'll be never,' that voice pinged in my head again, like the ultimate announcement of what should happen.

'Who are you? Answer me, dammit!' I questioned. I wanted to know how this voice could drag me along without my consent, leaving me suspended between phases. I didn't think I'd be alive long enough to ever find out.

'Does that matter? Don't you think what matters is how you should obey me? By opposing, you're only making it harder for yourself. Sooner or later, you'll know that I am you and you are me. For now, focus, Vinorca. Dante could return any moment. Just don't repeat the mistake I committed.'

Hearing these words, I didn't know what happened, but I stopped resisting. I submitted to whatever was happening. These words weren't forcing my submission; it was the voice that was dragging me to a point where I wouldn't know how to pull myself back up.

‘Leaving for good, right?’