Tasting

199–Hating Their Stepsister 

Daphne: 

Few Weeks Ago: 

I watched her enter the woods with the water bottles like a fool, and after a few seconds of waiting around, I followed her. I just had a very bad feeling about this girl. 

“She’s such an attention seeker. If she wasn’t in the picture, the brothers would have seen you as their sister–in–law and treated you well. But now they have someone they can play little sister with,” Daph remarked, reminding me of this woman’s first day in the mansion. Before she arrived, everyone used to refer to me as their sister. I was much respected because I was the only girlfriend of one of the brothers. Even Cain used to respond to my calls. I regret seducing him. He didn’t even touch me, and I lost my credibility as well. 

“And who did that?” Daph brought up Nora’s memory again. She must have some agenda for coming here to live with the brothers. It remember her mother was a member of the pack. And I also know the rumors. Her mother was able to make the alpha king cheat. They must have toxic blood in them. She will be no different than her. 

And then I remembered how important it is for me to get rid of her and be with Nash. 

Flashback: 

“Have you spoken to Nash?” Ford Ledger, my stepfather, asked. His hazel eyes briefly glanced at the plate before him and then shot up to meet mine. He was much younger than my mother. I didn’t understand 

12:27 

why she accepted him after my father’s betrayal. This man was no better; he would yell at me, hit me, and control every aspect of my life. 

“I did. He’ll be there for the match tonight,” I replied, trying to focus on my food. My mom kept attending to him, fetching this and that, refilling his juice glass, which he barely acknowledged. I disliked him for many reasons. For one, he consumed my mother’s time and attention without reciprocating care or respect. 

“Where’s dessert?” He dropped his fork onto the plate and turned to my mother, who had barely eaten her own food because she was busy attending to his needs as if he were still a child. 

“I’ll go get it,” Mom said with a forced smile, trying to appear happy for him. Everytime she would leave us alone, I would feel the pressure of his eyes on me. 

The lengths she went to for this marriage were astonishing. She would go the extra mile to please him, even when she was sick, dressing up with makeup and high heels, striving to maintain a cheerful facade. 

“But did that earn her his love? No! He was preoccupied elsewhere. I held my breath when I felt something against my leg under the table. The jerk had stretched his legs, intentionally bumping into mine. He wouldn’t miss a chance to harass me. 

“Did you ask Cain to paint something for you?” he inquired, openly discussing what he had requested from me when my mother wasn’t around. 

“I did. But I’m a bit nervous. His paintings are quite different,” I muttered, watching him tilt his head and glare at me. 

“I’m not saying I’m backing down. But what if–” I couldn’t bring myself to explain why I was so opposed to the idea. I didn’t want him to know 

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my wolf was always eager. He would exploit it against me and try to manipulate my wolf into doing things with him. Even the thought made me wince and grimace. 

“You’ll do it and try to provoke Nash. Give him something to be jealous about. Then, he’ll decide to propose to you,” he wiped his hands and rose from his seat, leaning close behind me to speak in low murmurs. “I know you can do it. You must make Nash accept you as Luna Queen.” 

He placed his hands on my shoulders to massage them, but I could feel the heat from his palms, knowing it was from his arousal. He wasn’t the only one eager for Nash to accept me quickly. I wanted to escape this situation and take my mother to safety myself. 

“Okay!” I shrugged his hands off, quickly standing up to put some distance between us. He didn’t appear angry; instead, he smirked at my unease. The fact that he could intimidate me so easily seemed to bolster his confidence. 

I knew I had to do whatever it took to become Nash’s Luna Queen and the brothers‘ sister-in–law. 

End of Flashback: 

“Then I have to take matters into my own hands,” I muttered determinedly, following after Nora while keeping a low profile. I watched her glance around a few times, clearly uneasy without a wolf by her side. She wouldn’t be able to defend herself without one. 

The thought of killing someone made my stomach turn like crumbled cookies. But it was crucial to eliminate her. Moving silently behind her, I halted when I saw her near the cliff. I recalled whatever had been happening. The way Nash was taking her side and focusing on her. She was definitely going to ruin our relationship just like she had done 

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before when she told Nash that I was in his brother’s studio. 

She had seen it. There was no turning back now; she would surely try to retaliate. I had to act swiftly. 

Summoning all my courage and determination, I hurried to her and swiftly pushed her. Despite her voluptuous figure, she was lifted effortlessly. 

I resented how she seemed to have everything without earning it. But not anymore. 

Her scream pierced the air, jolting me back to reality. 

“Shit!” I cursed under my breath, swallowing hard and looking down. “What have I done?” My body trembled in fear, but I knew there was no going back. What was done was done. 

With hesitation and sweat forming on my forehead, I sprinted back to the car. “What did you make me do?” I yelled at my wolf, who, as usual, caused chaos and offered no comfort in return.