Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 86 Don’t leave me

Ethan’s POV:

My friend exchanged uncertain glances as I lay sprawled across the leather booth, empty glasses scattered around me. Through my alcohol-induced haze, I could hear their whispered debate.

"Maybe we should call Scarlett?" one suggested, his voice barely penetrating my foggy consciousness.

She was my wife after all—at least on paper. It would be the normal thing to do when your husband drinks himself into oblivion.

"I don’t think that’s a good idea," another voice countered. "Ethan can’t stand Scarlett. That marriage was purely a business arrangement between packs. We all know the feeling—he can barely look at her. Why not call Victoria instead? Everyone can see she’s the one he truly wants."

Leon whined pitifully inside me at the mention of her name, making my chest ache even more.

"But they broke up," a third packmate pointed out. "Victoria might not even respond. I warned Ethan he’d regret this move. Remember how he kept saying Victoria loved him too much to ever leave him? That he could just sweet-talk her back whenever he wanted? But she turned out to have that ’rather shatter like jade than survive as common clay’ mentality. She won’t even acknowledge his existence now."

"Let’s try anyway," someone suggested. "Call Victoria and tell her Ethan’s drunk and needs her. Let’s see how she responds. If she comes, there’s still hope. Didn’t you hear him calling her name just now? It was so heartfelt, I almost teared up."

"Fine, let’s use Ethan’s phone."

I felt hands rummaging through my pockets, extracting my phone. Through half-lidded eyes, I watched as they attempted to call Victoria multiple times. The call never connected—my wolf could sense their growing frustration.

"She’s blacklisted him," one finally concluded, stating the obvious.

"What now?" someone asked.

Another packmate offered: "Try my phone. I have her number."

They made another attempt with a different device. I knew Victoria wouldn’t answer. My mate bond with her might be severed, but I could still feel the ice-cold wall she’d built between us. Every rejection from her sent fresh waves of pain through my wolf and me.

After several attempts with different phones, each ending in immediate blacklisting, my packmates grew increasingly frustrated.

"Victoria is heartless," one spat out. "Look how devastated Ethan is over her. Does she enjoy keeping him on a leash?"

Another chimed in, his voice thick with disdain: "I never liked her anyway. Ethan treated her so well, and for what? So what if he got married? His heart still belonged to her. She had nothing before him—it was her lucky day when Ethan noticed her. Being his mistress would’ve been an honor she didn’t deserve."

"Exactly. Ethan, someday she’ll regret this. She’ll come crawling back, begging for your attention. Then you can toy with her however you want!"

Their words washed over me, meaningless and hollow. They didn’t understand that Victoria wasn’t the same omega they thought they knew. None of them had any idea of the powerful alpha wolf she truly was—the white wolf whose scent had captivated me for five years, even when I couldn’t identify why.

I reached for another drink, drowning out their voices and my own thoughts.

"Maybe we should call his secretary," someone finally suggested. "I have her number."

"Good idea."

None of them knew that Scarlett had gotten my previous secretary fired during one of her jealous rages. The woman who answered the call sounded ecstatic: "I’ll be right there!"

About thirty minutes later, Mona Martin, my former secretary, arrived at our private room. My packmates looked surprised when they saw her—I could smell their realization. Mona bore a superficial resemblance to Victoria—similar facial features, though her eyes lacked Victoria’s spark. A pale imitation at best.

"Hello, gentlemen. I’m Mr. Sterling’s secretary, Mona. I believe I’ve met this gentleman before," she said, gesturing to one of my packmates.

Mona had accompanied me to a few events, but most of my friends hadn’t met her. Now, seeing her, they understood why I’d hired her. The resemblance was subtle but unmistakable.

She didn’t mention being fired as she approached me. "Mr. Sterling, it’s time to go home. I’ll take you there."

When I saw Mona’s face through my drunken haze, I froze momentarily before murmuring: "Victoria..."

Mona didn’t correct me. She simply supported my weight as I stumbled. "Mr. Sterling, please get up."

I vaguely recognized her as Mona, but in my state, her features morphed into Victoria’s. My wolf was completely subdued by the alcohol, leaving me vulnerable to the fantasy taking hold in my mind.

She helped me into a car, the leather seats cool against my heated skin. As the engine started, I grabbed her wrist, panic surging through me.

"Don’t leave me, Victoria. Please don’t go," I begged, pulling her against me.

Her hands began exploring my body, her touch igniting something primal within me. "I’m not going anywhere," she whispered, deliberately lowering her voice.

The dim interior of the car cast shadows across her face, allowing my mind to complete the illusion. She was Victoria now—the woman I’d lost, the mate I’d betrayed but still desperately craved.

I crushed my mouth against hers, tasting alcohol and something unfamiliar, but my mind replaced it with the sweet honey scent I remembered. My hands tore at her clothes with wolf-like savagery, ripping fabric without hesitation.

"You should have been mine," I growled, pushing her against the seat. "I should have claimed you properly when I had the chance."

Her hands fumbled with my belt, then moved lower, making me groan with need. For a brief moment, clarity pierced through my drunken stupor—this wasn’t Victoria. But then she lowered herself, taking me into her mouth, her tongue working expertly against my throbbing cock.

"Fuck," I snarled, gripping her hair tightly, forcing her to take me deeper. My hips thrust upward instinctively, my wolf’s need for dominance surging despite its subdued state.

The wet heat of her mouth drove away any remaining doubts. In my mind, it was Victoria submitting to me, Victoria proving she still wanted me despite everything.

When I was close to the edge, I yanked her up. "Turn around," I commanded, my voice rough with desire. "Get on your hands and knees."

She complied eagerly, and I positioned myself behind her. Grabbing her hips with bruising force, I thrust into her without warning, making her cry out.

"Say it," I demanded, pulling her hair back roughly. "Say you’re Victoria."

"I’m Victoria," she gasped as I slammed into her repeatedly.

"Again!" I growled, my nails lengthening slightly as my wolf stirred beneath the surface.

"I’m Victoria," she moaned louder. "I’m your Victoria."

Those words broke something inside me. I fucked her with animalistic intensity, my body seeking relief from the torment of losing my mate. Every thrust was punishment—for Victoria who had left me, for myself who had driven her away.

"You belong to me," I grunted, feeling the familiar tightening that signaled my release was near. "You’ve always belonged to me."

When I finally came, Victoria’s name tore from my throat in a howl that was more wolf than man. For those few blissful seconds,。

......

The next morning, a phone’s ringtone jolted me awake. My head pounded mercilessly, my wolf curled up in misery inside me. Moving slightly, I discovered a naked woman wrapped tightly around me.

I froze in shock as last night’s fragmented memories returned. I recalled Victoria coming to find me, telling me she missed me, loved me, would never leave me. I remembered satisfying her, sleeping with her...

Only now, in the harsh morning light, did I realize the woman in my arms wasn’t Victoria at all, but my former secretary Mona, who bore that vague resemblance to her.

I had slept with Mona?

Rubbing my throbbing head, my mind went blank with horror. I had been drunk, completely unaware of reality. I had believed she was Victoria...

So this couldn’t count as cheating, I told myself desperately. I loved Victoria, thought it was Victoria. I was still clean, still faithful in my heart. If anyone was to blame, it was Victoria for haunting my every thought, for being the ghost I couldn’t exorcise from my soul.