Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 87 You’re mine

Ethan’s POV:

She quickly scrambled away from me, kneeling naked beside the bed. Even in my disoriented state, I couldn’t help but notice how her full breasts heaved with each nervous breath.

"I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling," she said, keeping her head bowed submissively. "You were extremely intoxicated last night. You... you called me by another name. I couldn’t push you off. Please trust that I won’t tell anyone what happened, especially not Miss Lancaster."

Her eyes were rimmed with red, giving her that vulnerable look that made something stir inside me. From this angle, with her head slightly turned, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Victoria. The curve of her jaw, the slope of her neck... Leon whined inside me, confused by the similar scent that wasn’t quite our mate’s.

"Where are we?" I demanded, my voice rough from the previous night’s excesses.

"My apartment," Mona explained quietly. "You were too drunk to give me your address code, and I was afraid of what Mrs. Sutton might say if she saw you in that condition. I thought it safer to bring you here."

I massaged my throbbing temples, trying to piece together the fragments of last night. My phone suddenly rang, the harsh sound making me wince. My father’s name flashed across the screen. I hesitated before answering.

"Where the hell are you?" Lawrence barked. "The Africa project is arranged. Get to the office immediately. You’re flying out this afternoon."

The call ended abruptly. My father, the Alpha of the Northstream Pack, giving orders as usual with no room for discussion. Mona had clearly overheard.

"That’s so unfair," she said, inching closer to me on the bed. "Africa? The climate there is terrible for our kind. The heat affects our shifting abilities. He’s sending you to suffer."

Her naked form moved closer, her scent intensifying as her skin heated. "Mr. Sterling, though I’m no longer your secretary, I could accompany you to Africa. I could take care of you."

She pressed herself against my side, her breast brushing my arm. My wolf stirred, responding to the physical contact despite my mental reservations.

"You chose me as your secretary once," she purred, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest. "Let me stay by your side. I’ll endure any hardship with you. Please?"

The way she tilted her head, the pleading tone in her voice - it was too familiar. Victoria used to look at me just like that. "Please, Ethan? Can we spend the weekend together? Please?"

How many times had I dismissed her? How many times had I been too "busy" with Scarlett to give Victoria the attention she deserved? The guilt clawed at me, a sensation almost as painful as the bond-severing had been.

Looking at Mona’s Victoria-like features, I made my decision. "Fine," I said.

She pressed closer, her smile widening. "I knew you’d take care of me, Mr. Sterling."

As she spoke, her hand slid beneath the sheets, finding me already half-hard. Leon growled inside me - not with pleasure, but with conflicted desire. This wasn’t our mate, but the resemblance was enough to trick our senses momentarily.

"Turn around," I commanded roughly, my voice deeper as my wolf influence surged. "On your hands and knees."

Mona complied eagerly, positioning herself with her back to me, her ass raised invitingly. From this angle, with her long hair cascading down her back, I could pretend. I could almost believe.

I gripped her hips hard enough to bruise, my claws slightly extending as I lost control. Without preamble, I thrust into her, making her gasp. The tight heat enveloped me, but something was missing - that electric connection that only comes with a true mate bond.

"Say it again," I growled, one hand moving to wrap around her throat as I established a brutal pace. "Say you’re Victoria."

"I’m Victoria," she moaned, arching her back to take me deeper.

"Fucking say it like you mean it," I snarled, pulling her hair sharply, forcing her head back.

"I’m Victoria!" she cried out, her walls clenching around my cock as I pounded into her. "I’m your Victoria!"

I closed my eyes, letting the fantasy overtake me. My thrusts became more aggressive, more desperate. My teeth ached to mark, to claim, but some last shred of control kept me from making that mistake. Instead, I bit into her shoulder, hard enough to leave a mark but not breaking skin.

"You’re mine," I growled against her flesh, the salt of her sweat mixing with the metallic taste of blood. "You’ve always been mine. You’ll always be mine."

Her body trembled as she came, her inner muscles contracting around me, milking my own release. I howled Victoria’s name as I emptied myself inside Mona, my claws drawing thin lines of blood along her hips.

For those few seconds of blinding pleasure, the pain of rejection faded. For that brief moment, I wasn’t the disgraced son of Lawrence Sterling, sent to Africa in disgrace. I wasn’t the wolf who’d lost his mate through his own stupidity.

I came with Victoria’s name on my lips, my entire body shuddering with release. For those few blissful seconds, I could almost believe I had reclaimed what was mine.

As the pleasure subsided, reality crashed back. This wasn’t Victoria. This was a cheap imitation, a temporary salve for a wound that wouldn’t heal.

Mona collapsed onto the mattress, breathing heavily. "We should get ready," she murmured, glancing back at me. "You need to pack for Africa."

I nodded silently. Africa would be my punishment, my exile. But perhaps distance would give me perspective, a chance to prove myself to my father and the pack. And when I returned, perhaps Victoria would finally listen to my explanation.

For now, I would take Mona with me. Not because I wanted her, but because when I closed my eyes and took her from behind, I could pretend I still had the only woman I truly wanted.

And I don’t want to face my irritable wife.