Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 88 I need to go

Victoria’s POV

I hadn’t seen Ethan since that night at the club. When I heard he’d been sent to Africa for work, I couldn’t help but feel relieved. The weight that had been pressing against my chest lifted slightly.

"So he’s really gone to Africa?" I asked myself quietly, remembering Damien’s words from our last encounter. He’d mentioned something about sending his half-brother away if I didn’t want to see him anymore. Was this Damien’s doing? Either way, I was grateful. My wolf, Nora, purred contentedly inside me, equally pleased to be free from Ethan’s suffocating presence.

For the next few days, I buried myself in work, using it as a distraction from everything else in my life. The familiar rhythm of meetings, designs, and business calls was comforting.

"Victoria!" Grace’s voice rang through my phone speaker. "You need a break. When was the last time you did something fun?"

I leaned back in my office chair. "Define ’fun’."

"I’m thinking international vacation. There are so many events happening abroad right now," Grace said excitedly. "You work too hard. We should hit the beach somewhere—plenty of hot guys, crystal clear water. I’ve already picked out some killer bikinis for you. We could have our pick of any man we want!"

"I can’t," I sighed, shuffling the papers on my desk. "Work is too demanding right now. I don’t have time for... man-hunting."

"That’s exactly why you need a break! You’ll work yourself to death," Grace insisted. "By the way, those lingerie sets I gave you... have you worn them yet? Did Damien see them? Did he like them? Or did he just rip them off? If he destroyed them all, I can get you some new ones."

"Grace!" I nearly shouted, feeling heat rush to my face. The memory of Damien holding that lacy scrap of fabric between his fingers flashed through my mind, his smoky cedar scent mixing with midnight rose as his eyes darkened with desire.

"There’s nothing between us," I insisted. "We’re just... allies. Nothing more." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Sure, allies who end up in bed together," Grace teased. "Don’t be shy with me. I fully support your pursuit of happiness, especially if that happiness comes with his level of hotness."

"I need to go," I said, desperate to end this conversation. "You’re impossible, and I have work to do."

"Fine, go be responsible. But we’re having dinner soon, and I want details!"

"Goodbye, Grace," I laughed despite myself.

Between my overwhelming workload and William’s declining health, I decided to stay at my grandfather’s estate for the next few days. The Lancaster mansion was nestled in a secluded part of the city, with sprawling grounds perfect for midnight runs in wolf form when the moon called to us.

This arrangement meant I hadn’t returned to my own place—or seen Damien—for almost a week. Though I wouldn’t admit it aloud, I found myself wondering what he was doing, if he was thinking about me at all.

After dinner with William, I retreated to my childhood bedroom. The familiar space was comforting, filled with memories from before my life became so complicated. I sat at the wooden desk by the window, picking up a silver-framed photograph.

The image showed a happy family—a handsome man with kind eyes, a beautiful woman whose features I’d inherited, and between them, a small girl with a radiant smile. My parents and me, in one of the few photographs we had together.

I was too young when the accident happened. My memories of them had faded over time, leaving me with fragments—my father’s laugh, my mother’s perfume, the feeling of being completely loved and protected.

They had been a love match, defying pack politics. My father came from modest means, and William had disapproved of the relationship. But my mother had been adamant, willing to sever ties with the Crescent Dawn Pack to be with him. The tension between her and William had grown bitter and entrenched.

Then came the accident. My mother had shielded me with her body, sacrificing herself so I could live. When William received the news and rushed to the country, he found only me—a small, traumatized child who had lost everything.

The regret consumed him. If he hadn’t been so stubborn, if he hadn’t pushed his daughter away, perhaps they would have had more time together. Instead, he never got to say goodbye.

With only me left, William devoted himself to my happiness. Nothing was too much to give his granddaughter. Even when I insisted on dating Ethan, despite William’s reservations, he’d reluctantly agreed. He feared losing me the same way he’d lost my mother.

"Victoria?" William’s voice came from the doorway. My wolf stirred at the presence of our pack’s Alpha, even as frail as he had become.

"Yes?" I placed the photograph back on the desk.

"I’ve been thinking," he said, walking into the room with measured steps. "It’s time for you to take a more active role in the pack. Your wolf is strong—one of the strongest I’ve seen in generations. The Crescent Dawn needs a leader who can guide them when I’m gone."

I swallowed hard. "I’m not ready."

"You are," he insisted. "More than you know. Your parents would be proud of the woman you’ve become."

As he left, I stared out the window at the rising moon. Nora paced restlessly within me, yearning to run free under its light. She was also longing for something else—someone with a smoky cedar scent who made her feel both challenged and safe.

I tried to ignore the pull. After everything with Ethan, I couldn’t trust those feelings again. But as I closed my eyes, it wasn’t Ethan’s face I saw behind my eyelids—it was Damien’s.

I touched the faded photograph, my fingertips tracing the outlines of their faces. "Mom, Dad, it’s been a while since I’ve talked to you."

The image had blurred slightly with age, the technology from back then not nearly as crisp as today’s standards, but I could still see their smiles—bright and genuine. My father’s strong jaw, my mother’s graceful features that people said I’d inherited.

"I promise I’m taking good care of Grandfather," I whispered, feeling Nora stir within me at the mention of our pack’s Alpha. My wolf was always sensitive to discussions about family and pack bonds.

"I miss you both," I said, a faint smile tugging at my lips as my finger lingered on my mother’s face. Her eyes held the same amber tint that mine did when my wolf was close to the surface.

The fear of losing William was constant, lurking in the back of my mind. If he left this world, I would truly be alone—the last of my bloodline as far as I knew. I’d grown up under his protective wing, sheltered within the Crescent Dawn territory. Because of the rift between him and my father, I knew nothing of my paternal relatives.

Were there grandparents still alive? Uncles or aunts whose blood I shared? I couldn’t remember meeting any of them even when my parents were alive. When I’d asked William about my father’s family as a child, he’d simply said my father was an orphan. The subject always seemed to pain him, so eventually, I stopped asking.

"I’m doing well, and Grandfather will be fine too," I promised the photograph, as Nora sent waves of reassurance through our bond. "Goodnight, Mom and Dad."

I carefully placed the frame back in its spot on the desk. This single photograph was all I had left of them—a frozen moment of happiness before everything changed. Despite the image’s imperfections, I could feel the love radiating from it. They had been happy then, truly happy. That much I knew for certain.