Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 93 You don’t measure up

Victoria’s POV

I caught the way Ethan latched onto that single word—Lancaster. But in typical Ethan fashion, he immediately dismissed it.

"Lancaster?" he sneered, his eyes narrowing with contempt. "What kind of Lancaster could you possibly be? Your bloodline couldn’t possibly compare to the real Lancaster Pack. Victoria, stop embarrassing yourself. Do you honestly think anyone truly cares about you besides me?"

Nora growled deep within me, bristling at his disrespect. Having failed to keep me as his mate, Ethan had quickly shifted to belittling me instead. It was pathetic, really. He’d always been so proud of his credentials, his bloodline, his position in the Northstream Pack. In his mind, I should have been grateful for his attention.

"Even if you somehow managed to seduce Damien," Ethan continued, his voice dripping with condescension, "the Sterling fortune will never go to him. I am the rightful heir. And trust me, Damien would never take you as his mate—he’s just playing with you. Look at yourself, Victoria. You’re nothing. You could still come back to me if you beg now."

The absolute delusion was nauseating. Was Ethan high? Or perhaps still half-asleep? Either way, his wolf, Leon, was clearly driving him to reclaim what he once thought was his.

Beside me, Damien let out a derisive laugh, the sound sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.

"The Sterling fortune?" Damien’s voice was smooth as silk but carried an underlying current of danger. "Only someone as short-sighted as you would value that pittance. And who says I can’t take Victoria as my mate? When we have our mating ceremony, I wouldn’t mind you attending—as a server, perhaps."

I glanced at Damien from the corner of my eye, warmth spreading through my chest at his defense. The image he painted of us standing together at a mating ceremony sent Nora into a frenzy of excitement.

Not that I’d seriously considered mating with Damien. I knew he was just helping me put Ethan in his place, nothing more.

"Look at yourself," I hissed at Ethan, letting my Alpha energy leak into my voice. "You’re not even worth comparing to a mangy omega, let alone an Alpha like Damien. You don’t measure up to his smallest finger, yet here you stand with that ridiculous sense of superiority. Get out of my sight!"

I didn’t miss the way Damien’s lips curved into a pleased smirk at my words. His wolf, Arthur, seemed to radiate satisfaction at hearing me praise his human counterpart over his rival.

"You... you’ll both regret this!" Ethan stammered, clearly not wanting to cause a scene but unwilling to back down completely.

"The only one with regrets here is you, traitor," Grace jumped in, her eyes flashing with protective fury before turning to the woman beside Ethan—the one who looked so much like me that it was unsettling. "You two deserve each other," she spat.

"Who do you think you’re talking to?" Ethan demanded, his face flushing red.

Grace folded her arms, unimpressed. "I’m addressing the cheating wolves in front of me. I didn’t mention names, but it’s telling that you immediately knew who I meant. Self-awareness is the first step toward improvement, Ethan."

I could feel my lips twitching into a smile. This was why Grace was my best friend. For years, she’d bitten her tongue around Ethan out of respect for me, but she’d never trusted him. Her wolf had sensed his deception long before mine had.

"You females have no class," Ethan snarled, his facade of civility crumbling. "You’re probably the one who turned Victoria against me. What did Damien offer you? You females act like you’re the protagonists of some grand story, but you were born to serve males. You—"

CRACK!

My palm connected with his face before he could finish that thought, the sound echoing across the entrance hall. One slap wasn’t enough to satisfy the rage building inside me. I struck him again.

CRACK! CRACK!

Ethan’s cheek swelled visibly, his eyes widening in shock. "What are you doing? You think being female means I won’t hit you back?"

"Ethan Sterling," I said, my voice dangerously low, every syllable infused with Alpha command, "you truly are nothing. To speak such words shows you lack even basic decency. Did your mother learn these attitudes while serving as your father’s mistress? Only a worthless dog like you would think females exist to serve males."

My body was trembling with fury, Nora pushing against my control, wanting to shift and tear into him. "You’re not even worth comparing to an actual dog—even they have better instincts than you. You’re a disgrace to our kind. You were born from a female, yet you speak of us with such contempt? You’re not worthy to clean a female’s shoes, let alone be served by one."

With each word, I could see Ethan shrinking back, his wolf recognizing the dominance in my voice even if his human side refused to acknowledge it.

"Look at you now, Victoria," he tried one last defense, "acting like a common shrew. I dodged a bullet by not mating with you. How embarrassing you’ve become."

Damien’s expression turned glacial, his scent sharpening with aggression. "Ethan," he said, his voice barely above a whisper but carrying clearly to every wolf within earshot, "are you asking for death?"

He’d given Ethan numerous chances, but the younger Sterling seemed determined to dig his own grave.

Our confrontation had drawn attention. The commotion at the entrance had pulled curious gazes in our direction, and soon the host himself was approaching.

"What seems to be the problem here?" asked a distinguished older man with a faint accent.

When he spotted me, his stern expression melted into a warm smile. "Victoria!"

"Uncle Joseph," I replied with genuine affection.

Joseph Miller was in his fifties but carried himself with the confidence in his prime. Though human, he moved in supernatural circles and had long been a friend to my grandfather and the Crescent Dawn Pack.

He looked between me and Damien, noting our complementary attire. "Is this... your mate?" he asked hopefully.

"No, no," I quickly corrected, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "Uncle Joseph, you misunderstand. This is... Damien Sterling."

I hesitated to reveal Damien’s full identity, as his position as ME’s CEO wasn’t widely publicized.

"Damien Sterling?" Joseph repeated, not recognizing the name.

Damien stepped forward smoothly. "Mr. Miller, a pleasure to meet you. Perhaps you know me by my other name—Ashirens."

The revelation sent a ripple of shock through the gathered crowd.

"That’s Ashirens? The CEO of ME Group?"

"Could he be an impostor? Everyone knows Ashirens never attends these events."

"No one would dare impersonate Ashirens unless they had a death wish. Besides, look at him—that aloof dignity screams power." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Is this what they mean by young and successful? The ME Group is the stuff of legend!"

"How old is this guy? Twenty-eight? ME just celebrated its tenth anniversary, which means he founded it before he was even eighteen?"

"Has anyone heard of a Damien Sterling before? Which family does he come from? Is he truly self-made, or did he have family backing?"

The whispers spread like wildfire throughout the gathering. The combination of "Ashirens" and "ME" was guaranteed to create a stir, especially given how reclusive Damien had been as his alter ego. For many in attendance, this was their first glimpse of the mysterious business magnate.

Nora stirred within me, practically preening at being associated with such a powerful Alpha. The scent of his wolf—smoky cedar with hints of midnight rose—intensified as he stood taller under the scrutiny. Arthur was proud, dominant, unashamed to be recognized for his achievements.

I caught myself staring at Damien’s profile, struck again by the perfect symmetry of his features. No wonder he’d built his empire from nothing—that face alone could launch a thousand businesses. Combined with his intelligence and that raw Alpha energy that seemed to magnetize everyone around him, his success was almost inevitable.