Chapter 111: Secrets

​”Brother.” Jeremy greeted calmly, completely unfazed by Alaric’s dark glare.

Alaric glared at him, then glanced at Sofia, who had clearly noticed the tense silence between the brothers. Alaric quickly looked away from her.

​”Go to your room, Sofia,” Alaric commanded. His voice wasn’t harsh, but the authority behind it made the air feel heavy.

Sofia didn’t argue. She saw the way Alaric’s jaw was set, his body wound tight like a spring ready to snap. She glanced at Jeremy, who was watching Alaric with a mocking, fearless glint in his eyes, before she turned and hurried back up the stairs.

​As she reached the landing, she paused, hidden by the shadows of the railing, and looked down. Alaric didn’t turn around until he heard her door close upstairs. Only then did he move, stepping closer to Jeremy until they were inches apart. The height difference was small, but Alaric’s Alpha presence made him look like a giant.

​”This is a warning, Jeremy,” Alaric hissed, his voice a low, angry vibration. “Do not speak to her. Do not look at her. And do not think for one second that our ’history’ gives you a right to be near her.”

​Jeremy didn’t flinch. He actually leaned in closer, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “History?” Jeremy murmured. “Are you afraid that this time the game might be in my favor?”

​Alaric’s hand flew out, grabbing Jeremy by the throat and slamming him back against the stone pillar of the staircase. The sound echoed through the foyer like a gunshot.

​”She is Sofia,” Alaric growled, his eyes flashing a brilliant, predatory green. “She is nothing to you.”

​”Then why are your hands shaking, big brother?” Jeremy choked out, his face reddening but his eyes still defiant. “Is it because she looks like her?” Jeremy asked softly. “Or because you’re afraid history is about to repeat itself?” He smirked. “Or is it because you’re afraid that this time, I’ll win?”

​Alaric realized Jeremy was deliberately trying to provoke him and he didn’t want to lose control with Sofia upstairs, so he let go of him abruptly, as if touching Jeremy burned him. He straightened his suit jacket, trying to steady his ragged breathing.

​”I’m warning you,” Alaric said, regaining his cold composure. “If I find you near her wing of the house, I will forget we share the same blood. Do you understand?”

​Jeremy rubbed his neck and coughed slightly, but there was no fear in his eyes. “Perfectly. But I hope she is able to resist my charms.”

With a smug smile, he turned and walked away.

​Upstairs, Sofia pressed her back against her bedroom door, her heart hammering in her chest. She hadn’t heard the words exchanged below, but she could feel it—something was deeply wrong between those brothers.

​Alaric stayed true to his word. By noon, a second team arrived—not with old clothes, but with high-end shopping bags and boxes of brand-new clothes.

​”These were all purchased today,” Alaric said, standing in the doorway. He looked tired, his eyes lacking their usual sharp glint. “I chose the clothes myself.”

​Sofia glanced at the piles of clothing. The dresses were beautiful, elegant, and expensive.

But she felt nothing.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, not looking at him.

​He lingered for a moment, his hand hovering over the doorframe as if he wanted to come in and hold her. But the wall between them was now thick. Without another word, he turned and left, his heavy footsteps fading down the hall.

​Sofia began to move the new items into the empty closet. As she pushed a heavy wooden shoe rack into the corner, she heard a soft clink. She knelt down and ran her fingers along the baseboard. There, tucked into a tiny gap between the floor and the wall, was a small silver key. It was delicate, with an old-fashioned bow. It didn’t look like the kind of key meant for a suitcase or a jewelry box. She quickly pocketed it just as a maid walked back in.

​By evening, Alaric called her down for dinner, the long mahogany table set for only three people since Serene was at her granny’s place. The silence was broken only by the rhythmic ticking of a grandfather clock and the clinking of silver against china.

​Alaric sat at the head of the table, his expression a mask of Alpha authority. Sofia sat to his right, wearing a new navy blue silk dress that felt like ice against her skin. Directly across from her sat Jeremy. Jeremy had changed into a clean black shirt, his piercing green eyes moving between his brother and Sofia with a mocking intelligence.

​”The wine is excellent, Alaric,” Jeremy said, swirling the red liquid in his glass. “It reminds me of the vintage we opened for your wedding. Remember? You were so… happy that day.”

​Alaric’s grip tightened around his fork until the metal bent slightly. “Eat your dinner, Jeremy. I didn’t bring you back to talk about the past.”

​”Of course not,” Jeremy smiled, his gaze settling on Sofia. “We should talk about the future instead. Tell me, Sofia… has my brother told you everything?”

Sofia looked up slowly.

“Everything about what?”

Jeremy smiled faintly.

“About why he needs the Moon Goddess to forgive him.”

​”Jeremy!” Alaric’s voice boomed, the power behind it making the wine in the glasses tremble.

​Sofia put her fork down, her appetite gone. “What is he talking about, Alaric? Forgive you for what?”

​Alaric looked at her, his eyes softening with a desperate kind of pleading. “Nothing. Jeremy is just trying to cause trouble. He has always been bitter.”

​”Bitter?” Jeremy laughed, a sharp, cold sound. “I’m just an observer, Sofia. I see a man trying to fix a broken vase,” Jeremy said calmly. “So he grabs another one that looks the same and pretends the first one never shattered. But be careful… if you look too closely at the cracks in the floor, you might see where the old one shattered.”

​Alaric stood up, his chair screeching against the floor. “The dinner is over. Sofia, go upstairs. Now.”

​Sofia didn’t wait. She stood and hurried out of the room, but as she reached the door, she looked back. Alaric was leaning over the table, his face inches from Jeremy’s. In that moment, they didn’t look like brothers.

They looked like two wolves seconds away from tearing each other’s throats out.

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