Chapter 11 The air feels suffocating as I leave the bathroom, my heart pounding erratically in my chest. Toby's words echo in my ears, a tempting offer of escape from Xandros that seems too good to be true, yet one I am not sure I can take. The bond we share aches just with him gone momentarily and that is not something I am sure I can live with for eternity. As I step out into the club, I instantly notice a change in the atmosphere. Everyone has stopped what they're doing, and their eyes are locked on me; it is like I've stepped into some alternate reality, everyone watching me with scrutinizing eyes. It makes me wonder what has happened in the brief moments I have been gone. The music continues to blare, only it's drowned out by the palpable tension that fills the room. I walk slowly back to Xandros, doing my best to ignore the stares that burn into me. As I approach the table, I see Javier, the king's Beta. It makes me pause, recognizing the man from my uncle's house. He is engaged in a heated discussion with Xandros; he seems to be trying to reason with Xandros over something. I strain to hear their words over the thumping music, their tense expressions tell me something is very wrong and whatever Javier is speaking with him over is the cause of conflict in the air. My heart skips a beat when I see a file in Javier's hand with a picture of me on it. My heart palpitates, and my breath comes out in short raps as it dawns on me. Xandros lifts his head and locks eyes with me, and a guttural growl rips through him. His lips curl back revealing sharp canines, and his eyes become dark and demonic. His jaw is clenched and his nostrils flare, and a feral energy radiates from him. He looks like a wild animal, ready to attack. His entire body is tense, and his muscles spasm with barely contained rage. The air around him is charged with hostility and danger chilling me to the bone, a palpable reminder of the beast he can become. In this moment, I know he knows who I am - not just as his mate, but as the daughter of traitors, traitors who betrayed his family. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Findηʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. As panic sets in, I glance at the exit, thinking of Toby's words and the possibility of freedom. Wishing I ran when I had the chance, that I escaped with Toby. Now I'll be lucky to escape with my life. Xandros's voice slices through the air, filled with rage. "Don't you fucking dare think about it!" My instincts kick in. Fight or flight has already taken over, and my body moves on its own. I turn and sprint for the fire exit, my legs carrying me faster than I've ever run before. The sound of Xandros's growl and the chaos in the club fade as I burst through the door and into the cool night air. As I push my way through the bustling people, I can feel their sneers and glares. The streetlights seem too bright and they overwhelm my senses. My fear only rises as I make my way through the streets running as fast as I can, running off pure adrenaline. The smell of garbage and exhaust fumes linger in the air, along with blood and the sickening scents of too many colognes. I can hear the distant sound of a train, and cars honking their horns as I dart across the alleyway, a cab narrowly missing me. Glancing over my shoulder I see the crowds of people parting as Xandros chases after me. I run through the streets, my heart hammering in my chest, knowing Xandros is not far behind me. My lungs are burning, still fear keeps propelling me forward. I take turn after turn, trying to lose him. I know it's only a matter of time before he catches up. Taking a sharp turn, I find myself cornered in a dark alleyway. "No!" I gasp, staring up at the tall apartment building encasing me, and dumpsters blocking off the alleyway at the end I took the wrong one. The smell of damp trash and my desperation fill the air with each ragged breath I take. I glance around. There's nowhere left to run-no way to escape the fate that's been chasing me since I left the club. I turn, seeing Xandros rush past the end of the alleyway, only to stop. I press my back against the cold brick wall, my breath coming in ragged gasps, as I wait for Xandros to find me which is mere seconds when his fluorescent eyes glow back at me as they lock on mine. A growl tears out of him that raises goosebumps on my arms as he stands there, at the entrance to the alley, his eyes burning with fury. I know I can't escape him now, and I brace myself for whatever comes next. He stalks toward me, his steps calculated and menacing. Within the blink of an eye, he stands beside me, moving with a speed that is impossible to track. "You thought you could just run away, Sienna?" he snarls, his face inches from mine. I feel his breath, hot and heavy, on my skin. "You really thought you could escape me?" I tremble, fear and desperation coursing through me. "I-I'm not my parents, Xandros. Please, you have to believe me." His expression darkens further, and he grabs my arm, his grip like iron. "You think I care about that? You think that changes anything?" I let out a whimper, feeling the tears well up in my eyes. "Please, Xandros, I was a baby. What they did had nothing to do with me." He laughs bitterly, the sound cold and unforgiving. "It's too late for that, Sienna. You should have told me the moment I met you, instead you tried to hide it." My heart aches at his words, and I know any hope of convincing him otherwise is slipping away. "Xandros, I wanted none of this. I didn't choose who my parents were. Can't you see that?" He steps closer, his eyes searching mine, as my back digs painfully into the brick and for a moment, I think I see a flicker of doubt in his gaze. Just as quickly, it vanishes, replaced by the steely cold eyes of a man I know who wants nothing more than to kill me. The alleyway feels even colder, and I can't stop the shivers that wrack my body. "Did you think I wouldn't find out? I bet you thought it was hilarious keeping that from me. You're a traitor to the kingdom, my kingdom! I fucking marked you!" Xandros roars, his face twisting with rage, the veins in his neck bulging with his fury. I cringe at his anger. My heart skips frantically, erratically, palpating harder with each passing second. "I'm not my parents, Xandros," I plead, my voice shaking, tears streaming down my face. "I never killed your aunt. I'm not responsible for their actions." His fist connects with the brickwork next to my head, a chunk breaking off, and I flinch. "This is why Mal wouldn't tell me who you are! You all lied to me!" he screams in my face, his voice echoing off the walls of the alley, filling the air with palpable tension. He grabs my arm with crushing force and starts dragging me back down the street. The people in the street watch in horror and fascination as I stumble and try to keep up with his furious pace. "I won't have a traitor for a mate," he spits, shoving me forward and pointing to the limo at the end of the street, where I can see the driver opening the back door. "Walk. I can barely look at you, let alone touch you." I glance around nervously, desperately looking for a way out; the path is lined with people, all staring at me with disgust and hatred, having overheard his yelling and accusations. "Try it. Run and I'll break your legs!" Xandros snarls, shoving me again when I hesitate. As I make my way back to the limo, people sneer and call me a traitor. Someone even spits on me, and a few others throw things, hitting me with painful accuracy. I shriek when a lit cigarette hits my cheek, slapping frantically as it rolls between my cleavage and burns me. I gasp through the pain but am shoved abruptly from behind by Xandros forcing me to keep moving. My cheeks burn with shame. As I reach the car, I look over at Toby's club across the road and see him standing there, watching the scene unfold, his eyes filled with some indecipherable expression, arms folded across his broad chest. "Get in the car," Xandros snarls, gripping my hair and yanking me toward the open door. I cry out, hands gripping as strands of my hair pull painfully from my scalp. Tears sting my eyes. Toby clenches his jaw and disappears back inside his club; he's powerless to help me or maybe is not wanting to, I'm unable to tell. Xandros shoves me into the back of the limo harshly, my head bouncing off the corner of the door with a loud thud, causing me to hit my head on the door frame. Pain explodes through my skull. "Be gentle, Xandros. You're hurting her," Javier says, his voice filled with concern, trying to reason with my volatile mate. "You lied to me, kept this hidden. You should have told me the moment you suspected anything! Don't tell me what to do with her!" Xandros snaps his anger a living, breathing thing, consuming anything that can be considered a redeemable quality, leaving nothing but the monster, the ruthless cruel Lycan King. I wipe the blood from my forehead that is trickling warmly down my face where the door cut me open. Then Xandros slides into the back of the limo with me, slamming the door shut. Fear sits in the pit of my stomach, a heavyweight that threatens to crush and suffocate me. Xandros's rage is a dark storm cloud that fills the small space of the limo. He clutches his hair and punches the seat, over and over, his breaths coming in ragged gasps, his knuckles turning white. I tuck my knees to my chest, my hand gripping the door handle as the limo navigates the windy streets and abrupt traffic that keeps stopping and going. The leather chairs, slashed to pieces where his claws have torn through them, the stuffing spilling onto the floor, covering the floor with white tufts of cushioning. "What have I done?" he repeats, his voice barely a whisper now, cracking under the weight of his emotions. "What have I fucking done?" As the limo starts to move, I stare at the floor, my vision blurred by tears, while feeling my blood trickle down from my hairline, the wound throbbing with its own pulse. I try to make sense of the chaos and heartbreak that has become my life. Just when I think I'm managing to survive this nightmare everyone calls life, I am thrown another curve ball. I wonder what the future will hold for me, or if I am doomed to suffer for the sins of my parents. The car ride is torturous, each passing minute stretching into eternity as I feel the pressure of Xandros's anger bearing down on me. His ragged breathing is the only sound in the limo, making the silence even more oppressive. I flinch every time he punches the seat, or growls, fearing his anger might redirect toward me at any moment as I press closer to the door as if I can mold or blend into it. The tension is thick, suffocating me, and I feel like I can't breathe. I wrap my arms around myself. Title: "Twists of Fate: Embracing Family Ties with Three Powerful Brothers" Author: CrushReel Genre: Billionaire, CEO, Sweet Romance, Modern, Romantic, Office, Drama Status: ongoing Embarking on the path to marriage, she faced a sudden heartbreak as her fiancé called it quits. Amidst the shattered dreams, a surprising revelation awaited at her engagement celebration. Three influential brothers unveiled her true identity as their long-lost sister, reshaping her world in unexpected ways. Navigating through the complexities of newfound family connections and the opulence of their high-stakes world, she grapples with the essence of wealth beyond material possessions. As bonds of blood intertwine with the allure of power and love, she finds herself at a crossroads where loyalty, ambition, and affection collide in a captivating dance of emotions. Set against the backdrop of ambition-driven CEOs and the tender nuances of modern romance, this tale weaves together themes of self-discovery, familial bonds, and the intricate dynamics of office politics. With each chapter unraveling layers of secrets and desires, readers are drawn into a narrative that blends drama with heartfelt moments of connection. Distinguished by its blend of sweet romance and compelling drama, "Twists of Fate" offers a unique perspective on love, ambition, and the transformative power of family ties. Available to read at CrushReel for those seeking a captivating journey through the intertwined lives of three powerful brothers and the sister they never knew they had.