KASMINE.
I hadn’t even dropped the cup of coffee when a high–pitched, syrupy giggle broke the silence and nearly startled me into cardiac arrest.
My body jerked so fast in the direction of the sound that the dizziness I’d been ignoring all morning slammed harder into my skull, turning my vision into a funhouse mirror. Fantastic. If the walls spun any harder, I might start levitating.
Maybe it was finally time I stopped playing tough and visited the damn hospital.
“Look who I get the pleasure of meeting all alone in the kitchen!”
Karina’s voice was a little too loud and sweet, like poisoned honey–and her expression? Pure sunshine with a chance of lunacy. Too abnormal to be this cheerful so early in the morning.
God. Was she high or something?
She had that glittery–eyed, overenthusiastic vibe of someone who’d either snorted something very illegal or returned from making a deal with the devil. Or maybe she was the devil. Who could tell with her?
Either way, I didn’t have the energy for it.
I said nothing. Just dumped the mug into the sink like it had personally offended me and turned to leave. Since she moved into the house, I’d done a good job of avoiding her.
The only time I’d actually seen her face was during the family dinner last night–and even then, I’d pretended like, her entire existence didn’t itch beneath my skin.
My being indoors because of Kester helped me stay away from her. I heard she was trouble, and Mum also told me everything she had done to Kester, including being the reason he was finally sent to the psychiatric hospital.
Everyone believed whatever story she made up back then because Kester already suffered from anger issues. So, it was easy for Karina to pull such a big one on him.
God, the girl was a walking red flag in designer shoes.
I wonder why I never knew about all these. I mean… Yes, I was still a bit too young, but come on… They should have at least said something to me then.
“That’s not a very nice way to greet your stepsister, you know?” she said, pouting dramatically.
Okay. Confirmed. She was high on something.
The playful frown didn’t reach her eyes. Nothing ever did. Those eyes were always scanning and observing like a monster dressed in bubblegum pink.
But wasn’t it too early for that?
A
“Hi,” I muttered flatly, already halfway out of the kitchen. My brain had filed her under irrelevant, and I was ready to go back to pretending she didn’t exist.
But then her voice caught me mid–step.
“Why the rush, little sis?” she purred, still all sugar and verom. “You got some unfinished business to get back to? Hm?”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 127
She giggled again in a high, flirty, almost manic voice, and something in my stomach twisted so hard I nearly turned back to throw up in the sink.
I paused in front of her.
“What do you want, Karina?” I sighed, spinning around with an exhausted eye–roll. My head was already pounding, and now she wanted to add herself to the list of things I couldn’t deal with today?
Her finger tapped against her bottom lip, mock–thoughtful like a child pretending to think during a game of Clue.
“Oh, nothing much…” Her grin widened. “Just wondering… about last night…”
My heart decided that now was a good time to try and escape through my ribcage. I swear, I could feel it racing toward the door, dragging my composure behind it like a dead weight.
“What about last night?” I snapped, a little too fast and breathless, hoping it wasn’t what I was thinking.
But the wicked twinkle in her eye sharpened.
“You had quite the fun with him, didn’t you?” She giggled again and walked past me with a swish of her robe and the smugness of someone who knew exactly what she was doing.
I almost choked on my breath. What was she talking about?
Dinner or my room?
Who was the ‘him‘ she just talked about?
Kester or Jaden?
Shit!
Did she hear us last night?
No. It couldn’t be. The room was soundproof. But I had to make sure.
“What fun, Karina?” I tried to keep my voice steady, though it felt like it had turned to glass in my throat. Cracked. Brittle. Close to shattering.
My plan to keep my distance from her? Abandoned. Crumpled and tossed into the trash.
I turned and followed her back into the kitchen like a storm trailing smoke.
“Ooh…” she purred, turning halfway to face me, her lips curling in triumph. “Someone finally wants to talk to me.
11
God, I hated that look on her face–that smug, glittering satisfaction.
“Yeah. I can’t ignore your plea for attention. So, here I am. Talk to me.” I said, standing at akimbo.
Karina gave a mock gasp, one hand on her chest like she was genuinely touched.
“How sweet,” she cooed. “Look at us bonding.”
She sauntered over to the counter, hips swaying like she was on a runway, and reached for the glass jug of water.
“So, what shall we chat about?” she mused as she poured herself a glass–slowly, like even her movements were a form of psychological torture. “The weather? Your stepbrother’s upcoming engagement?” She paused and studied me as if waiting for a reaction, “Or me becoming Alpha?”
Wait. Did she just look for a reaction from me? Or it was just my thoughts? This could all be in my head. Right?
+25 BONUS
Chapter 127
“What fun were you referring to about last night?” I asked again.
She raised a brow as if I’d just asked her what the meaning of life was. Then she sighed and set the glass down with an exaggerated clink against the countertop.
“Why are you so obsessed with this particular topic?” she said, cocking her head like a condescending therapist. Come on, little sis.”
The nickname dripped like acid.
“We have a thousand other things to catch up on. Like—oh, I don’t know–life? Love? How you’ve grown into such a curious little woman.” She raised her brows dramatically, “I mean… Why repeat one conversation when there are so many others worth exploring?”
That’s it. I was done. “You can go to hell,” I hissed, pushing off the counter and heading for the door.
iT
Let her rot in her own poison. Let her talk in circles and play her little mind games with someone else. I was done.
I stood up and was already walking toward the door when she said something that made my legs freeze.
“Be careful what you wish for, little sis. Or your actions will come haunting you sooner than you think.”
My spine locked. My legs froze in mid–step. The pulse in my throat slammed so loud I was convinced she could hear it. Hell, the neighbors could probably hear it.
She knew.
God.
She fucking knew.
This wasn’t a wild guess. She knew exactly what she was insinuating.
My throat dried out. My mouth opened–but no sound came. The words I wanted to say? They curled up and died in the back of my tongue, refusing to cooperate with my scattered brain.
Because I couldn’t even bring myself to ask her.
If I asked, it meant confirming it. It meant giving her the satisfaction that she’d gotten under my skin.
I stayed there–mid–step, hands clenched so tightly I could feel my nails digging crescents into my palms.
“Hmm,” Karina hummed lightly, sipping her water with a smirk that made me want to hurl the glass across the room and watch it shatter. “No witty comeback?”
“If you’re trying to crack a creepy joke, Karina,” I said, forcing my voice to be as calm as one reading a grocery list, “you’re gonna have to do a lot better than cryptic horror movie one–liners.”
Her smile spread. “Who said I was trying to crack a creepy joke?”
“Oh, right.” I nodded once, “You’re just naturally creepy. My bad.”
That wiped a bit of the smugness off her face. Not much–but enough to satisfy me for half a second.
She opened her mouth, probably to throw another verbal grenade, when heels clicked softly down the hallway.
Mom entered the kitchen, looking as regal and effortlessly put–together as ever in her long, red gown. She was ready to go out for the Women’s Conference holding at the Crimson Valley pack.
I almost forgot. She couldn’t miss it. She had to make a good impression on her in–laws.
Chapter 127
+25 BONUS
She took one look at Karina leaning against the counter, then turned her gaze to me. Her brows furrowed slightly. “Is everything okay in here?”
I didn’t miss the look of pure disdain that crossed her face when she looked at Karina.
I cleared my throat, arms folding over my chest, willing my heartbeat to slow down. I hadn’t realized it had spiked.
“Yeah,” I said, and I hated how dry my throat felt. “We were just talking. Nothing serious.”
Mum observed for a few more seconds before she spoke. “All right,” she said slowly. “You look a little pale, though. Did you eat anything this morning?”
I smiled, “I’ll grab something later. Just need to clear my head first.”
Without waiting for a reply, I walked past them both and out of the kitchen.
