Gerald had a smug smile on his face, as if he had achieved something great by finding me here, but I was already intending on seeing him. The memories of the past flooded my mind when I saw his face under the morning sunlight. He appeared ragged, worn as if something had been keeping him up and awake at nights.

"It's good to see you too," I rose up from the ground and faced him head-on. "I thought you'd be long dead now with all that you've been doing with your life."

"Oh, that's what you think, sister? Because I had assumed the same of you."

A smile stretched over my face, "I don't have time here to catch up with you about my current life and what all I've been doing. I mean, I would love to but you apparently tried to attack and kill me with your friends so that changes the whole course."

"I wasn't going to kill you..." he trailed off, hinting onto something else. Something I already knew.

"Yes, I forgot, selling me out to another alpha. What were you going to get out of it? Money? Title?" I cocked my brow at him, curious to know what lead my own brother to find me and hold me as a hostage for Nicholas' father. "You already had one and you ruined it yourself."

"I did not. Your mate ruined our pack and yet you choose—"

"Not my pack," I cut him off, my voice laced with scorn. "While I was born into it, I surely didn't belong to that pack. You and everyone there treated me worse than a runt so I'm glad whatever happened that night, happened. I cursed those people, that town and you."

"Your mate killed our father. Or have you forgotten about that as well?" He reminded me while stepping closer.

My neck stretched, raising higher to meet his disdain gaze. "You survived, didn't you? Wasn't it your sole responsibility to protect our father that night? You didn't. You failed on your own responsibly to do the bare minimum. Where did you run off to after all while our father was getting ripped? To your precious friends because I remember finding his dead body and your bedroom empty that night."

Gerald's face contorted with anger, his eyes darkening by every second passing by. His fists clenched tightly as I raised my finger at him, blaming him for all that happened.

"You're a coward and now, a sell-out."

He grabbed my wrist, growling at the truth that had been spilled. I didn't retort, not unless I needed to. Instead, I watched his male rage and pride curl at the truth. He failed to do everything he was meant to. He failed to protect our father, and me.

"You've some courage coming to my face and telling me that, especially today. Your mate will not survive and even if he does, you won't." His voice was a low growl as he threatened me, this time to kill me.

It all happened quickly when he twisted my wrist, nearly spraining it. I winced but refused to scream. I didn't want to catch anyone's attention. Not now. My teeth clenched as I pulled my hand away from him and stepped back. When I saw his face again, he was at the very verge of attacking me, right here and right now, without a hint of mercy or compassion in his eyes.

As he stepped forward, a primal instinct kicked in. I didn't flee or screamed for help, knowing my mate was just there, fighting his own battle with his father. Instead, I reached to the ground, grabbing one of the silver knives that were tucked inside the bag. Without any hesitation, I plunged the knife straight into his neck, forcing him to feel the silver burn his flesh.

Blood spilled from the wound, staining his clothes and the ground beneath him. His lips parted but no sound came out of it, not even a word or a growl. Nothing.

His eyes widened with shock as he fell onto the ground with a thud, his hands trying to reach for the silver blade, but they couldn't.

He was already weakened by the silver.

I crouched beside him, taking in the sight of my brother at my feet, gasping for breath and struggling to stay alive. And he was going to.

"I'm not going to kill you," I said, my heart pounding quickly in my chest. "I don't intend to. Because no matter what, you're still my brother, but don't take it as a victory for yourself. You cannot be redeemed in front of my eyes, you'll never be. But I know one thing, after today, you will never be able to harm me again."

His breathing grew shallow. He tried to muster up the strength to say something, but he couldn't, not with the silver knife in his throat. For as long as I was going to be here, so was he, unable to do anything until today was over.

I stood up, leaving my brother on the ground, his fate sealed by his own actions. There was no satisfaction in seeing him defeated, no joy in his suffering. I didn't want to harm him, but if I didn't, he was going to harm me.

Taking a deep breath, I returned to the edge of the roof and surveyed the ground below while my brother choked for breaths behind me. The fight didn't begin, not yet, but it was going to, any minute now and I dreaded what was to come.

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