Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 172

Erin's POV

I rushed to Aaron's side, my high heels clicking rapidly against the polished floor. Aaron was already pushing himself up, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth, his cheek swelling from Delta Mark's punch. I gently touched his swollen cheek, concern washing over me. My chest tightened seeing him hurt. Seeing him bleeding because of me made me sick with worry.

Aaron's eyes met mine briefly before scanning the room, taking in the high-ranking pack members who had rushed to Derek's side. His expression hardened, the cold mask of the enforcer cracking to reveal raw fury beneath.

"Instead of targeting me," Aaron snarled, addressing Derek directly, "why don't you ask him why he did this? My sister didn't do anything wrong. Why did he have to hurt her like this? Does he think my sister is some kind of toy?"

The room fell silent. No one dared speak as Aaron, a subordinate, questioned the Alpha directly. I felt my pulse quicken, partly from fear for Aaron's safety, partly from validation that someone was finally standing up for me.

Beta Tom stepped forward, his face contorted with indignation. "Have you completely lost your mind, Enforcer Aaron? How dare you speak to the Pack Alpha with such disrespect?" His voice rose with each word. "Do you have a death wish? Are you asking to be executed?"

I stepped between them, my dress swishing around my legs. Anger boiled inside me. They always protected Derek, no matter what he did. I was tired of it. Tired of the blind loyalty, tired of being the only one who saw him for what he truly was.

"Your precious Alpha has been deceiving him all along." I turned to Derek, looking directly into his eyes. "He betrayed his own enforcer. He gave him false hope, all for his own benefit."

I stared at Derek, making no attempt to hide the hatred in my eyes. I wanted him to see what he'd done to me, wanted him to understand that he'd broken something that couldn't be fixed.

Tom turned to Derek, clearly displeased. "Are you going to listen to this nonsense, Alpha? I can't believe how anyone could speak to their Pack Alpha like this."

Derek stood motionless, his expression unreadable. I watched his face, trying to detect some sign of remorse, some indication that my words had reached him. But there was nothing. It made me hate him even more, this ability to shut down, to show nothing when I was breaking apart inside.

Derek turned his attention to Aaron, allowing his Alpha power to surge through him. "Calm down, Enforcer Aaron," he commanded, his voice dropping an octave as his eyes shifted to gold.

The effect was immediate. Aaron's jaw clenched, his head lowering automatically as his inner wolf submitted to Derek's command. I hated seeing it—hated the power Derek had over my brother, over all of us. I wanted to scream, to grab Aaron and run, but I knew it wouldn't work. The Alpha's howl controlled every wolf in the pack.

"Go home," Derek ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. "I'll speak with you later."

Derek's gaze shifted to me, and for a moment, something unspoken passed between us. I saw something flicker in his eyes—regret? Longing? I couldn't tell, and I didn't want to care.

Aaron grabbed my hand, his movements stiff with the effort of fighting the command while still obeying it. I followed him toward the exit, feeling his frustration in the tight grip of his hand. I wanted to tell him it wasn't his fault, that no one could resist an Alpha's command, but I stayed silent, not wanting to make things worse.

We had almost reached the exit of the club when a familiar voice stopped us.

"Where are you taking her?"

Alexander Windsor stood blocking our path, his tall frame relaxed yet somehow imposing. I felt a jolt of irritation. Just what I needed—another Alpha male telling me what to do.

Aaron tensed beside me. "Do I need to answer you?"

"Of course, you must," Alexander replied, his voice smooth as silk but edged with authority.

"You're not my Alpha," Aaron countered, straightening to his full height. "You have no right to demand answers from me."

Alexander's smile never reached his eyes. "But she's my future mate. You can't take her away."

The casual way he claimed me sent a spark of irritation through my body. I was tired of being discussed as if I weren't standing right there, tired of men making decisions about my life. First Derek treating me like a possession he could discard, now Alexander acting like he owned me. I wanted to scream that I belonged to no one.

"Brother," I said, squeezing Aaron's hand, "you go ahead. I'll join you shortly."

I needed to deal with Alexander alone. Aaron had been through enough tonight because of me.

After a moment of hesitation, Aaron nodded, shooting one last warning glance at Alexander before exiting the club.

When we were alone, I turned to Alexander, keeping my voice low but firm. "What do you want? I'm leaving now."

Alexander grabbed my hand, pulling me closer. "You can't leave yet."

I froze, staring at him in disbelief before yanking my hand away. My patience was running thin.

"Everything today happened without asking for my consent," I continued, not bothering to hide my frustration. "Don't push me, Alexander. Did you think that announcing me as your future Luna would make me happy and obedient?"

Something shifted in his expression, his demeanor softening unexpectedly. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I was just teasing. You can go with your brother."

The sudden change threw me off balance. I eyed him suspiciously, wondering which version of Alexander Windsor was the real one—the controlling Alpha or this suddenly accommodating man. It was hard to trust either version after everything I'd been through.