CHAPTER 48: LITTLE FIRE

"Are you going to keep torturing yourself like this? Why not join us in bed? Her other side is cold and empty," Zen muttered in a low voice as he turned his gaze toward his brother, who was standing in the shadows, his own hand working in secret. The sight was pathetic to Zen, even if Kael thought himself above it.

Heck, even if they would not take her due to the pack, there was nothing wrong with doing what he had done, was there? It was mutually pleasing.

"I have no interest in sleeping with a stranger," Kael said flatly in his head, as always not speaking loudly.

Zen smiled faintly at the answer, his lips curving with mocking amusement. "A stranger, you say? You’ve explored every inch of her body, Kael. You’ve tasted her, touched her, left your mark on her, and yet you still stand there and call her a stranger? You’re only shooting yourself in the foot, you know."

Kael’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as he shot his brother a cold look. "And who do you think is responsible for this? You. If you hadn’t insisted on this foolish charade, if you hadn’t forced us into this twisted vow, we would have been back at the pack house by now, free. We would be enjoying the company of other women. But no—you insisted on answering her call."

Zen’s easy mood fell at that as he sent his brother a cold look. "We would not have been able to answer her call at all if she had not been sincere in what she offered. She was willing to sacrifice her life, Kael. You know that as well as I do. She wasn’t pretending or not willing to accept the price. Does that count for nothing? She is weak now, but under our guidance, she can be the good. I know that and you do too."

"You knew what she was planning beforehand." Kael snapped back, his mood declining even more. After all, having blue balls or pleasuring oneself was not much fun. "You’d guessed it. You could have stopped her. You should have dissuaded her."

Zen’s eyes flickered, but his voice did not falter. "And why would I do that?" he asked slowly, his jaw setting in stubborn defiance.

Kael exhaled heavily, his irritation clear as he raked a hand through his hair. "Fine then. But you could have at least chosen differently. You could have insisted on another vow, any vow. But no-you bound us to this. And because of your insistence, we are now tied to a complete stranger."

Zen’s patience thinned, his irritation slipping into his voice. "Will you stop calling her a stranger, Kael! She is ours. You can deny it all you want, but the truth is the truth. She belongs to us. Just come here and sleep with her. Keep her warm instead of standing there in shadows pretending you’re above it all."

Kael’s eyes narrowed, his tone like ice as he answered, "She is our slave. Not our mate. Do not confuse the two. I do not need to keep a slave warm. She is nothing more, and you would do well to remember that. If she were so important to you, if she truly meant anything, you would at least know her name. But you don’t, do you?" He paused, his gaze cutting like a blade.

It was the truth. Zen had not even bothered to ask the Omega’s name. He’d labelled her ’little fire’ and that is all she was to him. But he needed a reminder, "So don’t stand there pretending otherwise. Have your fun with your little slave, Zen. Indulge yourself. As for me, I am not interested in more.."

Without waiting for a reply, Kael turned sharply and walked out of the room. His footsteps faded into the distance, leaving Zen standing alone in the heavy silence. The air seemed to thicken with Kael’s absence, leaving a grim mood in its wake.

Zen clenched his jaw, his eyes hard as he watched the door close. "Stubborn fool," he muttered under his breath. His brother clung to ideals that no longer mattered. Who cared for a mate when one could have something far more alluring-a beautiful, intriguing slave who defied them in ways no mate ever could?

Turning his head, Zen looked down at her. Her breathing was soft and steady, her face pale against the shadows of the room. His fingers moved almost on their own, brushing against her cheek. Her skin was warm beneath his touch, softer than he expected, and something in him stirred. Slowly, almost deliberately, he caressed her face, his thumb gliding along the curve of her jaw.

He leaned down, his lips brushing hers in a slow kiss. She didn’t stir, but the taste of her lingered on him, rich and intoxicating. As for her name-what was wrong with calling her "little fire"? It wasn’t as if he called anyone else that. It was not some empty word tossed around lightly. No, it was a title, something he had chosen and given to her alone. A unique claim, a reminder that she was different.

"Little fire," he whispered against her lips, as if the words themselves were binding.

What did it matter if he did not recall her name? What mattered was what she was now-what she had become in their possession. And to him, she was his little fire.

As for mates, what worth was there in them? Zen scoffed inwardly at the thought. He had known what it was to have a mate once, to feel bound by that so-called sacred tie. But what had it given them? Nothing but emptiness, nothing but loss. There was nothing worth remembering about it. Mates were chains, expectations, obligations. They came with rules and traditions he had long since grown tired of.

But this—this was different. The girl lying before him was not a mate to weigh him down, but a slave who ignited him in ways he could not deny. She stirred something wild, something dangerous. And that foolish Kael? She made him hungry for her too.. He was just too stubborn a fool to accept it.