CHAPTER 67: FRACTURING

Thorne

I hated the way my brothers looked at me like I was some kind of monster. Like I was the villain in our story. Their gazes were a mixture of frustration and judgment, as if they couldn’t fathom why I didn’t see Josie the same way they did.

But I did see her. I saw everything. That was the problem.

What I said about her wasn’t cruelty—it was the truth. Josie was weak. Emotionally fragile. Always waiting to be rescued instead of saving herself. Anyone in their right mind would understand that. I wasn’t being heartless. I was being honest.

"You’re being impossible, Thorne," Kiel snapped, the irritation in his voice crackling like lightning. His shoulders were tense, and his jaw clenched so hard I could see the muscle twitching. "The way you’re acting... it’s exhausting."

I turned to him sharply, my temper already simmering beneath the surface. My fists curled tight at my sides, and my voice came out low and hard. "Don’t act like you love her more than I do, Kiel. You think I don’t care? That I don’t feel anything for her?"

Kiel didn’t flinch. He held my gaze with fire in his eyes. "You’re possessive of her, I’ll give you that. But love? No. You don’t show it. You don’t even try. You act like she’s beneath you, like her feelings are just inconveniences for your ego."

My pulse hammered in my ears. My breath caught with fury I could barely contain. "Because she is beneath me," I spat. "She’s not strong. She’s soft. She folds the second life gets too loud."

His eyes darkened, and for a second, I thought he might punch me. "You don’t know her. Not really. You only see what you want to see—what fits the narrative in your damn head. But Josie’s not weak. She’s trying, every single damn day."

"She doesn’t push back!" I shouted. "She never has! She always waits for someone to swoop in and fix her mess."

"And that makes her unworthy of compassion?" Kiel barked. "Gods, Thorne, do you even hear yourself?"

"Enough," Varen’s voice cut through the rising storm, his tone a firm wall between us. He stepped forward, positioning himself between me and Kiel like a damn referee.

But I wasn’t done. "Let Kiel say what he wants. Let him keep pretending he’s the only one who cares about her."

Kiel took a step toward me, his voice dropping dangerously. "You want to know what your real problem is, Thorne? You don’t know how to love anyone unless you’re in control. Everything has to be under your thumb, or it’s worthless to you. That’s not love. That’s domination."

A tremor ran down my arms, my fingers tingling with the urge to strike something. My jaw tightened so much it hurt. "Say that again," I growled, my voice shaking with restrained rage.

"I said what I said," Kiel snapped, eyes flashing. "She scares you, doesn’t she? The way she makes you feel. So you twist her into something small—something easy to dismiss. Because the truth? The truth is she matters to you. And that terrifies you."

The words hit like fists. My vision blurred for a second with raw fury and something else—something I didn’t want to name. I wanted to yell, to lash out, to deny it.

Before I could speak, Varen leaned in close to Kiel and whispered something into his ear. Too quiet for me to catch, but whatever it was, it stopped Kiel cold. He blinked, his expression tightening.

Then, without another word, he turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with enough force to make the walls shake.

I turned on Varen, my voice sharp and accusing. "What the hell did you tell him?"

He met my glare without flinching. "That’s between brothers."

My nostrils flared. "I’m your brother too."

"Yes," he said calmly, "and that’s why I’m telling you—breathe."

I dragged a hand down my face, the frustration clawing through my chest like wildfire. "What’s the plan with Josie?"

"We wait," Varen replied. "Kiel will come around once he cools off."

"No. That’s not what I meant." I dropped my hand and leveled my gaze at him. "What’s the plan? With her. With us. What the hell are we even doing?"

Varen was quiet for a moment, studying me with that unreadable expression of his. Then he spoke, soft but clear. "You want the truth?"

I nodded, jaw clenched. "I wouldn’t ask otherwise."

"She’s just as confused as we are," he said. "None of this is normal. And Josie—she’s in the middle of a storm she doesn’t understand. She’s scared. We all are. But Thorne... you’re letting your past cloud everything. You’re projecting what she’s not instead of seeing who she is."

I froze.

The words sank into my skin like poison.

"She’s not the woman who broke your heart," Varen added, voice quiet. "Josie’s not her."

I looked away, my throat closing up. Just hearing that name—her—made something cold and vicious twist inside me. I didn’t want to remember. I didn’t want to feel that again.

"I don’t care about the past," I lied. My voice came out rough, defensive. "What I care about is moving forward. And the best way to do that is to handle things with Josie individually."

Varen’s brows furrowed. "Individually?"

"Yeah," I said, folding my arms. "Each of us needs our own connection with her. Our own bond. Otherwise it’s going to get messy, and she’ll feel like we’re just some... collective."

Varen hesitated. "You really think that’s smart? That could confuse her even more."

"Maybe," I admitted, "but what we have now isn’t working either. We’re all stepping over each other. She needs to see us separately. As individuals. Not as a package deal."

Jealousy flared in my chest, sharp and hot. I couldn’t hold it back. "Kiel’s already doing it anyway. They kissed. Hell, maybe they did more."

Varen sighed, rubbing his temple like my words physically pained him. "You’re letting jealousy cloud your judgment."

"I’ve made my point," I said curtly, cutting him off. I didn’t want another lecture.

He let out a breath and shook his head. "You’re going to tear yourself apart."

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My thoughts were spinning too fast. I kept seeing Josie’s face—soft, uncertain, looking at Kiel like he was a shelter in the storm. And I hated how much that bothered me.

The door opened again, and Kiel stepped back in, quieter this time. His face was still tense, but he looked calmer. More controlled.

"Are we done screaming at each other like a bunch of lunatics?" he asked, glancing at Varen.

"For now," Varen replied.

Kiel walked across the room and sat down heavily in the chair near the window, arms crossed. He didn’t look at me.

"There’s someone we can go to," he said. "A witch."

That got my attention. I narrowed my eyes. "Who?"

He met my gaze directly. "The Satan’s Heir Witch."

I froze. Every muscle in my body went stiff. "Have you lost your damn mind?"