Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 183 Just a convenient bed partner?

Victoria’s POV

Damian couldn’t calm down at all now.

"Just a convenient bed partner?" His voice was low, almost a growl. "Adult fun? Fine, Victoria. Let’s play this game then."

He crushed his lips against mine with such force I could barely breathe. His kiss was savage and punishing, like a wolf marking territory. Arthur’s smoky cedar scent enveloped me, making me dizzy. Damian’s hands gripped my waist tightly, pulling me against him.

I couldn’t match his passion, nor resist the primal dominance radiating from him.

My wolf Nora whimpered, torn between submission and resistance. As his tongue invaded my mouth, forcing its way past my lips, I had only one choice—I bit down hard on his lower lip.

The metallic taste of blood spread between us. Damian hissed and stepped back, pain and something darker flashing in his eyes.

"Are you calm now?" I asked, breathing hard, tasting his blood on my tongue.

Damian stared at me for a long moment, his jaw clenched tight. Without a word, he turned and stormed out of my apartment, slamming the door so hard the pictures on the wall shook.

The moment he left, I collapsed onto the couch, my legs suddenly unable to support me. I wiped the blood from my lips—his blood—feeling something deep inside me shatter.

This pain was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It wasn’t just disappointment or betrayal like with Ethan. This was like a knife plunging straight into my heart, making it hard to breathe every time I thought about what had just happened.

Maybe Damian never wanted to see me again. Maybe we couldn’t even be friends anymore. But I’d never hurt like this—not even when I discovered Ethan had been secretly married to Scarlett for three years behind my back.

I’d fallen deeper in love with Damian Sterling than I’d realized.

But I was the one who’d pushed him away with cruel words, and now it was all irreversible. Perhaps this was our destined ending.

Tears burst forth before I could stop them. I tried to wipe them away, but they flowed faster until I lost all control. My wolf Nora howled mournfully within me—she was already missing Arthur.

Just then, my front door opened.

"Victoria? You’re home? Grace stood in the doorway, looking surprised. "I thought you’d be at the office by now."

She saw my face and immediately looked concerned. "What happened? Who made you cry? Tell me who hurt you and I’ll tear their throat out."

She rushed to my side, grabbing tissues from the coffee table to gently wipe my tears.

"Nothing happened," I sobbed, trying to compose myself. "I’m not crying."

"Right, right," Grace played along, "my tough Alpha friend never cries. I didn’t see anything." She sat beside me, draping her arm over my shoulders. "So, want to tell me what’s not making you cry? That way I can help."

After a moment of silence, I took a shaky breath. "I think I’m just relieved to finally know the truth. That weight on my chest has finally lifted."

Grace looked confused. "What truth?"

"Patrick’s legs," I explained, my voice still trembling. "They were always fine. His injuries were never as severe as he claimed. He’s been lying to me. And that accident? He orchestrated it all—some sick ’proof of love’ scheme that I can’t even fully comprehend."

"What?" Grace’s jaw nearly dropped. "That’s insane! Who risks their life for such twisted manipulation?"

She shook her head in disbelief, her golden curls swaying.

"Do you know how guilty you’ve been? How many specialists you consulted?" Grace continued, her voice full of indignation. "What if his little ’plan’ had gone wrong? He could have actually died!"

"Victoria," she gripped my shoulders, forcing me to look at her, "this guy is dangerous. He’s mentally unstable. You need to stay away from him. Who knows what he’ll do next time he wants your attention?"

"But my grandfather adores Patrick," I sighed, thinking of William’s constant attempts to matchmake us.

"Then your grandfather needs to know exactly what kind of person Patrick really is," Grace insisted, "otherwise he’ll keep playing matchmaker, thinking Patrick is the perfect gentleman when he’s actually a manipulative psychopath."

"You’re right," I stood up, suddenly determined. "I need to tell grandfather immediately."

I needed to ensure William understood Patrick’s true nature before any more matchmaking schemes could continue.

When Grace and I arrived at my grandfather’s estate in the affluent northern suburbs, we could hear his booming laughter from the driveway.

"What’s got your grandfather in such a good mood?" Grace asked as we approached the front door. "Does he have company?"

"I don’t know," I answered honestly.

I walked into the spacious living room and froze at the sight before me. Patrick sat in one of the leather armchairs with his father beside him, both engaged in animated conversation with my grandfather.

"Grandfather? Patrick? Mr. Wagner?" I was speechless with surprise. Patrick had beaten me here.

"Victoria, darling! Perfect timing," grandfather beckoned to me. "We have something important to discuss with you."

"Patrick, what are you doing here?" I demanded, ignoring grandfather’s welcoming gesture.

Patrick looked at me with practiced innocence. "Victoria, we had a little misunderstanding—"

"There’s no misunderstanding," I cut him off sharply. "Patrick, you’re not welcome here. Please leave. Now."

"Victoria!" Grandfather’s voice carried a warning. "You cannot speak to Patrick like that, especially with his father present. They’ve come all this way to see me. If you didn’t sleep well last night, perhaps you should go upstairs to rest?"

"No, grandfather," I insisted. "I need to tell you something important. Patrick’s legs are completely healed. He was never seriously injured." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Grandfather nodded calmly. "I know."

"You... know?" I stared at him in shock.

If my grandfather knew about Patrick’s deception, why was he still treating him like an honored guest? What was going on?

I continued: "Grandfather, do you also know that Patrick orchestrated that car accident? The whole thing was his scheme."

I couldn’t believe grandfather could remain so calm after hearing this. The car accident that took my parents’ lives had instilled in him a deep-seated fear of them. How could he be so indifferent to Patrick’s manipulation?

But my grandfather simply sighed. "Victoria, dear, why don’t you go rest for a while?"

"Grandfather, did you hear what I just said?" Disbelief colored my voice.

What spell had Patrick cast on my grandfather? William Lancaster, leader of Crescent Dawn Pack, was known for his zero tolerance of deception, yet here he was, dismissing Patrick’s elaborate web of lies as if it were nothing.

"I heard you, Victoria," grandfather replied calmly, "but I’m having an important conversation with Mr. Wagner. Be a good girl and go spend time with Grace for a while."

I stared at Patrick in shock. What had he done to have such influence over my grandfather?

"Victoria, maybe we should step outside for now," Grace tugged at my arm, whispering, "We need to regroup and figure this out."

I reluctantly let Grace lead me from the room. As the door closed behind us, I heard Patrick’s voice:

"You see, Mr. Lancaster? Victoria has been completely manipulated by Damian Sterling. Damian framed me and even wanted to have me amputated—he wanted me permanently disabled. Victoria believes everything he says. If I told her the truth directly, she’d never believe me—she’d believe him instead."

Patrick was turning everything upside down, placing all the blame on Damian.