Chapter 73 The Big brother I never had.
knew it before I heard him. My spine stiffened, every instinct screaming a warning long before my mind caught up.
"Well," his familiar voice drawled from the shadows, silk wrapped around steel, "that was… dramatic."
Theron leaned against the trunk of an ancient oak as if he had always belonged there, moonlight filtering through the leaves to paint his dark hair in silver. He was fully clothed, far from the last time we fought when he was all muscles and veins. He was in a black leather and fur-lined cloak, his attire a deliberate mockery of both beast and king. His posture was relaxed. Amused.
Unthreatened.
He clapped slowly.
Once.
Twice.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty." He dipped into a bow so exaggerated it bordered on parody. "It must feel marvellous. Finally rid of the old man. Finally, wearing the crown instead of polishing it."
My jaw tightened. "Get to the point, Theron."
He straightened, lips curling. "Straight to commands already? Gods, you are his son."
The night seemed to lean closer, listening.
Theron stepped into the moonlight, boots silent against the earth. Up close, the resemblance was undeniable. Same sharp cheekbones. Same predatory, icily blue eyes. Where mine were hard with restraint, his gleamed with indulgence.
"How did it feel?" he asked lightly. "Your first run."
I said nothing.
He smiled wider. "Ah. That good?"
"I didn't ask for this." I forced my trembling hands into fists.
"No," Theron agreed. "Neither did I."
The words landed heavier than he intended: or perhaps exactly as intended.
He circled me slowly, gaze flicking over my bare skin, the marks where fur had been moments ago. "The emperor of men," he mused, "running naked through the woods like one of us. Oh, Mother would have adored this."
"Don't," I snapped.
He stopped. For a heartbeat, something old and sharp flickered in his eyes.
Then it vanished.
"How does it feel," he continued smoothly, "to rule a kingdom that would burn you alive if they knew what you were?"
"I am nothing like you."
Theron laughed, throwing his head back, the sound rich and effortless. "You always say that."
I stepped closer. "I won't hunt you. Or your people. Not like Father did. But you will stay away from human villages. No raids. No blood games."
I held his gaze. "That's my condition."
For a moment, Theron only stared at me.
Then he burst out with a roar of laughter, louder, sharper, echoing through the trees like a challenge.
"Oh, little brother," he said, wiping at an imaginary tear. "Can't you see? Your condition is… adorable."
His eyes gleamed. "We've already won."
I stiffened. "What are you talking about?"
He leaned in, voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "You think this is some coincidence? A werewolf emperor crowned under a full moon while the south thrives unchecked?"
He straightened, grin razor-thin. "We don't need your permission anymore. We rule the human kingdom now…through you."
Anger flared hot and fast. "I am not your puppet. I will never be."
Theron's smile softened. That somehow made it worse.
"Oh, Daevir," he said gently, almost fondly. "Too bad you're not fond of looking in the mirror."
I shoved past him. "Get out of my land."
He caught my arm, not roughly. Familiar. Almost brotherly.
"We could have ended up fighting together if you had shown up as a pup like me. You think father would have accepted you if he knew this is who you are?"
I pulled free. "I would always fight for whatever cause is right and true."
Theron smirked. "And you think mine is not?"
"I don't play games like you, Theron."
"Nothing wrong with games, Daevir," Theron's eyes lit with a flair. "I've always played my games right and WON."
"That was before you became a monster."
Theron's expression didn't change, but the air thickened.
"No," he corrected. "That was because I learned what I am. Looks like you're about to catch up with that truth."
Silence stretched between us, heavy with everything unsaid. For a moment, just one, I saw it: If circumstances had been different, Theron would have been the big brother I'd adore.
The brother I will follow and look up to, the one who will shield me from father's wrath. We will hunt together, and he will show me the ropes with his little experience.
We will talk about politics, women and my father's insatiable appetite for hurting young, vulnerable girls. Women in the palace will throw themselves at Theron just like they did to me.
He would have been the one I'd gladly give this heavy crown to and support him rule the kingdom.
I've always felt odd as a prince, like an imposter. It seemed my position was undeserved and belonged to someone else.
Theron.
But, looking at the beast right in front of me, I whispered beneath my breath, never to give up my people's fate to Theron.
Theron's smile hardened like he could read my thoughts.
"You can pretend you're different," he said. "But you ran tonight. And you loved it."
My pulse roared in my ears. "Leave."
Theron's gaze flicked to my clenched fists. "Or what?"
Something inside me snapped.
I stepped forward and drove my fist into his jaw.
The night exploded!