Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 171 I saved a video of last night

Victoria’s POV

The next morning, I woke to find myself in Damian’s home, specifically, in his bed. Damian was beside me, already awake, propped up on one elbow, his gaze fixed on me.

"Good morning," I murmured, taking in his handsome features.

"Good morning," Damian replied, a mischievous glint in his amber eyes. "Last night, you were quite... passionate. All those hugs and kisses, and then we made love. I must say, sweetheart, I rather enjoyed how forward you were."

A blush crept up my neck, warming my cheeks. "I must have been drunk," I mumbled, trying to pull the sheet higher.

Damian chuckled softly, a deep rumble in his chest. "I saved a video of last night."

"What? You *saved* a video?" My jaw dropped. While I wasn’t against making love with him, the idea of him *keeping* a video made me feel incredibly vulnerable.

I snatched his phone from his outstretched hand, my fingers trembling slightly as I saw a video awaiting playback on the screen. As I pressed play, the sight of myself on the screen sent a fresh wave of heat to my cheeks. There I was, lunging at Damian, passionately kissing his lips. When he tried to pull away, to refuse my affections, I saw myself demanding he open his mouth again. The footage continued, showing me kissing him deeply, an intimate and sensual display that even now made Nora, my inner wolf, stir restlessly.

Why would Damian Sterling record something so private? This video had to be deleted, immediately. With the phone in my hand, I intended to erase the evidence before anyone else could see it. The last thing I wanted was for this video to circulate within the North Creek Pack, let alone fall into my grandfather’s hands back in Crescent Moon territory.

Damian, with his keen Alpha instincts, instantly saw through my intention. Just as my finger hovered over the delete button, he snatched the phone back with astonishing speed.

"Finished watching?" His low voice resonated in the room. "Now you both know who was drunk last night and who forced whose hand. Still want to accuse me of taking advantage?"

My wolf let out an exasperated growl, and I lunged for the phone again. "Delete that video, right now!"

"Absolutely not. This is evidence," he replied, the smoky cedar scent emanating from him intensifying with his amusement. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

By now, Damian was sitting up, but I wasn’t deterred. I launched myself at him, pinning him to the mattress. In my desperate scramble for his phone, I hadn’t realized I was now fully straddling him, our faces inches apart. His breathing immediately became quick and shallow, growing hotter beneath me. My focus remained solely on deleting that embarrassing video.

Damian didn’t stop me as I wrestled the phone from his grasp. However, my victory was short-lived as I discovered the phone was locked.

"Enter your password and delete the video," I commanded, trying my best to ignore the feel of his powerful body beneath mine.

A dangerous smile played on his perfect lips. "I don’t see why I should delete it. Don’t you think it’s rather... nice?"

"Nice? Are you serious?" My wolf was practically vibrating with agitation.

"Of course. Next time you have the chance, you’re welcome to secretly record me," he suggested.

"No! Delete it now!" I thrust the phone towards him, hoping to unlock it with face recognition. Damian deliberately refused to cooperate, shaking his head with a playful defiance that only infuriated me more. I shifted my weight on top of him, trying to grab his hand to press against the fingerprint scanner, but he resisted, and my movements grew more frantic. With each twist and turn of my body, I could feel his response beneath me. The tension between us crackled like static electricity before a lightning strike.

With a swift, Alpha-dominant move, Damian reversed our positions. I was instantly pinned beneath him, his strong body holding me firmly against the mattress. The sudden shift in power dynamics left my mind reeling. I blinked up at him, his figure towering over mine, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm.

"I’ll delete it," he murmured, his voice deepening, laced with a seductive huskiness that made Nora let out a yearning whimper. "But you’ll have to give me something else in exchange."

"What?" I whispered, biting my lower lip. Only now did I fully grasp how dangerous our situation was. Damian Sterling was a pure-blooded Alpha wolf in the prime of his life.

"What do you suggest?" He cupped my face, his features tantalizingly close. "We’re already in bed. What can you offer me in exchange?"

"I... you..." My heart hammered, and I found myself speechless. The earlier question surged back, desperate to be asked. "Damian," I finally managed, summoning my courage, "why are you always... I mean, countless women would throw themselves at you. If you have any... needs... you’d never lack for willing partners. They’d line up for you."

In truth, I was incredibly attracted to him. Damian’s body was undeniably captivating. Last night, I could indulge myself due to the alcohol. But now, with my mind clear, I couldn’t simply let go. Especially since the obstacles between us remained unresolved. I wasn’t ready.

His eyes burned into mine, not leaving me for even a second. "I don’t want them," he stated simply. "They’re not you."

"But why me? We only just met." As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew they weren’t entirely true. Although we had known each other for only six months, our relationship had long since transcended the boundaries of mere acquaintance.

Damian’s eyes narrowed dangerously. "We’re not familiar with each other? Is that what you think?"

"I mean, we’ve only known each other for six months," I explained softly.

"And?" His voice was low and challenging. "What are you trying to say? You hate me? Because yesterday, Victoria, *you* kissed *me* first. What am I to you?"

"I..." I gazed up at his face—that impossibly handsome face, which had appeared in my dreams countless times, more often than I cared to admit. My heart pounded even faster. In truth, I couldn’t easily define what Damian meant to me. I wanted to ask him the same question. Everything he did for me was so confusing, so easily misinterpreted. Every time I saw him, I felt a strong urge to flee, but it was completely different from how I felt about Patrick. With Patrick, I genuinely didn’t want to see him. With Damian, I just wanted to hide because he evoked such powerful feelings within me.

Damian’s face was flawless, and his charisma undeniable. After Ethan’s betrayal, I had thought my heart was frozen, incapable of feeling anything again. Yet, whenever I was with Damian, that frozen lake seemed to melt, and even the smallest pebble he threw could send ripples across its surface. To say I felt nothing would be a lie, but to admit these feelings? Especially for someone like Damian Sterling? It felt impossible.

Just as the silence between us reached its breaking point, the ringing of a phone shattered the tense atmosphere.

"Is that your phone or mine?" I asked eagerly, desperate for an interruption. "We should probably answer it."

"Ignore it," Damian murmured. "Just a telemarketer."

How could he possibly know without checking? The ringing persisted, and I tried again. "I think that’s my phone. Could you hand it to me?" My phone was on the nightstand where Damian had placed it, his own beside it. The ringing in the room was definitely coming from my phone.

"You haven’t answered my question," he insisted, unmoving.

"Which question?"

*Victoria, what am I to you?*

I skillfully deflected, turning his own tactic against him. "Well, what am I to you?"

Seeing his hesitation, I pressed my advantage. "See? You can’t answer either. So we’re the same."

His gaze sharpened, making my wolf pace uneasily. "Are we really the same, Victoria?"

I nodded confidently. Of course, we were the same. It wasn’t an easy question for *anyone* to answer!

"So, if I say I like you," he said slowly, each word carefully measured and deeply significant, "does that mean you love me too?"

"What?" The air seemed to leave my lungs. Had I heard that right? Damian Sterling loved me?