Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 173 Marriage? That’s way too early!

Victoria’s POV

"Marriage? That’s way too early! I haven’t even decided yet." I said, my fingers nervously tracing the rim of my coffee cup.

"Made up your mind? Victoria, life’s too short to overthink everything!" Grace leaned forward, mischief sparkling in her blue eyes. "If I were you, I’d have jumped that prime Alpha already. A gorgeous specimen like Damian Sterling? You’d never regret it."

I rolled my eyes as Nora, my white wolf, stirred restlessly within me. "You’ve got such a dirty mind, yet you still haven’t sealed the deal with Elijah. All talk, no action."

Grace snorted, tossing her auburn hair. "That’s because Elijah and I have been in different countries. Plus, Jacob totally played me. He promised if I took him in that night, he’d convince his brother to ask me out. What bullshit! Nothing came of it."

The café buzzed with chatter, the familiar aroma of espresso mingling with the various scents of humans and wolves. I sipped my latte, trying to appear nonchalant despite my heart racing every time Damian’s name came up in conversation.

"But I’ve always said—with that blonde hair and killer body of yours, Damian was bound to notice you eventually," Grace continued, drumming her perfectly manicured nails on the table. "See? I was right!"

I shook my head as Nora whimpered softly inside me. Her inexplicable bond with Damian confused me, especially since he didn’t seem to feel the same connection. "Who knows what his real agenda is? Whether he genuinely likes me or has ulterior motives? In this world, everyone has hidden agendas. Everything’s become so complicated."

"You think he’s after Crescent Dawn’s assets?" Grace raised an eyebrow.

"Not exactly," I sighed, feeling the weight of the bracelet on my wrist—the one that masked my true scent. "I just don’t understand why he’d be interested in me. But then again, Blood Moon Pack is massive. Even without Lancaster Industries, he’s been incredibly successful. It wouldn’t make logical sense for him to target my family’s business."

Could Damian Sterling really be attracted to me just for my looks or body? The thought sent a shiver down my spine, but I quickly suppressed the feeling.

"Maybe you’re overthinking this," Grace said, leaning back in her chair. "Put yourself in his shoes. When you look at Damian, what attracts you to him? Is it because he’s the CEO of ME Enterprises, or something completely different?"

That made me pause and think. When I first got involved with Ethan, I hadn’t cared about his financial status—he had nothing back then. Material things had never impressed me.

But Damian... his sharp jawline, those penetrating eyes that seemed to see through my facade, and the way my heart raced whenever he entered a room. Every interaction with him sent my pulse into overdrive in ways I couldn’t explain.

My wolf nature stirred again, recognizing what I’d been reluctant to admit. Whenever Damian appeared, Nora became agitated, yearning to bare her soul to him.

"Wait," I said, realizing I’d been silent too long, "the premise of your question is wrong. I don’t have feelings for Damian Sterling."

"You just spent two whole minutes thinking about that man," Grace laughed, seeing right through me. "Victoria Lancaster, stop fooling yourself."

My cheeks burned. "I... I don’t even know how to argue with that."

"You don’t need to," she said with a smug smile.

"I should get to the office," I muttered, reaching for my purse. "Some of us have to work for a living."

"Fine, go ahead." Grace shrugged, still wearing that knowing smile. "I just wanted to check on you."

She didn’t press further, for which I was grateful. This was my decision to make, and no one could make it for me.

At Lancaster Industries, I couldn’t focus at all.

My mind kept replaying the conversation with Damian, wondering if there were deeper secrets hidden beneath his playboy exterior. My office felt too small, too confining for the tumultuous emotions churning inside me.

My loyal assistant and pack brother, Kane Lancaster, knocked on my door.

"Come in," I said, shuffling through papers I wasn’t actually processing.

Kane entered, his tall frame nearly filling the doorway. "Need anything before the next meeting?"

I looked up at him and suddenly made a decision. "Actually, yes. Can you arrange a meeting with that driver’s girlfriend? I need to speak with her personally."

"Of course," Kane nodded firmly, pulling out his phone. "I’ll set it up."

Two hours later, I sat waiting in a quiet corner booth at Silver Moon Café. The establishment catered to both humans and wolves, with subtle touches only supernatural beings would notice—protective symbols carved into table edges, moon phase patterns in the wallpaper.

The woman who approached looked exhausted, dark circles under her eyes contrasting sharply with her naturally pretty features. She sat across from me, her scent revealing her humanity.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked warily, knowing I was the one her ex-boyfriend had hit with his car.

"Yes," I nodded, pushing a cup of coffee toward her. "I just wanted to talk. Do you think your ex-boyfriend hitting me was an accident or premeditated? I heard he told you before the incident that he could pay off his gambling debts."

She wrapped her hands around the warm mug, her shoulders sagging. "He did say that. When I asked where he’d get that kind of money, he just said not to worry. He promised that after paying off all his debts, he’d quit gambling for good. Said he’d settle down with me and the baby." Her voice caught slightly. "He told me to wait for him ’a while.’"

"A while?" I pressed, my wolf instincts picking up on her elevated heartbeat, suggesting there was more to the story. "Did he say specifically how long?"

She shook her head. "I asked, but he said he wasn’t sure either."

This was suspicious. If it was premeditated, how would he know I’d be crossing that street? How would he know I’d be there at that exact time? The only person who knew my schedule that day was Patrick. Patrick had called me over, he knew which route I’d take...

But I didn’t want to suspect Patrick. We’d been friends since childhood. He was injured too—in the same accident, his leg severely damaged.

"Was there anything else unusual about his recent behavior?" I asked, carefully watching her expression.

She shook her head again. "No, really. We hadn’t been seeing much of each other lately, but..." She hesitated, biting her lower lip. "I don’t believe he was suicidal. Ever since learning about the baby, he really had stopped gambling. He wanted to make money. He seemed determined to live—for our child."

This confirmed my suspicions. A man determined to live for his child wouldn’t suddenly commit suicide. His death while in police custody was highly suspicious.

I thanked her and left, instructing Kane to investigate the officers at the precinct where the driver died. Something was definitely fishy here.

Later that afternoon, I made time to visit Patrick at his place. Since the accident, he’d moved into a ground-floor apartment I’d helped him find. I’d also arranged for medical care, nurses, and home healthcare workers—the least I could do for my childhood friend.

When I arrived, his face lit up with what appeared to be completely innocent joy.

"Victoria! You came!" Patrick wheeled toward me in his wheelchair, beaming. His smile was warm and radiant, making it hard to imagine he could be behind something so sinister.

"Just got off work," I said, carefully studying his expression, "thought I’d drop by to see you."

"Please, sit," he gestured to the couch. "Want something to drink?"

"No thanks, I’ll eat when I get home." I declined politely, settling across from him. "I actually wanted to ask if you’d heard about the driver who hit us—the one who caused the accident."

Patrick nodded, his expression growing somewhat somber. "Yes, I heard he committed suicide."

I studied his face carefully, searching for any hint of satisfaction or deception.

If someone had caused me to potentially lose the ability to walk, I’d harbor intense hatred for them. Yet Patrick’s expression was unusually calm, almost practiced.

Even I, with only minor injuries, felt hatred toward that driver. Patrick’s apparent lack of anger struck me as odd.

"I think he got what he deserved," I said tentatively, "finally faced justice. What do you think?"

Patrick nodded, responding too quickly. "Exactly. People like him don’t deserve to live. Death was too merciful for him. He should have suffered in that accident like we did."

The wolf within me growled softly, sensing the falseness in his words.

"Patrick," I leaned forward, fixing my gaze on him, "what if your leg never heals? What if you can never walk again?"

A smile played at the corners of his mouth, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "Then you’d take care of me, wouldn’t you, Victoria?"

In that moment, staring into his calculating eyes, I knew with absolute certainty. Years of friendship crumbled instantly, my heart sinking into my stomach. Patrick still wore that smile, but all I could see was betrayal.

I smiled back, letting him think I was still in the dark, but inside Nora raged with fury and disappointment. The truth was crystal clear now—I’d never imagined that someone I trusted so completely could manipulate me so callously.