Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 19 My wolf also grew restless

Victoria’s POV

I caught Damian’s stare burning into me across the restaurant.

Fine. He wanted front-row seats to whatever he thought was happening between Kane and me?

Let him watch.

Our plates arrived steaming hot. I grabbed my fork and loaded Kane’s plate with the best cuts.

"Eat up," I said, nudging his shoulder playfully. "You look like you’ve been pulling all-nighters again."

The air crackled with tension. Damian’s predatory gaze never left me, making my skin crawl. Nora paced restlessly beneath my ribs.

After we finished eating, Damian planted himself in his chair like he’d grown roots. Just sitting there. Watching. Waiting.

I pushed back from the table. "Getting late. Don’t let us keep you, Mr. Sterling."

Kane shot to his feet. "I’ll drive you home."

I smiled with genuine relief. "Perfect." Kane hadn’t seen William in ages anyway—they could catch up while I crashed for some actual sleep.

But Damian slid into our path like a roadblock. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Don’t you have people for that?" Irritation sharpened my voice.

"Driver’s gone home."

"Call another one."

"Car’s in the shop."

Clearly, he’d invented an excuse for every objection I could throw at him. I cut straight to the point. "That doesn’t work for us."

"Doesn’t work?" His eyes went dark as storm clouds. "Worried I’ll cramp your style?"

"Absolutely!" I snapped back, hoping brutal honesty would send him packing.

But Damian Sterling never took a hint in his life.

"Maybe I should be the bigger man here. Give you two some privacy." His voice turned silky and dangerous.

"But since you love your little games, Victoria, don’t you think three’s more entertaining? I told you before—if you had certain... appetites, you could come to me. Don’t recall giving you permission to shop elsewhere."

Ice ran through his words, making my jaw clench. Nora snarled at his possessive tone. Who the hell did he think he was to grant or deny me anything? This had zero to do with him!

But Damian had lost his damn mind. What if he threw a tantrum about our business in front of William? That would be a disaster.

Especially regarding my bracelet. If he discovered what it really did, I’d never escape this psychopath.

I turned to Kane with apologetic eyes. "You should head back. Mr. Sterling will make sure I get home in one piece."

Kane’s brow furrowed with concern, but he nodded when he saw my resolve. "Speed-dial me if anything feels off. I’m always awake anyway."

After Kane disappeared into the night, Damian chuckled low in his throat. "Impressive work, Victoria. You found yourself a new plaything fast."

I didn’t bother with denials. If I claimed Kane was just a friend, this maniac probably wouldn’t buy it anyway. And why should I explain jack shit to Damian Sterling?

"Who doesn’t appreciate eye candy?" I shot back with ice in my voice. "But you’re way out of line, Mr. Sterling. Your actual sister-in-law is Scarlett. If you’re so invested in family drama, maybe focus on keeping her and Ethan from making fools of themselves in public."

"Are you pissed because I’m interfering, or because you’re not really my sister-in-law?" That infuriating smirk spread across his face.

This man was absolutely insufferable. My patience snapped like a frayed wire.

"I can’t deal with you." I spun toward the exit. "I’m going home. Feel free to stay here and brood."

Damian caught up in three long strides, his powerful frame easily matching my pace.

"I said I’d drive you home." Command rang through his voice. "Get in the car."

A sleek black luxury sedan waited at the curb, engine purring.

"Thought your car was broken? Thought your driver went home?" I challenged him.

"Who said I only keep one car and one driver?" He replied like I’d asked the stupidest question in history.

His logic was so twisted I couldn’t even form a comeback.

"I’ll grab a cab. Way easier."

Before I could bolt for the street, Damian’s arm wrapped around my waist, steering me firmly toward the vehicle. "No need for formalities, Victoria."

He barked instructions to the driver, then fixed those dark eyes on me. "Where to?"

My blood turned to slush. I couldn’t give him William’s address, and I planned to sell the place I’d secretly bought during my time with Ethan. Words stuck in my throat.

"Nowhere to crash?" His voice dropped to that dangerous purr again. "Or would Victoria prefer to see my place?"

Visiting Damian Sterling’s home ranked somewhere below voluntary root canal! Nora perked up with interest, which only made my mood worse.

Thinking fast, I rattled off Grace’s address. I could crash on her couch and apartment hunt tomorrow.

During the drive, I fired off a quick text to Grace. She immediately shot back that she’d leave the door unlocked.

The second we pulled up, I bolted from the car. "Thanks for the ride, Mr. Sterling. See you never."

I escaped before he could suggest nightcaps or whatever other insanity was brewing in his head.

Damian’s POV:

I tracked Victoria’s retreat as she bolted like a spooked rabbit. Did I really come off that intimidating? This time I hadn’t even laid a finger on her.

My phone buzzed against my thigh. Text from Kane:

"Alpha, we hit mostly dead ends on Miss Lancaster. Her records from the Ethan years are either fake or buried deep. Not much to work with."

The intel was thin, but it confirmed what my gut already knew—Victoria Lancaster wasn’t some random nobody. Regular people didn’t need ghost identities or scrubbed histories. She obviously had major secrets to protect.

Crescent Dawn Pack heir. Had to be. I lacked hard proof, but every instinct screamed it was true. Arthur rumbled with satisfaction in my chest, still drunk on her lingering scent.

The look on Ethan’s face when he finally connected the dots would be priceless. My half-brother would eat his heart out, and I couldn’t wait for front-row seats to that breakdown.

"Keep digging, Alpha?" Kane shot back.

"Drop it." Her secrets would surface eventually. Besides, her identity wasn’t the only thing that had me hooked.

Right after I pocketed my phone, Felix blew it up with another message: "Dude! What’s the deal with that race? You in or what?"

I’d completely spaced on the race. Between juggling Blood Moon Pack business and keeping tabs on Northstream Pack’s scheming, underground racing ranked pretty low on my priority list.

"Not happening," I typed back.

"What? You can’t just bail like that! Since when do you flake on plans?" Felix was clearly losing his shit over text.

"I said I’d think about it. Never gave you a solid yes," I replied, smirking at his drama.

"Come on, man," Felix kept pushing. "It’s gonna suck without you there."

"Still not happening," I fired back without hesitation.