I had just boarded the bus to the next city for a short getaway when my phone rang.
I was juggling my backpack and travel bag, so without checking the caller ID, I answered.
“Brianna, I don’t care where you are. Come home. Now.”
Marcus’s voice barked from the other end–harsh, commanding, no pleasantries.
My vacation mood shattered instantly. I replied coolly, trying to keep my distance.
“I already told you, I’m not coming back. Don’t call me again.”
I was about to hang up when he cut in, his tone urgent.
“It’s not me who wants you back. It’s Lucas. He’s been unconscious for days, and the pack believes you might be the only one who can wake him up.”
“I’m not a doctor or a healer, Marcus. I can’t fix his coma,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“If you’ve got time to bother me, maybe you should use it to find a better healer or shaman.”
A long pause stretched between us, and then he said,
“Don’t you want to know why Lucas collapsed? You raised him. Doesn’t it matter to you at all?”
Once, it would have.
I would have rushed to his side, but now?
My feelings for that pack–for Marcus and his son–had long withered.
I was done with them.
Marcus’s voice faltered for a moment, a rare crack in his usual cold control.
“Lucas didn’t want you to leave, Brianna. And now you won’t even check on him after he got ill? What kind of mother does that?”
I laughed, bitter, sharp.
“A mother?” I scoffed.
‘For five years, Lucas never once called me that. All I ever heard were insults–‘traitor,‘ ‘bitch’- and you stood by, letting it happen. You were always the same, Marcus, always acting like your were in control, expecting me to just submit. And now you want me to act like his mother? How convenient.”
There was silence on the other end.
could feel his frustration seeping through the line.
“Brianna…” he said, his voice softer now but with that familiar edge.
“I know we were wrong. Both Lucas and I. I’m sorry. But he needs you. Please, come back.”
The selfishness in his voice struck a nerve. Marcus had never truly cared about what I needed.
It was always about what he needed, what the pack needed. His ego was bigger than any loyalty he ever offered.
The bus engine rumbled to life, and I was done.
Chapter 19
2/3 69.15
5:01 pm
I ended the call without another word.
He tried calling again, but I hit decline.
I blocked his number. I was finished.
Not a second later, a message popped up on my screen.
Marcus: [You blocked me? Don’t push your luck, Brianna. I’m giving you 24 hours to return to the pack.]
Marcus: [Lucas might not be your biological son, but he’s still your sister’s son. And still unde Elder Saska’s protection. The Saska family saved you once, didn’t they? Or have you forgotter that debt? Are you really going to let the pack’s own blood suffer?]
I frowned at the screen, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. After a moment, I typed a cold. detached reply.
Brianna: [Yes, the Saska family did save me. But I’ve already paid that debt in full. I married you for five years.]
I deleted the conversation, blocked his account, and powered off my phone.
With a sigh, I tucked it deep into my coat pocket and leaned back in my bus seat, letting the hum of the engine relax me as the scenery passed by.
I was done with the Saskas. Done with their power plays, and their toxic control.
Done with the pack. And if Lucas really needed me, maybe it was too late.
Maybe he’d never forgiven me for what happened all those years ago.
Marcus’s POV:
Marcus stood frozen in his lavish office, the phone still in his hand, its cold screen staring back
at him.
The words Brianna had sent echoed in his mind, scraping against his resolve.
But I’ve already paid that debt in full. I married you for five years.]
His stomach churned. He couldn’t accept it. Not this. Not from her.
With a growl of frustration, he spun on his heel and stormed out of his house.
His pack would not come first if he lost Brianna–not when Lucas’s life hung in the balance.
His first stop?
The Saska estate.
The
grand door swung open as Marcus entered, his eyes hard, his mood dark.
Elder Saska, matriarch of the Saska pack, was standing in the hallway, surprised to see him so unkempt and furious.
‘Marcus?” she said, confused.
‘What’s wrong? What are you doing here?”
He didn’t bother with pleasantries.
‘Elder Saska, Brianna said she only married me to repay a favor. What the hell is she talking.
about?”
Wearing My Sister’s Crown
5:01 pm G
She raised an eyebrow, then motioned him toward the sitting room.
She remained silent for a while but pulled a slim folder from a drawer and handed it to him.
5:01 pm G D
Chapter 20
