MY EX'S BROTHER: FORBIDDEN DESIRE.

KYMON'S POV

"How many sacks of grains and starch are left in storage?" I ask Figi, my accountability Omega.

His eyes skim through the scroll he's holding for a moment before looking up at me. "Ninety-seven sacks of grains and sixty sacks of starch."

I nod toward Keeper, and he writes it down. "And how much is enough to sustain us until the next harvest?"

Silence, then—"The next harvest is in a week, so considering the entire population, roughly eighty-one sacks of grains and forty-seven sacks of starch."

Once again, I nod toward Keeper before turning to another Omega.

"Distribute fifty sacks of grains and twenty sacks of starch to the market. Ensure taxes are paid accordingly, and make sure there's no increase in price while selling to the people. Anyone who dares will be placed in front of the market and stoned to death," I instruct, and he nods. "Take three sacks each to the orphanage and two each to the women in the kitchen. Ask them to prepare something and distribute it to the penniless citizens."

"Is that all, Alpha?"

"If I have anything else, I'll send someone to inform you."

They all bow before leaving, except Keeper, who remains seated to my right.

"If you keep wasting food like this on those ungrateful citizens, we'll face famine next season. You know we've hardly had any rainfall since last month," Keeper states.

I rest my chin on my palm. "Rain will come, and we have plenty of food in the other storage. Giving a few sacks to starving people won't cause a famine."

He sneers and pulls out a scroll from his robe, placing it in front of me. It's the weather report for the past month.

"We need rain for food, Kymon. Look at the chart. There's only been one rainfall in the past month. Yesterday, the farmers complained about pests invading their crops and wilting due to the drought."

I run a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the situation settle on my shoulders. I don't know why this is happening, but I have no control over it. If the rain doesn't come soon, we may not have enough food left after the next harvest.

I don't even want to imagine what will become of my people.

Keeper sighs and shoves the scrolls back into his coat. "I think it's best you accept Heidi's offer."

"I'm not going to use her for food."

"I'm not talking about just food. Think about it—her pack is powerful and fertile. You don't have a mate, and neither does she. If you two unite, you have no idea what a great impact it would have on both our packs."

I rise from my chair, blood racing with anger at his statement. I would only marry Heidi if Freya permitted me. I am not getting into a political marriage for anyone.

"If you think that's such a good idea, why don't you marry her instead? I'd gladly hand off my position as Alpha to you."

"Kymon, you're not getting my point—"

"Why don't you take your point and get out of this place?" I snap, pointing toward the door. "It seems you've lost all sense since the death of your sister."

Keeper springs from his chair and glares at me, his jaw tightening and loosening at intervals. I watch as his eyes turn glossy, and I immediately regret my words, no matter how much looking at him right now irritates me.

"It wasn't my intention to bring your sister up—"

"I will excuse myself from your presence now." He bows and leaves the room.

"Fu—" I bite back the rest of the word.

Keeper and I weren't always like this. Ever since I killed his sister, he's developed an anger issue that rivals mine, and I can't damn well endure it. Sometimes, I feel like beating the hell out of him just for making me regret what I did to his sister.

It's always painful remembering how good things were when he was his old self. I don't even want to imagine how he'd react when he finds out I'm responsible for her death.

I receive bows as I walk down the dungeons. I wear a facemask because this place reeks of rotten flesh, sweat, and my personal favorite—anguish.

I stop in front of Caspian's cell. His hands and legs are chained to the wall. His clothes are torn, revealing long bruises painting his body. His hair is disheveled and drenched in sweat, and his whole face is a bloody mess.

I knew Lyriq was the right person for this.

"Isn't it too early to be sleeping?" I say, and his head snaps up. His eyes widen in shock before narrowing into rage.

"Where is Lyra, you fucking devil!" he barks, his voice resonating through the dungeon.

I chuckle, shaking my head. "Don't you think you're being a little overdramatic?"

"I swear, when I get out of this, I will kill you."

"Sadly, you never will. Get. Out. Of this." My smile fades into the cold metal floor.

Caspian growls. "Why didn't I ever suspect it was you trying to kill me?"

"You even sent your little accomplice, Lyra, to date my brother just so she could gain access to murder me," I laugh again, something sour this time. "No wonder something kept whispering to me to flee from her."

"What have you done to her?" He sounds almost scared, his eyes filled with worry, which only fuels my irritation.

"Guess."

Anger boils over. Chains rattle. "You bastard—"

"I'd shut my fucking mouth if I were you!" I snap. "I do what I please. Maybe I should have locked her up in a cell right in front of you, so you could watch as I make her scream—"

"Kymon!" The bastard barks, attempting to lunge, but the chains drag him back, slamming him against the wall. "If you hurt a single hair on her head, I swear—" he groans in pain.

"You know, I used to think you were just an innocent wolf looking out for his sister." I watch as he grits his teeth in agony. "But I must say, I was wrong. You're just as pathetic and feral as she is. I'd be honored to execute you, just like I did her."

"You're the real feral one among us." He growls, voice laced with anguish. "Adena loved you more than she loved herself. She sacrificed everything for you, even after you rejected her and married her best friend. One lie against her, and you forgot everything she'd ever done for you—you murdered her!"

My bones ignite at his words. All fingers pointed at her, and even though something in me told me to investigate further, I knew for certain she murdered my mate.

"Adena was always a covetous female—"

Caspian laughs bitterly. "Wow. Was that always your opinion of her? Yes, she grew up in a poor family and always desired wealth, but when she met you, she changed. I was so happy yet terrified of who my sister was becoming—"

"Nothing changed about her. She was a gold digger, a thief—"

"Oh, I've always known Adena was unfortunate to fall for you. She saw you as everything good, and all you saw her as was a poor girl trying to steal from an Alpha. Sometimes, I'm glad she's dead. She's far more at peace than she ever was with you."

I clench my fists, debating whether to open this cell and kill Caspian right now. I knew Adena. I knew how materialistic and greedy she was. I spent a fortune on her, but she was never satisfied. It didn't change my love for her—I always enjoyed seeing the look on her face when I gifted her something new.

Something cracks in my heart thinking about it, and I feel like ripping it out. I shouldn't be feeling this way. No, this is wrong.

"Henry." I beckon, and he hurries toward me. Without taking my eyes off Caspian, I say, "Get me a rod and make sure it's passed through fire."