The Three Who Chose Me
Chapter 23: Order in Whispers

Chapter 23: Order in Whispers

Josie

A thrill raced through my chest, goosebumps scattering across my skin as the warmth of his hand moved from my lip to my cheek.

I stared at him through glazed eyes, my lips slightly parted, heat exploding across my skin.

His hand moved up and down my cheek in a slow, sensual caress.

And then it stopped. Abruptly. The warmth gone from my cheek, his hand dropped to his side.

I would have believed, sworn even, that this had only happened in my imagination—him touching me like that, looking at me like that—if I hadn’t had my eyes on him all along.

He stepped away from me, slowly rising to his feet.

He adjusted his jacket, glaring at me. "You might think I’m stuck on my ways," he murmured, "but you would learn to appreciate me in the future."

I tore my gaze away from his face, in a bid to not roll my eyes at him.

The man was such an arrogant jerk. So full of himself and..controlling.

"So," he cheered his throat, "that being said, I’ll have to employ stricter methods of keeping you in check, and out of trouble. Since you’re so damn adamant on making things miserable for me."

With that, he turned on his heels and stormed out of my room, slamming the door shut behind me.

I shuddered, a long, tired sigh escaping my chest.

Then I crumpled to the bed, a wave of sadness hitting me.

I couldn’t believe I’d willingly walked into what almost became my death trap.

If Thorne hadn’t showed up when he did...

I also couldn’t believe my father could put his hands on me like that...the way he’d done earlier today.

I used to receive beatings back when I was with them, yeah. But nothing as violent and dreary as he’d displayed today.

Pulling my hair like that, not minding that he could easily yank them off my scalp.

My body shook tremendously as it remembered the trauma, my eyes stinging with tears.

Thorne’s words resonated in my head, pushing the tears further.

"They don’t give two fucks about you, Josie. They don’t deserve you..."

I understood what he meant, because the way my father treated me was no way a person should be treated, let alone by their so-called father. Family.

My parents truly never cared about me, or loved me. And they never will. It was a hard truth I had to come to terms with.

Even if I had to spill an ocean of tears.

The tears slipped down my cheeks freely, dropping onto my lap and soaking my dress.

My life was such a pathetic one, an omega without love.

I dozed off somewhere in the middle of my grief, sprawled on my side against the pillow.

I’d started to drift off, started to forget everything. Started to wander off to dreamland. My escape to the a place of peace—when a loud, insistent bang on my door jerked me awake.

Grunting, I lifted my weight off the bed and dragged my feet to the door, yanking it open.

I glared at Thorne with his scowl in the doorway, from underneath my ruffled hair, his sharp gaze swiftly scanning my room.

"Break the fucking door, will you?"

He ignored my bitter sarcasm, resting his gaze on my face. His jaw ticked continuously.

"Are my brothers here with you?"

I tilted my head to the side, narrowing my eyes on him. "Well you’ve checked for yourself, haven’t you? And uhm, why would they be in my room?"

His eyes hardened, his jaw clenching. "Answer the question, Josie."

A flare of annoyance burning in my chest, I opened my mouth to lash back at him.

But then, Varen showed up, red hair pulled tight in a bun and blue eyes flashing fiercely.

"Looking for me?" he ground out, his tone biting as he stared down his brother. "You know, you could meet me one-on-one," then he glanced at me with a smirk, "instead of bothering the poor—"

He never got to finish his words, as Thorne threw a punch into his jaw, sending him staggering backwards.

A slew of curses slipped past his lips as he charged at his brother, retaliating with an equally powerful punch that shook the air.

I scurried to the corner as the two men tumbled in a fight, tearing at their shirts and spilling their bloods. Knuckles grazing teeth, kneecaps ramming into skulls.

The crash was so loud, Thorne turned to me, yelling, "get inside, now! And make sure you don’t meet with any of my brothers, or things would get dicey for you too!"

I immediately scurried into my room, and a millisecond later, there was a loud crash in the wall, followed by a loud thud.

Someone groaned, and I tensed.

Who?

Throne? Varen?

A second later, the older red-haired one strode through my door, his green eyes glinting furiously. And I had my answer.

I stormed over to him, fuming. "You can’t order me around at your convenience. Why can’t you stop that annoying habit of yours?"

Well it’s not my fault you do things that make me wanna protect you!" Thorne fired back, veins standing out on the side so this neck. "You never listen, do you? So I’ll keep getting under your skin."

I glared at him, our breaths hot and heavy, mingling in the air. "Well good luck with that," I spat, turning away from him.

But he caught my wrist, stopping me. "Listen, Josie," he cleared his throat, his voice suddenly softer, "I want you to go somewhere with me."

I stiffened, his hands on my wrist burning like a cigarette butt.

My heart picked up a thrilling race, thudding at a pace that sparked a flurry of butterflies deep in my stomach.

"Where’s that?" I blurted out moments later.

"A friend’s party, actually." He paused, his gaze burning into my face. Intent. Intimidating. Green. "So.."

I quickly pulled my wrist away, hot and short of breath.

I stepped back from him, rubbing my sweaty palms against my thighs. "I’ll think about it."

He scoffed, his gaze darkening as it roamed my body.

"I didn’t make a request, Josie." His voice was cold, teasing. "That was an order."