Page 120 of A Blackened Bond

“That, and Veronica is beautiful and the better choice between the two.” He shrugs, and my brows pinch further together.

How the hell had he come to that conclusion? He was apparently weakanddelusional.

This tiny dickhead thinks he can play matchmaker between me and his annoying red-headed sister. She clung to me earlier like gum on a shoe, her touch making me itch and her eyes laced with an annoying gaze that kept roving up and down me. One I now realise was the stare of someone thinking she already owned someone else.

And what the hell did he say about my brothers? That they were ‘unsafe’ and not to that thick dolt’s taste?

Who the fuck asked? This plan and connection to them never involved any of us having to be with Veronica. So who the hell planted that shit into their heads?

My boys and I would never want a partner so pompous or pristine.

If I had to choose an annoying chick to be paired with, I’d prefer the stubborn blue-eyed one my brothers chose. At least her gaze was always genuine; that little gleam in her eyes was one of want and affection for my brothers…and I was stupid enough to think otherwise.

I drag a hand down the back of my neck and glance out toward town.

What the fuck do I do now?

How the hell do I tell my brothers that I pushed away their mate for some bastard that clearly treated her like shit? And that I not only chose his side over hers, but forced her to leave?

Nathan follows my gaze, raising a brow as he opens that pompous mouth of his again.

“She shouldn’t have thought she was on your level to begin with, Creed. You and the others deserve someone with more class.”

My gaze narrows. Who the hell did he think he was talking about?

Micai had more sense and class than all of the assholes grinding their sweaty bodies together behind us.

I’ll probably never tell her this, but I would take her company over his preciousVeronica’sany day.

“If you need a little ‘fun’ to alleviate some stress, I can find you a much better substitute. A girl with much better standing too.” He pats my shoulder, my body stiffening instantly with his cold words toward someone completely undeserving of them.

An irritation bubbles inside me the longer his voice drones on.

How the hell had I been so blind? Why the fuck was I aligning myself with these pricks—the very epitome of everything I hated?

Why was I trying to please these stupid fucks who saunter around my domain like it’s their own?

I had allowed them to walk all over my home and my people. And for what?

I was so blinded, trying to get one step closer and one day quicker to our end goal, that I forgot why I was doing it all.

Corrupt bastards like Nathan and Veronica from high-status clans were the reason why the families became so twisted and corrupt in the first place. Bad seeds lead to rotten apples.

They were the ones keeping the corruption alive and well, and here I was, being subservient to them to reach my goals quicker.

But I had never taken an easier or quicker route. It was the harder path that forged me into the man I am today.

And the one they wanted to use as their weapon.

My mind becomes clearer, the tension I had been holding for months, leaving me in an instant with the realisation.

Even if the journey to our goal was longer and rougher, it was worth it when we stayed true to our beliefs.

“Anyway, I’m sure she’ll find someone to latch onto soon enough. People like her always spread their legs for the right price—”

I finally snap, his words crossing a line they never should.

My fist meets his jawline before he can finish his words, knocking him back and sending him tumbling into the abattoir wall beside us.

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