Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

Chapter 265

"You lost the right to say all that to me the moment you-

"The moment I what?" he growled, tightening his grip just slightly. Those to protect you in a way you didn't understand? Chose to do the right thing in order for me to finally be able to keep you?"

God. His voice. So calm it was maddening. So sure, so steady. As if he truly believed he was doing the right thing

But I wasn't a child. And I wasn't weak. Not anymore.

I swallowed the storm rising in my throat and slowly pried my wrist from his grasp.

"You need to go."

Kester tilted his head and gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Eat something first." He gestured to the bag.

"I'm not eating anything you bring me," I said, but even a child would see that I was sincerely hungry for whatever was contained in that bag.

As if he sensed the cracks spiderwebbing through my pride, Kester dipped his hand into the bag with that maddening calm of his.

I watched him, arms crossed tightly over my chest, trying to suppress the groan in my stomach that had turned vicious the moment the scent of food hit me.

And God, it hit like a storm.

He pulled out a small, rectangular box wrapped in clean parchment paper. The scent hit me first-rich, buttery, smoky, with the faintest trail of herbs and roasted meat.

My stomach growled loudly.

It was mortifying.

Pretending I wasn't now eyeing the contents

heard. Of course, he did. His smirk deepened as he set the first

it, and the

Meat pies.

bland, floury ones Jake had been trying to convince me were "just

No.

brown, stuffed with tender venison slow- cooked in a peppered gravy, bits of roasted sweet onion, and crushed coriander seeds. My eyes widened before I could

that..." My voice cracked like thin

1/2

Chapter 265.

and smiled, "Yeuh," he said. "From Elowen's. You always used to say they were better than anything royalty

afford.

I swallowed hard.

of me and reached into the bag again. This time, he pulled out

chilled linen.

My heart stopped.

"You didn't," I whispered.

enough for me to see the label, and I nearly

way you like it strong,

trailing down its sides, droplets clinging to the rim like dew on morning

reach for it.

He knew. He

in my throat. "You're leaving as soon as I'm

argue. Just nodded once and stepped back from