Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 239 She Is Your Pup

Lilith’s POV

Watching Brett be so tender with Vanessa felt like a thousand silver needles piercing my chest,each prick a fresh ache. He used to care for me like that when I was sick.

Brett Lancaster and I knew each other since childhood, gradually falling in love. Before our wolves even awakened, we promised that regardless of whether we were true mates, we would always choose each other.

Fortunately, the moment I had Thea, I recognized Brett as my true mate. Being a scentless wolf, I couldn’t be recognized by him. This dejected me for a while, but even without recognizing me as his true mate, Brett loved me just the same as before. So,I’d kept the truth about him being my true mate to myself.

He finally chose to mark me as his mate.I thought we would love each other forever, but... now he wished I’d disappear forever.

I knew he and Vanessa were preparing for their mating ceremony. Soon, she’d be his Luna. But seeing him dote on another woman? That was a different kind of pain.

Even rejected, my wolf Thea still yearned for him,the mate bond would only break when he claimed a new mate. Bitterly, I glanced down at Clara, her small body tense in my arms.I wasn’t here to reminisce about the past, only for my Clara.

I waited quietly as Brett dried and brushed her hair.

I thought he’d give us time after. But no.He set the hair dryer down, then casually ruffled Vanessa’s hair, murmuring, "I’ll make you dinner," before walking straight to the kitchen, leaving us standing there like ghosts.

Vanessa offered an apologetic look. "Lillie, don’t take it personally. Brett might... still be upset about what happened five years ago. I’ll talk to him."

"Thanks," I muttered, arms numb from holding Clara.

After a while, only Vanessa came out. She shook her head at me, her eyes showing a hint of pity. "Lillie, just wait a bit longer... He... well, don’t blame him. He has his reasons for being angry."

"It’s fine, we’ll wait," I heard my own voice, dry and hollow.

From the kitchen came the slow, steady sound of his chopping. Thud, thud, thud... each cut striking my nerves.

After what felt like forever, he finally emerged with the finished meal. He sat beside Vanessa and, as if we didn’t exist, patiently fed her bite by bite. Not once did his eyes glance our way.

My legs had gone numb from standing, and Clara moved restlessly in my arms. Even Cassian couldn’t stand it anymore. He frowned and spoke up, "Alpha, Lilith and her daughter have been waiting for over half an hour."

"If you don’t want to wait, leave," Brett’s voice was sharp as ice, cutting off Cassian’s words. His Alpha command froze the air in the room. "Nobody asked her to stay."

"Alpha..." I struggled to speak, wanting to say it was fine, we could keep waiting.

CRASH!

He suddenly smashed the plate, his Alpha Aura instantly filling the room.

The unexpected noise made Clara flinch in my arms. Her little face went pale, her tiny body tensing up, her eyes filled with fear. My heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe! Clara was deaf in one ear, and with her hearing aid every sound was amplified many times louder than normal. The sound of the plate slamming against the floor, combined with Brett’s tensed forehead and icy cold glare, was absolutely terrifying to her.

"Don’t be scared, baby. Mommy’s here." I held her tighter, gently patting her back, keeping my voice soft and releasing calming pheromones."Let’s wait outside, sweetie."

The bitter wind cut through us like knives, making me shiver. I took off my padded jacket and carefully wrapped it around Clara.

"Mom, you’ll be cold," Clara signed worriedly.

I caught her small hands and said, "Mommy’s fine, sweetie. I’m not cold at all."

For her, what did a little wind matter? Compared to the terminal illness eating away at my life, this cold was nothing.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see the warm, well-lit interior. Brett was tenderly feeding Vanessa. Meanwhile, Clara and I huddled together in the biting cold.

Half an hour later, Brett finally called me to meet him in his study. Before going, I knelt down and signed to Clara, "Stay here and wait for mommy, okay? I’ll be right back."

Clara nodded obediently. Fighting back my reluctance, I walked into the study.

Brett stood with his back to me, his tall, commanding figure dominating the floor-length window. When he turned, his deep blue eyes were as cold as ice, his dark hair slicked back perfectly. His chiseled features radiated the natural authority of an Alpha. After all these years, he was still dead-gorgeous.

"You have five minutes. Make it quick," he said coldly.

I took a deep breath and got straight to the point, "Brett, I came here to entrust our daughter to you. Clara is your pup."

"Wolves can scent their own pups," Brett said coldly. "She’s clearly not mine."

I didn’t have much time left. I had to be direct. "She’s like me,we don’t have scents. After the transformation, even our mates can’t recognize us."

Brett stepped closer, his eyes filled with doubt and mockery. "Are you saying Finn was your true mate? Five years ago you tried to trap me with your pregnancy. And now you’re trying the same trick again? Why such a hurry to hand over your child? What is it this time got a terminal illness? Are you dying?"

His cold, mocking tone, mixed with the winter chill, nearly tore my heart apart. I didn’t know if he meant those words, but he had unknowingly hit the truth,I was indeed dying.

Swallowing his humiliation, I struggled to speak. "Yes, as you wished, I’m dying..."