Page 98 of Untamed

Matteo has one hand in her hair, the other at her waist. His mouth is on hers, slow, purposeful. She tilts into it, eyes fluttering shut. He kisses her like he has the fucking right to. Like nothing is standing between them.

Like I don’t exist.

Something inside me ruptures, dark and slow and all-consuming. I take a long drag of the cigarette I never intended to smoke, and taste nothing but smoke and acid.

She’s kissing him back—not like she kissed me. With Matteo there is no hesitation. No trembling. Just surrender.

Something primal twists in my gut.

I take another long drag of my cigarette, filling my lungs with the smoke.

And for the first time in a very long time, I taste jealousy.

I toss the cigarette, still burning into the grass and put it out with my boot before I turn away from the orchard. The image is still there, stamped behind my eyes, like a brand I can never get rid of. Jordyn, kissing Matteo like he’s the one thing she’s ever craved.

I never imagined it would happen so quickly; I assumed I would have had time to gather my thoughts and prepare myself because I’m not an idiot. I expected this. Yet, her subtle threat about making me swallow my own words...she's certainly delivered on it, because now I'm grappling with the bitter taste of each and every one, suffocating on the reality of my own choices, even if, as much as I hate it, was the right one.

I told her to go and find someone her own age, and she did.

I keep moving through the crook of the garden, past rows of wrought-iron tables strewn with half-empty glasses that catch the lantern light like trapped fireflies. The paper lanterns wobble in the late afternoon breeze, their flame-flicker casting jittery shadows across the lawn. Straight past the laughter I want no part of.

My fists curl at my sides, knuckles whitening. The thin black hair tie she left at my place still circles my wrist, a cold shackle I can’tshake loose. Every step feels weighted by its presence, a silent reminder I can’t shake.

“Ares?”

Enzo’s voice stops me cold.

I turn slowly, and find him leaning against the rough stone column by the manor steps, one leg crossed over the other, a half-drained wine glass dangling from his fingers. The sun catches the rim of the glass, sending a sliver of light across his face, where his eyes are steady, unnervingly clear, no hint of that easy grin he usually wears.

“You’re heading out already?” he asks, voice casual, but the edge beneath it is razor-tight.

“Yeah,”

He pushes off the column and steps closer, lowering his voice. “Is there a reason you’re storming off looking like you’re about to murder someone, brother?”

“Mind your business, Enzo.” My words taste like gravel as I pivot to leave again.

He exhales, slow and deliberate, and shakes his head as if I’ve disappointed him. Then he leans forward, his voice soft but fierce. “I saw her, you know.”

My shoulders stiffen. I spin back to face him, eyes narrowing.

“Jordyn,” he says, tight and low. “The other night. I saw her leaving your place.”

I say nothing. My silence is its own accusation.

“Four in the morning, Ares,” he presses, flicking the stem of his glass between his fingers. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

My jaw locks so tight it aches. I force the words out through gritted teeth. “It wasn’t like that.”

Enzo steps even closer, the sharp lines of his cheekbones and the tension in his jaw illuminated by the lantern’s glow. “No?” His voice is a mix of disbelief and exhaustion. “Then what was it? What reason does Jordyn have to be at your place until four in the morning?”

Heat flares through me. I clench my fists again, fighting the urge to shove past him. “Not only is she my wife’s little sister, but she’s also nineteen,” he says, softer now, like he’s measuring every syllable. “She would be the same age as our little sister had she been born, you know that, right?”

His words strike me like a blow. I swallow hard, vision going momentarily red at the mention of the sibling and mother we lost so cruelly. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, Enzo,” I snap. “So, I suggest you shut the fuck up.”

Enzo’s eyes flash. He straightens, voice rising. “No? Enlighten me, then. What was she doing at your place?”

I flare, voice raw with frustration. “I was doing what you and her sister should have been doing all along, protecting her.”

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