Fated To My Lycan Stepbrothers
Chapter 54

Kyle Storm

"Naya." I quickly touched her warm elbow so she would know that it was me and not fret. "Act cool. Don't draw attention to ourselves."

She immediately cleared her throat, composing herself. Or she acted like she was doing so. I could see how frightened she was in my presence and how hard she was trying to hide it. "What are you doing here? You are in the midst of excited wolves; they will scent your Alphaly genes and..."

Ever so cautious too. Has she forgotten we weren't the best of friends? I sent her photo to the whole school the last time I checked. Jeez, I was so ruthless then. Now I regret it. Although I must say that those days were amusing. Until the death of my father ruined it. I sent her my most charming grin. "Which is why I came to you. With you, they won't smell me."

However, she didn't try to hide the fact that she was irritated by my presence beside her. Her forehead was wrinkled, and her lips were pursed. "You aren't supposed to be here. After all, you called me a slut. I will ask again, What are you doing here?" I did remember calling her a slut in a not-so-subtle way. After I found her coming out of my brother's room, I could only imagine what they were doing in there together. There were staff and pack doctors who could help my brother clean up his mess. Why her? It made me furious for no reason at all. I slowly leaned on her to infuriate her the most. "And I will reply again; I came to see the challenge. The last thing I need is to be caught in the middle of this mess."

To my surprise, she chose to chuckle. Her soft, mocking laugh was like twinkling bells... if there was anything like that. I knew she was about to release her legendary snarky replies. She needed someone to tell her how good she was at replying in a sarcastic way. It was really sad because that was her way of defending herself from the harsh realities of our world. "Right, because a cloaked Alpha in the middle of a pack challenge is inconspicuous. You are in a mess already. He is your brother. You should help him." Always the same perp talk too. Your brother this and your brother that! She could clearly see that Zeke doesn't need my help at all. He was perfectly fine. Although last time, Zeke was kind enough to tell me of his disappointment at not having me join him in the fight. It was like I was let off the hook, which was not entirely true.

Look at me trying to get to the root of Dad's murder. I wasn't entirely useless. Right? Oh, Naya. You bring out the wise in me. I flashed another smile. "Well, I hate to admit it, but Zeke doesn't need my help. He is doing perfectly fine. I should help him from the side." There. That's my defense. I swear, if she said one more thing about Zeke, I would...

Oh, she suddenly became quiet, and I could see why. Zeke was doing the staring thing again. They surely have something going on, don't they? I came here to ask her some questions, but I too was getting lost in our discussion. It's really amazing to talk to her. Her expression and sarcastic replies were the heart of it all. My eyes were on the podium. My brother was gaining the upper hand again. "Impressive, isn't it?" I was talking about the stares they both had right in front of me. I knew Zeke saw me beside her. He can't claim not to see my tied-up hair under this ridiculous cloak. In fact, he would recognize the cloak more in the crowd. s**t! I could feel Naya's eyes on me again. She wasn't happy with what I said.

"Impressive? You call all of this-fighting for power and dominance-impressive?"

They were impressive. The fight for survival and the responsibility of the pack. She would never know it-unless she becomes Luna, that is. I think some gibberish escaped my lips. I can't remember what I said to her, but I do remember she wasn't pleased at all. "It's a harsh reality of our world, Naya. Survival of the fittest, as they say. Zeke fought for his position because he knew what was at stake. He's willing to put himself on the line for the pack. Yet people don't appreciate him for it. Look, there is another one." I can't remember what I said to her, but I do remember she wasn't pleased at all. She was never pleased in the first place.

"And that makes it okay? That makes it impressive?"

I did not see the next fight as I turned to look at Naya. I have been avoiding staring her in the eyes for a long time. She made me look at her. She was pissing me off with those blue and innocent eyes of hers, but I wanted to deal with it. "Sometimes, we have to do what it takes to protect our own. It's not about whether it's right or wrong; it's about being stable for the sake of the pack. Zeke understands that, even if you don't agree with his methods." I knew she would have something to say again, and that wasn't what I was here for, so I raised my hands to stop her. "I'm not saying it's easy, Naya. I'm just saying that in this world, sometimes we have to make difficult choices for the greater good."

"I just... I don't know if I can ever fully understand that mindset." She sighed. After a while, she smiled. I was watching all these and wondering why I had never described it to Brooke before. "I didn't take you to be this wise. You have so much, Kyle. I don't know why you are hiding it under this facade of..."

I turned my head to face her. "Facade of what?" Her attention was drawn once again to the podium, and I knew she wouldn't say anything. "I am my own person with my own beliefs. You're your own person with your own beliefs. We all have to make decisions. The type I have to make is for the safety of my brother, my mate, and this pack. Zeke's decisions are driven by his duty as a potential Alpha." I continued. "We have all made wrong decisions at one point, and we are still making them. But the truth remains. The type of decision I make is for the safety of my brother, mate, and pack." It all makes sense now. The reason why I could perceive the scentless spray on her. Her scent mixed with the contents of the bottle. I hid a gasp. There was truly a reason.

Our unspoken attraction, which I have tried so much to discard, led me to believe Brooke was the one. I never understood these phenomena. Now I think I understand what happened. "Kyle, I don't mean to pry, but have you found your mate?"

This was the question I knew she would ask next; after all, it was I who went down that path. I shouldn't have mentioned anything, mate. For how long has my brother been aware of this strange phenomenon? It has never happened before in our realm. It was impossible to share the same object with your brother. The object of my desire was Naya. Although I still have my doubts. Doubts I have to resolve right now I needed to know if she was for us or against us. "Yes." I replied, not being able to confirm her suspicions in the way she would want me to.

What shocked me was her reply. She began to cough, drawing attention to both of us. I closed my eyes in irritation. She wasn't the most grateful, and she was certainly the clumsiest.

"You have found your ma- mate." She continued to whisper. Yes, I just gave her hope and probably shattered it too with this news. I knew she was attracted to me in some way. All the ladies were. I placed my hands on her back immediately. This young wolf would be the death of me. "Shut up, brawn." I grinded my teeth together, as she wasn't stopping anytime soon. I used the cloak to cover my face. "Can't you be quiet?"

I saw my brother look at us for a brief moment. It further confirmed my suspicions. He knew her slightest movement would continue to intensify. Yes, I had been paying attention during class. Although most people won't believe it. Jeez, I was going to be the f*****g Alpha someday or help my brother, whatever. I didn't just want to be caught by surprise.

And I was no nerd. Finally, she was taking calming breaths to shut the f**k up.

"What is she like?" She asked immediately.

Nah, I wasn't going to answer that question because I knew who she was and exactly what she was like.

She was standing right next to me with no f*****g clue what she was to my brother and me.

That's who she is to me.