My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 151

Michelle

When I hear the doorbell ring, I know I better savor the next upcoming seconds of my twenty-fourth birthday because hell is about to break loose. Kit is here, and I roll my eyes when Bella grins in excitement and gets up from the couch in a rush.

How are we even related?

Bella is just… so damn colorful, and I’m… not.

Whatever.

I get up from my seat because as the birthday “child” I have to greet every guest. It doesn’t matter that simply thinking about Kit Howler leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I have to see him, and sigh as I follow Bella into the hallway.

“Is it him?!” Bella demands.

My mom and dad are standing by the door, and mom grimaces. “Yes, it’s Kit Howler.”

I snort without smiling and fold my arms over my chest. “Don’t tell me you’re hesitant about opening the door?”

My mom doesn’t bother to deny it. “We are.”

“Can you blame us? Kit Howler is a demon…” my dad says, and looks out through the peephole. When he speaks again, it’s in a hushed tone. “I think it’s safe to open the door, though. He didn’t bring an army to our house… wow… he actually came alone.”

Hearing that my number one enemy came alone pleases me. I nod. “Then we can safely open the door.”

“Seriously?” Bella shakes her head. “You’re all ridiculous!”

My little sister brushes past my parents, and opens the door while the rest of the family, including myself, turn into blocks of ice. The anticipation is thick in the hallway; no one knows what to expect. Bella might be the stupid one in the family, but the rest of us are sharp knives in the tool—we are ready for the worst.

I even brought garlic—just in case.

“Kit!” Bella exclaims and hugs her tall boyfriend. “You came!”

“Of course I did,” Kit says, and once Bella is no longer stuck to his body, he gives her a bouquet of roses that obviously has been enchanted to pulsate and glow in various colors that aren’t natural.”

I have to admit I replace them pretty…

“For me?” Bella asks.

Kit looks slightly uncomfortable and laughs awkwardly. “No, I got them for your sister—it’s her birthday, right?”

Flower… for me?

Wow.

I’m very surprised.

I look up at Kit, who meets my gaze, and then—

A gasp gets stuck in my throat when Kit’s eyes form the shape of hearts while his lips curl into this large UNNATURAL smile.

f**k!

I scream internally, wishing this was a bad dream. Sadly, it’s not. Kit is smiling at me and god, why is this happening to me?! Kit CAN’T be my mate and the one I’ve been waiting for my entire life! No. I won’t accept this!

I continue to gawk at Kit, whose eyes grow curious and then… mischievous. He quickly seems to realize I don’t want him as my mate, and that makes him stifle a laugh before opening his big mouth.

“Oh my god! Michelle! I can’t believe it. You’re my—

“BEST FRIEND!” I interrupt and press my hand to his stupid mouth. He blinks down at me, smiling behind my hand as I fake smile at my confused family. “I haven’t seen Kit in so long that I’m just… ARGH! So happy to see him! I will bring him into the kitchen to talk, okay? You won’t miss him! Be right back!”

Bella blinks at us. “You.. you want to speak to Kit?”

“Yes!” I shout. “See you soon!”

Kit snorts, and I glare at him, challenging him to defy me. My anger seems to amuse him, but to my utter relief, the guy walks forward as I push him into our kitchen. Thank god, I don’t think I would be able to move him by force!

His compliance makes things easier, and once we are in the kitchen, I look around, mumble to myself, and then decide to shove him into the pantry.

Kit’s lips twitch behind my hand that is covering his mouth, and I release him as soon as we stand inside the panty. I turn on the light and then I pant and let the situation sink in. Holy s**t. I can’t believe I touched his lips!

“So gross…” I wipe my hand on my jeans, grimacing at the slight wetness on my palm. Did the fucker lick me or what? I shudder at the thought and grab a package of wet wipes from one of the shelves. I drag one out, aware that Kit is watching me.

“What?!” I snap.

He c***s his head with a slight curl to his lips. And while I know it’s a ridiculous thing to think about, and shallow, and possibly the least important thing in the world, I just hate that he is so much taller than me.

“I’m just… shocked.”

“Shocked?”

“You’re my mate.”

I shudder. His voice sounds deeper now that it’s just us two alone. I’m paying more attention to it, and I hate how it’s making me… tingle.

Darn, am I already falling victim to the mate bond?

“I’m obviously going to reject you…” I mutter.

There is a deep rumbling laugh. “Just like that?”

“Yep,” I won’t deny it. “Just like that…”

“Without even giving me a chance?”

“Yes,” I arch an eyebrow at him. “You have a problem with that, Howler?”

Kit looks a bit hurt by my words, but says nothing. Now that we are alone, I don’t know where else to look other than straight at him. He shares the same idea; we assess each other silently for a few moments.

It’s… nerve-wracking. I can see Kit’s yellow eyes tracing over me, stopping on my belly button. Why is he looking there? I immediately suck in my belly and that makes his sharp fangs peek out from his mouth, as if he is… smiling?

He couldn’t be replaceing me cute, could he?

Blushing, I try to pull down my sweater to hide my belly, but it’s fruitless. It’s one of those sweaters that end right above your belly button, and I frown when Kit seems to stifle a laugh. Despite being a demon, he seems like a friendly guy, and maybe, MAYBE I would like him if he didn’t f*****g tease me at every given opportunity.

I must admit he is super gorgeous though, which is unfair…

An inaudible sigh leaves my lips and then I take in the rest of him. He is… massive—Kit towers over me, which is an odd sensation. In the past, I was much taller than him. He was a cute little kid and while I knew he would eventually outgrow me, it’s still odd to have to crane my neck to meet his eyes.

Oh, and his eyes, by the way, are still as creepy as ever. Yellow and glowing in the dark—there is no wonder why girls stay away from Kit. They fancy him from afar, but the fact that he is a demon scares people away.

Kit tilts his head. “You know… I’m actually kind of happy.”

His words fill me with bitterness. “Why? I’m about to reject you so there is nothing to be happy about. Besides, you’re dating my sister—shouldn’t you be unhappy that I’m your fated mate and not her?”

He grimaces. “I like Bella, but it makes me sad that she doesn’t accept… all of me. You know? And this might be an a*****e thing to say, but I’ve always had a slight crush on you. I just never did anything about it since you’re out of my league. But this sort of… changes things a little. Maybe I’m with the wrong girl?”

“Wait!” I hold up my hand, fairly certain I just heard him wrong. “Hold up… I must have heard that middle part wrong. Surely you’ve never had a crush on me?”

His lips twitch again. “I have.”

What. The. Actual. Heck.

I stare at Kit in disbelief. I’m pretty sure my jaw is on the ground somewhere and Kit gives me a curious look. “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just… speechless.”

“Why?” He sounds genuinely concerned.

“Because while you are many things, Kit Howler, I never thought a liar was one of them.”

His lips curl, but his smile doesn’t quite reach his ears. “I’m not lying… also, I know why you brought me in here.”

“And what reason is that?”

“You want me to keep quiet about this and for your sake, I won’t mention this to anyone,” Kit does the my-lips-are-sealed movement and then slowly walks towards the door. Before opening it, he looks down at me over his shoulder. “You haven’t rejected me yet.”

Anger rises to my chest. “I’m going to.”

“When?” There is amusement in his voice.

“Soon.”

He smiles then, sharp teeth and everything. “I’m free every day after eight o’clock. I don’t have a car, but… maybe you can come and pick me up?”

Is he serious?! “In. Your. Dreams. Howler.”

“True, I will dream about that…” Kit winks at me. He is so bubbly and flirtatious that I want to go and puke somewhere, preferably in his shoes. “Anyway, I will see you at the dinner table, Michelle. The cake that was on the table looked delicious—pink and juicy. I will think of you when I dig my mouth into that one.”

“You will not.” My words are a warning.

“I will,” Kit chuckles. “Also, I don’t know who told you that garlic is a demon’s weakness, but whoever it was lied to you—I love garlic. I love it so much that I would probably take you to an Italian restaurant on our first date and order garlic bread as a starter.”

“I would NEVER date you!”

“Yes, you would,” his lips twist into a smirk. “In my dreams, right?”

THE AUDACITY!

I stare at Kit, unable to think of a comeback, which he, of course, sees as his f*****g victory. He laughs at me and leaves me alone in the pantry. I’m fuming. I can’t believe the guts of that guy! To say he would date me in his dreams?! He is such a bastard!

I have to reject Kit, and do it fast because my heart is already pounding, and there is this swarm of butterflies inside my chest—yuck. I didn’t think the mate bond would brainwash me that fast, but I was wrong!

The mate bond is a powerful thing, but I, Michelle Hale, will not be another one of its victims. No. I will be strong, and reject the s**t out of Kit Howler—even if he has a goddamn six-pack! I’m not my sister!