My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 17

Lydia

It seems I won’t be going to any seminars today. My day has officially changed from great to crazy.

I’m sitting in the passenger seat with Avery behind the wheel of his pickup truck. Cero is on the truck’s cargo bed, hiding underneath a blue tarpaulin while ordered not to move.

I glance over at Avery. It irritates me how he manages to look sexy, dark, and handsome without trying while I have giant dog drool stuck in the tips of my brown hair.

A sigh escapes from my lips. “What if Cero decides he doesn’t want to live at that cottage and tries to follow us home?”

Avery doesn’t even look at me when he replies. “To be honest, I rather take that risk than keep him at home. My dad would kill me if Cero put a dent in the ceiling.”

I nod and then continue looking out the window. Though, I often replace my eyes stealing glimpses of Avery’s profile.

To say he is handsome is an understatement. And the fact that we can’t be together… That we are stepsiblings… Yeah, I have more forbidden fantasies cooking in my brain right now.

Avery’s lips against mine… My hands touching his pecs and his giant member… I almost swoon in my seat. It’s no secret I’m attracted to him physically, but I would also like to get to know him.

I want to get to know him.

But Avery wouldn’t hang out with me if it weren’t for Cero. He needs my help, and that’s it. After this, we will return to our roles: omega and alpha, until he needs my b***d at night.

That is our relationship.

“So…” I nervously drag my sweaty palms over my jeans while feeling the rest of my face grow hotter. “Are you excited about your upcoming claiming ball?”

“Not really.”

Gosh, would it hurt him to try and hold a conversation with me? It’s like trying to speak with a wall.

‘Is it?’

Widening my eyes, I glance at Avery. He is trying not to laugh behind the wheel he is steering. His lips twitch. Avery is laughing at me, that much is clear, and I shake my head.

“Reading my mind now, huh?” I ask.

“I’m taking my freedom since you’re acting so weird.”

“Weird? What have I done?”

“Please, you’re sitting there looking like I might eat you or something. Even your face is paling,” Avery turns sideways, smirking. “If I didn’t know better, I would say you’re terrified of me.”

“Well…”

“Well?” He mimics and then chuckles. His eyes are lit when he looks me over with a smirk. “I thought we were over this phase, Lydia. You’ve had me more than once. How are you still wary of me?”

“Because you’re the alpha?”

He shrugs. “It’s just a title.”

“And you’ve called me the weak omega more than once.”

He frowns at that, but oddly enough, I think he is grumpy with himself and not mad at me. It’s mind-blowing. Avery was so brooding and scary the first time we met; now, he is changing.

Is it because he is starting to see me differently?

‘Something like that…’

I roll my eyes. “Would you stop reading my mind?”

“Why? It’s not harming you, and I’m trying to get to know you better. Mind-reading is the quickest solution because you’re definitely not the most open and straightforward person.”

“That’s supposedly true…” I smile a little. “It’s hard to be straightforward when you’ve been the omega all your life… Usually, I get in trouble for opening my big mouth.”

Avery smiles back. It’s faint, but it’s there. “You don’t have to worry about that with me. Just be yourself, okay?”

“I will try, but then you have to promise to not read my mind! Like, I thought you did already!”

He winces at this, and for a brief moment, he looks sorry. “I sometimes can’t help it. My abilities are… They are strong, and sometimes I tap into your head without realizing it.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah… There is something different about you, Lydia…” Avery’s glowing eyes replace me, and I swear on the nail polish in my makeup bag that his cheeks are pink. “We have a connection… I can’t explain it, but your presence… It’s imprinted into my brain, and I think I could read your mind from miles away. I have no clue why. You’re not my fated mate, and I always imagined that person would be immune to my abilities. Instead, you’re… Easier than ever to read.”

“Ouch,” I slump my shoulders back into the seat and stare at the last of the streetlights we pass by. We are now on a gravel road. “Is that a bad thing? That I’m an easier target for your abilities?”

“No? How did you come to that conclusion?” He laughs, and when I look in the rear-view mirror, I see his dimples. “Were you even listening? I was trying to… Umm… Compliment you?”

“Oh, is that what you are doing?” I tease with a smirk of my own playing over my lips. “In my ears, saying your mind-reading works better on me sounds like a different way of insulting me.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do at all.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m…” Avery g****s in frustration. “Tell you what? Let’s just do a thousand questions. There are at least ten minutes before we arrive at the cottage, and once we are there, we can continue.”

His offer to play a game surprises me. But I’m curious where this might lead, and shoot him a look. “Sure, who will go first?”

“I will…” Avery says before growing quiet. He must be thinking hard about what question to ask. “You dated Owen, my beta, for how long?”

My chest gets tight. “Oh…” I stare down at my hands, remembering how Owen just abandoned me out in the forest. Dating him was a waste of time, and it hurts talking about him. “We dated for a couple of months. He hadn’t found his mate, and I hadn’t found mine—we saw no harm in dating each other for a while.”

Avery nods, processing the information. “Did you love him?”

“No,” my answer is earnest, and I sigh. “If we had been dating for longer, I could have seen myself falling for Owen. He was sweet with me, but—”

I stop talking before I make a horrendous mistake: talking s**t about the beta to his alpha. Damn. I was close to telling Avery that I never realized what an absolute coward Owen was.

Avery snickers. “I agree with you there. Owen surprised me by allowing my gamma to injure you despite you having been intimate. I’m taking that into account when I choose a new beta and gamma.”

My chest fills with horror. “s**t, you heard everything I was thinking, didn’t you?”

“Yup.”

“Will there be a punishment?”

“Why?” He seems amused by this. His sharp canine teeth briefly show in the mirror when he smirks. “For having an opinion?”

“I’m not supposed to think badly of the people you’ve picked as beta and gamma. An omega shouldn’t voice themselves…”

“I asked for your opinion,” Avery looks back at the road. “I have more questions, but I’m giving you your turn. Ask me anything.”

“Alright,” I give this some thought before remembering the first day I met Avery at the supermarket. “You said you had also lost someone to the mate-bond… May I ask who it was?”

“My ex-girlfriend,” Avery replies. His face is shrouded in shadows, and it’s hard to tell what emotions my question brought forth. “Her name is Yang, and she ditched me for her mate—an alpha from a different pack.”

“Oh…” I know it’s not my turn to ask Avery another question, but I can’t stop myself from blurting out what is on my mind. “And… Are you still in love with Yang?”

This makes Avery clutch the wheel harder. “Yes… Even though she is with her new mate, I’m still… I’m still messed up from losing her due to some magical bond that instantly makes people fall in love.”

The bitterness in his voice makes me swallow thickly. There is definitely some raw pain there. I don’t envy Avery. He loved Yang, and I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to lose her.

Sure, I lost Owen, but I didn’t fall too deep. It was rather humiliating being ditched at the supermarket, but there is nothing I can do about that now. You never know when you might lock eyes with your mate.

“I’m sorry that happened to you…” I mumble.

“Don’t be… I’ve learned to not open up to anyone whose mate is still out there, searching for them,” Avery gives me a sad smile.

“Makes sense, but… Since you’re the alpha, you could always claim whoever you fall for and mark them for your own.”

“Yes, but… The woman must want that too,” Avery shrugs. “I’m against picking someone against their will, even though I know many alphas do this to their partners.”

“I’m sure many women want to be with you—your choosing ceremony will be filled with werewolves.”

“Perhaps, but… I’m unsure who would accept someone who drinks b***d for dinner, and like I said, I don’t age—that’s another problem.”

“Why is that a problem?” I laugh. “Well, I see why, but… I’m sure your loved one would get over it.”

“But they would be in pain,” Avery turns to face me and tilts his head with a sad look in his eyes. “As my mate grew older, and I remained the same, I think it would eventually make them feel weird… You know? Even if our lives are bound, I don’t think anyone wants to see themselves changing while their partner remains the same.”

I stare at him, unsure of what to say.

My heart hurts for Avery, especially when his lips tilt upwards to form a melancholy smile. There is a vulnerability in his expression, something I wouldn’t expect from an alpha.

“I’m a freak of nature, Lydia,” Avery says while parking the car. “While everyone around me ages and changes, I will stay this way. I’m not a good partner. I feel bad for whoever might fall in love with me, so please, Lydia, don’t fall for me.”