My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 33

Lydia

I watch Kade and Victoria fight each other. Or it’s more like Kade is trying to battle the vampire while she is graciously moving away and laughing like a kid playing dodgeball.

“You can’t catch me, Kade!” Victoria teases with her white hair flowing around her head and her clothes dancing in the wind.

Kade slashes at her again and again, but the vampire is faster than the lycan. He can’t get to her, and she continues to giggle and tease him.

“What is the matter?” Victoria taunts. “I expected more speed from the lycan king himself… Or prince… Whatever the heck you are.”

Kade growls and tries to punch her. This makes Victoria laugh out loud in entertainment.

“You need more training, Kade. Lots of it. You’re weak and filthy and way too easy to avoid in a battle!”

Victoria’s words seem to frustrate the lycan. Kade growls and speeds up his movements, and I gasp when he actually manages to swipe at Victoria’s perfect cheek.

Holy s**t.

He did it.

He actually did it.

B***d splashes from Victoria’s wound, and the vampire freezes. Even Kade seems shocked and freezes while watching the vampire queen’s reaction. It seems she didn’t expect this outcome either.

What is she going to do?

My gut tells me something horrible is about to happen. The air is ominous, and I barely dare to breathe. It’s like time has stopped for everyone but us.

“S-scratch…” Victoria whispers while her delicate hand moves with mechanical movements to touch the injury.

She feels up her cheek, and when she sees the b***d on her fingers, her expression becomes the picture of wrath. Her shoulders begin to shake, and my stomach fills with unease.

I don’t have a good feeling about this.

“Y-you… You hurt me… You f*****g hurt me…” Victoria’s l!ps form a smile, but it’s wicked.

She looks like a doll smiling out into nothingness after discovering it’s been granted life. One of those evil ones who now realize it can hurt the person who played with it for all these years.

A chill shoots up my spine, and I stare at Victoria when she laughs. She is scaring me.

“You actually managed to hurt me. My perfect face. It’s bleeding… How dare you? How dare you ruin my perfection? HOW f*****g DARE YOU? I WAS PERFECT, AND YOU RUINED IT!”

Victoria, enraged by the damage to her face, is done playing games. She screams and uses her telekineses to lift Kade off the ground and slam him into a tree. Repeatedly.

“This will teach you some respect!” Victoria yells. “NEVER CHALLENGE SOMEONE OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE!”

Kade whimpers as he is thrown around like a ragdoll. His body takes hit after hit until every limb looks broken. I can barely watch the pain his body has to endure.

It’s a wonder he is still breathing.

There are going to be some severe bruises on Kade after this. I even hear bones cracking when he hits another tree at full force. And sure enough, I see his leg bent at a weird angle.

Poor Kade.

This is absolute madness…

“Victoria… Stop that…” I mumble, tired because Mrs. Vampire Queen is holding me down with her magic. My face and mouth are down in the dirt, yet I manage words. “It’s me you want… Stop hurting Kade…”

Victoria throws a glance over her shoulder. Her eyes are ice-cold. “I will kill you once I’m done torturing the lycan until he dies. Don’t worry. Your time will come. Lydia.”

She turns her attention back to Kade, who is barely breathing. His heartbeat is weak, yet Victoria isn’t showing any sign of stopping. She is even laughing as she tortures the poor beast.

“This is so much fun… Lycans can take so much damage—why haven’t I played with one before? I love this game. Kade’s resilience will entertain me for plenty of minutes.”

My heart goes out to Kade. Even though he tried to kidnap me, the man hasn’t exactly hurt me. I know in my heart and soul that he isn’t THAT evil. Which means he doesn’t deserve this treatment.

“Just stop…” I mumble, unable to actually do something. He doesn’t deserve this treatment.

My exhaustion almost makes me pass out. Victoria’s magic pushing me down is something else. I wish Avery was here, and when I hear the screech of a dragon, I think I’m imagining it.

It’s only when Victoria turns tense that I realize Avery is here. Then, when a breath of fire is flung at Victoria, hope makes my heart pound. Avery is finally here—and Victoria is busy.

“Shape-shifting into dragons now, are we?” Victoria asks her son, who is flapping his mighty wings above us. A rumble leaves his mouth while Victoria makes a “Tsk” sound at him. “Your transformation won’t change anything! You won’t be able to catch me!”

While Victoria is distracted by Avery, I shape-shift back into a wolf. Her magic no longer pushes me, and my nails turn into claws that I use to s***h at Victoria from behind.

“f**k!” Victoria yells and turns around in distress, yet that won’t stop me from mauling her.

I dig my teeth into her back, and she growls at me. She lifts her hand to s***h me but is pushed away by Kade.

She gasps. “You’re working together now?!”

Kade grunts a response, and then fire comes down from the skies.

I look up at Avery, who aims his fire at Victoria.

“No-no-no, you wouldn’t do that to your own mother!” Victoria’s eyes bulge out of their sockets, and she lifts up her arms. “No, Avery! Stop it!”

Avery doesn’t listen.

Orange is the only color I see when the dragon opens its jaws and fire blasts out from Avery’s mouth.

Victoria screams in terror at the flames so loudly that it hurts my ears. I can understand why, though. Her clothes catch fire, and the vampire looks down at her flame-covered hands with a look of pure panic.

While I doubt fire could kill her, it’s clear that she is taking damage. She continues screaming before choosing to open a portal beneath her. And as she sinks into it, she yells at Avery.

“THIS ISN’T THE END, SON!”

I watch Victoria disappear, and once she is gone, Kade falls down onto the ground. It’s as if he willed himself to stay conscious for as long as the vampire was here. And now, he has given up.

“Kade!” I shout and rush over to the lycan.

My heart might belong to Avery, but for some odd reason, I care about Kade. He doesn’t seem entirely evil to me, and I press my hands to his chest. He is still breathing!

I lift my chin, noticing Avery approaching me. “Avery! I know what it looks like, but… He isn’t evil. Kade he… He is the reason your mother didn’t end my life. Whether or not he meant it, he saved me! We got to take him home and tend to his wounds! Can you heal him?”

Avery stares at me, a blank expression on his face. I have no clue what he is thinking, but I fear it’s nothing good. If I’m not mistaken, those burning eyes hint at jealousy, and I shudder.

Somehow I doubt Avery will help Kade, which breaks my heart because I don’t think he is that bad…

Sure, Kade wants the heart of Chang’e, but from my understanding, his people need it to function. And in Kade’s defense, my dad stole that item from his clan. He is only trying to do what is best for his people.

“We shouldn’t heal the enemy’s injuries, Lydia,” Avery says in a cold voice. Even his eyes are devoid of any emotions. “He has repeatedly tried to get to you and doesn’t deserve any kindness.”

My bottom l!p juts out. “But… But he saved my life. He saved your dad’s life too, and Jinora’s. And mom. They might be unconscious, but they are still alive, Avery.”

“Just a fluke,” Avery comments, eyeing the white lycan. “I doubt your lycan friend actually meant to save you. He simply wanted what my mother wanted for himself.”

“The heart of Chang’e…” I whisper and look down at Kade with conflicted emotions. I’m so confused right now. “If he is truly our enemy, I know that it would be best if I let him die. It would be the most responsible thing since he wouldn’t pose a danger to me or our pack, but… I really don’t think he is all that bad, Avery.”

Avery studies me in silence. I can tell the cogwheels are turning inside that beautiful mind of his. Had this been his decision alone, he would have finished Kade in less than a heartbeat.

But… Avery cares about me. I might not be his mate by choice, but we are a couple. Therefore, he values what I think.

“And that’s a goddamn pain sometimes,” Avery mutters and narrows his eyes at the half-dead lycan. “Because you’re right. I would rather see that mutt dead rather than alive.”

I wet my l!ps and smile softly once Avery’s gaze locks with mine. “Please don’t kill him. I beg you.”