My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 38

Lydia

My soul is weeping.

Every part of me is in agony, skin, stomach, and chest, but my soul is in worse shape than my body. Because the thought of losing my baby defeats any physical injury.

I was so happy when the pregnancy stick showed positive—shocked, yes, but also delighted.

I wanted the little life in my stomach, and I’m confident Avery would have felt the same way. That’s part of why this kills me. I saw a future for us three, a vision of us being happy…

“Why did she ruin that?” I sob and watch the tears fall onto the floor inside my room.

I’m on the floor even though my body is healing quicker than I thought possible. Victoria said it’s the child sacrificing its life to heal me. The thought of that makes me spill more tears.

Was Victoria’s words the truth? Or did she lie? Did she even know what she was talking about?

I push myself to sit on the floor, and as I stare out into nothingness, I feel something vibrate inside me. It’s a throbbing, sharp, needy song in my chest that seems to rattle even my bones.

“What the heck?”

Touching my chest is fascinating, and I momentarily forget about the excruciating hurt of maybe having lost my child. I’m too tuned in to what feels like a heartbeat inside of me, yet it’s not…

“I believe what you’re feeling would be the mate bond. It sings from the chest and tries to connect you with the person you belong to. Right now, you’re hurt and in need of your mate, and since he is near, the drumming is quicker than ever.”

Everything inside of me momentarily stills. Even though this is supposed to be a sad moment, I’m also happy. For the first time, I’m experiencing what every werewolf dream of.

I turn around, speaking softly. “I knew it would be you.”

Avery tilts his head, whispering. “That gem must have blocked the mate bond, but… Something I think I always knew.”

“Me too,” I whisper back. “Me too.”

My mate gives me a small smile, but since I suspect he has already raked through my mind, he, too, looks defeated. I can see the haunted expression on his face. Even his eyes are glazed.

Yet, he forces himself to smile as he embraces me and pulls me to his chest to brush my hair. Avery is trying to be strong, I realize.

But when I feel his strong muscular arms around me, I can no longer keep up with the charade.

I fling myself at him and let the tears fall. Nothing can soothe me, but with Avery, the pain might not swallow me alive.

His scent speaks to my soul, and our mate bond zaps like lightning. Yet the loss of the baby wins the war of emotions. I’m dying on the inside, and I don’t know how to make it stop hurting.

“Victoria killed the baby!” I sob, scream, and throw myself at Avery while my heart shatters even more. “All along, we were mates—destined to be together, and she took our baby! Your mother… She killed our precious pup! How could she do that? You spared her!”

Avery reaches out and brushes his fingers through my hair. He is much taller than me, and my nose gets lost in his shirt.

My eyes close on instinct, and I feel him rest his chin on my head. His heartbeat is strong, and while I’m sad, I feel safe.

“Our baby…” I whisper. “Gone… Just like that…”

For a moment, I think Avery will say something. But when he continues to smooth my hair, and I feel his body tremble, I realize touching me is the only reason he isn’t weeping with me.

Avery is trying to keep it together, just like me.

I lift my chin, meeting his odd-colored eyes. The mate bond is singing between us, and I absently reach out my hand, pushing dark strands of hair out of Avery’s face.

This is my mate.

This is the person I will get through the pain with.

I’m not alone.

Avery is by my side.

The ball is probably about to start downstairs, yet none of us are moving, and I suspect we won’t go there. Avery looks at me with broken eyes, but there is also hope.

I press my palm against his chest. His body is huge, so strong, yet he is vulnerable at this moment.

We both are.

I continue to touch him, pausing when Avery takes my hand and engulfs it in his much larger one. His eyes are glowing, and he speaks to me in a soft tone. “The baby could still survive…”

I feel a stab of pain at that and furrow my eyebrows. “Don’t give me false hope. I can’t handle that. Hurt me with the brutal truth of our baby already being lost, but don’t give me hope.”

Avery places his palm against my cheek and leans in. “I’m speaking the truth, Lydia,” he whispers and gazes into my eyes. “If we are mates, then the mating ritual—”

I widen my eyes. “It should be healing for us both… Even being close to your mate after you’ve marked them is supposedly healing…”

Avery’s l!ps form a genuine smile, one that is warm and perfect, and that’s all I need to tackle the damn man, or… I try to, but Avery hauls me off the ground. I’m brought to his chest and wrapped up in his strong arms.

“I know this won’t be one of our more romantic sessions,” Avery says, carrying me toward the bed. “But I still won’t f**k you on the floor like a goddamned animal, Lydia. I’m a civilized alpha.”

“Uh… We kind of are animals, though… Werewolves…”

“Ignore that part.”

Despite the situation, I laugh, and Avery smiles as he tosses me onto the bedsheets. When I look up from the middle, his hands are already busy taking off his clothes as he stands before the bed, hovering. I decide to do the same thing and rush to get n.aked because Avery has given me hope.

Hope.

That’s the reason I’m smiling.

The mating ritual might not save our child, but we must try.

This is us doing something.

“I hope this will work,” I whisper as I accept Avery’s n.aked body with open arms.

“It will,” Avery says in a voice that tells me he won’t accept any other outcome from this. “Your wounds aren’t fully healed yet, which means the baby must still be alive… I also suspect the gem left some powers inside you—perhaps mating will unlock those.”

“You think so?”

“It doesn’t hurt to try,” Avery wrinkles his nose then, raking me up and down with a hesitant smile. “I don’t like the b***d on you, though. It’s making my vampire side come out and play.”

I roll my eyes. “How is that a bad thing? Just like me and enjoy it—I don’t care what you do as long as we f**k.”

His smirk comes back in full action. “Oh, if you aren’t bothered by giving me that b***d, then I intend to enjoy this very much. Your b***d is filled with power. Perhaps if I drink enough, I can save our child?”

My l!ps part, and then I feel even more stress course in my veins. “Okay, that does make sense! If marking me doesn’t work, drink all my b***d to magically save our child!”

Avery snorts. “That would kill you!”

“I don’t care!” I argue.

“Oh, but I f*****g do!” Avery sounds angry. Irritation is ticking against his jaw. “With all due respect, I love our child, but your life is more important than the one of my unborn baby—I won’t kill you for the sake of an heir! You’re my mate, my freaking soulmate! I’m not EVER letting you go.”

My l!ps tremble. “But—”

“No buts!” Avery growls and stalks closer to the bed and me. His eyes burn as he peers down at my body. I’m n.aked on the bed, on my back and already panting because his eyes pin me to the spot. And something must be wrong with me because his anger is turning me on, especially when he barks at me again. “You’re my mate, and it would be an utter betrayal if you died! I need you in my life, Lydia. A child would make me happy, yes, but you? You make me complete. I need you.”

Despite everything, I smile. “My fierce mate.”

Calling Avery my mate seems to do the trick for him. He growls again, but this time it’s out of affection, more of a g***n, really.

He climbs over me, huge, all-muscular limbs that somehow don’t crush me as he pins me underneath him. There is no time for romance, but my body seems to understand the assignment—I’m already we.t between my folds and throbbing for my mate.

The reason is a no-brainer.

Avery is big and powerful, but not in a way that seems brutish or overwhelming. Just…perfect for me, honestly. His rippling abs flex with his panting breaths, his skin smooth and beautiful, and I trail my fingers down his abdomen as I gaze lower.

His boxers aren’t there; if they were, they would be at maximum capacity. Avery is packing. The man is simply enormous, and the bulge seems larger now, as ready as ever.

I know it must be my imagination. Perhaps I see Avery through heart-shaped lenses now that I know he is my mate. It doesn’t really matter. All I know is that he is rock-hard, and it’s turning me on.

At this moment, it shouldn’t. I should be sad and weeping, but I’m filled with hope, and the l**t is getting to me. Avery’s leg muscles look tight, and his c**k is leaking precu.m.

I need it inside of me.

I’m so embarrassingly turned on by Avery that I can feel how we.t I am by simply squeezing my thighs together. Everything feels hot and slick. Yet somehow, it’s the best feeling in the world.

Playfully, I clench my p***y as I reach for his c**k, lifting my gaze. “Can I touch you?”

His gorgeous eyes, one red, one blue, glow, and the l**t within them make me ache between my legs. It gets worse when his voice comes out all deep and husky.

“Of course.”

My l!ps curl, and I rise from the bed, k!ssing his l!ps. Hopefully, this mating session will save our child.