My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 99

Becky

It has gotten dark, and I’m sitting on top of a tree branch, hunched like an owl. I’m enjoying the night, and things would be perfect, but there is a presence ruining everything.

“Why aren’t you sleeping inside the mansion?”

I frown. My mate, also known as Elijah, won’t leave me alone. He is warm and charming, and that kindness is choking me. Right now, he looks up at me in the dark, smiling as if he has every right to be here, and it irritates the crap out of me.

I peer down at him, grinning. “Because I’m a vampire—we are ferocious and untamed. I don’t need a comfortable bed.”

Elijah is silent for a while, considering my words. Every second he is quiet feels like a full long year.

Eventually, he talks again. “Are you cold?”

I snort and put on a confident attitude. “Are you kidding me? I’m a vampire. We don’t get cold, honey.”

“You’re shivering.”

“No, I’m not.” Am I?

He grins. “You are.”

Okay, so what if I am shivering? That’s none of his business! Ugh. His concern is annoying.

I glare down at him from the tree branch. “I’m definitely shaking from anger, not from the weather.”

Elijah stifles a laugh. “You know what I think?”

“What?!”

“That you might not be a pureblooded vampire, and that is why you are freezing right now,” he says those words softly. It’s like he doesn’t care what I am but replaces it fascinating to know more about me.

I’m unused to that. Damien cared more about training Misha, and even though I love my friend, I’m not used to being the center of attention. And Elijah? He looks at me with those eyes, so warm and understanding, even though he doesn’t even know me.

It frightens me.

Mostly because I’m afraid of liking it too much, and then when I let my guard down, and the honeymoon phase ends, Elijah will become bored of me. It will happen. It’s always like that… people just abandon me.

But I guess that’s my fault. I pretend to be a happy-go-lucky person who isn’t deep. I grin, laugh, and slap Misha on his back, and everyone seems to think I’m strong and tomboyish. They are right, but… there are times when I would like someone to care about me.

I swallow thickly. “Maybe you’re right about me being a pureblooded vampire…”

“Then how about we head back to the mansion and get into a comfortable bed to warm you up?”

“No…” I feel like a burden when I’m at the mansion.

Everyone is nice, especially Lydia. She makes me wish that I actually had a mother, one that… I don’t know. Fussed over me like Lydia does with Misha, I guess?

Lydia also got excited looking at possible wedding dresses for Josie yesterday, and I was so envious… its why I’m staying away. If I stay away from them, I won’t be hurt once they start to forget about me.

“Come on, a bed will be nicer than the tree.”

“I like my tree…” I mumble.

Elijah lets out an amused laugh. “You’re impossible, Duchess.”

“I am,” I don’t mind admitting that. “You should give up on me. And stop calling me that!”

“No… the nickname is too fitting.”

I hiss. “Because you think I’m spoiled?”

He doesn’t laugh, but his smile is huge. “How old are you, really?”

“Old,” I grimace. “I stopped counting the years I’ve lived long ago… but I look to be in my twenties.”

“Questionable.” I glare at him, and Elijah chuckles. “I don’t mind, though. I like you, but your colored hair and clothes make you look young. I mean, you’re wearing a Pikachu t-shirt.”

“Mhm, I like anime and stuff,” I shrug. “Wasn’t much of that in the vampire realm, so I went all out buying stuff in the human world.”

“You’ve been in the human world before?”

“Yeah, when Victoria was still alive… uhh… that’s our old bitchy leader. She was a psychopath.”

“You didn’t like her?”

“Not at all, but…” I look up at the stars. “She was the first person to take my fighting skills seriously. I’m short. I color my hair and am very interested in nerdy stuff, so people underestimate me.”

“I don’t doubt you being powerful, but you’re also my mate. It means I will try to spoil you, and taking you to the mansion to sleep in a nice bed sounds like a good start.”

I laugh. “I ain’t leaving this tree.”

“Hmm…” Elijah hums and brings me back to reality. He is now pacing the tree with a thoughtful expression. “I guess that I will sleep outside without you then.”

What?!” Is he mad? It’s super cold! “You will do no such thing!”

“Too late.”

My eyes widen when Elijah shape-shifts into a large, fuzzy brown wolf that looks as warm as his personality. His fur is all hot chocolate, and I laugh in amusement.

“Of course! The nice guy has a brown, dopey chocolate wolf—makes perfect sense!”

Elijah hangs out his tongue in response and looks all goofy. There is a slight tail wag, and he walks around in a circle like a dog before FINALLY lying down in the grass. A little sneeze blows from his nose, and then he looks at me expectantly.

Huh. Does Elijah want me to join him? “Oh no, that ain’t happening, buddy. I’m going to stay in this tree, and—”

A cold wind blows in, and Elijah lifts his head as if knowing I’m freezing. It’s remarkable. No one has ever paid attention to me not being a full-blooded vampire. If Damien knew, he has never mentioned it and always treated me like I was as tough as everybody else.

But Elijah?

He looks at me as if I’m delicate, and while that may make some people angry, I’m flattered. Even Misha treats me like I’m a guy sometimes, but Elijah clearly sees me as a woman.

I sigh heavily, weighing my options. I could stay here and freeze my a*s off or join Elijah and make him happy with this small victory.

Come on, Becky, what harm will it do to just use his fuzzy to warm yourself with?

I wet my lips. “If I come down, will you be on your best behavior? No licking or grinning at me?”

Elijah’s response is to put down his head between his paws and lift his tail up and down twice. I smile at that and jump down from the tree.

I’ve never approached a werewolf before, but I’m not frightened. Elijah looks cuddly, and I flop down by his belly. His warm body gets used as a backrest, and the wolf lifts its head, studying me.

“What?” I ask. “Can’t I lean against you?”

He gives me a wolfish grin and leans closer until—

“No, stop that!” I close my eyes and blow through my mouth as Elijah uses his gigantic tongue to “clean” my face. “This is so disturbing! I don’t even know where that thing has been! Ugh! Unsanitary!”

Elijah stops liking me with this look that says, “Oh-you-did-not-call-me-unsanitary,” and then he goes back to licking me. I laugh and cry at that. Part of me wishes to escape, but Elijah stops torturing me with his tongue when I beg him to stop.

Instead, he, to my horror, stands up. I get dragged onto my feet with him and laugh when he presses his head between my legs. In a moment, I’m on his back while he paddles for the mansion.

“Damn it. I should have known that was your plan!” I’m not bothered by being taken there, though. Rather than anger, I feel surprised that my mate outsmarted me. I smile at that and stroke Elijah’s fur. “I don’t mind going back to the mansion. It will be nice sleeping in a warm bed.”

With that, I relax on Elijah’s back and let my arms fall down either side of his thick, furry mane. He is warm, and I close my eyes and fall asleep without a care in the world.

I feel safe with Elijah.