Fated To My Lycan Stepbrothers
Chapter 182

Kyles

POV

After my terrible nightmare and therapy discussion with my brother, I chose to look for more clues concerning my mate. She must have left something behind.

"Naya is smart. Why didn't she leave a clue?"

"That's because she was taken by surprise and by the front door." Shadow responded, looking out for the same thing.

"I am sorry, Shadow." I blurted out, feeling his emotions overwhelming me.

"I took care of Naya well. The only thing is that I shouldn't have left her alone and trusted that snake. Damn, Naya trusted her." Shadow sighed. "I hope you told Brooke."

I nodded. "There is no need for her to know that her best friend's crazy. Everyone has betrayed her, except us and I want to keep it that way."

"Good," Shadow murmured. Just then I caught Sam's fur through the bushes. "He is back." His tail began to wag like a dog. He was happy.

"Let's go see what he has to say. I hope she is alright." said, hurrying down the stairs. As I wandered through the manor, I noticed It was heavy with an unspoken tension that clung to every corner. Suffocating. Angry. It was odd how everything seemed off, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" I asked a sniffing Shadow.

"Someone let the enemy in." He said in a dramatic way. approached Zeke's study room, muffled voices reached my ears. Instinctively, I paused, my senses heightened.

Suddenly, a howl stopped me on my tracks and I naturally thought it was Sam and bad news.

"Or someone let her in." I deadpanned to my wolf who rolled his eyes. The voices were familiar - Zeke's and Marley's.

But the undertones were different, a strange combination of urgency and vulnerability.

What the heck was going on in there?

Pushing the door ajar, I was met with a sight that sent a jolt through my veins. Zeke and Marley stood close, a little too close. The atmosphere crackled with a tension that made my gut tighten. It was coming from somewhere...

My jaws dropped as Zeke pushed her hard to the side. He grabbed my hands and pulled me outside. He didn't seem fazed but guilt was written all over his face. There was no time for this. We both had to pull ourselves together and this wasn't the way. There was only one way to cut her off, if not I would have shagged Brooke the moment I felt the absence of Naya in our lives. Zeke needed to let Marley go and focus on our mate. Without him, our mating won't be complete, and without me, our mating won't be complete.

"Something's wrong with Marley, Bro...something isn't right with her," I blurted out, unable to contain my concern. "I reckon we send her away." Okay, that last part wasn't supposed to come out like that.

Zeke's gaze snapped toward me, his eyes narrowing with surprise. "Send her away? To where?"

"To anywhere far from the manor. She shouldn't live in the manor since her time is up." I reasoned.

It was obvious Zeke wasn't in line with me. "Kyle, not now.

We're dealing with enough already. Marley is hurting, just like the rest of us. We can't send her away."

His dismissive tone fueled my frustration. "Zeke, I get it.

We're all hurting, but you can't ignore that something's off.

This isn't just about Naya; it's about Marley's behavior too. I saw what happened and you have successfully alerted the crowd about our situation."

"Don't you dare. I am suffering.." His jaw clenched, and he took a step closer, a warning glint in his eyes. "I don't like the way I am feeling."

"But Sam came with good news, right? Let's focus on that.

But we need to send her back to wherever she came from."

"Kyle, drop it, it's not an option. That is Naya's mother so stop being selfish. I know I wasn't myself and I got carried away, but that's it. We're in the middle of replaceing Naya, Sam has given us good strategies and I won't entertain baseless accusations. We will stick to the plan. Are you in or out?"

His words stung, but I refused to back down. "Zeke, I know you're hurting too, but don't let Marley cloud your judgment.

There's something she's not telling us, and we can't afford to ignore it. The cuts on her body... they seem self inflicted.

I hate that you defend her every time, despite knowing who she really is."

Immediately, those words left my lips, Zeke stiffened. "Who is she? Explain."

The words got stuck in my throat. Who really was my stepmother? She was the mother of my mate and unless Naya goes through the proper bonding ritual, our mind-linking won't be complete. Naya may be branded a spy since Marley was the one who brought her into the manor.

"This is none of your business, Kyle. Zeke and I have our own way of coping. Don't meddle where you're not needed." Marley's voice made me reconsider my words.

Her words were like a slap. "Fine, have it your way. But if something goes wrong, don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, I stormed out of the room, leaving Zeke and Marley behind. But not before hearing Zeke angrily reprimand Marley and darkly warning her never to try that again. I felt proud.

Despite Sam's presence, the hours passed in a blur, each one dragging with a heaviness that matched the atmosphere in the manor. The plans to rescue our mate continued, and our desperation grew. Zeke seemed even more absorbed in the mission, leaving little room for anything else.

We had to be thoroughly prepared for what was to come.

*******

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, I found myself alone in the library, a temporary refuge from the chaos outside. The door creaked open, and Zeke entered, his expression weary. He and I were the shadow of our true selves.

"Kyle, we need to talk," he said, his voice heavy with a weight I couldn't decipher.

I sighed, bracing myself for another heated exchange.

"What now, Zeke?"

He hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. "I need you to trust me, Kyle. We're on the brink of replaceing Naya, and I can't have you stirring unnecessary trouble. Marley is... she's just trying to cope, in her own way." He was hiding something. I was forced to think that my brother had something up his sleeves and I was a great part of his plans. He couldn't be cooled up in that office all day and night for nothing.

But I was offended he would still speak o her behalf. Could it be that something was truly going on or I was just being delusional? "Trust you? Zeke, I'm not blind. There's something off about Marley, and you're too blinded by your own guilt to see it." "Kyle, enough! This isn't the time for your baseless suspicions. What you saw was a mistake. If you won't accept it, I won't force you to. I only want to speak to you about something even crucial."

I tilted my head. "What?"

"Marley isn't letting me out of her sight. She says its to keep her head in the game." Zeke was clearly panicking.

The blood moon is tonight and we are rescuing our darling before then so she will protect our pack from imminent danger." He finished, rubbing his hands through his hair.

Well that is something to think about. I mused, pondering how to send Marley away. I warned him about this, didn't I?

I wanted to tell him, but one good look at his distraught face, told me not to. Before I could retort, the door swung open, and Marley entered, her eyes red-rimmed but defiant. "What's going on here?" she demanded.

I shot Zeke a pointed look, silently urging him to acknowledge the elephant in the room. But he remained resolute, unwilling to entertain doubts about Marley.

In her presence, because he just told me she was acting weird and following him about. I just confirmed that.

"Kyle has his concerns, Marley, but we don't have time for this right now. We're on the verge of a breakthrough in replaceing Naya, Zeke explained, his tone final.

Marley's gaze shifted between us, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of panic. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a steely resolve. I was getting closer to the truth. She was the crazy b*itch that led the enemy through the front door. Damn spy. "Fine, Zeke. Deal with your brother's trust issues. I have more important things to attend to," she declared, storming out of the room. She seemed a bit hasty.

I glared at Zeke. "You're not falling for her act, Zeke. I know something's not right, and if you won't admit it, 'll make you." With that, I left the library.

"Get some rest. We will move out tonight." Zeke called after me after I flipped him off.

Rest? There was no resting for me knowing our mate was locked up for almost a day. I went straight into the gym room to prepare myself for the dogs of the Blood moon pack.