My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 14

Lydia

My heart is going thump-thump-thump as Avery tugs me forward, leading the way past some trees.

There is an empty building a bit inside the forest. We keep extra clothes and first-aid kits inside it. Even though werewolves heal quickly, there are cases when we need bandages.

And I don’t regenerate as quickly. No omega does. It’s the curse we are born with, I guess. I was born weaker, so I became the omega—the punching bag for everyone else.

Letting go of my hand, Avery opens the door. His glowing eyes meet mine, and he bows. “Ladies first.”

His hospitality stuns me. For a second, all I do is stare up into his handsome face illuminated by the moonlight. He isn’t smiling, but his features are as beautiful as ever.

“Hmm?” Avery tilts his head with a puzzled expression. “Is there something on my face?”

“No, I just… I just spaced out,” I blush and quickly brush past him, hoping he will forgive me for staring. “Thank you.”

I make it inside the small cottage, and Avery flips the light switch. Two bunk beds, a small kitchen, and a green first-aid wall cabinet clad the inside. There is also a towel drawer.

I take in my surroundings but let out a silent gasp when Avery suddenly picks me up from the ground. With two strong hands, he lifts me into the drawer and closes the distance between us.

With his full attention on me, he speaks. “Does it hurt?”

I’m too stunned to speak, overwhelmed by the sheer proximity and his gorgeous face so close to mine.

It gets harder to breathe evenly. Avery’s presence can be felt like cold shivers running up my spine.

Somehow I replace my tongue. “W-what do you mean?”

His lips twitch into the ghost of a smile. “I’m talking about your injury, silly,” he murmurs. His tone is such a change from his usual grumpiness. He even playfully flicks my nose, and I blink. He seems to be holding back a laugh when I look back at him. “Does your face hurt?”

“It does…” I admit. “I’m not a fast healer.”

“Would you mind me trying a new spell on you?”

“What spell?”

“A healing one,” he smiles sheepishly. “I haven’t tried it yet, but I don’t think it will hurt—worst case scenario, I accidentally transform you into a bunny or something.”

My eyes widen at the thought of turning into an animal, and I immediately begin arguing. “I don’t want to turn into a bunny! Maybe we should just clean the wound instead?”

“And risk it turning into a permanent scar? Pshh, forget it,” Avery is taking off his grey hoodie for some reason. He seems to stifle a laugh when I stare at his ripped, naked torso. “You like?”

My cheeks burn, and my p***y throb with awareness, remembering how nice it felt to be with Avery the last time.

Bad brain.

I push my arousal aside and meet his eyes. I then avoid his question by asking one myself. “Why are you taking off your hoodie?”

“Isn’t the answer obvious?”

Is it?

s**t.

Did he take me in here to have s*x?

Avery suddenly snorts. “Get your head out of the gutter, Lydia.”

My face burns even brighter. “Don’t read my mind!”

He chuckles at me. “Sorry… I just can’t help it… You get silent, and reading your mind greatly helps me understand you.”

“Do you read my mind often?”

There is hesitation on his face. “No… I mean… I’ve done it several times, but this is the first time today.”

“How about speaking to me like a normal person, huh?”

“Fine,” Avery bites back a smile. “Your clothes are muddy and wet,” he nods at my clothes and holds out his hoodie. “Take those off and put on this thing instead. It should be big enough to cover your private parts. You’re pretty small.”

“Thank you,” I take the hoodie from his hand, place it beside me, and then lift my eyebrows. Avery is still looking at me, and it’s making me self-conscious. “Aren’t you going to look away?”

“Why?” He seems genuinely confused by my request. I can tell he wishes to read my mind, but he keeps himself from doing it out of respect. “We had s*x, Lydia. Your body is nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“It’s more the principle,” I mutter.

Avery breathes a laugh at that, amused. “Alright.”

When he turns around, I quickly remove my clothes and discard them on the floor while putting on Avery’s hoodie. My nervousness might be silly, but I can’t help it around him.

I have no clue what we are to each other, and Avery being friendly to me is new. It’s making my heart pound, and when I inhale the scent of his hoodie, I kind of want to hug him.

“Can I turn around yet?”

“Go ahead.”

Avery slowly turns, and like clockwork, his gaze lands between my legs where my thong is barely covered by his hoodie.

I don’t call him out on this, though.

Instead, my heart is doing its best to pound right out of my chest. My mind is racing, trying to figure out what the hell to do. Smoothing down the fabric, I shyly smile at him.

“So… You had a healing spell?”

Avery lifts his eyes. “Uh-huh, am I allowed to try it?”

“Sure, just try not to turn me into a bunny…”

“I will try,” his lips curl by the corners. “You would make a pretty cute bunny, though, not going to lie.”

My heart skips a beat, and then it seems to stop completely when Avery grabs my face in his palms. He blows on me, and magic sippers out through his lips, cleansing me from the mud.

“Wow…” I whisper, amazed by his abilities. “That’s… A nice party trick you got going on there.”

“Thank you,” Avery strokes his thumb over my cheek. I wince when he makes contact with my wound, and he grimaces. “Sorry, but this is necessary for the grand finale. Just sit still.”

I do what he says, but I’m forced to shut my eyes. My skin stings and burns, and for a moment, I’m experiencing plain torture. But then, slowly but surely, the pain subsides.

“It’s working,” Avery tells me. “It looks like there won’t be a scar, and you haven’t sprouted bunny ears either.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” he murmurs. “You can open your eyes again.”

Slowly, I blink and look up at Avery. His face is inches from mine, but he catches himself and takes a step back, probably realizing he is impeding on my personal space.

“How do you feel?” He asks.

With all my fingers, I touch my cheeks. There isn’t any pain, and I can’t even feel the wound.

“I feel great,” I smile at him. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome.”

I’m still amazed by his magic and continue feeling my face. It’s as smooth as baby skin: no scar, no bruise, no nothing.

“What can I do to repay you, my alpha?”

Avery winces at my words. It makes me laugh in surprise; I never expected such a reaction from him.

“What?” I beam at him. “Don’t you like it when people call you alpha?”

“Not you…”

“Not me?”

Avery nods and averts his eyes. “It feels weird when you do it…”

That’s weird. “Why?”

If it’s not my imagination, his face seems redder. “I guess… I guess it’s because I was hoping we were becoming friends…”

My heart warms. “Oh, Avery—”

“That tone is forbidden too!” Avery cuts me off with blazing eyes. Now he is definitely blushing, and when he realizes he yelled, he sighs. “Just… Just call me Avery, and don’t make it weird, okay?”

Something about his tone awakens the devil in me. I dangle my feet and tilt my head, smirking at his reaction. “Or what?”

Avery growls. “Don’t push me, Lydia.”

“Alright, alright!” I yelp at his furious expression and smile even though he glares at me. “I will call you Avery and try not to make it weird. Okay? Happy now?”

“I’m pleased,” his eyes go to mine. I expect him to say nothing, but his lips keep uttering the most bizarre things. “How about this? You sleep in my bed every night, and I will keep the pack members from laying a single hand on you.”

The air gets knocked from my lungs by shock. “What? Are you crazy? You will protect me for something so simple?”

“Well,” his expression turns a bit darker with mischief. “How about you also let me drink from you whenever I want?”

I speak without thinking. “Deal.”

“Really? You will agree?”

“Yes.”

Avery’s grin is wide and devious. “Got you… You could have asked me for more things in return, but it seems I got the better deal.”

For a second, I just stare at him in disbelief. He got me? I could have asked for a better deal with him?!

Oh-my-god!

B***d rushes to my face. “You… You little s**t!” I don’t think and pick up a rolled-up towel from the shelf underneath me. I then let it fly.

Avery doesn’t expect me to throw things, and the towel bounces off his chest and lands on the floor. The direct hit doesn’t stop him from laughing his a*s off through.

“You threw a towel… Wow… Lydia is feisty today…”

“You bet I am! Get out of here before I throw another towel at you!” I yell at him and hope to come off as threatening.

But to my horror, Avery smirks. “Is that a threat?”

I pick up another towel and wave it menacingly in the air. “You bet it is, you rascal! I got plenty of ammunition, and I’m not afraid to use it! Do you want to be hit by another?!”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Avery heads for the door, still laughing when he pushes it up and looks over his shoulder. “You’re cute when you’re mad. I should upset you more often from now on.”

I audibly gasp, and Avery laughs. He closes the door right in time to avoid being hit by another rolled-up towel, but when I’m left alone, I can’t fight off the smile curling my lips.