My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 28

Lydia

The following morning I wake up to a feminine gasp that sounds a lot like someone having a eureka moment.

My eyes open, and then I stare at Jinora.

She is inside Avery’s room—probably because she is my bodyguard and should always be by my side. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out she sniffed her way here.

“I knew it!” Jinora points at me, hand slightly shaking. “Yesterday, Avery told me to go home, but he wasn’t acting like herself,” she turns around, and her eyes land on the Avery clone. Her eyes narrow. “So this morning, I followed him, and here we are!”

Avery, the clone version, grimaces. They all seem to come out with different personalities, and this clone seems ashamed of itself and even hands its head. “I’m so sorry…”

The real Avery gr0ans. “It’s too early for this shit…” he pulls me closer to his chest and nuzzles his face into my hair, sighing contentedly. Once again, the scent seems to soothe him. “I’m going to sleep for like another hour. Clone, you may return to me.”

The clone Avery vanishes into thin air, and Jinora widens her eyes, finally putting two and two together. I can see it on her face: she has figured out Avery isn’t a regular alpha. She must have done it when she realized the clone was acting weird, and now she has confirmation.

“AHA!” Jinora exclaims. “Magic! I knew you were special, and what is this? Why are you two sharing a bed?”

Not knowing how to respond to that, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. “It’s not what it looks like! I can explain!”

Avery snorts, which isn’t helping. I can feel him smile against the back of my head, and even Jinora looks unconvinced. Her expression is smug, and she must know what is happening here.

“So you and the big guy, huh?”

I smile hesitantly. “Well…”

Jinora keeps assessing us, freezing, when she notices Avery’s giant hand engulfing mine.

She looks at me. “Our alpha is kinda possessive of you.”

Is he?

To my surprise, Avery responds with a growl. “I am, and I make no apology for it…”

I blush at that.

Honestly, I don’t hate that Avery is possessive. I like how warm and cuddly he is being towards me this morning. I don’t understand what has changed, but I’m not complaining.

“Oh, so is this a Game Of Thrones Moment?”

“What?! We aren’t related!” Avery barks from above my head and tightens his grip around me. I’m choking in his arms, but he doesn’t seem to notice my kicking legs because of his irritation. “And if you tell anyone about this, then you’re dead, Jinora!”

Jinora snickers and speaks smugly. “To me, it looks like Lydia is the one going to be dead, alpha.”

Avery FINALLY peers down at me then and notices me trying to free my nose from his arm clamping down on it. He immediately stops holding me, and I gasp for air.

My eyes are watery, and my lungs are burning. “For a second, I thought I was going to die!” I peer up at a blinking Avery with quivering l!ps. “Were you trying to kill me?”

His eyes turn guilty, and suddenly I have an alpha fussing over me. He lifts himself from the bed and looks me over with worried eyes. I’ve never seen him wear that expression before.

“I’m sorry,” his voice is deep and husky. “It’s easy to forget my inhuman strength with my vampire side newly awakened. Are you alright? Should I heal you? Are you hurting anywhere?”

I blush when he gazes deeply into my eyes with something resembling concern. It gets my heart going too. I’m so mind-blown by his soft side that I’m left speechless.

Is this how Avery treats the person he likes?

He told me he had an ex-girlfriend who left him for her mate. It fills my heart with sadness. If Avery is this sweet to me and I replace another mate, it would devastate me because the big guy is finally opening up to me.

But Kade told me the heart of Chang’e blocks the mate bond, so maybe I don’t need to worry yet?

“I’m fine,” I smile up at him. “Just go easy on me.”

His l!ps curl. “You’re such a weakling, so it might be hard.”

I don’t get mad. I can tell by the playfulness in Avery’s eyes that he is just messing with me.

“Try,” I pat his chest, and my face grows how when I notice Jinora grinning in the background. “And you might want to stop giving me those bedroom eyes with Jinora in the same room…”

He takes my hand, pressing it over his chest. I can feel his heartbeat thud solid and quick. My inner wolf responds to it, wanting more than just some touching, but I shut her out.

Avery, however, seems to share her idea. “Should I… Toss her out the door? Jinora, I mean…”

My l!ps part and I look up at him, startled. “Avery!”

He chuckles and brings my hand to his l!ps. A k!ss is pressed to my cold knuckles. “It was worth a try,” then, without turning around, he speaks to the other werewolf in the room. “What brings you here, Jinora? I refuse to believe it was only Lydia you wanted to see, or you wouldn’t be stupid enough to stay in my room.”

“Hey!” I grumble. “That’s rude!”

“Rude?” Avery questions. “Jinora is perfectly capable of understanding that my room is a private place. Another alpha would have her hanged for even coming here.”

“That’s true…” Jinora says and actually looks nervous. She won’t meet Avery’s eyes, reminded that he is the alpha. “I came here because the vampires have announced war on us, alpha. The beta and the gamma are busy informing the others while I came here to tell you. But since your clone disappeared.”

“My clone passed on the information,” Avery says coldly. I notice his tone is authoritative when speaking to Jinora. “Arrange a meeting between all the pack members and me. I think it’s time I cleared up something.”

Jinora nods but then grimaces. “What about your father?”

“f**k, Jinora,” Avery rumbles. I don’t know what is going on, but Avery looks irritated, and his face is red. “I’m not going to announce that Lydia and I are a couple—I’m going to tell everyone that I’m a hybrid!”

“Oh!” Jinora burst out. “Got it,” she winks and heads for the door. “I will gather everyone in the garden for you. And Lydia?”

“Yes?”

She grins. “You sure scored with that man of yours—I’m jealous. If you replace your mate, hand him over to me, okay?”

Avery growls and barks like a rabid dog. “I’m not an item to be traded over! And Lydia won’t replace her true mate! I won’t accept it!”

Jinora laughs as she closes the door. “Sure, sure! I expect nothing less from my alpha!”

Once we are alone, Avery sighs while I curiously look up at him. He is still lying beside me, propped up on his elbows. I reach out my hand to touch the dark hair falling into his forehead.

“You won’t accept it, huh?”

Color immediately burns his face, and I turn smug. Seeing Avery’s embarrassed face is amusing. He is such a fearsome alpha. Strong and large. Entirely male with pumped muscles. Yet he can make such an expression. It’s endearing.

“The more time I spend with you, the more I like you,” Avery glances down at me with a growing frown. “What worries me is the not aging bit… I don’t know when it will stop, but it will… Not to mention that I’m a bloodsucker and no longer eat human food.”

I study his features, smiling softly. “I don’t care about the bloodsucking part that you’re a hybrid… The not aging part is worrying, though. And also the fact that I might have a—”

I can’t finish my sentence, but he already knows if I’m to judge from his pained expression.

There is a mate for me out there somewhere. The heart of Chang’e keeps me from that bond for now, yet I’m scared this might get in our way. My mother told me the mate bond is like no other, and I’m fully aware that my heart’s will might change if I experience it.

That thought saddens me. A life with Avery could be sweet and full of pleasure. I love how he teases me and the rumble of his laugh. Every morning I look forward to seeing his rare moments of smiles and the feel of his skin against mine.

If the mate bond never crashed over me? I would be happy to accept Avery as my mate.

If I’m lucky, I won’t meet my true mate before the claiming ceremony. That way, Avery can freely claim me without complications or breaking my heart by ripping me away from a mate.

Avery strokes his hand over my back. “Do you like me?”

I smile. “I’ve done that from the start.”

He breathes a laugh through his nose. “I think it was more a ‘big fan’ thing when we first met.”

“Oh,” I avert my eyes, embarrassed. “That’s true, but… I was always interested in you.”

“I’m glad… It would be terrible if I forced you into dating me, and you just accepted because I’m the alpha… That’s not the case, right?”

“You would have your answer if you read my mind.”

“I don’t want to pry inside your head…” Avery mutters. “I want to hear it coming from you.”

My l!ps tip upward at that, and I replace his eyes. Avery looks uncertain, and I let my emotions roll out in the following sentence. Saying it with as much passion as I can.

“I like you, Avery, and you’re not forcing me into anything.”