My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 53

Jinora

I can’t believe it. The day I’ve always dreamed of has come—my fated mate is standing before me. He is a handsome alpha from another pack, and his name is Max.

“Hi,” Max smiles at me under the radiant sky. “How are you doing?”

My eyes narrow, but I don’t give him an answer. Instead, I let my eyes roam over his face, and then I realize that… I don’t want him. The mate bond might be blazing between us, but there isn’t any love here. Max is a complete stranger.

And say what you want, but the mate bond won’t automatically make me throw myself at him. No, not me. My heart already belongs to Kade. Max isn’t the one I want at all, and I slowly shake my head.

“No.”

Max blinks down at me. “No?”

“I don’t want this.”

“You don’t want what?”

Max looks at me like I’ve grown two heads, and I hold my breath in an attempt to ward off the panic attack taking over. It doesn’t work. Not one bit. Standing here makes me anxious, and I must create distance between us before I pass out.

I take a step away from Max and look over my shoulder.

Lydia, Avery, and Kade are standing further away. My best friend looks uncertain but happy for me, Avery is smiling too, but Kade is staring down at the ground with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

His purple eyes have conflicted emotions swarming within them. I can see it from a mile away. Kade is in pain, and that hurts me. We might not be fated mates, but does it matter?

No—that’s my answer. It doesn’t matter that the moon goddess hasn’t chosen that Kade and I shouldn’t be together. That’s my decision, and the future is in my hands only.

“I’m sorry, Max, you’re probably a great person, but I can’t become your mate,” I look up at the confused alpha and take a deep breath. “I, Jinora of the Grimfang pack, reject you, Max, as my mate.”

Shock seeps into Max’s face, and for a moment, he looks devastated, but then he breathes a laugh. “Is this truly what you want?”

I nod.

He forces a smile. “Alright… I, Max, alpha of the Moontail clan, accept your rejection. The mate bond is herby broken,” those dark brown eyes of his meet mine. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I do,” I tell him matter-of-factly. “I’m choosing true love instead of letting some dumb moon goddess pick my mate for me.”

Max laughs again. “I actually do have a girlfriend myself,” he sheepishly shrugs. “Perhaps I claim her as mine? We agreed on breaking up after replaceing our true mates.”

I pat his shoulder. “Do me a favor and mark that girlfriend of yours before she mates with someone else.”

“Alright.”

We both grin at each other, and then I turn around, expecting Kade to look happy at what I’ve done. Unfortunately, that’s not the kind of scene I’m met with.

Lydia is nervously smiling at me while Avery looks like he is about to burst out laughing, probably because my mind-reading bastard of an alpha knew this would happen…

And Kade? He looks downright furious. I can almost hear what he is thinking as he glares at me: you’ve made a colossal mistake not picking your destined mate, Jinora.

Kade’s shoulders are tense, and I wince when, for the first time, I realize how intimidating he looks. Especially now that he is pissed off, which must be because he fears I’ve made the wrong choice.

The mate bond is considered sacred, and I’ve rejected my fated mate—some pack members will laugh at me later. Some will call me crazy. But f**k them all—Kade is worth it!

I focus my eyes on him. “Kade—”

The lycan alpha makes a “tsk” sound and turns around to leave without even looking at me.

Lydia, however, calls after him. “Kade, where are you going?”

He sighs but doesn’t stop walking. “I’m heading back to the mansion. See you guys there.”

“Oh,” Lydia blinks in bafflement. “See you, I guess?”

Avery and Lydia look after Kade, but I don’t wait around. I have no idea what his problem is, but I intend to replace out.

“Hey, a*****e!” I shout after Kade. “Stop!”

I run toward Kade, who doesn’t stop. He shape-shifts into his white lycan, looks at me hastily, and then runs off into the woods. It pisses me off, and I clench my fists.

“Talk to me, you f*****g a*****e!”

My frustration makes me kick a rock. I don’t know why Kade fled the scene, but I’m grateful when Avery walks up to me with Lydia. My best friend gives me a simple smile, but luckily Avery has all the answers I’m looking for, and today, he realizes I need them.

“Kade didn’t run away because he hates you. Neither is he mad at you,” Avery calmly tells me. When his eyes meet mine, his lips lift into a weak, pained smile. “Kade ran because he is afraid he has ruined everything for you, Jinora.”

Growling, I throw my hands in the air in an exasperated gesture. “The man needs to get better at communication because he is acting as if he doesn’t want me.”

“I know…” Avery says,

I look up at him. “What else can you tell me from having read Kade’s mind? Anything I should know?”

Avery usually doesn’t gossip about what other people are thinking, but Lydia nods her head as if to tell him I need it. So he focuses his odd-colored eyes on me and talks.

“Kade expected you two to become mates through a claiming, have a baby, and be… A normal couple. But now he is questioning everything since you had a fated me. Kade is afraid he has ruined your future. he also doesn’t know if you will be able to give birth to a hybrid baby, and then there seems to be some sort of vision bothering him.”

I pout and feel a tinge of unhappiness bite. “If that is true, then Kade should talk to me… We could sort things out…”

Lydia places a hand on my back. “Hey, Kade will come around. Just give him some time, and in the meantime, let’s focus on going home. I’m going to set up a bath for you and do your nails, anything to take your mind off that a*****e for just running off.”

I laugh. “I would like that very much.”

Who needs Kade when I have a friend like Lydia? Not me. He can be angry all he wants; I won’t chase him. Nope. Kade will have to come to me and apologize for running off, or I won’t take him back.

Lycan boy needs to come to me, not the other way around. I’ve done my part. Will he do his?