My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 66

Josie

Dear Misha,

Today I braided my red hair like a real girl, and I’m even wearing a dress even though I hate it since I’ve always been a tomboy. But I forced myself to do this because I’m going on a date with Asher tonight.

He is convinced he will take your place as alpha when Avery holds the alpha tournament in a couple of weeks. But Asher is wrong because I will compete in it and win.

—Those were the lines I wrote in my diary earlier. I write to Misha often. It makes me feel less dead on the inside. It’s weird, but… I feel as if time passes, but I’m not really here.

I sigh.

“I should be with Asher right now… Don’t hate me, but I’m dating him, and he is my date for the graduation ball…”

Like always, Misha doesn’t answer. I stare down at his rock with a sad smile and feel my chest constrict. Now is the time for celebration since I will graduate high school in a couple of weeks, but I feel dead inside.

I will turn eighteen in a week, but I’m not celebrating. My mom, Jinora, is excited because this means I can finally replace a mate. My dad is happy for me too, but my head is a mess.

I can’t stop thinking about auntie Lydia and how Misha, her oldest son and my childhood friend, never had the chance to turn eighteen. Misha never even had the chance to attend college. It makes me feel guilty. He was one year older than me, well… a couple of months, really. We weren’t far apart at all, but since he was born a different year than me, I just say he is a year older.

Silently, I bend down to place a bouquet of red roses by the gravestone with Misha’s name written on it. I blame myself for his death, and my greatest shame is that I’m the reason why my auntie Lydia cries herself to sleep every night.

It’s been seven years since her son, Misha, disappeared. He would have turned eighteen a few months ago, and although Lydia has two daughters, she still lights candles by Misha’s grave every night.

It hurts knowing I’m part of the reason Misha ran. I was so young back then, and I treated him unfairly, but even though I did that, Lydia never blamed me for her son’s disappearance.

She is too good of a person to do that.

“Your mom is pretty amazing,” I say as I bend down to swipe some dirt away from Misha’s name. “She misses you a lot. We all do. And if I could go back in time, then… I would have been nicer to you. I remember the day you disappeared. I was excited since I had just learned how to shape-shift that month. I tackled you to the ground, and I… I was stupid, Misha, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

As I say those words, frost forms over the green grass underneath my shoes, and I blink since that’s impossible.

It’s not cold enough for ice! What the heck?!

The ice is there when I look closer at the grass, but it’s perfectly still. It has to have been there from the start! I must have hallucinated that part when it was spreading over the grass…

Perhaps I haven’t gotten enough sleep?

“Josephine?”

I turn around when I hear Lydia’s voice, and then I see her walking through the garden with a colorful bouquet for Misha. Lydia always smiles, but I know she is hurting inside.

“Good morning,” I tell her and nod at the flowers. “Nice flowers. I’m sure Misha will appreciate them.”

Lydia’s bottom l*p trembles, but she forces a smile and keeps walking forward with her bouquet. “He always liked blue and white, so I thought this mixture suited him.”

“They are nice flowers,” I agree.

Lydia keeps the smile and bends down to place the flowers on Misha’s grave. Her smile grows when she notices the roses I put on the ground. I fear she will cry, but she doesn’t.

Instead, Lydia lifts her chin. “I’m glad I’m not the only one giving Misha flowers. Avery is tired of coming here, but… he is hurting too. You never truly get over the grief of losing your child.”

I slump my shoulders and sigh. “I still blame myself…”

“Don’t,” Lydia shakes her head. “What happened isn’t your fault, and I’m sure Misha wouldn’t blame you if he were here. He ran away because we all… we all mistreated him.”

Tears run down Lydia’s face, and I hug her tiny frame without hesitation. She is shaking, and soon, we are both sobbing. I have somewhere to be, but I can’t leave Lydia when she is this emotional.

She needs this hug, and honestly, I need it too…

***

“You’re late for breakfast. It’s more of a lunch date now.”

Asher watches me like a hawk when I enter the restaurant, following me as I walk up to the table. He is a gorgeous man with dark, thick hair and a face to die for, but I doubt we will be mates.

“Hello, you too,” I say. “Sorry, I’m late.”

I take a seat in front of him and give him a stressed smile. We are eating at an Italian restaurant for our date, which feels a bit too fancy for breakfast, but whatever.

I know Asher only treats me to expensive food because he is trying to get laid. I’ve heard him talk with his friends, but I’m saving myself for my mate. Dating is acceptable, but it won’t go further than that…

“I’ve waited an entire hour for you to arrive,” Asher says and crosses his arms over his broad chest.

“Yeah, sorry about that…” I nervously laugh. “I had a lot of things to take care of this morning…”

“Like going to visit Misha’s grave?” Asher lifts his water glass to his lips and drinks while eyeing me.

I grimace. “Yeah…”

“The guy is dead, Josephine. You should stop obsessing about leaving him flowers and focus on the alpha tournament. Everyone I know is training for it, and you must also practice.”

I roll my eyes, smirking. “Please, Asher. I’m the strongest werewolf in the pack after Avery. No one stands a chance of beating me.”

Asher shrugs. “You never know. Rumor has it Avery is letting the other packs send their heirs to compete over the title. He doesn’t care about your background as long as you know how to fight.”

“Is that so?” I ask.

“Mhm,” he breaks out into a wicked smile. “I bet he is relieved that his son is gone—Misha would have died trying to defend his title as alpha if he were here. That little weakling—”

I slam the table to interrupt him. “Take that back!”

Asher stares at me like I’m crazy. “Take what back? That Misha was a little weakling? Because that’s stupid. Even you know the truth: Misha was dead weight.”

“He wasn’t dead weight!” I’m so angry that I’m shaking and immediately stand up from the table. “And you’re such a jerk for saying that! Misha was my best friend, and you’re so f*****g disrespectful for mentioning him on our date, Asher! We discussed this: you would stop talking about Misha, and I would go out with you!”

Asher stands up from the table too. By now, people are staring, yet Asher doesn’t care. He raises his voice. “Oh please, I mention him once, and you lose your goddamn mind? How is that fair?!”

“He is dead, Asher!” I’m close to tears. “You should respect Misha and not talk s**t about him! And don’t think I don’t know he is the joke of the day among you and your stupid friends! I bet you guys were the ones who colored his gravestone blue on his birthday!”

“And so what if it was?” Asher doesn’t look regretful and laughs when I stare at him in disbelief. “Oh, come on! It was funny!”

“No, it was terrible! His mother had to clean it up!” I know because I arrived with flowers that morning, and Lydia was down on her knees, sobbing while wondering who would do such a thing.

“Ugh, f**k that, luna… she deserves it for being such a b***h. Did you hear she forbade us from picking on the omega in the pack? It’s weird, and once I’m the alpha, it will be legal to bully the omega again.”

Really?

Asher picked today to let all of his ugly colors show? He is a f*****g a*****e for the things he is saying right now!

“You’re a jerk…” I put on my jacket again. “And we should stop dating each other anyway—I will turn eighteen next week, and I doubt the moon goddess would make us mates. You’re too much of an…” I look him up and down. “An a*****e.”

Asher stares at me and scoffs. “You really think you’re better than me, Josephine? You’re the reason why Misha died.”

I turn to stone in my place, and then I look back at Asher, my heart freezing over. No fuzzy emotions are left, only liquid ice when I stare into his eyes. “Maybe you’re right, but at least I realize my mistake, and if I could go back in time, I would do things differently. I’m regretful—you’re not, and that’s the difference between us.”

Before Asher can reply, I head for the door with storm steps. I’m so done dating this i***t. I thought he had changed. For a month, Asher has treated me like a princess, but this? This just goes to show that some people never change.

Asher might be as handsome as the devil, but he has a screw loose, and I will be praying the moon goddess doesn’t match us. If he is my fated mate, I will commit suicide. Asher thinks our pups would be strong and healthy, and so does my dad, but I don’t want Asher.

I prefer to replace a mate with a soul.