My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 73

Josie

I’m counting the minutes before I turn eighteen. It won’t be long now. Misha is sitting by my side in my bed, and I glance his way when he looks at me. There is a mischievous gleam in his eye, but he is wearing a smile.

“What?” I ask.

Amusement crosses over his face at my accusing tone. “Do you want your eighteenth present now?”

“Uh…” he didn’t bring anything with him, so I doubt he actually got me something. Yet I ask. “Did you get me a present?”

“No, but I’m going to create something for you,” Misha doesn’t explain what he means but keeps his mysterious smile. He is definitely plotting something. “What is your favorite creature? It can be a normal animal, a mythological beast, or anything. Just name it.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

Despite my suspicion, I smile his way. “Definitely dragons. I’ve always admired your dad from afar whenever he has shape-shifted.”

“Mhm, I have yet to learn how to shape-shift into a dragon, but I should let my dad teach me if you like dragons that much.”

I laugh. “Why do you care what I think?”

Musha doesn’t respond. His hands are pressed together but open right by the thumbs. He blows cold air into his closed palms, which creates a layer of frost on the outside of his hands. It’s all very breathtaking, and I stare at him.

“W-what are you doing?” I haven’t seen magic this close, so I’m nervous.

“I’m making you familiar,” Misha explains gently. “You should treat the little ice dragon well because I’m giving you a piece of my heart and soul. He will be his own creature, but he is still a part of me. A mighty ice dragon.”

“Ice dragon?”

My eyes widen when Misha opens his hand to reveal a tiny little in the palm of his hand. It doesn’t look like a baby but like a miniature version of a giant flying beast. It’s made entirely from ice, yet I have a feeling it won’t freeze even if I touch it.

“It’s so beautiful…” I whisper. “Is it alive?”

“Of course, it’s alive.”

Once the ice dragon sees me, it chirps and spreads its wings in what must be its way of trying to appear mighty. I laugh, and the creature jumps off Misha’s hand to land in my lap. A flutter occurs in my chest, and I watch the dragon as it curls up on my left thigh.

“I can’t believe this is happening…” I whisper. “It feels like a hallucination…”

“The ice dragon is as real as me,” Misha says gently and chuckles. “With him by your side, I’m never far away. As I said, he is a piece of me.”

A bubble of joy lifts from my chest. I’m using my fingers to stroke the small dragon. He is such a wonderful gift, and I have no idea why Misha would give me part of his soul.

“This gift is too much…” I’m smiling so hard it hurts. “I love the dragon and will name him Frostie.”

“I’m glad you like him.”

I lift my eyes to Misha’s glowing red. He is smiling and seems to… be waiting for something.

It doesn’t take long to figure out what it is. The mate bond hits me full force one split second later. I look at Misha, and even though I found him attractive before, it’s amplified now. My whole chest is purring at the sight of him, and I freeze in my place.

“You knew…” I whisper in realization.

Misha doesn’t say anything. He probably knows I need a moment to calm down. Honestly, I need a full year. I thought of the possibility of Misha being my mate, but having it confirmed hits me differently.

Suddenly my head is spinning with countless thoughts of the future. It’s way too early to think of those things, yet I can’t help myself.

Does he want a wedding?

A big family?

What about children?

I want to have a baby, and simply admitting that myself threats tears to spill from my eyes because… does Misha want that? The thought of being mated to someone who, deep inside, hates me hurts.

Misha might be kind to me now, but I get it now! It is because of the mate bond! That’s why he has been acting nice! And realizing it’s not because of me and who I am but because of the bond is a hard punch to the face. Misha doesn’t actually like me…

s**t, this is actually terrible news.

I can’t become a mom and have Misha be the dad to our child. A surge of longing fills me, but if I give in to the mate bond, I will be tied to Misha forever and ever. It frightens me…

Once we have fulfilled the mate bond and I’ve given birth to a baby, the power of the bond dims down. That thought is the scariest thing ever because Misha is going to dislike me even more then! I will be stuck with him looking at me like I’m dirt for the rest of my freaking life!

I can’t bring a baby to that sort of life… the mate bond exists for two people to mate, to make a baby. Perhaps not everyone wants children, but that is the purpose of the mate bond. At least its how it all began. It existed to tell you who you would produce the strongest offspring with, but then it later evolved into a soulmate kind of thing.

But Misha definitely can’t be my soulmate. He hates me!

“What are you thinking about?” Misha asks and brings me back to reality from that dark, dark space in the back of my mind.

“I’m just…” I dry a tear with my finger. “Confused…”

Misha considers my words for a moment, then nods. “Understandable. I will give you some time and space to figure this out. And if you later decide you’re unhappy having me as your mate, don’t hesitate to tell me. We can always reject the bond.”

Something shatters within me hearing those words. It’s not that I don’t like Misha; I don’t know how he feels about me! Thinking about what Misha might want leaves me with a headache because I have absolutely no clue what is going on inside his head!

“No, I’m… Misha… I—” the words trail off my tongue when I realize Misha is already opening the window. “You’re leaving?”

He looks over his shoulder. His smile is gone, and left are his severe eyes that actually look scary. “It’s late, and I’m not stupid. I know you don’t wish to sleep with me—we don’t have that kind of relationship. So yes, I’m leaving because we both will be miserable if I stick around.”

I wouldn’t be miserable if he stayed! Would he be miserable if he stuck around? Well, that settles it! Misha really does hate me and can’t even stay inside the same room long enough to replace out how I feel!

Pain slices me up from within, yet I somehow manage to look up at Misha and smile, “Good night.”

Misha doesn’t smile back. “Good night, Josie.”

With that, Misha jumps down from my window, leaving me with the strange ice dragon in my lap. It lifts its head when the first tear drips down from my cheek, and I smile sadly at it.

“I’ve always wanted to replace my fated mate. It’s something to be celebrated if it happens, but it seems like Misha hates me… it hurts, you know. More than you can imagine. Why did he come here? Only to wait for the mate bond to settle down and then let me know he is miserable with me?”

Miserable.

I make Misha miserable.

The dragon chirps, and I sob.

“No, you’re wrong!” I tell the dragon because somehow I understand what it’s saying. “Misha didn’t hand you over because he loves me. I suspect he gifted me with a familiar, so he doesn’t have to watch me himself. And that will spare him from feeling miserable around me!”

My words cut like knives, and more tears gather in my eyes. I’m sadder than ever, and not even the little dragon rubbing against my chest can save me from the sorrow inside me.

I wish I didn’t make Misha miserable. He is my mate, but… that doesn’t seem to matter.