My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 84

Josie

I’m the first to shed my clothes, enter the lake, and walk through sand and seaweed. My hands are down in the water, dragging forward until the glittering water reaches my waist.

Behind me, I hear Misha speak. “I had forgotten how beautiful the human world can be…”

I pause my steps. “Will the sun be a problem for you?” I didn’t think that far. Misha is part vampire, and I have no clue how sensitive he is to the sunlight. All vampires are individually different.

“No… I’m not bothered…” he laughs, and I can hear him entering the water, threading through it until his deep, rumbling voice is right behind me. I love his laugh; it leaves shivers in its wake. “The vampire realm was just… darker. I’m not used to this much light.”

“Were there many vampires living in the realm?” I know that Misha went to another world when he disappeared. But I have no clue how the vampires live. Are they similar to the lycans: bound to live in darkness in some hostile world?

“Not many that are good, but plenty enough…”

“I see…” should I ask Misha about his plans for the lycans? Maybe later. This is supposed to be a date, not a political meeting.

Misha is playing with the water now, splashing behind me. Without looking, I’m guessing he is washing his face. “Once I’m the alpha, I’m going to invite the vampires to live in our city. Not all of them are bad.”

I don’t know what to say. I haven’t met enough vampires to judge, but Becky is friendly—if the others are like her, I see no problem with the vampires living in our city.

“So… I’ve been gone for a while,” Misha says. “Did a lot happen while I was away?”

I turn around, and while the bright orange sun makes it hard to see Misha’s features, I can feel him watching me.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

He chuckles. “I want to hear about you, Josephine Lobelia. What is your story? What happened after I left?”

“I… umm… I don’t think I have a story?” I’m thrown off guard by that question, and discomfort enters my chest. Will Misha replace me boring for not having some sob story or something?

To my surprise, he laughs again. “Everyone has a story.”

“Not me,” I shrug and squint at the sun, smiling toward him in the dazzling light. “I wish I was special. I wish I had some hobbies I could indulge in, like drawing, painting, baking… or cooking. But all I do is study, sleep and watch movies.”

“And drink sugary brews,” he points out.

I snort. “It’s called coffee… and have you been spying on me? I don’t remember buying coffee around you.”

I can see him wrinkling his nose. “Please… when half of your cup consists of vanilla syrup, it’s not coffee,” he steps closer, so close I have to tilt my head to see his eyes lit up by the sunset. “And yes, I spied on you the first day I was back home… does that freak you out?”

“It is rather freaky…” but I’m not surprised. “So, what else did you replace out about me? Anything interesting?”

He shrugs. “You have s**t taste in men.”

I laugh at loud at that. “Hey, don’t judge me for dating Asher!”

“He is an a*****e… did he really paint my grave?”

“He did…” I grimace at the memory. Lydia was devastated because of it. “I dated Asher because it was only fair to give him a chance. People change, you know?”

“Mhm, that’s true…” Misha hums. Am I crazy to think he sounds jealous of Asher? Probably. “I’ve just discovered a new thing about you: you don’t hold grudges, or you wouldn’t have given Asher a chance.”

I blush and smile shyly. “I suppose that’s true… I don’t hold grudges. Not for long, at least.”

“Did you, at some point, hope your mate would turn out to be Asher?”

“No,” I gaze into his eyes. “The guy is gorgeous. Asher ticked all of the what-Josie-replaces-hot boxes, but I’m not sorry to say his hot-guy abs don’t make up for his shitty personality.”

Misha growls. It’s low, so low that I wonder if I misheard it. He then scans my face, and I get the impression he is trying to read me. I wish he wasn’t doing that—trying to see past my walls. The sheer intensity of his eyes is making goosebumps prickle over my skin.

“What-Josie-replaces-hot boxes, huh?” Misha asks, repeating my words with distaste, not for me, but for Asher. “And what are those boxes? How would you describe your perfect mate?”

My lips curl into a teasing smile, and I swim into the water on my back. Misha follows me, eyes still intense and trying to figure me out. It feels nice knowing he is this interested in me.

“I’m not going to tell you,” I say as I relax to float on my back. I kick a little with my feet, propelling myself forward.

“Oh? Why is that?” Misha is following me, but he is standing and has no problem reaching the bottom.

“Well, because it’s embarrassing?”

I stop swimming and try to stand to test if I can reach the bottom. I’m not short, but I quickly realize I can’t get to the sand without gurgling water. So during my moment of weakness, I grab Misha. I sink my fingers into his shoulders and realize what I’m doing a little too late.

Misha now supports my entire weight, but he doesn’t seem bothered. The look on his face is surprised, and with gentle fingers, he slowly links my arms around his neck.

He watches me the entire time as if to check if I’m okay with this. I smile, and he picks me up into his arms. My legs wrap around his tapered waist on instinct. Our faces are inches apart, and my heart is squealing in delight, liking the nearness. I do too.

“You were wrong earlier,” Misha murmurs, and I try not to shudder when his hands move over my back.

“I was wrong?”

“Mhm,” he is still using that low, sultry tone. “You said you wish you were special, but I think you’re plenty special. It feels like I can be myself without judgment when I’m with you. Do you know why? Because my Josie isn’t judgemental.”

My heart flutters at the “my Josie” statement, and inside my chest, I don’t feel butterflies—no, the flutters I feel must be full-grown bats. I’m tingling all over, lost in Misha’s eyes.

“Are you saying you must pretend with everyone else?”

Misha’s lips twitch to form a brief smile that turns more serious when he speaks to me again. “Werewolves only follow a powerful and respectable alpha. I must think of the image I send out to the pack members. So around them, I’m more stern and quiet.”

He searches my face, looking as if he expects me to laugh. But I won’t. I want him to open up and smile to encourage him to continue, and he does, this time with more confidence.

“With you, I can joke, tease, and let my guard down.”

“You do that with Becky, too, though. I saw you two celebrate your victory earlier on the field today…” I mutter, not caring that I sound jealous and bitter.

I mean…

These are my honest feelings, and pretending they aren’t there won’t do me any good. Besides, Misha is my mate—MY mate—I can’t help that I’m rather territorial.

Misha chuckles and places a k**s on my forehead. It shocks me to the core, but I don’t hate it. I’m happy, and I swoon when he gazes at me with that trademark Misha grin.

“Becky is only my friend, but…” his eyes gleam with mischief. “I’m usually cold around her too.”

My eyes narrow. “You weren’t cold around Becky today. In fact, you looked all sorts of goofy posing for her…”

“I sure did, didn’t I?” he leans closer to my ear, whispering. “Do you wish to know a secret?”

Every hair raises to stand on the edge of my body. Somehow, I don’t have a good feeling about this.

“W-what are you saying?” I whisper, barely daring to hear the answer.

Misha chuckles dangerously close to my ear. He sounds dark and evil, and I shudder in his strong arms. “I might have done that just to make my mate jealous.”

I shriek. “You did what?!”

Misha laughs when I glare at him, and I hate that I replace his smile charming. Hate that I can’t be mad at him when he leans in close to brush those soft lips against my ear.

“I did what I had to do…” Misha teases in a whisper. I can feel his hot breath on my skin, and I squirm in his arms, realizing for the first time how f*****g built he is. Like I KNEW, but feeling his shoulders is different from merely looking.

I inhale sharply while unconsciously squeezing his biceps. When I speak, my voice comes out all breathy. “You’re actually evil…”

“I am,” he doesn’t even bother to hide it and smiles against my ear before kissing down a path to my neck. I shudder again, and he breathes a laugh at my reaction. “Being evil is a flaw of mine, but you’re my mate,” I can feel him smirking against my sensitive skin. “Surely you will accept me for who I am, won’t you, Josie?”