CHAPTER 20

Latest chapter

• My Stepbrother, My Alpha Mate   CHAPTER 28

  RAINEI raised an eyebrow, my voice calm but laced with sharpness.“Sorry, why exactly are you calling me a copycat?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “And... do you realize how insanely rude it was to spit at me like that?”I wasn’t hiding my anger anymore. She just showed up and attacked me like I stole her damn throne.Celine narrowed her eyes, her arms still folded like she owned the whole castle hallway.“Because you copied my class,” she snapped. “I’m the one who started the makeup training for young she-wolves. During the meeting with the Elders, you didn’t mention of a second class. Yours isn’t even official.”I blinked slowly. So that’s what this was about?I took a long breath, then let out a short, bitter laugh. “Oh, so what, you’ve got spies following me around now to get intel?”She didn’t answer. I took a step closer. My voice dropped low, steady.“Let me explain something,” I said, locking eyes with her. “That makeup thing I’m doing? It’s not a formal class. I

• My Stepbrother, My Alpha Mate   CHAPTER 27

  RAINEI shook my head, then gently took her hand and placed the card right in her palm."This card became mine the moment he gave it to me. And that means I get to decide how I use it, and for who. I’m choosing to give you this chance.""So don’t hesitate. This isn’t wrong. This is a gift. It’s… your right as a person who deserves to feel loved by herself."For a second, I saw her eyes turn glassy, a little red around the edges. But she just nodded quickly, forcing a smile so it wouldn’t turn into tears.“Then… I’ll go now,” she said. “I want to buy it before class starts. And… if it’s okay, I wanna join the girls and learn too. I wanna know how to put those colors on my face. Maybe I’ll look a bit more alive.”This time, her laugh sounded lighter, like a small bird finally let out of its cage.I laughed with her. “Then hurry up and go.”She laughed again, even freer than before. Then hugged the little box with the card inside and walked away with light steps like a kid who just got t

• My Stepbrother, My Alpha Mate   CHAPTER 26

  RAINEThat morning, I woke up with my body still aching, like every bone inside me hadn’t been put back where it belonged. When I glanced at the clock hanging above the little table beside my bed, the short hand was pointing at 7 a.m.The feeling from last night still lingered in the air of my room, like a thin mist that refused to fade even as sunlight crept in through the curtains.I took a deep breath, then looked down at my naked body under the soft gray blanket. My skin was warm in certain spots, sore in others, and I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know the red marks on my neck and between my thighs had only gotten worse.Reluctantly, I pushed myself up from the bed. Every step felt like I was walking barefoot on burning coals. When I finally stood in front of the mirror, my hair was a tangled mess, and my face looked even paler than usual. But that wasn’t what made me stop breathing for a second.On the left side of my neck, the shape of teeth. I bit my lower lip to keep m

• My Stepbrother, My Alpha Mate   CHAPTER 25

  RAINEI kept staring at him. My gaze cold, unmoving, even though the wine in my hand was starting to warm in my grip. He didn’t rush to answer. Maybe he was choosing his words carefully, or maybe he just wanted to make it seem like he was trying hard to appear sincere.“All this time,” he finally said, “since the day we were fated as mates… I’ve never really talked to you properly. I mean formally.”His voice was a little quieter than usual. Not gentle. Just more composed, like he was talking in front of a council, not to the woman who was supposed to be his Luna.I didn’t respond right away. I just gave him a small nod and took a sip of wine.“So,” he went on, “I want to work with you. For the sake of Shadowfang Pack. For your safety, and mine.”I said nothing. My fingers swirled the deep red liquid in my glass, watching it like it held some kind of answer.And still, he kept talking.“Earlier… in the bedroom, before I raised my voice, you said something. About how I only want to get

• My Stepbrother, My Alpha Mate   CHAPTER 24

  RAINEI stared at him, my eyes burning.“You yelled at me?” My voice cracked, barely holding itself together. “You say you want to focus on getting me pregnant, but you still yell at me?”I didn’t wait for his response. I didn’t want to hear whatever excuse he had ready.I turned quickly and headed to the bathroom, my hands trembling as I twisted the shower knob. Cold water poured down instantly, washing over my skin like a silent storm.And that’s when I finally cried.The tears I’d been holding back since the first day I stood by Alpha Killian’s side spilled freely now, mixing with the water running down my face.But I wasn’t just crying about tonight. I was crying for every night I’d survived in this house since I was eight years old—since the day I moved into this pack and learned that home could be the loneliest and scariest place of all.I never liked him. Not as my stepbrother. And definitely not as the man who now claimed to be my fated mate.I remembered everything. How he us

• My Stepbrother, My Alpha Mate   CHAPTER 23

  RAINEFor the first time, I saw a real flicker of hope in their eyes. Not the fire of revenge, not the caution taught by a world that judges too fast... but light. Curiosity. Trust.I nodded. “We can learn together. I’m still learning too. I’ll share everything I know.”The small hand still holding mine tightened just a little, like she was trying to make sure this wasn’t just a dream. Her eyes welled up, but she quickly wiped them with the back of her thin hand.Asher, who had been silently standing nearby, stepped forward and crouched so he was level with them.“I don’t know how to do eyebrows yet,” he said, completely serious as always. “But if you want to learn how to dodge punches and land them back, I’m your guy.”One of the girls giggled. A soft, nervous laugh, quickly followed by another. It was light and real. The kind of laughter that warmed the training room that was usually cold, quiet, and full of pressure.By the time the class ended, the sun had dipped low in the sky, c