Hands Off? He's My Brother!

Theodore, the "campus heartthrob" everyone was talking about, was my fraternal twin.

Our parents split up when we were 13.

I chose to stay with Dad, an Alpha who led our pack.

Theodore chose Mom, a driven Beta who remarried and moved to another city.

My parents were both gifted, yet somehow, they ended up having me, the most worthless Omega.

On the first day of school, Theodore came to see me.

"Don't tell anyone you're my sister. Keep a low profile at school, and don't come looking for me."

I asked why.

Even though we'd lived apart for years, we still got together as a family every holiday, and we got along fine.

"Are you embarrassed to have an Omega for a sister?"

He shook his head.

"You listed Dad as your emergency contact. If I hang around you too much, people will figure it out.

"I even bought suppressants to hide my Alpha bloodline. I don't want anyone knowing Dad is an Alpha.

"That kind of status would draw too much attention at school. I want to earn respect on my own."

"Fine. So what do I get for keeping quiet?"

I held out my hand like a total brat.

Speechless, Theodore pinched the bridge of his nose, then tossed me a debit card.

"When you run out, just text me."

I watched him walk off, trying to look cool, and shrugged.

What a guy. He never says what he really means.

For a long time after that, we kept our distance in public without ever having to talk about it.

No one would have connected an unremarkable Omega like me with Theodore, the campus star.

That changed when Scarlett, the cheer captain, fell for Theodore.

She hired a hacker to break into Theodore's phone and read the "explicit" messages we'd exchanged on an app.

She was furious.

That was how I ended up here, surrounded by Scarlett and a few others.

I'd seen the girls behind her before.

They were some of Theodore's most obsessive fans.

They crowded around me and bombarded me with vicious questions.

"Why do you have a key to Theodore's place? And why do you get to stay over every night?

"What dirty trick did you pull to get Theodore to lend you the Porsche he just bought? That car is his baby!"

They drove me back a few steps, but I forced myself to stay calm.

"You've got one thing wrong. I don't need to threaten or trick Theodore. He's my brother...

"That's all perfectly normal between siblings, isn't it?"

At first, I'd wanted to keep my promise to Theodore and protect his secret.

But now, with this pack of girls looking ready to tear me apart, I sold Theodore out on the spot and told them everything.

But Scarlett just sneered.

"Oh, please. I knew you'd say that!"

She pulled out a file she'd prepared and threw it down in front of me.

"I already checked. You have different last names, your school files list different parents as emergency contacts, and your records give different hometowns. How could you possibly be siblings?"

I was about to explain that it was because our parents were divorced, but her sidekicks cut me off.

Several of them pointed at me angrily.

"She's right! That's obviously just an excuse!"

"This is ridiculous! A lowly Omega claiming a top Beta is her brother! That's the funniest joke I've heard all year!"

Fed up with their accusations, I pulled out my phone.

"Fine! If you don't believe me, I'll call Theodore right now and let him tell you the truth himself!"

When they saw my phone, a few of them hesitated.

But Scarlett was sure she had me. She folded her arms.

"Go ahead. If you can get Theodore to admit right here that you're his sister, I'll apologize for everything I've done!"

Glaring at them, I dialed the familiar number.

But all I got was an automated female voice:

"The person you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please try again later."

I pressed a hand to my forehead.

Only then did I remember that Theodore's team was at a three-day closed-door training camp ahead of the national collegiate hockey championship, and the coach had collected everyone's phones.

Seeing me flustered and helpless, Scarlett got even cockier.

"See that, everyone? Theodore won't even pick up her calls!"

I was at my wits' end, with no idea what to do.

That was when Gerald, who had been watching silently from the crowd, finally stepped forward.