Is he my best friend's brother?

~Elara

I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck.

Every muscle ached. My core throbbed with a deep, satisfied soreness, and my ass… God, even moving made me wince in pain.

I groaned softly and raised my hand to block the bright sunlight streaming through my window. That’s when I realized someone was sitting on the edge of my bed.

“Mum?”

My eyes adjusted and there she was, my mother, watching me with a mix of concern and that knowing look only mothers have.

I blinked slowly. “Wait… I’m home? How did I get here? I was at Aria’s…”

Mum sighed and brushed some hair from my forehead. “Aria brought you back. She said she found you sleeping like a log on her couch. She struggled to carry you to her car and drive you here. You didn’t even stir.”

I tried to sit up and immediately hissed in pain. My body protested every movement. As I shifted, I caught a whiff of my own skin, I smelled fresh, like I’d been gently bathed with my favorite soap.

My clothes were back on too, neatly dressed in one of my oversized t-shirts and soft shorts.

My cheeks burned.

Gosh… this could only mean one thing. Either Aria or that stranger had cleaned me up and dressed me after everything we did. The thought made me want to disappear into the mattress.

Mum continued, “Aria said you were completely knocked out. She was worried but didn’t want to wake you and now you slept overnight.”

Did she know I fucked someone?

I covered my face with both hands, mortified. If Aria had walked in and seen me naked and covered in cum in that room… I didn’t even want to think about it.

Mum moved closer. Her fingers gently touched the side of my neck, right where I remembered the sharp bite. I flinched.

“Care to explain this, dear?” she said softly. “You’ve been marked.”

My eyes widened. I reached up and felt the slightly raised, sensitive spot. A mate mark.

Mum’s expression softened. “And I can feel it… your wolf is stable now, calm. Like she finally found what she’s been searching for.”

I smiled weakly, trying to play it off even as my heart raced. “No… that stranger can never be my…”

“Stranger?” Mum interrupted, raising an eyebrow. “So there’s a specific person?”

I quickly looked away. “I’ll tell you the whole story later, Mum. I promise. Right now I really need to see Aria and explain what happened.”

She studied me for a long moment, then nodded. “Alright. But don’t think we’re not having a proper conversation when you get back. And take it easy, you look like you’ve been thoroughly… handled.”

My face heated up again. I mumbled something incoherent and slowly got out of bed, wincing with every step.

My thighs were sore, my neck tingled where he’d bitten and marked me, and deep down I could feel my wolf purring contentedly, completely at peace for the first time in my life.

As I headed toward the bathroom to freshen up before going to see Aria, one question kept echoing in my head.

Who the hell was that guy?

And why did the thought of never seeing him again feel so wrong?

I headed to school in a hoodie today, oversized, with a baggy, zero effort. I didn’t even attempt to look sexy.

My body was still sore in places I didn’t want to think about, and my glasses… I had no idea where they were. Probably still in that stranger’s room.

I slipped into class just as they were introducing a new microbiology professor. He was tall, well dressed, and trying too hard to be cool. “Y’all can call me Professor Kane. He's thirty-nine years young…” blah blah blah. I didn’t even register most of it.

My mind was still replaying everything that happened yesterday, the biting, the fucking, the way he marked me. I barely heard a word he said.

The moment class ended, I pulled Aria aside in the hallway. “Aria… care to explain what happened yesterday?”

She blinked. “When I went to get my package, it took longer than I expected. Traffic and all that. When I came back, you were passed out on the couch. I tried waking you but you were completely gone, so I carried your heavy ass to the car and drove you home.”

I froze.

He was the one who washed me. He dressed me. He cleaned up all the evidence of what we did.

“Shit!” I screamed, loud enough that a few students turned to stare.

Aria’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong? El, you’re scaring me.”

“Nothing,” I lied quickly, heart pounding. “It’s nothing.”

She shrugged, clearly not believing me, then grinned. “Anyway, did you see the new professor? He’s so fucking hot. Like, silver fox vibes but still young enough to…”

I was already walking away, heading straight for the door. She ran after me.

“El, wait! I forgot to tell you something. My step brother is coming back home.”

I halted mid step, my blood turning to ice. “Coming back… or already came back?”

Aria smiled. “No, today. He should be arriving later this evening.”

I let out a long, shaky breath. Thank the Moon Goddess. I would have literally died, or committed suicide if I had just fucked my best friend’s brother without knowing.

“What’s the big deal about him coming back anyway?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

Aria’s expression turned serious. She lowered her voice as we walked. “He’s been out of town since he was thirteen. They sent him away because of this old prophecy. They say he’s going to kill my father one day… and that he’ll be the end of the entire pack.” She sighed. “They even call him cursed because he’s a hybrid, don't tell anyone I'm not even supposed to be telling you all this.”

I stopped walking again. “A hybrid?” My voice came out sharper than I intended. “You mean vampire and werewolf?”

Aria nodded slowly, looking uncomfortable. “Yeah. The only one in existence, as far as we know. That’s why my dad exiled him. Everyone was terrified of what he would become.”

My stomach dropped.

Perhaps the man I let fuck me raw yesterday, the one who bit me, marked me, and made me cum harder than I ever had in my life was a hybrid. A prophesied destroyer.

And he was Aria’s step brother.

I touched the mark on my neck through the hoodie, feeling it tingle under my fingers.

Never, Aria said he's coming just today.

We headed to the training ground after the last lecture. I was still moving a bit stiffly, but I tried my best to hide it.

I’m lucky enough to be the captain of the ladies’ basketball team, so I had to at least show up and look like I had my shit together.

Aria kept talking as we walked toward the court. The afternoon sun was blazing, and I pulled my hoodie tighter around me, hiding the mark on my neck.

“So my dad wanted him to take over the school as soon as he comes back,” Aria said, dribbling a ball absentmindedly. “You know, be the new face of the pack or something. But he refused. He said he’ll handle the political matters instead. He doesn’t want anything to do with the school.”

I nodded slowly, trying to keep my voice casual. “Then… you don’t know what to expect? You were so young when he was sent away. You could barely recognise him back then. What if he’s all wicked now? You know… like this evil step brother type.”

Aria laughed lightly, but there was a hint of nervousness in it. “Honestly, you can read my mind now? I don’t know either. He was already kind of dark and intense before he left like I heard. Now? After 20 years of being a hybrid out there alone… I’m lowkey scared too. But he’s still my brother, El. Step or not.”

I swallowed hard.

The soreness between my legs and in my ass pulsed as if reminding me. I wanted so badly to just blurt it out, “Was there a guy at your house yesterday? Tall, tattoos, grey hair, built like a god? Because I think I let your step brother helped me destroy my obsessive heat.”

But the words wouldn’t come. Should I just forget about this guy? Pretend it never happened?

My wolf growled inside me at the thought. The mark on my neck burned hotter, like it was rejecting the idea completely. He had called me his. And some traitorous part of me had liked it.

I picked up a basketball and started shooting lazy warm-up shots, mostly to avoid looking at Aria. Every jump hurt in the most delicious, filthy way.

“You okay?” Aria asked, squinting at me. “You’ve been weird since yesterday. And what’s with the hoodie? You never dress like this.”

“I’m fine,” I lied, forcing a smile. “Just… that heat really messed me up. I’m still recovering.”

She nodded sympathetically, but I could tell she wasn’t fully convinced.

Inside my head, the questions kept spinning.

What if he’s really the monster they say he is?

What if he already knows who I am?

What if he comes for me again?

And the scariest question of all… What if I want him to?