Mated to My Stepbrother After Bullied By His Mate

“Umm… Is this really what I have to wear?” I asked nervously, picking at my dress.

“Yeah, is there a problem?” Aiden smiled at me. “It’s perfect for the dance that we will be performing later.”

I’ve never worn anything quite this form-fitting… I feel so exposed.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell Aiden what the problem was. “No… No problem at all.”

Aiden looked me over from head to toe. “I think you look great. You’re going to outshine all the other girls at the Moon Goddess Festival!.” He winked at me.

Oh god, did he just wink at me? I’m sure he’s just trying to be friendly… He is my step brother after all.

“Hey, why the frown?” Aiden reached up and smoothed out my furrowed brow with a gentle touch.

I couldn’t help but to blush. I’m not used to being touched by anyone other than my mom..

“I… I’m just nervous for our dance performance later,” I said, turning away and trying to hide my blush.

“You’ll be fine. You practiced harder than anyone I’ve ever known. And our performance starts in…” Aiden paused to check his watch, “...two minutes. We gotta go!”

Aiden placed his hands on my arms and ushered me out of the room. All I could think about was how warm his hands were. It feels like there’s electricity shooting through his hands and into me…

We arrived on stage, just in time for the performance.

The spotlight turned on, nearly blinding me, and the music started playing. Aiden gave a small nod of reassurance, and my feet, having practiced for months now, started moving of their own accord.

Aiden held my waist tightly, his cedarwood scent utterly captivating. I was completely lost in our dance.

All I could hear was the music, until…

Thundering applause filled the hall, jolting me out of my reverie.

“You’re finally back on Earth,” Aiden teased me.

I let out a small laugh. “I’m sorry… I was just lost in the moment.” Dancing was one thing I really enjoyed. And with Aiden, somehow it just felt special.

“You did an amazing job today,” Aiden whispered before pulling me in for a hug and planting a kiss on my forehead, surprising me.

We rushed off the stage, and I turned to Aiden, wanting to thank him for reassuring me.

“Woah, look where you’re going! You don’t want to knock into anyone…” Aiden wrapped his arm around my shoulder and swiftly pulled me to his chest. “Or anything.”

My eyes widened as I saw the pole that I had been about to walk right into, and Aiden laughed. “Don’t worry, I got you.”

I laughed nervously. He’s holding me so tightly… Why is my heart racing so fast? I need to go somewhere else and cool down… I blurted, “I… have to use the restroom!” I rushed off before Aiden could notice my racing heartbeat.

I ran to the restroom and splashed some cold water on my face. Out of nowhere, a group of girls showed up and surrounded me.

“Umm… Is there something that I can help you with?” I asked confusedly, looking around at them.

"It's her! The girl who danced with Aiden," one of the girls said.

"Grab her! Break her leg!" the other girl said.

“Wait...wait” I was confused.

“Yeah… You can stay the f*ck away from Aiden, you homewrecking b*tch.”

I was about to respond when one girl stepped closer to me, and I recognized her.

“You’re… Bella?” Bella… Is this the girl Aiden said was his mate? Yes, it’s her! I recognize her from the photo he showed us.

“You’re Bella,” I reiterated, “the daughter of the Alpha from our ally pack, right? You’re the one who is Aiden’s mate.”

“Oh, so you do know who I am…” Bella glared daggers at me. “Then why are you still trying to seduce Aiden?”

“Seduce him?? He’s my brother!” My voice rose, incredulous at the accusations.

“You’re lying!”

“Aiden doesn’t have a sister…”

“Ah, the excuses!”

The girls chimed in one after another.

“But… I can prove it!” I frantically whipped out my phone, thinking that I could call Aiden and have him prove it.

“Uh-uh, no, you’re not calling for help.” One of Bella’s lackeys snatched my phone out of my hands and threw it into the toilet before I could respond.

I heard it land with a splash, and the girls snickered, proud of themselves.

Now what do I do???