My Cruel Stepbrother is My Mate

Chapter 1Ezra's PovThe egg cracked against my back with a disgusting squelch. I couldn't even feel it through the thick mascot suit but the roar of laughter told me enough.Another hit my head, yolk sliding down my furry costume. The smell was rotten and the heat was unbearable but still, I stood there. A joke in a ridiculous suit, drowning in the sound of everyone laughing at me.“Um… Lisa?” I called quietly. “Can I go? It's been two hours already.”I couldn't see Lisa's face but I knew she's probably wearing a scowl on her face. I squinted behind my glasses as Lisa yanked off the wolf headpiece of my costume, flinging it to the floor.A sigh of relief escaped me. “Thank you. For a moment I thought you'd…”I'd barely completed my sentence before she shoved me to the floor.“Wow. The floor looks good on you. That's where you belong.” Lisa whisked hair away from her face as she laughed. The other cheerleaders joined them including Maisie. Maisie used to be my best friend but ever si

Ezra's PovDinner was hell.I couldn't swallow anything I ate because a certain someone won't stop glaring at me.“Does it taste good, Eggwash?” He whispered across the table.My food went down the wrong pipe and I coughed.“Oh my gosh,” Mom passed me a glass of water and I gulped every sip greedily. When I was done, I kept it beside me and glared back at him as if to say : ‘Don’t you dare call me that.’He smirked as if to say : ‘Try me’Okay. That's it.I pushed back my seat and forced a smile. “I'm full. Thanks for the dinner, Mr. Benson.”“Please, call me Conrad.” He smiled. “Thank you, Conrad.” I returned his smile and practically ran out of the dining room.When I arrived two hours ago, the maids were kind enough to show me my new room. It was so much better than that cubicle I used to sleep in. Now, I have a room twice the size of our former apartment, a massive bed that'll fit three people, a walk-in-closet, an ensuite, a fireplace… Heaven knows I'm in love with the place.

Ezra's Pov “Hello, my name is Ivan. You are.” He said with a smile that nearly took my breath away.When I didn't respond, he reached for my notebook and read out my name. “Ezra Heart. Nice to meet you, Ezra.”I realized I'd been staring and blinked. “Oh. I'm sorry.”“It's fine,” he nudged my shoulder. “Why are you in your sportswear? Wait… did I wear the wrong uniform today? I just enrolled yesterday so everything's a bit new to me.”I smiled. He's telling the truth. So he's a new student.“No. It's not PE day,” my smile died when I remembered why I was wearing it. “Mine got a mud stain.”I expected him to tell me he'd seen where eggs were thrown at me but he didn't. Instead, he looked at me with kind eyes — something no one in this school has ever done.The PA System chimed and I took that as my cue. “Ummm… I should go.”“Please, wait for me. I'm a bit lost. I can't find the way to my class.” He said. “What class!” I asked. He was probably a freshman.“Class 4D.” He said.That was

CHAPTER 7 EZRA’S POVThe bell rang, sharp and loud, snapping everyone out of their fake attention. Bags unzipped, chairs scraped, chatter exploded, and feet rushed toward the door like freedom was waiting outside. My heartbeat wasn’t excited like theirs. It thudded slowly, dreadfully, because I knew what came after the bell was never freedom for me.It was exposure.I took my time packing my books, hoping to stay invisible long enough for the crowd to empty. If I walked out with everyone, I’d be in the middle of the wolves. If I waited, I’d be prey alone in the hallway. There was no safe time. Just different styles of danger.Ivan stood too, swinging his backpack over one shoulder casually. Like the day hadn’t turned strange, like he hadn’t just sat with the most hated girl in school. He didn’t seem scared, bothered, or even aware of the social suicide he had committed.“You ready?” he asked.No one had ever asked me that after class. Usually, I hurried out alone or stayed back unti

Ezra’s POVI didn’t stop walking until I reached the back of the school, behind the old gym where no one ever came unless they wanted to smoke, make out, or cry. Today, I needed the third option. My legs felt numb, like my body was moving on autopilot, not waiting for my mind to catch up.I leaned against the cold wall, my knees weak. I hugged myself, trying to slow my breathing. Jake’s voice still echoed in my ears, the way he blocked my path, the way his touch burned through my skin like it always did.Why did one touch from him feel like every nerve in my body woke up and panicked at the same time?I pressed my hands over my face. No tears. I refused to cry again. No more giving the world the satisfaction of seeing me break.I heard footsteps.For a second, my heart shot into my throat and I almost ran. I thought Jake followed me. I prayed he didn’t.But the footsteps stopped a few feet away and the voice that spoke wasn’t his.“Ezra?”Ivan.I let out a breath I didn’t realize I wa