All Chapters of Forbidden: My Stepbrother, My Mate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Ella. I was reorganizing my bookshelf when Dad texted me to come home early. No explanation, just "important news" and a smiley face emoji he definitely didn't choose himself, my dad didn't do emojis.I clocked out of the bookstore twenty minutes early, drove home trying to guess what this was about. Maybe he finally got that promotion. There was a car in our driveway that I didn't recognize.I parked on the street and walked up to find Dad pacing in the living room. There was a woman on the couch. Blonde, pretty, with a nervous smile. And next to her, a guy about my age.The moment I walked through the door, everything stopped.Not literally. Dad was still talking, the woman was standing up to greet me, but I couldn't hear any of it because there was this…this pull in my chest. Like someone had tied a string around my heart and yanked.The guy was staring at me. Dark hair, sharp jawline, eyes that looked almost gold in the light. He had gone completely still, hands clenched on his

Kyle. The moment Jason Torres stepped out of the SUV, I knew we had a problem.He was older than me. Twenty-two, maybe twenty-three. Confident in a way I would never be, with the easy posture of someone who had grown into his Alpha role instead of having it thrust on him. Designer clothes, expensive watch, the kind of put-together appearance that screamed established pack leader.Everything I wasn't.Marcus clasped his hand. "Jason. Good to see you.""Marcus." Jason's smile was polite. "Thanks for agreeing to meet.""Of course. This is my son, Kyle."Jason turned to me, extended his hand. I shook it because refusing would be an insult, but my wolf bristled at the contact. Another Alpha. In our territory."Your father's told me a lot about you," Jason said.I highly doubted that. Marcus barely talked to me unless it was about pack business I wanted nothing to do with."Jason's pack borders ours to the east," my dad explained. "Silver Fang. His father and I had... tensions. But Jason's

Ella.The moving truck arrived at eight in the morning on Saturday. I watched from my bedroom window as two men in gray uniforms started unloading boxes. My chest felt tight. This was really happening.Dad was outside already, directing traffic like some kind of excited orchestra conductor. He kept pointing at different boxes and talking with his hands. I could hear his laughter even through the closed window.Elena's car pulled up behind the truck. She got out first, smoothing down her shirt and smiling at my dad. Then Kyle stepped out of the passenger side.The bond yanked hard in my chest. I stumbled backward from the window, pressing my hand against my ribs. He was here. In my driveway. About to move into my house.I sat on my bed and tried to breathe normally. This was fine. Everything was fine. People's parents got remarried all the time. Families blended. This was completely normal.Except for the part where I was supernaturally bonded to my future stepbrother and could feel his

Kyle.My wolf woke me at 3AM, clawing inside my chest like it wanted to tear through my ribcage.I sat up in bed, gasping. Sweat soaked through my shirt. My hands were shaking, fingers half-shifted into claws before I could stop them. The suppressants were supposed to prevent this. I'd taken three pills yesterday, double my normal dose.They weren't working anymore.Through the wall, I heard Ella's heartbeat. Steady. Calm. She was finally asleep while I was falling apart.The bond pulled hard toward her, a physical ache that made my bones hurt. Fifteen feet away. That's all that separated us. Fifteen feet and a wall I could break through without even trying.My wolf wanted exactly that. Wanted to go to her. Complete the bond. Mark her. Claim her. Make her ours in every way that mattered.I dug my claws into my palms until I bled. The pain helped. Brought me back to myself. My fingers slowly returned to normal, claws retracting.This was just one day of living in the same house.I was

Ella.The sink was cold beneath my palms.I stared at myself in the mirror, watching water drip from my chin. My reflection looked pale. Tired. My eyes had dark circles that makeup couldn't hide anymore.Three days of living in this house and I was falling apart.It wasn't the new family dynamic. It wasn't adjusting to having a stepbrother or sharing a bathroom.It was Kyle.More specifically, it was the bond that connected us. The invisible thread that pulled tight in my chest every second of every day. The awareness of him that never went away.I could feel him right now. Through the wall. In his room. Awake like me.His restlessness crawled under my skin like ants. Made my fingers twitch. Made sleep impossible.I'd tried everything. Reading. Listening to music. Counting backwards from a thousand. Nothing worked. Because Kyle was awake and agitated, and the bond made sure I knew it.This was my life now. Feeling everything he felt. Wanting everything I couldn't have.I splashed more