All Chapters of Mated To My Beta Stepbrother: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The morning sunlight streaming through Killian’s bedroom window felt too bright against my sensitive eyes, and I groaned while pulling the blanket over my head to block out the intrusive light that seemed to pierce directly into my brain. Every muscle in my body ached from the transformation I had completed the previous night, and even though Tyler had assured me that the soreness was normal and would fade within a week, it didn’t make the constant discomfort any less exhausting to deal with on top of everything else I was trying to adjust to.Killian was already awake and moving around the apartment preparing breakfast, and through our mate bond I could feel his contentment mixed with concern about how I was handling the aftermath of my first shift.The transformation had been everything he had warned me about and more, with pain so intense that I had genuinely believed I might die during the process, but the moment when I had finally stood on four legs and looked at the world throu

By early afternoon I had packed a bag with essentials and was as prepared as I was going to be for returning to campus, and Killian drove me to my dormitory while maintaining a steady stream of reminders and warnings through both our verbal conversation and our mate bond.The campus looked exactly as I had left it a few days ago with students walking between buildings and gathering in groups on the lawn, but everything felt different now that I was experiencing it through the enhanced senses of a wolf.I could smell distinct scents from dozens of individual people even from inside Killian’s car, and I could hear conversations happening hundreds of feet away with perfect clarity that was both fascinating and overwhelming.Every heartbeat around me sounded like a drum against my skull and every passing scent registered in my hippocampus, and I realized normal would never feel simple again.“Remember that if you start feeling overwhelmed you can reach out to me through the bond and I’ll

By lunchtime I was emotionally and physically exhausted from the constant battle with my own instincts, and I seriously considered calling Killian to come get me and admitting that this had been a terrible idea.Instead I met Sarah at our usual spot in the cafeteria and tried to act normal while pushing food around on my plate because my appetite had completely disappeared under the stress.“Adele, what's really going on with you?” Sarah asked quietly while leaning forward so our conversation wouldn’t be overheard, “And please don’t give me another story about jet lag or family stress because I’ve known you for two years and I can tell when something is seriously wrong.”Her directness caught me off guard and I struggled to come up with a response that would satisfy her concern without revealing anything about the supernatural aspects of my situation. “I’m dealing with some health issues that are making it hard to adjust back to college life,” I finally said which was technically tru

I sipped the tea while trying to organize my thoughts into something resembling a coherent argument, but every point I tried to make felt weak in the face of the reality that my control was far more fragile than I had wanted to admit.“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you from the beginning,” I said quietly, “You were right that I wasn’t ready to go back to school and that trying to maintain my human life was putting everyone at risk.”Killian shifted so he could look at me directly. “I’m not happy about being right in this case,” he said gently, “And I know how much your education means to you which is why I agreed to let you go back even though I know that it was dangerous.”“What if I just attended classes that meet in smaller buildings where I could get to privacy faster if I felt a shift coming?” I suggested desperately, “Or what if I only went to campus for a few hours at a time instead of trying to maintain a full schedule?”Killian looked at me with an expression that was equal pa

I walked Sarah back to the dorm entrance and told her I needed to take a walk to clear my head, which was true, given my current situation.She watched me go with the expression of someone who had spent the entire day cataloguing small signs and was now running the numbers quietly behind her eyes and I turned away before I could see her reach whatever conclusion those numbers were building toward.I had known all day that tonight was going to be difficult because newly turned wolves feel the full moon the way you feel a storm coming before the clouds arrive, a pressure that builds in the bones and refuses to be reasoned with.Although, I had been managing it through the walk and the lunch, and the party by keeping my attention fixed on Sarah and the itinerary she had written. Now the day was over and the distraction was gone and my body had no interest in being managed anymore.I started moving faster, heading toward the stretch of tree line behind the athletic fields where I could sh