All Chapters of Mate Me Before You Become My Stepbrother: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

Ella's POVThe dining table looked absurdly large without Alpha Kane here. "So, Ella," she began, looking across the table at me. "How are you finding your time here? I noticed you’ve been spending a lot of time out in the dirt instead of making yourself useful inside."I kept my hands on my lap, chewing slowly. "I'm adjusting fine, Mom.""Adjusting fine?" She scoffed, "That's your answer? You got injured by the Senior Warrior, You can hardly walk straight. You know she has a wolf, every warrior in this pack has one and if you can’t keep up, you’re free to leave""Now, now, Sarah, leave the girl be," Matthias interrupted smoothly, cutting her off before her voice could pitch any higher. He reached over, patting her hand with a relaxed smile."Don't mind your mother, Ella. It's likely just her hormones getting the better of her tonight. You shouldn’t give up just yet, I've seen you practice and I can see you have potential."My mother opened her mouth to snap back, but a chuckle from

Ella's POVIt was terrifying how easily a piece of black leather could split a male in two.Behind the mask, Alpha Kane was soft. He was a mate who looked at me like I mattered, brushing my hair back with fingers that were impossibly gentle. But the moment the masks came off, the moment the sun rose over the pack house, that male vanished.In his park he is my stepbrother, the icy Alpha whose eyes cut right through me in the hallways like I was nothing more than an unpleasant chore under his roof.He paused, resting his arm against the back of the stone bench as his eyes locked onto mine. A small smirk formed at the corner of his lips beneath the black leather."You seem really curious tonight with the way you keep staring at me..." He shifted closer, "I'd be willing to show you the male under the mask."Before a single word of protest could leave my lips, his fingers reached up to his temple. With a smooth movement, he untied the leather strap and pulled his mask away.A gasp locked

Alpha Kane's POVThe mask stayed on my desk and I couldn't stop looking at it. My jaw was set so tight my teeth burned, but the ache in my chest was ten times worse.“She was right there,” my wolf growled inside my head, his voice a rumble that vibrated through my ribs. “We had her Alpha Kane. And you let her slip away again.”"I didn't let her slip away," I snapped out loud to the empty office, running both hands over my face. "Elijah pulled me into the war room. The northern perimeter was compromised"“Excuses!” the beast roared, pacing back and forth against the walls of my mind like a caged predator. “We are starved! Weeks of chasing our mate, weeks of smelling her sweet, intoxicating scent on the wind and catching nothing but air. She runs every time we get close! We need our mate!”"I know," I gritted out, leaning my palms flat against the desk.My breath became heavy as the memory of two nights ago washed over me. The garden, the soft lantern light playing across the silk of he

Ella's POV My blood turned to literal ice as my hands flew up to cover my mouth, my heart pounding so fast I thought it would tear right out of my ribcage.I couldn't speak or answer whoever was at the door, I just stood frozen in the middle of the dark room, staring wide-eyed at the door. The shadow under the frame was broad, towering, and terrifying.He…probably came back. But what for?Why would Alpha Kane be standing right outside my room, clearly sounding like he was ready to tear me apart over that cursed lace mask.I shoved the phone into my pocket, taking a slow, deep breath to steady my shaking knees, I crept over to the door. My hand hovered over the lock for a full five seconds before I slowly pulled the latch open just an inch.And…BAM!The door was kicked wide open, slamming hard against the wall."Boo!"I screamed bloody murder, leaping back two feet into the air as a loud, obnoxious laugh echoed through my room.Elijah was standing in the doorway, clutching his stomach

Ella’s POVSeventy-three days left. The number was burned into my mind like a brand. Seventy-three days left to receive the mate mark, or my wolf would fall into eternal sleep.I stood at the edge of the training grounds, watching some of the other warriors run through their drills. The morning sun cast long shadows across the grass, and the air was thick with the scent of sweat and dirt. My hands were wrapped tight, my stance ready but still lost in thoughts.“Concentrate, Ella.”My head snapped up at the sound of that deep Alpha’s commanding voice. Every trainee were now standing at the field looking at the Alpha. Alpha Kane stood at the far end of the training grounds, his athletic frame silhouetted against the rising sun. He wore simple black training clothes, nothing that needed embellishment. The Alpha crest on his chest was enough. His dark eyes moved across the trainees as he assessed their positions.“ Listen up,” Alpha Kane called out, his voice carrying across the grounds