My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother

Chapter 4

Lydia

The birds are singing outside, and I'm dangling my short legs from the chair. I had a fantastic night of sleep in my new bed, although I did have a rather strange dream.

I dreamt of kissing Owen, but then I blinked, and suddenly he transformed into my stepbrother.

Hot, naked, and tall alpha Avery.

I'm ashamed to admit the dream turned pretty steamy. I mean... How could it not turn sexy when model boy claimed my lips while his fingers were in my hair as he shoved his tongue deeper into my mouth?

It was the best dream ever.

Avery pushed me against a wall, bit my neck, and all hell broke loose. I was screaming his name and digging my claws into his powerful back, convulsing as he shoved his rod into me. And as I clenched around his steely length, his breath was on my ear as he whispered, "You're mine, Lydia. Only mine."

Blushing at the memory of my dream, I shove another spoon with cereal into my mouth. My cheeks are flushed, but I try to distract myself by aimlessly scrolling through funny videos on my phone.

I don't have any seminars today. I'm a college student, and my major is nursing. I figured it could be helpful in the werewolf world since pack members get injured frequently.

Meanwhile, Avery, my alpha, is graduating from high school soon. He is eighteen years old, and I think his claiming ball should also be in the few upcoming weeks.

"Good morning," my mom sits with a bowl of her own. She reaches for the milk and the cereal. "Did you sleep well?"

I smile her way. "Excellent, actually."

"You liked the bed?" John asks when he strolls into the kitchen. Instead of sitting down, he grabs cups from the cabinet.

"It was a very comfortable mattress," I admit and shyly smile. I'm friendly, but I'm not used to being part of conversations with werewolves other than my mom. But I'm trying. "I'm impressed by the softness... Mom and I didn't have that luxurious beds back in the apartment."

Pleased with my answer, John smiles back. "That makes me happy to hear. I'm glad you like the bed."

"Good morning..." Avery mutters as he strolls into the room with his black hair a mess on top of his head. He seems tired, exhausted, actually. His skin seems paler. Even his eyes look as if he spent the entire night awake.

John narrows his eyes at his son. "Did you spend the entire night watching horror movies again?"

Mom and I go uncomfortably silent. John isn't the alpha, and he is parenting Avery right now. Neither of us knows how Avery will react, but surprisingly, this lingo seems normal for them.

Avery doesn't get mad but simply sighs. "You know I can't live without watching horror movies. They complete me," he says while pouring himself a cup of coffee. He is taller than his dad and more than a foot taller than me.

John shakes his head. "You're a grownup, Avery, and an alpha. You need to start taking things seriously, like... Shouldn't you be training the new warrior wolves right now?"

"I am," Avery glances at him. There is a smug glint in his eye. "My clone is doing it right now."

"Your... Your clone?" John mutters under his breath. "How many f*****g powers do you even have?"

Avery is counting on his fingers. "Hm, I don't know? I'm only just awakening as a hybrid. My magic has been dormant my entire life, but it seems that is about to change. I'm getting stronger every single day."

"I'm aware of that," John rakes a hand through his hair, sighing. "But if your magic abilities keep growing at this rate, this claiming ball will be a hassle. Werewolf females usually fear magic—no one will dare to become your luna."

"What a tragedy," Avery grunts and rolls his eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that I maybe don't want to claim anyone as my mate?"

John looks like he is about to lose his cool. His anger is ticking against his neck when he growls. "You have to as the alpha."

"Right... Because finding a woman who will fear me will make my life that much easier..." Avery takes his coffee cup to leave. His eyes briefly meet mine, and when I blush, he smirks but doesn't say anything.

When he is gone, John sighs and takes a seat. He runs his hands through his greying hair. "I'm worried about Avery..."

"Why?" My mom asks. "He seems like a fine young man."

"Today," John says. "Avery isn't always this friendly. He has a split personality disorder and goes between being friendly, like now, and being an asshole. It's the wolf and the vampire within him fighting each other. He hasn't found himself yet, and needs to accept both of his sides for it to settle."

Split personality disorder until he accepts what he is?

Well, that makes sense. Avery was much grumpier at the store than he was inside his room. His split personality disorder must be the cause since he behaved like an entirely different person.

"Oh dear," my mom murmurs. "That must be hard for him, considering it already must be a challenge keeping his vampire self a secret. Everyone in our pack would fear him if they knew."

That is also true. Werewolves hunt and fight in packs; it takes plenty of us to defeat a single vampire. Luckily, vampires haven't been seen in Lavender City for decades.

I wet my lips and find John's eyes. "Sorry to interrupt, but does Avery age like a normal human, or not?"

His mood seems to darken, and his shoulders slump. "Avery has aged this far, but... His vampire self is now waking up, and his abilities are relatively new. I never expected him to gain vampire powers."

"But all vampires aren't that powerful. Avery has insanely powerful magic abilities," I point out. "Or am I wrong, and it's common?"

John glances over at my mom, seeming to ask for her approval before answering my question. She nods and smiles in encouragement, and John turns back to me.

"My ex-wife, Victoria, is the vampire queen. Our marriage was an arrangement to end the war, but she found her true mate and left. I don't know where she and her mate went. She never thought Avery would wake up as a vampire, but she was wrong. Avery is awakening, and not only is he an alpha..."

I stare at John, feeling my mouth form a big gap. "Avery is also the vampire prince."

"Yes," John nervously scratches the back of his neck. "Which is why I'm so concerned about his future. He hasn't craved blood yet, but he might, and I have no clue if he will age. Either way, I'm hoping the claiming ball will be a great success—it is known that werewolves are happier and calmer with a mate by their side."

I smile in my seat. "I hope Avery finds someone special..." I say, and for some reason, I can't help but feel jealous. I frown at my own emotion and try to keep my tone friendly. "When in his claiming ball?"

"In two weeks," John replies, rubbing his eyelids with his fingers. He seems stressed. "Hopefully, my son hasn't developed any more strange powers until then. Finding him a woman who will accept him for what and who he is will be so challenging."

I eat more cereal. "I don't see why Avery's abilities are so bad and why anyone would fear him for them..."

John grimaces. "Tell that to the rest of the werewolf population. They still remember the war, and if they found out Avery is a hybrid, they wouldn't follow him anymore. No sane werewolf trusts a bloodsucker."

I don't respond. John is probably right.

Werewolves are taught from an early age that all vampires are evil. Even Victoria was bad—the only reason the vampire queen was with John was because of an arrangement.

Does that mean Avery is evil too?

For some reason, I don't think so. Avery was kind yesterday, and while I'm not sure if that was his vampire or werewolf self, I don't get bad guy vibes from him.

"An alpha always picks their mate," I turn to John, blinking. "What about a vampire prince?"

He smiles. "From my understanding, they also pick their mate. Victoria's true mate was another werewolf, which made her sense him, even though she had to pick him. But she felt pulled."

"So that's how it is..." I muse.

My mom and John resume eating, but my head is all over the place.

I can't relax.

Part of me kind of wants to be claimed by Avery, even though I realize how crazy that sounds. We hardly know each other, goddamn it! But it seems I've developed a crush on him already.