My Alpha Stepbrother Is My Mate

　　Soren

　　My name is Soren.

　　Yes, soren.

　　Now don't ask me why but I guess mom thought I might be a boy when I was still just a little pup in her womb.

　　So I guess I was bad luck from the very beginning. In fact, late Aunt Irina said mom smooshed up her face when the pack nurse brought me forward.

　　Oh, I forgot I'm an omega. Ta-da from the family of Betas so don't ask me again, ask the moon goddess.

　　Mom is literally the last beta since she's grandpa and grandma's only child.

　　And guess what?

　　Mom is remarrying today. For the fifth time.

　　Shhhh, don't tell anybody. I also inadvertently destroyed her dress and if you see anyone who resembles a Chinese farmer in baggy jeans with short hair, that's me. Plus, Mom gave me a surprise haircut in my sleep.

　　Payback from her. Call it Aura for Aura and it makes me look like a traumatized lion.

　　"You may now kiss the bride." The pack's officiating priest says.

　　"Before Elsbridge Pack and the moon goddess I pronounce you mates."

　　Yeah, everyone is crazy including the priest. I'm not a priest but I knew the latter should come before the former but what do I know?

　　Mom is grinning, like grinning so hard like the moon goddess just borrowed her a fancy wig.

　　Dang…

　　Better to leave before I get called for some stupid family photo.

　　Alpha Donovan Dimitri was mom's new catch not even two weeks ago. I heard the pack is the most civilized pack ever, just do whatever you want, as you want, whichever way you want and the guy is super duper wealthy, divorced a lot that I thought he might have received an award or something. Birds of the same feather, I guess and I heard he had a stu—

　　"Watch where you are going before you kiss me." Someone smacked my head.

　　I spin around, ready to cuss out whichever pack idiot thinks they can use my skull as a drum.

　　Then I freeze.

　　Tall. Ridiculously tall.

　　Broad ­shoulders in a perfectly tailored black suit.

　　Jawline sharp enough to cut my last brain cell in half.

　　And those eyes… a dark storm, glaring at me as if I had somehow wandered into his personal galaxy.

　　"Uh—sorry," I muttered, rubbing the spot he hit.

　　Because apparently I'm supposed to be polite to strangers who could squash me like a bug.

　　He sniffs the air—because wolves are nosy like that and his expression flickers. Something like confusion. Disgust. Shock. I can't tell. He furrowed his brow as if I just said I worshipped chickens.

　　"O–mega?" He spits the word like it's dirt on his tongue.

　　"Congratulations, you can smell," I say, brushing off invisible dirt from my hoodie. I'm trying so hard to look like I don't care. Spoiler: I'm very perturbed.

　　He raises his brow, as if nobody ever talks back to him.

　　Great. I've successfully pissed off the giant pack alpha looking dude at my mom's wedding.

　　"The name is Soren," I add, chin up, trying not to sound like a cornered squirrel. "Not 'omega.'"

　　His mouth curves, barely into a smirk. But not really, not in his eyes.

　　"Felix," he says, his voice smooth. As smooth as…. I don't know but this guy's voice can make the devil beg God for forgiveness.

　　Felix.

　　Sounds like trouble already. I just know that the next 90 days with Mom and her new husband are going to be nuts.

　　"You're in the way," he says.

　　"'You're in the way.'" I mimic him, whispering under my breath with sarcasm while I dodge out of his way before I could be ever so slightly intimidated to death.

　　He is motionless, still looking at me as though I was a bug he's considering squashing.

　　I continue moving toward the door, pretending that my heart isn't ramrodding through my ribs. Only halfway to the back door do I dare steal a glance.

　　Yup. Still watching me.

　　Creepy and hot. But mostly creepy.

　　Out I go into the chill of the night, breathing in freedom. The fake laughter and cringeworthy wedding songs dissolve in the distance. My mom has probably just been posing with her fifth husband as though she just won the mate lottery.

　　The new husband.

　　New pack status.

　　New life.

　　Meanwhile, I'm the clearance-sale daughter with a bargain-bin haircut.

　　Snap.

　　Branches crack after me.

　　I pivot so hard I nearly break my neck.

　　Felix is standing there with his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. The moonlight accentuates the angles of his face. He looks like all of the things I want but shouldn't have or think about having.

　　"W-What?" I stammer. Yes, stammer. Don't judge me.

　　He takes one step closer. Slowly and perfectly.

　　Inside of me my wolf is whimpering like, "Just leave!," but my feet are idiots and won't listen.

　　"My wolf…" he mutters, his voice so low that it could tremble the leaves.

　　"What about him?" I bristle, folding my arms to conceal just how wobbly I am. My courage lasts precisely three seconds.

　　Felix's gaze intensely meets mine. Too intense like he's looking for bugs in my soul.

　　"He's going insane."

　　"Okay… and why are you telling me?" I inquire. "Go see a wolf therapist or something."

　　His jaw tightens.

　　He takes another step. The gap between us vanishes. He's so close I can feel the heat coming off him like a solar furnace. My heart does a full gymnastics routine.

　　"Soren," he breathes slowly as if he couldn't believe the moon was hanging in the sky.

　　"You smell like…"

　　He stops.

　　I catch my breath. My back stiffens and my mind slips away.

　　No.

　　No no no.

　　Of all the curses the moon goddess could have laid on me.

　　Of all the people in this pack.

　　Of all the weddings I could have skipped and just stayed home from.

　　"Say it and I swear I'll bite you," I warn, my voice barely holding steady.

　　My bark is definitely worse than my bite.

　　His eyes darken, gold swirling in those stormy blue eyes.

　　The wolf within him is rising.

　　"Mate."