My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 123

Tarryn

“If I win this fight, what do I get?” Alex asks.

I eye him, arching a brow. “You want a prize?”

His smile fades ever so slightly. “Is that bad?” He swallows hard with his Adam’s apple bobbing. Hesitating before adding, I would love to k**s you again, and I’m desperate for any excuse.”

Oh.

Looking up, I see a faint tint on his cheeks. He is nervous and putting himself out there and blushing; what a sweet man. I bite my l*p, smiling shyly up at him.

“You don’t have to win to get a k**s from me.”

I stand on my tiptoes, frowning when it barely does anything for the height difference. Alex’s lips twitch in amusement, but I press my finger to his chest before he can say something.

“Don’t,” I tell him. “I know you’re looking to tease me right now, but I will hurt you if you do.”

He gazes down at me with his heart in his eyes. I can see the amusement there, but also his affection for me. Something tells me it was incredibly hard for him to say he wished to k**s me. He might be beautiful and hot as hell, but he isn’t overly confident.

“Alright,” he smiles when he grips my wrist, pulling me in for a hug. He doesn’t k**s me on the lips, yet my heart somersaults at the close contact. His fingers bury themselves into my hair, and he k****s my forehead softly. “I want a real k**s after I’ve won.”

Not knowing what to say, I watch him step away from me and smile before he walks away. Misha is already waiting for him on the field, looking amused and cocky.

“Oh, wow. You got some confidence that you will win,” Misha says. His thick arms are behind his head, and he balances back and forth on his feet. It must be some weird stretching routine. “But have you ever faced a magic user before?”

Alex cracks his shoulders, and I watch his head go to the left and right before he lifts his arms. He is in an attack stance, but he isn’t shape-shifting. Though, neither is Misha.

“Silent one, huh?” Misha questions and I see surprise hitting his features as he looks Alex up and down. “That’s… new.”

I can’t see Alex’s face by how he is standing, but I can hear the smirk in his voice when he talks. “My brother was the big bragger, not me. I’m here to fight, nothing else.”

Misha seems impressed, and I’m close to biting on my nails when I see him gathering magic around the Alpha. The whole atmosphere is getting chillier, and Josie gasps on my right.

The bleachers from the Alpha tournament has been dragged onto the mansion’s lawn, and we are sitting on them as we watch the men. It gives a good view of everything.

“Oh my, my baby is going all in…” Josie seems both amazed and horrified. I share the same emotions as she does.

I’m worried and anxious, and sigh. “I hope Alex will be okay…”

Josie places her hand over mine, smiling softly. “Misha wouldn’t kill him. Don’t worry. It’s a duel, but not to the death.”

That relaxes me, and I focus on the battle again. It’s hard. I want to look away when Misha summons an icy wind. He directs it at Alex, and it… blows past him but leaves Alex unscathed?

Wait.

What?

Everyone in the audience goes silent, staring at Alex calmly standing in his place. His eyes are closed, hands held up, but he isn’t breaking his position. He seems deep in focus, and Misha’s jaw slacks to the ground as he gapes at my mate.

“You…” Misha doesn’t finish his sentence, but he seems curious. I watch him tilt his head, smiling tentatively. “Well… this just got interesting. You’re a magic user too… how did I miss that?”

My eyes pop. “Wait? Alex is a magic user?” I’m trying to rake my brain for an answer to that question. Were there special properties in the serum that Marissa gave him? Or was he born with magic?

“You didn’t know?” Josie whispers to me. When I shake my head, she smiles. Her curiosity is radiant now too. “Well… that’s certainly interesting. Werewolves with magic are rare.”

I glance over at her. “I’m not sure if Alex counts as a normal werewolf anymore. He was experimented upon.”

“True… well, let’s see how this goes…”

We both put our attention on the battle. Misha is now throwing icicles at Alex, and I gasp when those that should hit him disappear into thin air. It’s like he is—

Misha burst out laughing, all excited. “You can repel magic!”

I freeze in my seat, and then I giggle. “Your mate is even more excited about this than Alex is!”

“I know!” Josie laughs with me. “Misha has been looking for a worthy opponent, and it seems he has found his match,” her smile curls but the corners into something more mischievous. “But ice magic isn’t the only thing Misha got up his sleeve.”

My nervosity grows when I look back at my Alpha and sense his change even before it happens. A white wolf is emerging in his place, and large wings are spreading out from its back. Misha looks gorgeous and elegant, and I swallow thickly.

What now?!

Alex can’t fight a giant wolf in his human form!

I press my shaking hands to my chest, sitting on the edge of my seat. Alex doesn’t know what to do, and I shout with my fingers curling around my lips. “You have to shape-shift!”

Even though I’m far away, Alex twitches and glances at me over his shoulder. I give him a thumbs up, showing him that I’m rooting for him, and he grins happily at me.

Josie swoons in her seat. “D’aww, he is so in love with you! I wish Misha could be that sweet,” she frowns at her mate and defiantly crosses her arms over her chest. “But he is not.”

“He is not?” I ask. “What do you mean?”

“He wanted a k**s before the duel, but I said he won’t get one since he said he digs my love handles—LOVE HANDLES—can you believe it?! I know I gained weight from the pregnancy, but seriously?” She lifts her nose into the hair, snorting. “I won’t be kissing Misha anytime soon!”

I laugh at her silliness. “Josie… why are you upset with him over that? The man clearly said he digs them!”

She blushes while pouting. “… I’m still self-conscious about it. I was very fit before the pregnancy.”

“And you will be fit again.”

“I know, but I get depressed. Men have it so easy. They wake up looking perfect, and Misha went to the gym even more during my pregnancy, which pissed me off. He was supposed to get fat with me but got into the best shape of his life.”

“You told me this,” I laugh even more. “It was because you were horny as f**k, and Misha wanted you to find him irresistible.”

“Still…”

A growl makes me turn back to the battle, and I see Alex is now in his beast form. His three tails are swooshing in the wind, and he is standing on his hind legs, snarling at the white wolf.

“Oh, now it’s a battle!” Josie exclaims and whistles in excitement. “Go, Misha. Go, Alex! Fight-fight!”

I’m close to biting my teeth when Misha lunges for Alex. My mate yelps in surprise and is down on his back. Misha presses his paws to Alex’s chest, but Alex isn’t giving up. He snarls, fights, squirms, and rolls over to stand, only for Misha to drag him down again.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out Misha is playing with Alex. The Alpha could end it, but I get the feeling he is challenging Alex, trying to make him fight harder. Is he testing him?

“Misha is considering making Alex his Beta,” Josie informs me suddenly and flashes me a smile. “He said so through telepathy but wants to see Alex’s full potential.”

“Full potential?!” I question in an upset tone. “My mate repelled magic and is now fighting against a giant wolf the size of a f*****g car, and Misha doesn’t think that’s enough?!”

“No,” Josie gives me a calm look. “I will say this as your Luna now, not as your friend: it’s not enough. Elijah is powerful too. Misha has already dueled against him, and Alex needs to put in more work.”

My eyes narrow. I’m not angry at Josie but at the situation, and I take a deep breath. Alex is struggling to get away from Misha. His beast form is huge, but not as muscular and huge as Misha’s giant wolf: Alex won’t win on brute strength alone.

The situation looks hopeless, but I can feel my mate’s fighting spirit. He doesn’t want to give up. Gah. Why didn’t we mark each other before this? A fulfilled mate bond would make Alex stronger. To know that I accept him… wait… that’s it!

“ALEX!” I shout and swear every pack member turns to look at me questioningly. I don’t care, though. I beam down at a confused Alex and yell even louder. “IF YOU BEAT MISHA, THEN I WILL SUCK YOUR c**k!”

A heavy silence falls, and my cheeks burn. The audience says nothing, and then everybody laughs before shouting similar things for fun. Josie is giggling in her seat too.

“What the heck was that?!” She asks. “How unlike you. You’re never that forward. Why did you yell that?”

My eyes are still on Alex, and I smile. “Motivation,” I tell her, noticing Alex’s eyes swirling in every rainbow color. His head is lifted, and we briefly make eye contact before I whisper. “Game on.”

As if powered up by my yelling, Alex breaks free from Misha’s teeth and skitters away a couple of feet on all fours. Misha growls and looks ready to attack but freezes in his tracks.

A rainbow-colored glow spreads over Alex’s grey fur, and my eyes focus on the fourth tail growing out of his body. Even his stance is changing. From standing on two legs, his body seems to readjust into a creature standing on four legs instead.

I smile. “Alex is back to looking like a werewolf!”

“A four-tailed one,” Josie murmurs. “I wonder if that means something?”

Right as she speaks, Alex speeds forward and wrestles with Misha. He is stronger now, less frail, and more muscular. It seems he is evenly matched with the Alpha in terms of strength. That’s good, right? This is good. This is going better.

And yet…

I’m nervous.

Misha can use magic in his wolf form as well. Josie has told me that, and I take a deep breath. Can Alex win this? Or at least impress Misha enough to secure the Beta position?