My Jealous Alpha Stepbrother
Chapter 176

Michelle

Kit’s arms are tightly wrapped around me as I survey the scene underneath us. More zombie demons are being raised from the dead to join Jarq’s army and many unpleasant shudders race down my spine.

I have to get home to prepare my pack for what’s to come, and as Kit flies faster, my eyes land on my grandpa, Avery. He is flying in his dragon form with my grandma on his back, and the look she gives me conveys but one thing, “We have to leave this place. Now.”

I’ve never seen Lydia scared before, and fear grips my heart. For a moment, I worry we won’t make it home. Jarq is summoning demons to the right and left, and some of them are undead dragons with bristle wings and undead eyes. They screech in the skies, and I lift my chin, meeting the face of Kit for the first time since he picked me up.

“I’m scared,” I whisper.

His features soften. “Don’t worry. You’re safe with me, and I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Without hesitation, he breaks into a flying sprint and chases after Avery with unyielding determination. As we race through the forest with demons chasing us, we come across Sky and his mate, my parents, Elijah, Becky, and everyone else who has survived so far. Everyone joins in on our breakneck pace as we make our way back home to safety. The world seems to blur by us as we run and fly with every ounce of strength left in our exhausted bodies, knowing that one misstep could mean instant death.

Kit lands with me in his arms, and his dad, Sky, lands a bit further away with his mate in his arms. He is glowering over his shoulder and growls. “How dare that necromancer raise the dead and make them fight for him again? I saw my dead brother in his army, Blaze!”

Katy, Kit’s mom and Sky’s mate, places a hand on her husband’s cheek. “I’m so sorry. It must have been hard for you to see him.”

Sky leans into her touch, exhaling. “I hated that prick. He was evil and insane, but that doesn’t mean I want to see him in some undead demon army…”

“Agreed,” Elijah says and sends his brother a sympathetic look. He seems shaken by the news as well. “That crazy necromancer needs to be stopped.”

“Indeed,” Misha, my dad, says, and then turns to face me with blinking eyes. “Where is your sister?”

Everything inside of me goes tight when I think of Bella, and Kit reaches for my hand. I look up at him, and his eyes are shining with regret and guilt. Without even asking, I know he feels bad for taking me away from Bella. Which is silly. Kit saved my life: if he hadn’t taken me away from Jarq, that man would have made my own sister murder me. I know it, yet I’m still sad that I had to leave Bella behind.

I still can’t believe Jarq turned Bella into a demon to fight in his army without hesitation. Didn’t the mate bond mean anything to him? Apparently not…

I swallow thickly and look at my parents. “Bella, she… she was turned into an undead demon by Jarq, the evil necromancer that was her mate.”

The news hits my parents hard, and I can see the pain etched on their faces. My mother, Josie, breaks down into sobs, and my dad wraps his arm around her in comfort. Kit’s grip on my hand tightens, offering his own silent support.

The news hits my parents hard, and I can see the pain etched on their faces. My mother, Josie, breaks down into sobs, and my dad wraps his arm around her in comfort. Kit’s grip on my hand tightens, offering his own silent support.

“We have to get her back,” Elijah says, his voice firm. “We can’t let her be a part of that army.”

“I agree,” Sky says, his jaw set in determination. “But how do we do that? It’s not like we can just walk up to Jarq and ask him to give us Bella back.”

Irritation ticks against Avery’s jaw. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t think Bella will ever be part of this family again. Those undead demons are dead and can never be brought back to life. I’m sad to say it, but Bella is gone.”

My mom gasps and covers her mouth with her hand. “Oh no. That’s terrible… my Bella…” her eyes meet mine, and before I know it, my mom is racing across the courtyard. “Are you hurt? He didn’t try to transform you, did he?”

“I’m fine, mom… just… I just feel like a failure for what happened to Bella.”

“That wasn’t your fault.”

As my mom hugs and k****s me, I hear Sky and Avery discuss among themselves. Something about raising a protective shield around the mansion and their territory so that Jarq can’t kill my pack members and make them fight in his army. I wish I could be part of their conversation. I’m the Alpha of my pack, but right now, I’m in a world of pain.

I can’t believe my sister is dead. My mind struggles to come to terms with the idea, and I’m grateful when Kit wraps his arms around me again.

“I’m here,” he murmurs above my head. I hug him tighter and bury my face in his chest. It makes him stroke my back in return. “Cry all you want, Michelle. Let it all out, and don’t hold back.”

Tears stream down my face as I let out all the pent-up emotions that I’ve been holding inside since I found out about Bella. Kit holds me the entire time, not saying a word, just letting me grieve.

After what seems like an eternity, I finally calm down and pull away from Kit’s embrace. Tears still prickling behind my eyelids, but everyone is heading inside, and I realize Kit and I should probably do the same.

As we head inside, my dad is speaking. “We need to come up with a plan. With Bella gone, we are one member short in the pack. We need to find a way to stay strong and protect ourselves from Jarq’s army.”

“I agree,” Elijah interjects. “But what can we do? We don’t have enough people to fight against them.”

“I have an idea,” Sky says, and everyone turns to him. “We can go to the witches. They can help us with a spell to keep Jarq’s undead army from our territory.”

“That’s a good idea,” my dad agrees. “But how do we find these witches?”

Sky smiles, and to my surprise, his attention lands on me. “You mean to tell me that you haven’t noticed that some of the people living in your city are witches?”

I stare at him. “They are?”

“Yes, plenty of them are,” Sky says and grimaces. “This is why Blaze, my dead brother, was so interested in your city. You have witches living here, and they are very powerful creatures. Their magic might not be on the same level as demons, but… they are strong.”

“I see…” I go quiet for a while. “Are you telling me that you can’t defeat Jarq?”

Sky looks straight at me. “That guy isn’t alone. You only met one necromancer, but there were more of them, an entire clan of dark warlocks and witches in the forest. And while I’m powerful, I can’t fight their entire undead army. We need help, and I suggest asking the witches.”

I nod slowly, taking in what Sky is saying. We need all the help we can get; the witches might be our only hope. “Okay, let’s do it. We will go to the witches and ask for their assistance.”

Kit squeezes my hand, offering his own silent support. My heart aches for my sister, but I know I need to be strong for my pack.

“Good,” my dad says, his tone resolute. “We need to move quickly. Jarq won’t rest until he has complete control over this territory.”

As we discuss our plan of action, I can’t help but think of Bella. She might be gone, but I refuse to let her death be in vain. We will fight for her and for our pack. We will not let Jarq win.

I head upstairs with Kit, and after the door is closed behind him, his yellow eyes are now focused on mine. It looks like he wishes to say something, and I tilt my head.

“What?”

He hesitates briefly. “My dad is strong enough to defeat all the necromancers on his own—if he would change into his battle form. The problem is that he can’t control himself if he shape-shifts into his huge, demonic form.”

“Oh…” I blink and then widen my eyes. “No, don’t tell me that you wish to give it a try!”

“Why not?” Kit asks and gives me a small smile. “If you let me shape-shift, I’m sure I could defeat Jarq and his army all by myself. You wouldn’t have to talk to the witches then.”

“But what if you will lose your control?” I ask. It would be bad if we didn’t only have to fight the necromancers, but also a giant Kit roaming around in the city like the demon version of Godzilla.

“I won’t,” his face is determined. “Not with the contract,” and now a smile is tugging on his lips. “And come on, don’t you want to show my dad that the contract could be useful for something? That would show him that he doesn’t know everything.”

I laugh. “I have no interest in getting back at your dad.” I’m not even mad about what Sky told me earlier about the contracts. I’m surprised Kit seems upset about that, though.

“But I do,” Kit says and flashes me a grin. “And I want to show him that our battle forms can be controlled… So what do you say? Will you let me fight?”