Share

48: I've always liked you

Penulis: Gold Writes
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-03-21 19:40:41

48.

Ivy's POV.

Flying first class should have been exciting. It was my first time, after all. The plush seats, the endless drink options, the kind attendants who seemed determined to pamper every passenger.

It was a world away from what I was used to. Everything about it screamed luxury, from the warm hand towels they handed out before takeoff to the menu filled with dishes I couldn’t even pronounce.

And yet, I couldn’t enjoy any of it.

Not when Brandon was sitting directly across from me, his gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

I refused to look at him. I kept my focus trained on the window, watching the clouds shift and stretch across the sky. But it didn’t matter. I could still feel him, his presence pressing into me like a heavy weight, making it impossible to forget what had happened last night.

His hands. His mouth. The way he had looked at me afterward, like he owned every reaction he had pulled from me.

My breath hitched slightly, and I pressed my th
Lanjutkan membaca buku ini secara gratis
Pindai kode untuk mengunduh Aplikasi
Bab Terkunci

Bab terkait

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   49: A Treat Every Night

    Ivy's POV.One of the girls in the group scoffed, folding her arms as she turned to Aaron with a skeptical look. “Oh, please. You’re just trying to get close to her so you can steal her points. Everyone knows she’s the most brilliant one here.”A few students chuckled, nodding in agreement, but before I could even process the compliment, another girl shook her head.“I don’t know about that,” she said, crossing her arms. “Ivy isn’t the most brilliant here, Brandon is.”Dude, I'm standing right here.The conversation immediately shifted. A few murmurs of agreement rippled through the group, heads nodding as students exchanged glances.“Their school must be ridiculously lucky to have two prodigies like them,” one of the guys mused, adjusting his glasses. “Most of us don’t even have one.”“Right?” another student chimed in. “I mean, their parents must be over the moon that they’re stepsiblings now. Imagine raising two geniuses under the same roof.”I stiffened slightly at that, my finge

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-21
  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   50: This has to stop

    Brandon's POV.I couldn't remember the last time someone had irritated me as much as Aaron Vaughn.Last night had already been bad enough. He had walked up to Ivy with that smug grin, acting like they had some kind of history when they didn’t. They talked like they were old friends, like he knew her. He had been all over her, throwing compliments left and right, making her laugh in a way that made my stomach twist in ways I didn’t want to acknowledge.And now, in the dining hall, he was at it again.I watched as he pulled out her chair before she could even reach for it, acting like he was some kind of gentleman."Here, Ivy."She smiled as she sat, completely oblivious to the way he looked at her, like she was something special."Thanks, Aaron."I clenched my jaw.Then, as if he hadn’t already pissed me off enough, he leaned in, eyes warm with something that made my blood boil."You look really pretty this morning," he added, voice smooth, too smooth.Ivy smiled in response. "Thank y

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-21
  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   51: A Reckless Move

    51.Ivy's POV.Telling Brandon off was a stupid decision. Reckless. One made in the heat of the moment, driven by anger instead of logic. Because at the end of the day, I knew exactly how this would play out. I was the one who would lose.I lay in bed all night, staring at my phone, debating whether to call him, text him, anything to smooth things over. But every time my fingers hovered over his contact, I forced myself to put the phone down. I wasn’t going to be that desperate. I refused.Morning came, and I dragged myself to the dining hall, my stomach twisting in anticipation. I expected to see Brandon already there, sitting in his usual spot with that unreadable expression, waiting for me to break first. But when I reached the table, his chair was empty.My heart sank.Was this his way of punishing me? Not showing up at all? Letting me sit here and overthink everything? What if he was planning to sabotage the next round completely? What if he threw the whole competition just to ge

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-22
  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   52: Did You Kiss Him?

    Ivy's POV Brandon's sudden change in behavior continued for the next three days, and I didn’t know what to make of it.He was still Brandon, cold, unreadable, but he hadn’t made a single obscene request, hadn’t smirked at me in that knowing way, hadn’t so much as hinted at what we did before. He showed up to every study session on time, contributed like a normal person, and even tolerated the other students without making a scene.It was unsettling.Aaron Vaughn on the other hand still refused to leave my side.He was always there, pulling out my chair, making me laugh, giving me words of encouragement here and there. And maybe it was because he was the only one actively being nice to me, or maybe it was because I was trying to ignore the mess in my head, but I could feel myself warming up to him.The day before the last stage of the competition, we were sitting with the others in the dining hall when he suddenly turned to me.“Ivy,” he said casually, flashing a small smile. “I was

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-23
  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   53: Dry Humping

    53.Ivy's POV.I kept my voice low, barely above a whisper. "It's none of your business if we kissed."Brandon leaned back in my chair, completely at ease, like he had all the time in the world. "It is my business," he said, then his eyes flickered with something dark, something almost amused. "Because I’m the only one who knows what you taste like."My breath caught, my stomach twisting into a tight knot. A wave of panic washed over me as I darted a glance toward my roommate, still curled up in her bed. "Brandon," I hissed, my voice sharp and urgent. "My roommate—""Won’t wake up, and won’t hear a thing." he cut in easily, his tone casual, almost lazy.Something about the way he said it made my skin prickle.I turned to look at her again, my pulse picking up. And that’s when I noticed the way she was lying.Her breathing was steady. But her posture, something about it wasn’t right. It was too still. Almost unnatural.My heart pounded as I snapped my gaze back to him, my throat tigh

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-24
  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   54: Engagement Plans

    Brandon's POV.Winning was expected. There was never a doubt in my mind that we would. But what I hadn’t expected was the way Ivy’s face lit up the moment our school was announced as the winner. She looked radiant. Alive in a way I’d never seen before. Her eyes were bright with something I didn’t think I had ever seen on her before. Pure, unfiltered joy. It was weird. I had never seen her like this. So full of life, so happy. And it did something strange to me. It tugged at something deep in my chest, something I didn’t fucking like.I shook it off, letting the feeling of being the winning school sink in. I should have been thinking about that. Not about Ivy. Not about how I had never seen her smile like that. Not about how, for some stupid reason, it made my own chest feel lighter.The feeling didn’t fade, not even when we were in the plane, heading back. She was beside me, phone pressed to her ear, practically vibrating with excitement as she talked to her mom.“We won, Mom,” she s

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-24
  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   55: Eavesdropping

    Ivy's POV.Dinner felt suffocating.I sat at the long dining table, my plate barely touched, watching as the conversation flowed easily around me, full of laughter and admiration, all directed at Amari.Even my mother wasn’t immune to her charm. She watched Amari with something close to adoration, nodding along as she spoke, occasionally reaching over to touch her arm in approval. It wasn’t surprising. Amari was the perfect daughter anyone would wish for, beautiful, graceful, and poised. They were all treating her like the perfect future Luna.And why wouldn’t they?She was everything I wasn’t. She fit into this world so seamlessly, like she was made for it. And me? I was just… here. Out of place.I knew this was how things were supposed to be. Amari belonged with them, with him. And yet, the longer I sat there, the tighter the knot in my stomach grew. The guilt pressed down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake.Because I had been with Brandon.Because I had touched him and let him t

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-25
  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   55B: Brandon’s Obsession

    Brandon's POV.The moment our fathers disappeared into my father's study, Amari wasted no time turning to me, her eyes glinting with that familiar mix of curiosity and amusement.“So,” she said, tilting her head slightly, “can I see your room?”I gave her a flat look. “Why?”“Why not?” She grinned up at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Why can’t I see my future husband’s room?”I sighed. “Amari, there’s no need for that. Staying here in the living room is fine.”She pouted dramatically, stepping just a little closer. “Are you hiding something?”“No.”“Then let’s go! Please?” She clasped her hands together, batting her lashes like she was asking for the biggest favor in the world.I knew Amari well enough to understand that once she set her mind on something, there was no talking her out of it. And honestly, I was too drained to argue.I exhaled through my nose, rubbing a hand over my face. “Fine. Come on.”Amari’s face lit up, and she practically bounced as we got

    Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-03-25

Bab terbaru

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   97: A Fire Attack

    Ivy's POV.My head was pounding. Not just like a little headache you could push through, this was the kind that pulsed behind your eyes and made it feel like your skull might crack open.Everything around me was blurry at first, like I was trying to wake up underwater. But slowly, things started to piece together. The room was dim, lit by a single bulb way off in the corner. It didn’t do much, but just enough to throw some weak light around, barely letting me see more than a couple feet ahead.When I tried to move, I realized fast that I couldn’t. My arms were stuck behind me, wrists tied up tight with some rough rope that scraped against my skin. Same with my ankles. I was stuck on some old wooden chair that groaned every time I shifted even a little. The ropes were digging in already, and the more I struggled, the worse it got.Panic kicked in hard.And suddenly, it hit me all at once. The drive, Aaron’s voice, the fear, the punch to my face.Shit.I twisted, trying to get out, but

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   96: I told you to keep quiet

    96.Ivy's POV I couldn’t shake Brandon’s words from my head. No matter how hard I tried to push them away, they clung to me, in my every thought, every moment. There was no future for us, and I knew that. I had accepted it. And yet, knowing didn’t make it hurt any less.Then there was Aaron. Sweet, kind, thoughtful Aaron, who had done nothing but try to make me happy. He cared about me. Even loved me. But I didn’t love him. I never had. I had only agreed to be with him in a pathetic attempt to erase Brandon from my heart, to overwrite feelings that refused to die.It wasn’t fair to him.So, on our way back from our date, I made a decision. It had to end.The ride was quiet, with only the soft hum of the radio filling the silence between us.“I hope you really enjoyed yourself,” Aaron said, his voice warm, glancing over at me as he drove.“Yeah,” I murmured, offering a small smile. “I did. Thank you.”He turned to me briefly, his eyes shining with something so pure it made my chest a

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   95: I'll do it for you

    95.Amari's POV I was drowning in pain, buried so deep in it that I couldn’t tell where my body ended and the agony began. Every inch of me throbbed, a relentless, searing ache that refused to dull, refused to let me rest. My skin felt stretched too tight over my bones, raw and hypersensitive, every breath I took sent sharp, stabbing pain through my ribs.The burns covered my arms, my legs, angry, blistering reminders of my father’s fury. He had made sure I wouldn’t forget this lesson. And every movement sent a fresh wave of fire through me, the heat still radiating long after the flames had disappeared. I wanted to curl into myself and disappear, but even the thought of shifting made my stomach turn.But worse than the physical pain were the words. The ones that clung to me like smoke, suffocating, and poisoning.Your fault.You failed.You were supposed to have him wrapped around your finger by now.I squeezed my eyes shut, but it didn’t help. The flames were still there, flicker

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   94: Will You Wait For Me?

    94.Ivy's POV.I was not prepared for this.The second Brandon opened the door, my mind just blanked. Completely.He stood there, freshly showered, damp hair falling messily over his forehead. Water still clung to his skin, glistening in the dim light, dripping down the sharp lines of his collarbones, trailing over the hard ridges of his abs before disappearing beneath the loose waistband of his sweatpants. Every inch of him looked like something out of a damn magazine, and I couldn’t stop staring.My throat felt suddenly dry, my grip tightening around the tray in my hands.Brandon smirked, clearly amused. “Are you just going to stand there gawking?”His voice snapped me out of it. My eyes jerked up to his face, and heat rushed to my cheeks so fast I thought I might combust on the spot.“I—no, I—” I stammered, struggling to gather a single coherent thought.His smirk deepened.I swallowed, trying to shake off the embarrassment. “I brought you food,” I muttered, shifting the tray in m

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   93: Missing Him

    93.Ivy's POV Brandon had been gone for two days. Not that I was keeping track, or that I cared.I wasn’t noticing how quiet the house felt without him. I wasn’t catching myself glancing at the door of my room every night, half-expecting to hear his footsteps. I wasn’t wondering where he had gone or why he had left without saying anything. It wasn’t any of my business.I kept telling myself that. Over and over again.But by the second night, the silence was gnawing at me.I finally gave in while helping Mom clean up after dinner. She washed the dishes and I dried, with the warm scent of dish soap filling the air. I tried to keep my voice casual, like I wasn’t fishing for information.“Mum, where’s Brandon?”She hummed as she rinsed a plate. “Oh, he went on a weekend getaway with Amari.”My fingers clenched around the dish towel. “Oh.”Just like that, my mood shifted.Mom didn’t notice. She kept talking, smiling as if it was the sweetest thing in the world. “It’s nice that they’re spe

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   92: Caught in the Act

    92.Brandon's POV Amari spun around the second I stepped inside, her face instantly paling.She looked startled, like a kid caught sneaking out past curfew, like she had been in the middle of something she didn’t want me to see. Her hands twitched at her sides, fingers curling slightly as she took a small step back.“W-what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice unsteady. Her wide eyes flicked from me to the hallway, like she was already calculating an escape route.Before I could answer, her father turned to me, wearing a warm, practiced smile. Completely unfazed.“Brandon,” he said with an approving nod. “Amari told me you two went on a weekend getaway. That’s good. It’s nice to see you both spending quality time together.”I didn’t respond.I was too focused on her. The way she wouldn’t meet my eyes. The way her shoulders were drawn tight, her stance stiff like she was waiting for something, dreading something.Her father didn’t seem to notice the tension radiating from her. Or

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   91: Someone was watching me

    Chapter 91My mind was a tangled mess, thoughts twisting in every possible direction, colliding and unraveling all at once.The witch’s death wasn’t some freak accident. Someone had killed her, ripped her heart out before she could finish the ritual. That wasn’t just a coincidence. That was deliberate. That meant there was something to find, something someone didn’t want me knowing.If the mate bond was real, there would be no reason to stop me from checking it. No reason to go as far as murder just to keep me from questioning it.Which meant there was something off about it.I exhaled through my nose, gripping the wheel a little tighter. This should have unsettled me, should have made me feel worse than I already did. But beneath the frustration, beneath the questions and the chaos, there was something else.Relief.Because if this mate bond wasn’t real, if it had been manipulated, then I wouldn’t have to be bound to Amari. I could sever it completely. I could be free of it.The thou

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   90:

    90.Brandon's POV Amari didn’t say a word for the rest of the drive.She just sat there, arms crossed, staring out the window. Her expression was unreadable, but the way her fingers gripped her sleeves told me enough. She was holding something in, whether it was anxiety, anger, or fear, I wasn’t sure.By the time we reached Hex Hollow, the town was draped in mist, making the narrow roads seem endless. It was smaller than I expected. The trees by the road side weren’t normal. Their trunks twisted like they were in pain, and their bark were covered in strange carvings.What the hell is this place?The witch’s house sat at the very edge of the area, partially hidden behind some trees. It was old, the wood had darkened with age, and the windows concealed by heavy, dust-coated curtains. The place had a presence, something subtle but undeniable, like the house itself was watching us.I knocked once.The door creaked open just enough for a woman to peer out from the shadows. Her face was s

  • HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION   89: To test the mate bond

    Brandon's POV I didn’t even have to think twice.The moment I stepped out of my father’s office, my decision was already made. I was going to Hex Hollow. No second-guessing, no hesitation. It didn’t matter how far it was or how much of a pain in the ass the trip would be. I needed answers.For days, I had been reading up on manipulated mate bonds, digging through every scrap of information I could find. The more I read, the more the pieces started falling into place.Black magic had been bound centuries ago, forbidden and sealed away. But that didn’t mean it was completely inaccessible. There were still ways to tap into it. And the ones who could were those who had given themselves over completely, souls already claimed, corrupted beyond saving.Those people were the only ones capable of forging a mate bond.And my gut told me that was exactly what had happened to me.The day I decided to leave came faster than I expected. I had smoothly lied to Amari that we were going on a weekend

Jelajahi dan baca novel bagus secara gratis
Akses gratis ke berbagai novel bagus di aplikasi GoodNovel. Unduh buku yang kamu suka dan baca di mana saja & kapan saja.
Baca buku gratis di Aplikasi
Pindai kode untuk membaca di Aplikasi
DMCA.com Protection Status