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8: The Mate Bond
Terakhir Diperbarui:
2025-02-15 21:52:34
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HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 9: The Things I Could Do To Her
BRANDON.Being with Amari in that locker room was enough to drown out everything else. Every thought, every lingering frustration, every name that wasn’t hers.And damn, did she know exactly what she was doing.For the rest of the school day, I let myself be pulled into her perfect smile, the effortless charm, and the attention I was getting from her being by my side.That is, until closing time.Amari and I parted ways with a kiss, and I made my way to the car. I slid into the backseat, barely sparing the driver a glance. Draping my arm lazily over the headrest, my eyes scanned the lot out of habit.Then I saw her.Ivy.She was walking across the lot, towards the car, head lowered slightly, arms folded tightly around her books. But that wasn’t what made my jaw tighten.It was who she was with.Demi.The same annoyance from earlier, the one I had shoved to the back of my mind, came rushing back like wildfire. For some reason, I hated seeing them together. Hated the way Demi walked too
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 10: Or I’ll put your mouth to a better use
Ivy’s POVMondays were for biology. And sometimes, biology meant dealing with this.“Wrong,” Brandon scoffed from behind me, his deep, authoritative voice slicing through the classroom like a blade. “That answer makes no sense.”I exhaled sharply, gripping my pen tighter before slowly setting it down. Here we go.“It makes perfect sense, actually,” I said, my tone clipped.Brandon turned his head, leveling me with that infuriating smirk of his—the one that screamed I’m smarter than you, and we both know it.“If you enjoy being wrong, then sure.”My jaw tightened. I swear, it was physically painful how much I wanted to turn around and wipe that smug look off his face.“Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. “Meaning they generate energy. Muscle cells require more energy, which is why they contain more mitochondria than, let’s say, skin cells. That’s basic biology.”Brandon leaned back in his chair, stretching like this entire conversation w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 11: She Plays the Shy Thing So Well
Ivy’s POVThe lie came easier than I thought it would. Maybe because I had done it before.I’d walked into my mum's room, fed her some nonsense about last-minute school supplies, and just like that, she handed me two thousand dollars without question. No interrogation, no suspicion. Just a casual be more responsible next time advice.Maybe I should have asked for the full five thousand. But that would’ve raised red flags, and questions, and I couldn’t afford any of those right now. Two thousand was enough to get me closer, and not enough to fix everything.But enough to keep the panic at bay a little bit. For now.I was inside my room, on my bed, with my breath escaping in a shaky exhale.The money sat in my hands, crisp bills that felt heavier than they should.I had managed to scrape together a thousand from selling one of my old novels. Add this two thousand from my mom, and that made three.Still short by two grand.I stared at the cash, my fingers curling around it as dread poole
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 12: Doesn't have to be a lie
Ivy's POVI couldn’t believe how low my life had sunk. Disrespect wasn’t even the right word for what I was feeling. It was worse—humiliating, degrading, like every ounce of control had been stripped from me.Demi leaned back, arms spread across the booth, grinning as his friends howled with laughter. He was completely unbothered by the filth pouring from his mouth, completely unaffected by the way he was reducing me to a punchline.A trophy. Something to be discussed, picked apart, and passed around for amusement.I had to get out of there.Swallowing my disgust, I forced a tight smile and leaned in close to him. “Demi, can I talk to you for a minute?”He glanced at me lazily, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement. “Oh? My shy little girlfriend has something to say?”His friends chuckled, and I felt my nails digging into my palms.“Just a minute,” I repeated, keeping my voice light.Demi exhaled heavily, like I was inconveniencing him, but stood anyway. “Fine. We’ll be back,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 13: He knows something is wrong
Ivy's POV.The days were slipping through my fingers like sand, and with each one that passed, the pressure in my chest grew heavier, sharper, like a slow suffocation I couldn’t escape.Demi’s words haunted me and looped in my head like a broken record.You’ll come over next weekend. My friends will be there too. To watch.I wanted to believe he was bluffing. That he was just testing me, pushing to see how far I’d let him go before I finally snapped.But I knew better.Demi never made empty threats.He had planned it already. He was waiting for that day. And the more I thought about it, the more the panic wrapped around my throat like a noose.I couldn’t focus. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t breathe.At school, my mind drifted, eyes glazing over as teachers spoke, their voices melting into nothing but white noise.At home, I’d sit at my desk, staring blankly at my open books, the words blurring into an unreadable mess.And at night? There was no relief. No sleep, just the same cycle of fe
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 14: You’ll learn to respect me
Ivy's POV.Planning Amari's party with her was the only thing keeping me sane.Everything else was suffocating. But when Amari and I sat together, talking about decorations, music, and themes, I could almost forget.Over the past few days, Amari and I had grown closer. She had an effortless way of making people feel comfortable, a kind of charm that made it impossible to dislike her. And even though we came from different worlds, for once, I didn’t feel like I had to keep my guard up.After school, she invited me over to her place to go over plans for the party. We sat on her bedroom floor, sketching out ideas in a notebook, throwing around different themes and decorations. She had a clear vision—something elegant yet fun, and I helped fine-tune the details, adding small touches that would bring everything together.For the first time in what felt like forever, things felt normal. No pressure, no tension, just easy conversation and lighthearted planning. It was a brief escape, a momen
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 15: A Proud Mom
Ivy's POVIt was the day. The day I had been dreading, the day I had been desperately hoping wouldn’t come.Every second dragged me closer to the inevitable, a slow, agonizing countdown to something I couldn’t escape.No amount of deep breaths or forced distractions could dull the suffocating dread pressing down on my chest. It was there—heavy, relentless, and curling around my ribs like a vice.My phone buzzed on the nightstand, the screen glowing in the dim light.Wear something sexy.Of course, it was from Demi.I let out a slow, shaky sigh, pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes while hoping for a miracle that I knew wouldn’t come.Standing in front of my closet, staring blankly at the rows of clothes, I reached for a black, short dress that clung to my figure in all the ways I hated. I had worn it once to a family friend’s party, and even then, I had felt uncomfortable. But this was what Demi wanted.I pulled it over my head and slowly zipped it up by the side.I had already
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 16: I know her better
16.Ivy's POVDinner felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.I sat stiffly at the dining table, my fingers curled into my lap, every muscle in my body coiled tight with tension. Across from me, Demi lounged in his chair like he belonged here, like this was his home, and not mine.He had spent the last thirty minutes charming my mother, slipping into the role of the perfect boyfriend with disgusting ease. And she had fallen for it completely.It was infuriating.But more than that, it was terrifying.I poked at my food, my appetite long gone. My hands felt ice-cold, but my face was burning, heat crawling up my neck as the weight of the room pressed down on me.And then there was Brandon.I could feel his gaze on me, quiet and heavy, like he was trying to read something from me. He had barely spoken all evening, but I could feel his anger. It lingered in the air, thick and suffocating.My mum turned to Brandon’s dad, practically glowing with excitement.“Baby,” she said, beaming,
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2025-02-15
Bab terbaru
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
HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 88: Hex Hollow Vera
Brandon's POV I found my father in his study. The heavy scent of old books, leather, and his colonge filled the air, a smell I had long associated with him. The fireplace crackled softly in the background, casting flickering shadows along the walls. He barely looked up when I stepped inside, his eyes scanning the documents on his desk with focus, the soft scratch of his pen filling the silence.I shut the door behind me. “Dad.”His pen paused mid-signature, then he set it down carefully beside the paper, finally lifting his gaze to meet mine. “Brandon.” He gestured toward the chair in front of his desk. “Have a seat.”I walked further into the room and sank into the chair, leaning forward slightly, resting my elbows on my knees. “I need to talk to you about something.”His expression remained unreadable, but he leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers over his chest. “About?”“The mate bond.”For a brief second, something flickered in his gaze, mild amusement, maybe, but
HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 87: Not Today
87Brandon's POV.The entire day was shit.It felt like something had burrowed under my skin, clawing at me from the inside, refusing to let go. No matter what I did, training, schoolwork, anything, I couldn’t shake the feeling off.Ivy’s words kept playing in my head, over and over, like a damn broken record.She had said it so firmly, so convincingly, like she actually believed it. Like she could just walk away from this and pretend none of it had ever happened.It pissed me off more than it should have.I tried to focus. Tried to let it go. But my punches in the gym were off, my movements were sluggish. School was even worse. I barely heard a word any of my teachers said, staring blankly at my notes only to realize I hadn’t written a single thing down. Every little thing irritated me, the scraping of chairs, and the way the clock seemed to drag on endlessly.And, of course, Amari noticed.She had been watching me all day, her gaze sharp and calculating, waiting for the right momen
HER LYCAN STEPBROTHER’S OBSESSION 86: Made Up Mind
Ivy's POV.Dinner was quiet, the only sounds filling the space were the soft clinking of cutlery against porcelain plates. It was just the three of us. Brandon, my mother, and me. I pushed a piece of chicken around my plate, watching as the sauce smeared across the white ceramic. Then something clicked in my mind, a memory from yesterday that I hadn’t fully processed until now. Setting my fork down, I glanced up at my mother. “Hey, Mom,” I said, keeping my tone light, casual. “Were you at the carnival yesterday?”She froze.For a split second, I saw it, the way her expression flickered, a flash of something almost like panic before she smoothed it over, replacing it with her usual warm, easy smile. It happened so fast that I might have imagined it."The carnival?" She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head as she reached for her glass of water. "No, sweetheart, of course not. Why would I be there?"I frowned, studying her face carefully. There was nothing there now, no trace of th
