Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 13

Erin's POV

I took an involuntary step back, my heart hammering against my ribs. Holy crap. This close, his scent made my knees weak. My wolf practically purred, pushing against my control as heat flooded my body. Six months of avoiding him had done absolutely nothing to dampen my reaction. If anything, it was worse.

My eyes couldn't help but trace over him—the hard line of his jaw, the slight scar above his eyebrow that somehow made him even more attractive, the way his tailored suit hugged his broad shoulders.

I had a sudden, vivid image of those strong hands gripping my waist, pulling me against him, and I had to swallow hard to regain my composure.

God, what was wrong with me? I hated that my body responded to him like this when my mind was screaming danger.

"Alpha," I managed, my voice embarrassingly breathy. I forced my spine straight, fighting the instinct to bare my neck in submission. "About what happened at the speech competition—"

"I'm not interested in your excuses," he cut me off, his eyes raking over me in a way that left me feeling stripped bare.

The dismissal stung, and I hated that it did. Why should I care what this arrogant Alpha thought of me? But my stupid wolf was practically whimpering, desperate for his approval. She clawed at my insides, urging me to get closer to him, to make him see me.

"Lily stole my research project. Those pictures... she sabotaged my presentation to humiliate me," I said, my voice stronger as I stepped toward him.

Derek's eyes narrowed slightly, his nostrils flaring as if he was catching my scent. Was he smelling my emotions?

I suddenly realized how close we were standing. If I took one more step, I'd be close enough to touch him. The thought sent a rush of heat through my body that made my face burn.

"Those were private photos from months ago," I continued. "I would never display them publicly, especially not with those... those captions."

Derek raised an eyebrow, studying me intensely.

"Your brother is finally regaining his position through hard work and dedication," he said, changing the subject abruptly. "It would be a shame if his progress was derailed by further incidents involving his sister."

The thinly veiled threat made my blood run cold. "I would never do anything to hurt Aaron," I whispered.

"Then I suggest you maintain a lower profile, Miss Blackwood." He glanced at his watch.

Before I could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor. One of Derek's security detail appeared, stopping at a respectful distance.

"Alpha, the car is ready," he announced, not meeting my eyes.

Derek nodded, walking away from me without another word.

My wolf whined pitifully, already feeling the growing distance between us. I pressed a hand to my sternum, trying to soothe the hollow ache that expanded with each step he took.

I followed them at a distance, not ready to let him go yet. Through the glass doors, I watched as Derek climbed into a sleek black SUV parked at the curb. Without thinking, I ran down the steps.

"Alpha!" I called, reaching the vehicle just as he was about to close the door.

Derek looked up. "Miss Blackwood, this conversation is over."

"I know, but—" I gripped the edge of the door, my knuckles white with the effort. "I need you to understand that I didn't do this. Please, just look into what happened today. That's all I'm asking."

His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied my face. For a brief moment, I thought I saw the gold of his wolf flicker in his irises.

"Driver," he said, not breaking eye contact with me, "let's go."

The SUV's engine rumbled to life. I had no choice but to release the door or risk being dragged alongside the vehicle. I stepped back, watching as Derek's profile disappeared behind tinted windows.

The car pulled smoothly away from the curb, leaving me standing alone on the sidewalk, the scent of cedar and leather lingering in the air around me.

\---

I walked home in a daze, my brain replaying the encounter with Derek on an endless loop. The way he'd stood so close, towering over me. The intensity in his eyes when I mentioned my father. That split second when I thought—stupidly—that he might have looked at my lips.

What was wrong with me? The man clearly thought I was pathetic. A troublemaker. A liar. So why couldn't I stop thinking about how his large hands would feel on my skin?

By the time I got home, the sun was setting. I snuck in through the side door, desperately hoping to avoid Mom. My emotions were so close to the surface, I'd probably burst into tears the second she asked how my day went.

"Erin? Is that you?" Mom called from the kitchen.

I quickly wiped my eyes and slapped on a fake smile before heading toward her voice.

"Hey, Mom," I said, trying to sound normal and failing miserably.

She was cooking something that smelled amazing, but the thought of food made my stomach clench. When she turned and saw me, her smile disappeared instantly.

"What happened?" she asked, abandoning the stove and coming toward me. "You look like hell, sweetheart."

"Thanks," I tried to joke, but it fell flat. "Just a rough day at school. The speech competition didn't go as planned."

Mom's face softened with sympathy. "Oh, honey. I'm so sorry. You worked so hard on that presentation."

If only she knew the half of it. I shrugged, not trusting myself to speak without breaking down.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, returning to the stove.

The thought of food made my stomach churn. "Actually, I'm really tired. I think I'm just going to head to bed early."

She studied my face for a moment longer, clearly not convinced. "Alright. But if you change your mind about dinner, just come down. I'll save you a plate."

"Thanks, Mom." I kissed her cheek before escaping upstairs to the sanctuary of my bedroom.

The second my bedroom door shut behind me, I completely fell apart. I slid down against the wall and just lost it, hugging my knees as tears streamed down my face.

Derek... God, the way he'd looked at me in that hallway. Like I was some annoying problem he had to deal with. My wolf was practically crying inside me, feeling his rejection like a knife to the heart.

"You stupid wolf," I whispered angrily, wiping at my tears. "Why him? Why'd you have to pick the one guy in the entire Pack who clearly can't stand us?"

“Why wouldn't you let me out today?” My wolf suddenly spoke up, her voice a growl in my mind. “I could have torn those bitches to pieces, especially Lily.”

"You know why," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "We can't just shift in the middle of school. We'd be expelled, maybe even exiled from Pack territory."

“They deserved it. They humiliated us. Stole from us.” My wolf was pacing angrily inside me, her rage making my skin feel hot and tight.

"The Alpha was right there," I reminded her. "You know, at the speech competition? Remember how that went last time we lost control around him?"

At the mention of Derek, my wolf instantly changed. Her anger melted into something else—a warm, yearning sensation that spread through my chest and down to my stomach.

“Alpha,” she purred, and my heart rate picked up embarrassingly. Images flashed through my mind—Derek's powerful shoulders, the intensity in his steel-gray eyes, the way his presence had filled that hallway. So handsome. So strong.

"Stop it," I muttered, but I could feel my cheeks flushing. My body was betraying me again, responding to just the thought of him.

“He is our mate, my wolf insisted. I submit to him willingly. He is worthy.”

"Yeah, well, he doesn't want us," I said bitterly. "So you'd better get used to the idea."

My wolf whined, a pitiful sound that somehow made the hollow ache in my chest even worse.

My wolf just whimpered pathetically, which only made the hollow ache in my chest worse.

\---

I woke up the next morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck. My eyes were puffy, my head was pounding.

I seriously considered just staying in bed forever. What was the point of facing everyone at school? But hiding would only prove Lily right—that I was exactly what she said: pathetic, desperate, and weak.

"Screw that," I muttered, forcing myself to get up.

The moment I stepped onto campus, I knew yesterday's disaster had spread like wildfire. Conversations hushed as I passed, only to resume in urgent whispers once I was safely out of earshot. Some students stared openly, while others pretended not to see me at all.

I kept my head high and my eyes forward, refusing to acknowledge the stares and whispers. Inside, my wolf growled, bristling at the disrespect, but I kept her firmly in check.

As I approached my locker, a sickening feeling settled in my stomach. Someone had taped printouts of yesterday's presentation photos all over the metal door. The suggestive captions had been highlighted in neon.

My hands shook as I tore down the photos, crumpling them into balls and shoving them into my backpack. I would dispose of them properly later, somewhere no one could find them and put them back up.

"Look who it is," a familiar voice called from behind me. "The omega who thinks she can climb the Pack hierarchy by sleeping her way to the top."

I didn't have to turn around to know it was Lily.

"Leave me alone, Lily," I said, not bothering to face her. I focused on entering my locker combination, my fingers clumsy with suppressed anger.

"Why? Am I interrupting your plans to seduce another Pack member?" she taunted, moving closer. "First Bradley, then the Alpha... who's next? Maybe you should work your way through the Enforcers. I'm sure they'd appreciate the attention from such a... dedicated wolf."