DIRTY SECRET: MY ALPHA STEPBROTHER IS MY MATE

LUELLA “Isn't that a public school uniform?” The words hit before I even walked through the gate of Ravenswood Academy. The students threw me a death glare and every stare showed me I didn't belong. Ravenswood Academy doesn't welcome people like me, and transferring in mid-term is enough reason to have people gossip. Don't ask me why because I'm yet to get an answer from my mother. Every student here came from a powerful bloodline or obscene wealth. As for me? I was a nobody whose mother was struggling to make ends meet. “Have you heard of perfume? Gosh, you reek of poverty,” a boy brushed past me, slamming his shoulder against mine. A ripple of laughter followed. I froze in the hallway, fingers tightening around the strap of my bag. “I think it's Pineview High,” someone added. “Golden Pack trash.” “Can she afford this place?” Another voice chimed in. “Of course not. Bet her mother found some sugar daddy. That is the only time they ever get an upgrade.” My jaw clenched as I inhaled sharply. I walked to my locker when three dolls blocked my way. “Dirty.” “Filthy.” “Trash.” They said in unison as if they had spent time memorizing the line. I stared at them blankly, refusing to react when one of them leaned closer to sniff my clothes. She gagged dramatically, and the hallway erupted in laughter. “Are you a pig?!” She staggered backward, almost choking on her breath. “My goodness! How do they expect us to stay in the same space with this thing?” Her minions were about to say something when someone stepped into the hallway. They tapped her quickly, and I watched her pull up the fakest smile I have ever seen. “Asher!” She giggled excitedly, brushing me aside. The crowd parted for the boy to walk in, taking me by surprise. I tried to steal a glance at his face, but the other students were blocking me. Just then, the bell rang, and everyone erupted in a groan. They went into their classes, while the Barbie from earlier continued to talk to the Asher boy. “Miss Rivers?” A teacher called, forcing me to draw my attention away. “You should introduce yourself.” I stepped into the class, looking at the students who were all staring at me like I was a plague they needed to avoid. I lifted my chin anyway. “I'm Luella Rivers,” I said calmly, forcing the tremor out of my voice. “I transferred from Pineview High and I guess we'll get to know each other better… if you're ever interested.” A low chuckle followed this time, not laughter. “Attitude,” someone scoffed. The teacher sighed, probably used to their arrogance. “There's an empty seat at the back. You can sit there.” Right on cue, the door swung open and the boy from earlier stormed in. He didn't even bother to acknowledge the teacher, and yet she bowed to him. What was that? He took the last seat at the back, leaving me with the one in front of him. The chair jerked backward as I tried to sit. I dropped hard. My bag slipped from my shoulder as I landed on the cold floor. A camera flashed in my face as laughter exploded. My vision blurred with rage as I snapped my head up. He stood over me. Tall. Broad. With an expression as hard as a rock. His eyes were sharp and dark like I was something unpleasant he'd stepped on. “What is your problem?” I snapped, pulling myself up. The room went quiet and not even the teacher said a word. He tilted his head slightly, looking unimpressed. “The seat is taken.” “But it's empty,” I shot back. He hooked the chair with his foot and dragged it closer to himself, dropping his bag on it to prove a point. “Not anymore.” I glanced at the teacher for help, and she looked away. My jaw clenched as I glared at the asshole. “So this is how it works here? You act like an ass and everyone just accepts it?” “You should learn when to shut up,” he said quietly. “And you should learn how to act like a decent person,” I shot back. For a split second, something dark flickered across his face. The room went silent, but I could still hear the sound of their gasp. He inched closer, his tall frame towering over me and my breath hitched. Every head turned to watch when the bell rang. He leaned closer, voice low enough so only I could hear him. “Watch your back.” He turned and left as if nothing ever happened. Lunch was worse. I sat alone, staring at a tray of food that looked better than anything Pineview ever served. I snapped a picture, sending it to my best friend, forcing myself to breathe. I ate quietly, until I could no longer ignore the gaze I felt on my back. I looked up to see who it was, and my stomach dropped. He was sitting a few tables away, staring straight at me like he had been waiting for me to notice. Our eyes locked, and neither of us tried to look away, when the girl from earlier slid into his lap. Her arms flung around his neck, pressing herself against him shamelessly. He didn't break eye contact with me as he smirked. He whispered something into her ear, and she stood up with a smirk. She approached me, and I could tell he had something to do with this. “We meet again,” she said with a grin. She was smiling too widely, and the way Asher's lips curved into a smirk made me feel uneasy. I rose to my feet, making a screeching sound as I pulled the seat back, when her minions blocked my way. “Where are you running to? We haven't even introduced ourselves.” Her friends grabbed me from both sides before I could react, as she carried my tray on the table. “No… you can't—” She dumped the leftovers all over my body before I even got to finish my words. I gasped in disbelief, as she chuckled in amusement. “Speaking back to your future, Alpha? Do you have a death wish?” She said, emptying the bottle of water in her hands on my head. Water trickled down my hair, down to my neck, and I have never felt so humiliated. My eyes locked with his, and he simply watched with a smirk. “This is only the beginning,” she said proudly. “Crawl back into the hole you came from, or you might as well brace yourself for what's to come.” The rest of the day went by in a blur. As soon as the bell rang, I picked up my bag and headed straight home. I was already rehearsing how to tell my Mom that I didn't fit into the school, and she should just allow me to remain in Pineview High, when I noticed how empty the house had become. “Mom?” I narrowed my brows, heading towards the kitchen only to find it empty. “Mom!” I yelled this time, and the sound of her footsteps answered me. “It's a good thing you're back. I was just packing your clothes when I heard your voice,” she said, panting slightly. “Packing? Why? Are we going somewhere?” She walked down the stairs slowly, her eyes never leaving mine, and I could tell I wouldn't like whatever she was about to say. She looked around the empty house with a sad smile on her face. “You're scaring me, Mom. What is going on?” “It's been just the two of us since your father died,” she started, and I just nodded, waiting for her to continue. “Y-yes?” “Your aunties have been advising me to let go of this house to pay the debt he left behind, but I couldn't bring myself to do so.” “What did you do Mom? What has that got to do with us moving? Please tell me you didn't sell the house,” I begged. My hands trembled beside me as I stared at my mother. This was the only thing my father left behind. He died of a heart attack after going bankrupt, and everything else was taken away from us. If she sells this one too, how the hell am I supposed to remember my father? The house holds a lot of memories of him. It was the only thing keeping me going. How can she do this to me? “Relax baby,” she held my hands, looking straight into my eyes. “I know how much this house means to you so I can never sell it,” she said softly, and I exhaled sharply. “Okay, so why are we moving?” “Richard thinks the responsibility is too much on me and wants us to move in with him.” “Richard? Who the hell is Richard?” She tore her gaze away from me and a dread settled in the pit of my stomach. I knew all my uncles’ names even though I hadn't met some of them and none of them bore Richard. “Your stepfather.”