I'm His Stepmom; He's My Mate

Mate

**Esme's POV**

I was dressed and ready for my chauffeured ride to school when I sent a quick message to Lucian via chat.

~How's the pack?~

His reply was instantaneous.

~Don't mind the i***t, it was a false alert.~

~Off to school. See you soon.~ I typed back. Ending the chat before it reached the ‘I love you, I love you too’.

The implication hit me instantly. Kai! Kai had stopped our near-encounter. He must have been watching, peering through the crack in the door.

Well, thanks to him.

But why? Why stop us? He hated me. What does he want?

At school, the reaction to my arrival was beyond my wildest dreams. Even the garage was wowed at my entrance.

The entire schoolyard seemed to stop and stare agape as I stepped from the Maybach Benz. My chauffeur, impeccably dressed, held the door open for me.

It was a scene of pure, unapologetic triumph at a place where I was bullied and dejected. I took my time, sauntering across the tarmac.

My hips swayed deliberately.

My heels clicked against the pavement, the rhythmic beat echoing my newfound confidence.

I swung my Belkin bag, radiating a carefree energy I'd never dared to unleash before.

I screamed wealth and I didn't have to announce it.

Throughout the day, I saw members of the K-Paw pack, their gazes lingering on me. Kai's spies, no doubt.

After school, as I prepared to leave, a low, guttural howl sliced through the air. The K-Paw pack was calling a meeting.

Should I go? Should I not? The hesitation vanished. I was no longer an Omega, not his plaything. I was his stepmom. This was my territory now, too. It might also be my last time in the pack.

I strode confidently toward the unauthorized area, heading straight for the pack's territory. Rod, one of Kai's enforcers, was watching, discreet but unwavering. I acknowledged his presence with a curt nod and he nodded back. That was strange. He had once kicked me out of the ranks.

I got to the pack.

The pack was gathered, a silent, expectant throng. I was the last to arrive. Normally, I would be punished. The enforcers would make me kneel. But none said a word.

The hush deepened as I took my place.

Kai stood on a makeshift dais, his back to the assembled pack, his hands clasped behind him.

“Jonathan, step forward.”

Jonathan, his beta, stepped forward hesitantly.

"Kneel."

Jonathan, visibly taken aback, lifted his eyes.

“Why should… I … kneel?”

"Kneel," Kai repeated, his voice like ice. "Or the entire pack will pounce on you."

At his voice, the pack members got ready to jump in at the call of their alpha.

Jonathan knelt.

Kai turned. His gaze pierced mine for a while. He then locked eyes with Jonathan. "Why did you kiss her before bringing her to join the pack?"

“Who?” Jonathan asked.

I sighed inwardly. This was part of his elaborate game of jealousy. I lowered my head.

“Esme!”

“Oh!” Jonathan said and looked at me. “She wanted you so bad. She wanted to be within range. She wanted to join the pack. So I asked for s*x but all she could offer was a kiss. I took it. There should be no fuss about this, Alpha; she's an Omega.”

Kai stared at him for a while and then turned to me. "How many times did this hoser kiss you, Esme?"

The question hung in the air, and a blush warmed my cheeks. I didn't want to cause a ruckus. He told me to keep it a secret, but I also needed him to be punished. "It was a lot. I can’t even count," I admitted.

I wondered when Kai seemed to care.

"Omegas have a life, too," Kai announced, his voice ringing with a newfound authority that surprised me. I lifted my head, shocked by the unexpected shift in his tone.

"Really?" I said, incredulous! "Omegas have lives?" This was not the Kai I knew. This was a new, unfamiliar Kai.

He continued, his words resonating through the assembled pack, "From this day forward, no one in this pack will look down on an Omega. No one will force them to do anything to feel small. We are a pack, and we stand together. We would watch over each other and treat omegas as part of the family."

I saw smiles light up the faces of the Omegas within the pack. My colleagues.

Kai then looked directly at me. I couldn't help but smile back, a mixture of shock and burgeoning hope warring within me. He used to fight me; now, he was fighting for me.

"As for you, Jonathan," Kai’s voice hardened again. "You will be clawed ten times, by the Omegas of this pack. The final blow shall be dealt by Esme Pitt."

"No!" Jonathan roared. "I'd rather leave the pack."

"Then so be it," Kai said, his voice unwavering.

The tension in the air was thick, palpable. I saw a primal rage ignite in Jonathan's eyes. If he had the chance, he'd kill me.

Jonathan looked at me one last time, his gaze full of hate and regret, then at the other pack members. He turned to leave but in an instant, he lunged.

Like a flash flood, he surged toward me, fangs bared, claws extended. I froze, eyes clenched shut, anticipating the fatal blow. But a wall of muscle and fury intercepted him.

I heard the thud. I could only hear. My eyes were shut.

Kai had moved with lightning speed, blocking the blow and yanking Jonathan to the ground. Other pack members swiftly subdued him.

Kai turned back to me, his hands on my shoulders, his touch surprisingly gentle. "Are you okay?"

I had never been this close to him before, inches from his lips, his body radiated a palpable warmth. His touch… was like a connection with a life wire with limited voltage. Slowly passing current through.

I nodded, my voice barely a whisper. "I'm okay."

I looked up into his face, his wet pink lips, his blue bold eyes. The desire I'd long suppressed finally rose to the surface. I wanted to kiss him.

His hand slowly dropped from my shoulder, and I braced myself for the loss of that proximity. But his grip tightened; he held my hands and pulled me towards him.

I stood my ground.

He turned, his eyes communicating the unspoken truth …you wanted this, take it….

He pulled me again, and this time, I didn't resist. He led me to the dais, and we stood facing the pack.

"I, Alpha Kai, of the K-Paw pack, announce to you my mate, Esme Pitt."

What? No! I'm his stepmom! No way!

As if reading my mind, he forcibly turned me to face him. “I don't care what he calls you. You are what I call you. My mate.’

I stood there, rigid, shocked into stunned silence. How? How would I navigate this—being his stepmom and his mate, caught between father and son?

The wedding would be in three days.