Mated To My Alpha Stepbrother.

Chapter 3

ELAINE

I stood in the doorway of the packhouse, my hands clenched at my sides as I took in the sight of my mother and the man beside her. This was it. This was the start of a new chapter. And I couldn’t have felt more uneasy about it.

“Elaine,” my mother’s voice cut through my thoughts, her tone soft and warm. “This is Nathan. Your new stepfather.”

Nathan’s smile was too wide, too forced. His dark eyes met mine, and I could already feel the weight of his gaze, like he was sizing me up. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like him.

“Nice to meet you, Elaine,” he said, his voice deep and smooth, though it did nothing to calm the unease crawling up my spine.

I forced a smile. “Nice to meet you too,” I said, my voice hollow.

I glanced at my mother, who looked so pleased. I hated that she was so happy about this. She’d never asked me how I felt. She’d just dragged me along with her. But I kept my mouth shut.

Then, the door behind Nathan creaked open. I wasn’t prepared for what came next.

A young man stepped into the room, his features sharp and defined, eyes an icy blue that seemed far too familiar. My breath caught in my throat. His tousled, dark hair framed his face perfectly, and though I didn’t want to admit it, I felt the flutter in my chest—the one I hadn’t been able to shake since the night in that motel room.

And then it hit me.

This was the guy I had slept with.

The one whose name I never got. The one I’d shared something more intimate with than I’d ever imagined possible.

I froze. My mouth went dry.

Mom didn’t seem to notice my reaction. She smiled at him, her voice laced with pride as she introduced him to me.

“Elaine, this is Jeremy, Nathan’s son,” she said, and my blood ran cold.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t move. I stood there, feeling like my whole world was shattering around me.

Jeremy. Nathan’s son. My new stepbrother.

How could this be happening? How could the universe be so cruel?

“Jeremy, this is Elaine, my daughter,” Mom continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

Jeremy stepped forward then, his gaze never leaving mine. His lips curled into a half-smile, and I could almost feel the warmth radiating from him despite the panic bubbling inside me.

“Elaine,” he said softly, his voice low and familiar, like a dangerous secret. “We meet again.”

My heart skipped a beat. I could feel my face flush with embarrassment, horror, and disbelief all at once. This wasn’t happening. There was no way this was real.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my voice. “Jeremy…?” I said, my words almost a whisper. I couldn’t even bring myself to say it out loud.

He nodded, his smile widening slightly as he took a step closer. “The same.”

I looked at my mother, my mouth open but nothing coming out. “You… you didn’t tell me you had a son.”

Mom blinked at me, her expression puzzled. “I didn’t think it was necessary. We’ve only just met Nathan. And Jeremy’s already an adult, so it’s not like he needs a lot of introduction.”

But I needed an introduction. I needed to understand what the hell was happening.

“You never told me you had a son,” I repeated, my voice breaking slightly.

She was silent for a moment, her smile faltering. “Elaine, I thought you knew.”

“I didn’t!” My voice cracked, and I felt like I was about to explode. “I didn’t know any of this!”

Jeremy was watching me closely, his blue eyes never leaving mine. He looked so… calm. Too calm for someone in my position. Like this was all perfectly normal. He had a way of looking at me like he knew everything I was thinking, like he knew exactly how messed up this situation was, and it made me want to run out of the room and never look back.

“Elaine,” Mom said softly, stepping toward me. “You’ll get used to it, I promise. Nathan and I are married now. This is your new family.”

Family? This wasn’t family. This was a nightmare.

“I’m not sure I can get used to this,” I said, my words sharp and bitter. “How am I supposed to live with this? He…” I couldn’t even say it. I looked at Jeremy again, my mind still reeling from the shock.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “What, you don’t think we can get along?” His voice was playful, but there was an edge to it that made me feel even more uncomfortable.

I turned to my mother. “You never told me he was your son. You never told me *anything* about him.”

“I didn’t think it mattered,” Mom said again, her voice wavering now. “I thought you would be fine with this. We’re all family now.”

“Family?” I repeated bitterly. “You expect me to call him family? After everything that happened?”

Mom looked taken aback by my tone. “Elaine…”

“I don’t even know this guy,” I snapped, glaring at Jeremy. “And now you want me to just… accept him as my stepbrother? You didn’t even tell me he existed until now!”

Jeremy’s expression darkened for a split second, but he quickly masked it with another smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “Elaine, calm down. It’s not as bad as you think. We’re just getting to know each other. No need to make it weird.”

But it already *was* weird.

My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel the blood rushing to my ears. This was a nightmare. There was no other way to describe it. The guy I had shared a wild night with was standing right in front of me, and now he was my *stepbrother*?

I had no idea how to process this.

“You’re not helping, Jeremy,” I muttered, trying to pull myself together. “You’re just making this worse.”

Jeremy’s smile faltered for a brief moment, but then he tilted his head, his eyes flicking to my mother. “I’m just trying to make things easier on her, Dad.”

Nathan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. “Elaine, I know this is a lot to process. We’ll give you time. But you need to understand that we’re all a family now. Whether you like it or not.”

I clenched my fists at my sides. I didn’t know what was worse: the fact that I was stuck here, in this packhouse, or the fact that my mother didn’t even seem to care how I felt about any of this.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that,” I whispered, barely able to keep my voice steady.

“Give it time,” Nathan said. “We’ll work it out.”

I wanted to scream. I didn’t want to work it out. I didn’t want a

ny of this. But I was trapped. And I had no idea what the next chapter of my life was going to hold.