ALPHA BIKER WHO CLAIMED HIS BROTHER'S MATE

5

MAYA’S POV:

“I’m a what?” I asked, fear creeping up my chest. “No. I’m an Omega. I’ve been an Omega my entire life. My scent, my rank, my… everything. You are pulling my leg, Rafe, and I do not like that.”

He chuckled lowly, still sniffing me like I was something he couldn’t quite figure out.

“Your everything just about blew the roof off this house,” Rafe growled, but the cockiness was gone. He looked at me with a strange focus that made my skin prickle.

I expected him to burst into laughter like the unserious Rafe that I knew ,but he didn’t.

Suddenly, the air in the room shifted.

He kept coming closer, and I couldn’t tell if it was my body reacting to the kiss… or if I was actually afraid of him.

The heat that had started in my belly during the kiss didn’t fade, it ignited, spreading through my veins like wildfire. My vision fractured, the colors of the kitchen bleeding into vivid, oversaturated streaks. Every sound sharpened painfully—the hum of the refrigerator, the faint drip of water from the faucet. Too loud. Too much.

I gasped, clutching my throat. It felt like my bones were vibrating, trying to realign into a shape they weren’t meant to hold.

“Maya, look at me!”

Rafe’s voice cut through everything, dragging my attention back to him. He was in front of me in a heartbeat, his large hands clamping onto my shoulders.

“Breathe,” he ordered, his tone sharp and commanding. “You have to ground yourself, or you’re going to tear yourself apart.”

I stared at him, my mouth slightly open, struggling to obey.

“It’s normal for hybrids not to know,” he continued, his voice lower now, controlled but tense. “Most of them are lied to—for protection. Your parents probably knew. And judging from your scent…” His jaw tightened slightly. “They’ve been hiding it well.”

My chest heaved as his words sank in. I forced air into my lungs, but it did nothing to steady me.

They lied to me.

Of course they did.

A bitter, hollow feeling settled in my chest. After everything… after tonight… it almost made sense.

My head spun as I looked at him, tears burning in my eyes.

“I can’t… it’s too much!” I cried, my fingers digging into his forearms as another surge of power rippled through me. It wasn’t just my wolf. It never had been. I had felt it for years—every dizzy spell, every moment my wolf felt… weaker.

Like something inside me was suppressing it.

“That’s why I’m here,” Rafe said, his grip tightening slightly—not hurting, just steady. “We’ll figure it out. But first, you need control. We need to know what the hell you are mixed with. That’s the only way I can help you.”

I yanked my hands away from him and tried to move, but he stepped in, boxing me in with his arms braced on either side of the counter.

“You still don’t trust me,” he muttered, his voice quieter now, but heavier.

My breath trembled, but I held my ground.

“Tell me why I should trust you, Rafe,” I shot back, my eyes locking with his. “I am your mistress. You claimed me in front of everyone like I was nothing—shameful, disposable. Yes, we need each other—you want revenge, I want mine. But this?” My voice cracked slightly. “Why are you trying to help me beyond that?”

I swallowed hard.

“It’s not like you love me or something.”

A slow smile spread across his face as he leaned in, closing the distance until our breaths mingled.

“You don’t know a f*****g thing, love,” he murmured.

My hand shot up, pressing against his mouth as my throat went dry.

“Don’t,” I whispered.

His eyes flickered, something unreadable passing through them before he gently pulled my hand away.

“Do you know how powerful I’d be,” he said, his voice low and deliberate now, “having a hybrid by my side?”

Not wife. Not anything soft.

Just power.

He let out a quiet, humorless chuckle.

“Jalen would lose his damn mind if he knew what you really are. He didn’t reject you because you’re weak.” His gaze darkened. “He rejected something he couldn’t control.”

The words hit harder than I expected.

Still… it didn’t change what this was.

I forced a small smile, even though it felt like it might crack my face.

“At least you’re honest.”

He studied me for a second longer than necessary, like he could see straight through that smile.

Then he pulled away.

“You should get some rest,” he said gruffly, turning toward the cabinet. “We’ll deal with the rest tomorrow. I’ll call someone—a witch, maybe. We’ll figure out what we’re dealing with.”

He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a slow drag.

The normalcy of it felt jarring.

“So that’s it?” I asked quietly, staring at the floor. “I’m just… useful to you now?”

He exhaled smoke, his expression unreadable.

“I hate my brother,” he said flatly. “He ruins people. Especially ones like you.”

My head lifted slightly.

“You were fed pretty lies, yeah? About mates. Love. Destiny.” His lips twitched faintly. “You picked the wrong brother for that.”

The words stung, but I didn’t look away.

“I won’t lie to you,” he continued, his voice rougher now. “What we have? It’s not that.”

There was a pause.

A heavy one.

“But don’t mistake that for me not wanting you.”

My heart betrayed me with a sharp, uneven beat.

“I don’t do strings,” he added, quieter this time—not as crude, but no less clear.

There it was.

The truth.

Not soft. Not kind. But real.

I nodded slowly.

“Okay,” I said, my voice steady—even though everything inside me wasn’t. Not because I agreed… but because I didn’t have the luxury of refusing.

“Good,” he said, watching me carefully. “I like that about you.”

“Smoke?” he offered.

I shook my head. “No, thank you. I should go wash up. I need to get out of this dress.”

He gave a small shrug.

“The bedroom’s the last door on the right. If it isn’t to your taste, we’ll fix it tomorrow.”

He pulled out a chair, sitting back like nothing had just shifted between us.

“If you need help warming the bed,” he added lazily, “just call.”

I ignored him and walked away, my legs steady even if my mind wasn’t.

By the time I reached the stairs, one thing was painfully clear—

Nothing about my life was what I thought it was anymore.

And Rafe?

He wasn’t just part of the chaos.

He might be the center of it.