Claimed By My Ruthless Alpha Stepbrother

MIA “Oh my God! Can somebody pinch me right now? Isn’t that Alpha Caleb and Alpha Harvey walking side by side!” A girl’s high pitched squeal echoed through the school lobby the moment the double doors swung open, revealing the two young Alphas. I had been rushing to make it to class on time when their names hit me like a spark. My heart stuttered. I spun around instantly, and my eyes locked first on Caleb, my mate, the school’s golden boy, the one person who made me feel wanted. Then my gaze shifted to the other figure beside him. My perfect nemesis. My insufferable stepbrother. Great. Just what I needed. Girls swarmed them instantly, phones raised like they were celebrities. In a matter of seconds, Lunacrest Academy had two new school heartthrobs. Caleb looked charming as always, flashing that sunny, effortless smile that could melt hearts. But Harvey looked like a sculpted image of sin. Six foot four of pure dominance, golden amber eyes, golden wavy hair, and broad shoulders that made every other guy, including Caleb, look like a boy in comparison. He carried himself like he knew he was a god, and the world simply existed to bow at his feet. It wasn’t the first time I had seen him, of course. I had lived with this man for the past ten years. My life had been dragged straight to hell the day my mother, Helena Bennett, uprooted us from our old pack and forced me into the Silverfang Pack so she could marry Victor Wolfe, Harvey’s father. Harvey and I had hated each other on sight. We were only eight years old, but we both understood one brutal truth: we would never get along. An ugly incident years ago had only cemented that hatred. Now, just seeing him was enough to flood my chest with pure anger and simmering angst. How we had survived ten years under the same roof without tearing each other apart was still a mystery. Asides from the brief stares and short “yes” or “no” we shared when it was extremely necessary, I and Harvey barely associate with each other. It felt like a thorough abomination. Today was his first day at Lunacrest Academy. He had just transferred back after spending a year abroad, following a massive fight with his father, a fight that had everything to do with me and my mother. But when I saw him last night in the kitchen while grabbing a glass of water, something strange happened. My stomach twisted with a feeling I couldn’t name. A dangerous flutter. A warning. I knew trouble was coming. The smartest thing I could do was stay far away from Harvey Wolfe. “Say one word about us being siblings at school and you are dead,” he had whispered dangerously close to my ear last night, his hot breath brushing my neck before he walked away. The memory still made my skin crawl and ignited something else I refused to acknowledge. My mother had begged me this morning to try getting along with him at school. I would rather die. “Move over, nerd! What are you staring at!” A sharp shove to my shoulder snapped me out of my thoughts. The portrait I had been clutching slipped from my hands and smashed onto the floor, the glass shattering. Only then did I realize that Harvey and Caleb had already disappeared into the crowd. Everyone was heading back to class while I had zoned out completely. The fallen frame revealed the photo inside. It was Caleb’s picture. I lunged to pick it up, but someone beat me to it. Chloe freaking Price. The school belle and resident bully. In all my years at this academy, I had successfully stayed under her radar. Apparently, my luck had just run out. Chloe’s eyes widened in disgust as she stared at the photo. Her minions quickly circled around her, giggling like hyenas. “What the hell? She has a whole portrait of Caleb. What a perv,” one of them sneered. “I thought all wolfless nerds did was bury their heads in textbooks. Didn’t know they also drooled over guys way out of their league,” another added with a nasty laugh. “How dare you stalk Caleb? Do you have a death wish?” Chloe snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut. “I am not stalking him. Caleb and I are…” I stopped mid sentence, lips pressing tightly together as dozens of eyes bored into me. They were all waiting, hungry for drama, ready for Chloe to put me in my place. Crushing on Caleb was normal here. But openly claiming him? That was social suicide. Especially with Chloe watching. I wasn’t hiding our relationship because I was scared of her. Caleb and I had an agreement: our relationship stayed secret until I got my wolf and he could mark me publicly. But something reckless surged through me in that moment. “Alpha Caleb is my mate,” I said, my voice shaky but clear. “We are dating.” Gasps rippled through the crowd. “Oh my God! Did you hear that? Big news! The wolfless nerd and Alpha Caleb are f*****g!” A feminine guy yelled loudly, clearly trying to fan the flames. Chloe’s face twisted with rage. Before I could react, her hand flew across my face in a stinging slap. The sharp c***k echoed in the lobby. Heat bloomed painfully across my cheek. “What the hell was that for?!” I snapped, glaring back at her. “Oh look at that. The wolfless dog can bite,” someone mocked from the crowd. Chloe stepped closer, towering over me by just an inch, using every bit of it to look down on me with pure contempt. “You dare drag Caleb’s name through the mud? Bring him down to your pathetic lowlife level?” she hissed. “That slap was to knock some sense into your delusional head. Caleb will never look your way. Do you hear me, b***h?” Phones were already out, recording and livestreaming. My humiliation was becoming public entertainment. A wave of mocking howls, cruel laughter, and loud claps erupted after Chloe’s insult. “I am not lying!” My voice came out tiny and pathetic against the chorus of voices eager to tear me down. “You have decided you won’t behave, huh?” Chloe asked with a manic smile spreading across her face. “Someone, grab her!” she commanded. Two of her minions rushed toward me. I tried to fight back, but they quickly overpowered me as a third girl joined them, pinning my arms behind my back. Chloe snatched a cup of strawberry juice from a girl who was happily sipping it while enjoying the show. “Let me go! This is wrong!” I struggled desperately, my heart pounding with panic. “Strip her.” The words rolled slowly from Chloe’s tongue like venom. My eyes widened in pure shock. “Chloe, you’re crazy! If you can’t accept that Caleb loves me and not you, go face him, not me!” My pathetic attempt to break free only made the words spill out, turning Chloe’s face an ugly shade of red. “Strip the f*****g wolfless b***h now! Is she too strong for three werewolves?” she yelled. They worked fast. My backpack was thrown several feet away. Rough hands ripped my shirt open, exposing me despite my frantic struggling. Tears burned in my eyes. I knew Chloe was a bully, but I never imagined she would go this far. I could only blame myself. I had intentionally provoked her. And the worst part? The school board would do nothing. She was the daughter of the head of the board, from one of the most powerful werewolf families in the pack. Me? I was just a wolfless omega whose mother was known as the w***e who stole another woman’s husband. Right at that moment, I swore I saw Caleb pass by the edge of the lobby. Others didn’t notice him, but I did. He had probably come back for something and was now walking away after seeing me like this. Did the man I thought was the love of my life just ignore me? Our eyes met for a brief second. He hesitated, then quickly turned and disappeared down the hallway. Was…was he ashamed of me? Was he so hellbent on keeping our relationship secret that he could even ignore me even at the verge of death or something worse? It didn’t make sense at all. Caleb loves me. I knew that for sure. While I drowned in that fresh wave of betrayal and shock, a cold splash of liquid hit my head and poured down my half n***d body. The white fabric of my b*a turned a deep, sticky red as I wrapped my arms tightly around myself in humiliation. By now the girls had finally let me go. The damage was done. They had succeeded. “Now let’s see how you like that, you w***e,” Chloe’s voice slid out icily. I bowed my head, trying to hide my face as the sound of camera shutters filled the air. Phones clicked rapidly, capturing every humiliating second. Pictures. Videos. By tomorrow, hashtags with my exposed body would be trending. Chloe suddenly yanked my head up by the hair, forcing me to look directly into her cruel eyes. “Since you claim Caleb is your dear lover, I can’t wait to see his embarrassment when these cute pictures and videos go viral. He’ll be so ashamed he’ll dump your pathetic ass.” She flung my face away with brutal force. I stumbled, about to crash to the floor, when a strong body suddenly shielded me. A powerful arm wrapped protectively around my waist at the same time. My heart did a violent flip as the familiar scent of his cologne hit me. I knew exactly who it was.