Knot Me, Stepbrother

“You smell like you want your stepbrother’s c**k buried inside you.” The words came out low and mean, right next to my ear. Only I could hear them over the loud music and laughter filling the pack clearing. Reagan stood so close I could feel the heat coming off his body. His eyes locked on mine, dark gold and angry. His jaw was tight, lips pressed together like he was holding back from saying more. My heart started racing so hard it hurt. Tonight was my nineteenth birthday. I had waited for this full moon run for weeks, hoping I would finally feel like part of the pack. Instead, everything just broke. The second our eyes met earlier during the run, the mate bond hit me like a truck. One moment I was just Irene, the quiet stepsister. The next, every cell in my body screamed the same word: Mate. And that mate was him...Reagan, my stepbrother. “Say something, little sister,” he growled, his voice rough. His nose flared as he took in my scent. “Or are you too busy getting wet for me right now?” My face burned. I wanted to tell him he was wrong. I wanted to push him away. But the bond made my legs feel weak and my body hot in places I didn’t want to think about. For four years we had lived in the same house after my mom mated his dad. I was fourteen then, he was twenty-four. He barely looked at me back then, always busy with Alpha training or pack business. I kept my stupid crush hidden, telling myself it was wrong. He was supposed to be family. But the Goddess didn’t care what I told myself. “I didn’t ask for this,” I said, my voice shaking a little. “None of it.” Reagan’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “Really? All those times you stared at me when you thought I wasn’t looking. The way you went quiet every time I walked into the kitchen or the living room. You’ve wanted your stepbrother since the day our parents made us one big happy family.” His words stung because they were true. I had watched him from the corners of rooms, heart racing when he came back from training all sweaty and focused. I buried it deep. Told myself to stop. He was off-limits. The pack was all around us, laughing and dancing near the big bonfire. Music blasted from speakers someone had set up. Wolves chatted and howled along with the songs. No one paid attention to us yet. Reagan moved even closer until his chest almost touched mine. His scent hit me hard...pine trees and something sharp and male that made my head spin. “Listen close, Irene,” he said, his voice dropping lower. His eyes narrowed, and his brows pulled together in frustration. “This bond is messed up. A bad joke. You’re my sister as far as this pack is concerned. We grew up in the same house. My dad treats you like his own daughter. Your mom calls me her son. If word gets out that the Goddess tried to match us, it will split the pack in half. People will fight. Some will leave.” I looked up at him, trying to sound brave even though my body was betraying me. Warmth kept building between my legs, making me shift uncomfortably. “Then reject it. Say the words and let us both go.” For a split second his face changed. His eyes widened a little and his lips parted. Hunger flashed there, raw and real, the same feeling tearing through my own chest. Then it disappeared. His expression went hard again, mouth set in a straight line. He stepped back suddenly and raised his voice so the whole clearing could hear. “Pack! Listen up!” Everything went quiet fast. The music seemed to fade. People turned their heads. Cups stopped moving. All eyes landed on us. My stomach twisted into knots. Reagan stood tall, shoulders back, fists clenched at his sides. The veins on his arms stood out. His face looked tight with anger, eyes hard as he stared straight ahead, not at me. “The Moon Goddess got it wrong tonight,” he announced, loud and clear. “Irene is not my mate. She is my stepsister. This bond is fake. A mistake. I reject it. I reject her.” Gasps broke out everywhere. Someone’s drink spilled on the ground. Whispers started flying...“stepbrother”… “taboo”… “Alpha’s son”… “his sister”… My cheeks felt like they were on fire. Tears pushed at my eyes but I blinked them back hard. I wasn’t going to cry here in front of everyone. Not while they all stared at me like I was some kind of freak. Reagan didn’t glance my way once. He just kept talking, voice steady and cold. “If anyone brings this up again, you answer to me. Got it?” Then he turned around and walked straight into the dark trees, his back straight and his steps quick, like he couldn’t get away fast enough. I stood there alone in the middle of the circle. The pack kept looking at me. Some faces showed pity. Others looked shocked. A few even smirked a little, like they enjoyed the drama. The bond still pulled at me from inside, strong and demanding. It didn’t care that Reagan had just humiliated me in front of the whole pack. It didn’t care about the four years of him acting like I barely existed. It didn’t care that the word “sister” now felt heavy and wrong on everyone’s lips. My body didn’t care either. Even with the shame sitting like a rock in my chest, a deep ache started low in my belly. It throbbed and spread, warm and insistent. The first sign of the heat coming for me.