Knot Me, Stepbrother

4: Heat Hits Hard

The next evening came too fast.

By the time dinner rolled around, the heat had turned into a living thing inside me. It pulsed low in my belly with every heartbeat, making my thighs slick and my skin hypersensitive. I had spent the whole day locked in my room, barely eating, barely sleeping, trying to fight the growing fire. But it was winning.

I forced myself to go downstairs for the family dinner in the pack house. The dining room of Silvermoon Pack was packed with important wolves tonight. Alpha Harlan Voss sat at the head of the long oak table, his presence commanding as always. My mom sat beside him, looking elegant. The Beta, Marcus Kane, was there with his wife and two teenage sons. A few council elders and their mates filled the rest of the seats.

Reagan sat directly across from me, stiff and silent in his black shirt.

I kept my head down and picked at my food, legs pressed tightly together under the table. Every small shift sent fresh sparks of need through me. The scent of my heat was faint but growing stronger despite the shower I had taken. I prayed no one would notice.

Conversation flowed around pack business...border patrols, training schedules, alliances. Alpha Harlan spoke about strengthening ties with neighboring packs. Reagan answered in short, clipped sentences.

I risked a quick glance at him.

His jaw was locked tight. His knuckles were white around his fork. He refused to look at me.

One of the elders smiled toward Reagan. “Heard you were talking with Lila after the run. Good choice. She’s steady. Strong bloodline. Would make a fine Luna one day.”

Reagan gave a short nod but said nothing.

Jealousy twisted sharp in my chest at the mention of Lila. The pack clearly approved of her as the perfect match for him.

The heat spiked suddenly. A hot wave rolled through my core, making me grip the edge of the table. Fresh slick gushed between my thighs. I bit my lip hard to stop any sound from escaping.

Beta Marcus frowned slightly. “Something smells… sweet tonight.”

His wife nodded in agreement.

One of the beta’s sons shifted in his seat, eyes darting toward me.

Dinner finally ended. The elders and beta family said their goodbyes and moved toward the living area or outside. My mom and Alpha Harlan stayed behind to talk quietly with the remaining council members in the adjacent study.

I slipped out of the dining room, heading for the stairs. The moment I stepped into the hallway, the whispers started from the front entrance where a group of unmated males had gathered.

“f**k, did you smell that at dinner?” one of the beta’s sons said. “Irene’s definitely in heat. It’s getting strong.”

Another laughed low. “After Reagan rejected her publicly? No wonder. She must be suffering bad. Bet she needs a good knot right now.”

“Reagan’s probably with Lila anyway. Meanwhile Irene’s upstairs dripping for anyone who’ll take her.”

One of them stepped closer to the staircase, eyes fixed on me. “Hey, Irene… you okay? You look like you’re burning up. Need help?”

I ignored them and hurried up the steps, heart pounding. Their voices followed me.

“Age gap or not, I’d knot that stepsister heat in a heartbeat.”

“Reagan doesn’t want her. She’s fair game now.”

Their crude words mixed with the heat, turning shame and desperate need into a sick tangle inside me. Jealousy burned hotter at the mention of Reagan and Lila. He was out there somewhere, maybe thinking about her, while I was falling apart.

I barely reached the top of the stairs when heavy footsteps stormed through the hallway from the back entrance.

Reagan appeared, eyes blazing with pure rage. His massive frame radiated fury as he took in the group of unmated males lingering near the stairs, still whispering about me.

“What the f**k did you just say?” Reagan snarled, his voice was low and deadly. He moved like a predator, stepping between them and the staircase. “You think you can talk about her like that? Circle my house like dogs in heat?”

The males froze. The beta’s oldest son tried to laugh it off. “Come on, Alpha heir. You rejected the bond. She’s in heat and smelling like that...we were just offering...”

Reagan’s fist slammed into the wall beside the guy’s head with a loud crack. Plaster dust flew. “Offer again and I’ll rip your throat out. She is off-limits. Touch her, talk about her, even look at her wrong and I’ll make sure you regret being born. Now get the hell out before I shift and tear you apart.”

The males scattered fast, muttering excuses as they backed away and disappeared outside.

I stood at the top of the stairs, trembling from the heat and the scene. “Reagan, I...”

He didn’t let me finish. In two long strides he was up the stairs. His large hand wrapped around my upper arm in a firm, unyielding grip. His touch burned against my oversensitive skin, sending another wave of unwanted pleasure through me.

“Come with me,” he growled, his voice was rough with barely controlled anger.

I tried to pull away, cheeks flushing with embarrassment and need. “Let go. I can go to my room by myself...”

“Shut up,” he snapped, already dragging me down the hallway toward his own room instead of mine. His grip was tight but not painful, possessive in a way that made the bond sing even louder inside my chest.

“Reagan, stop...you said you didn’t want me. You told me to find someone else...”

He yanked me inside his room and slammed the door shut behind us, the sound echoed like a final warning.