Chased By My Possessive Stepbrother

Chapter 1 Eleanor's POV I wasn't supposed to be here. If Stephen finds out, he'll kill me, but I couldn't help myself. Slipping past the guards, I snuck into the ballroom, my heart fluttering with excitement. Tonight wasn't just any normal party in the pack house. It’s Stephen’s mating ceremony. Stephen had rejected all his previous mates, but finally the Moon Goddness had bestowed him with another mate. This thought made me grin from ear to ear like an i***t. My stepbrother would find a woman who would match and make him happy. ‘Oh. What kind of girl would she be? No doubt, she will be beautiful, graceful and definitely strong.’ With a finger on my cheek, I continue to imagine the picture of the perfect bride for Stephen in my head. Back to reality, I peeked from behind a pillar, my fingers gripping the edge as I scanned the hall. The entire pack was there: our family, the elders, even the freaking king and queen of the MoonClaw Pack. The air buzzed with anticipation as all eyes locked on Stephen, waiting and expecting his response. But the most expectant was her, Alianne, the princess of the MoonClaw Pack. She stood before him, trembling, not out of fear but of excitement. Her lips parted slightly, and I think mine did also in expectation and excitement. Everyone waited for Stephen to say the words. “I accept you as my mate.” But the moment stretched, and a strange feeling began to crawl up my spine. Why wasn't he responding ? What was going on? I furrow my brow in confusion. The thought that maybe he had said it and I didn't hear it flashed through my mind, and I leaned forward slightly. I had barely taken a step before Stephen’s voice vibrated through the hall. “I reject you.” Those words tore through the air like lightning as gasps rippled through the crowd. No. I must've heard wrong. Stephen wouldn't… I turned to take a proper look at him, but my breath hitched, and a cool and terrifying chill ran through my body at the pair of eyes looking at me. I have been caught. Stephen wasn't looking at Alianne but was staring at me. My lips tremble as I immediately hide myself behind the pillar. Waves of shock continued to ripple through the crowd like a storm, and gasps erupted around me. "My heart raced as my thoughts began to flow like a stream at its peak. “Did Stephen just… reject the princess? "Is he insane?” I questioned myself. “Just what the hell is he thinking?!” Stealing another look at the situation from behind the pillar with only my head stretched out, I saw Alianne stare wide-eyed at Stephen as if she had been struck by lightning. “W…ha…t?” She finally muttered in a faint whisper. I watched as Stephen clenched his jaw in frustration, refusing to repeat himself. There was clearly no need to. Everyone had heard him, including her. Our parents exchanged confused glances, and the elders shifted their gazes between Stephen and the princess. Slowly and deliberately, he turned his head towards me. I stood frozen, my brows furrowed in confusion. Why is he looking at me? “Why?...” Alianne whispered, her voice shaky, cutting Stephen's gaze from me. “Why would you reject me?” She continued. Stephen exhaled softly. “My mate isn't here. Yet.” I thought chaos was when Mom yelled at me. But it paled in comparison to the chaotic howls that echoed in the room. Alianne staggered back, her devastation was evident in her depressed aurora. The pack was losing their minds, and so was she. I stared at Stephen, searching his eyes for answers about what was happening. I couldn't move, nor could I breathe. What did he mean by that? His mate… wasn't there yet? If she wasn't here yet, then why was he looking at me like that? Like I was the only person in the room. No! No! This is a mistake. Stephen wouldn't reject his mate for me. I turned on my heels and fled away from the ceremony at the insane thought. I had barely made it to our mansion when a hand caught mine and yanked me backwards. An hour later, I trudged towards home, my body shaking and bones aching in places that I didn't know existed. Entering the mansion, I walked towards a particular wing. My mind screamed at me that I shouldn't be here, not after what happened and not after what Alianne and her friends did to me, but my legs carried me forward before I could stop myself, and before I knew it, I was standing in Stephen's doorway. Soaked in mud-stained clothes, barely holding myself together. Stephen shot to his feet the instant he sighted me, his eyes darkening. “Ellie, what the hell happened to you?” I stepped inside, my body shaking. “The princess… Alianne.” I stammered in a low whisper as my throat was dry, and I could barely move my lips, as it hurt like hell. A flash of rage crossed Stephen's face, but he quickly replaced it with a quick frown. “She and her friends cornered me,” I continued in a cracking voice. She said that I had brainwashed you into rejecting her. "She called me a useless wolf…” I paused to gather my breath, tears racing down my cheeks. “She said I was a girl whose mother didn't even want her.” I hiccupped, lifting a hand to wipe my tears, but they wouldn't stop falling. Stephen closed the distance between us, pulling me into his arms before I could say another word. I crumbled in his arms, gripping his shirt as I sobbed into his chest. “I hate them,” I choked out while he held me tighter. “It's okay, Ellie. "I hate them too.” Stephen comforted. A knot tied in my stomach; I had the feeling he wasn't joking. But for now, I just allow him to hold me in his embrace. When my sobs faded and my breathing steadied, I pulled away and wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt. Stephen touched my nose. “You have a snot here.” “You're an asshole.” I swatted his arm away. He laughed it off and ran a hand through his hair. “You keep rejecting every girl, and now they're taking it out on me. "You should've just accepted one and saved me the trouble always.” I shot at him, pouting but frustrated, as if I hadn't just cried my eyes out a few seconds ago. Stephen exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “You should change before you get sick. Use my bathroom.” I glared at him. Is that the answer he was going to give to my outburst just now? “Fine.” I scoffed and walked past him and disappeared into the bathroom. My eyes settled on the one-too-many body washes sitting in the cabinet, and my jaw dropped. “Ew… why do you have so many body washes?” I echoed from the bathroom. I heard him chuckle softly. “What’s the problem? I love smelling good.” Came his response from the other end. “Yeah, right.” I rolled my eyes. I ran to the shower and grabbed one of the body washes. While at it, my thoughts wander back to the incident at the ceremony earlier, and I call out, “Stephen…?” “Yeah?” he called back. “Who are you really waiting for?” But he didn't reply. “Are you there?” I called out again. “Yeah.” came his quiet response. “So?… Who's the wolf you keep rejecting other girls for?” I held my breath, waiting for him to say a name and finally put an end to this t*****e, but he didn't say a word. I'd almost lost my patience and stormed out of the bathroom before he finally spoke. “It's a secret.” My heart sank, not knowing why I had expected anything else from him in the first place. “Typical of him.” I muttered under my breath. The bathroom door creaked open after a while and I stepped out wearing one of his oversized T-shirts. The fabric hung loosely off my shoulder with the hem brushing just above my thigh, suddenly making me feel self-aware. I walked sluggishly towards him, sitting next to him while deliberately ignoring the fact that our knees touched. “Come on, tell me. Who is she?” I probe further, not giving up on my curiosity to know more. Stephen shot to his feet as though the bed was on fire and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “My mate…” he began in a hoarse voice. ‘Say it. Just say it.’ I chanted inside of me. “Yes?” I encouraged. “She’s… she's far away,” he said. I knew he was lying, I could feel it by the way he refused to look at me and the nervousness in his voice when he spoke. But before I could probe him further, he turned and walked away as if running from me. And for a brief moment, that terrifying thought from earlier crept into my mind again: What if the mate Stephen was waiting for was actually me?