My Step Brother's Claim; The Alpha's Open Marriage

Greta "Talia, please just tell me how much garlic to add." I held the phone between my ear and my shoulder. My hands were covered in flour and olive oil. The packhouse kitchen was entirely mine for the morning. I made sure the Omega staff took the day off. I wanted everything to be perfect. "Greta, you are stressing me out," Talia said through the speaker. Her voice sounded strained. "Are you sure everything is okay over there? You sound a little frantic." "I am not frantic," I insisted. I wiped a streak of flour from my forehead. "I am just happy. I am actually beaming, Talia. Antonio finally agreed to a family picnic. I have been begging him for six months to just spend one afternoon with me and the pup outside of pack business. And he said yes." Talia let out a heavy sigh. "I know he said yes. It just feels weird. Antonio has been so cold lately. Why would he suddenly want to eat homemade Italian food by the lake?" "He has been stressed with Alpha duties," I defended him as my heart gave a little flutter. "But he has been in a better mood this week. I noticed he ordered this specific chicken piccata at the restaurant last Tuesday. Since you are part Italian, I figured you could help me nail the recipe. I want to surprise him." "Right. Chicken piccata," Talia mumbled. She sounded like she was chewing on her lip. "Just add two cloves of garlic. Sauté them in the butter before you add the capers. Greta... just be careful, okay? Do not get your hopes too high." "Thank you, Talia. I have to finish the sauce. I will call you later." I hung up the phone and smiled at the bubbling pan on the stove. My wolf was practically purring in my chest. Antonio was my fated mate. The Moon Goddess paired us for a reason. I just needed to remind him of that. I carefully packed the warm food into the expensive wicker basket I bought just for today. "Well, look at this pathetic display." I stiffened. The arrogant, grating voice always made my wolf curl. I turned around and saw Aunt Amaia leaning against the doorframe. She had a sneer plastered across her face. "Good morning, Amaia," I said politely. I kept my tone neutral. Amaia scoffed and walked further into the kitchen. She looked at the picnic basket like it was a pile of garbage. "Playing the perfect little Luna again, Greta? It is honestly embarrassing to watch." "I am just packing lunch for my mate," I replied. I closed the lid of the basket. "We are going out as a family." "A family." Amaia laughed. It was a cruel, sharp sound. "You think some burnt chicken is going to fix your mating bond? Antonio barely looks at you. He only keeps you around because the elders demanded a pureblood Luna. You are nothing to him, Greta. Everyone in the pack knows it." My chest tightened. The words stung because they hit my deepest insecurities, but I forced a smile. "Antonio agreed to this picnic. He wants to spend time with me." "He pities you," Amaia spat back. She reached out and knocked a silver spoon off the counter. It clattered loudly against the floor. "He is an Alpha. He needs a fierce, strong woman beside him. Not a desperate housewife who begs for scraps of attention. You sicken me." "That is enough, Amaia." The deep, gravelly voice sent a shiver down my spine. I looked past Amaia and saw Antonio stepping into the kitchen. My breath hitched. He looked incredibly handsome. He wore a tight black t-shirt that showed off the heavy ink of his tattoos crawling up his arms. His jaw was clenched tight. He looked like the ultimate bad boy, radiating pure, dangerous energy. "Antonio," I breathed out. My heart did a happy leap. "You are here. The food is all packed." Amaia rolled her eyes and slipped past him. "Have fun with your charity work, Alpha." She sneered one last time before leaving the kitchen. I ignored her. I picked up the basket and took a step toward my mate. "I made your favorite. The chicken piccata. I even got the vintage wine you like..." Antonio just stared at me. His blue eyes were like chips of ice. There was absolutely no warmth in his gaze. He looked at the basket. Then he looked at my flour stained dress. He dragged a hand down his face and let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "What the f*****g hell is all this, Greta?" he snapped. His voice was laced with pure venom. My smile faltered. "It is the picnic. You said we could go to the lake at noon." "I said we could grab a quick bite outside." Antonio stepped closer. His dominant aura crashed into me, making my wolf whimper. "I told you not to f*****g make a big deal out of this. Look at you. You made a massive mess in the kitchen. You are acting like we are celebrating an anniversary." "I just wanted to do something nice," I whispered. My hands started to shake. "I wanted us to feel like a family again." "Stop being so damn clingy," he growled. He snatched the basket from my hands and slammed it down on the island counter. The dishes inside rattled loudly. "It is just a f*****g lunch. You have been bothering me about this for months. Whining and begging like a pup. I agreed so you would finally shut up and get off my back. That is it." Tears pricked the back of my eyes. My heart physically ached. "You do not mean that. You have been in such a good mood lately." "My mood has nothing to do with you," he sneered. He took a step back, looking at me with pure disgust. "You completely ruined it. I do not even have an appetite anymore. Clean this mess up. I am going up to my office." He turned around and started walking away. "Antonio, please," I begged. My voice cracked. "I worked so hard on this." He stopped at the doorway. He did not look back. He just shrugged out of his heavy leather jacket. He tossed it carelessly backward. It hit the edge of the counter and slid toward the floor. "Eat it yourself," he muttered before disappearing down the hallway. I stood completely frozen in the kitchen. A heavy, suffocating silence pressed down on me. A single tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. He was so incredibly cruel. I gave him everything. I loved him with every fiber of my being. And he always looked at me like I was nothing. I wiped my face with the back of my hand. I needed to clean up. I walked over to where his leather jacket had fallen. I picked it up to hang it on the back of the chair. It felt heavy. As I lifted it, something shiny slipped out of the inside pocket. It hit the floor with a metallic clink. I frowned. I crouched down and picked it up. It was a delicate rose gold wristwatch. The glass face was slightly cracked. I turned it over in my palm. The letter T was engraved on the back of the clasp. My breath caught in my throat. It was Talia's watch. Talia was my best friend in the entire pack. She wore this watch every single day and I was the one who bought it for her birthday two years ago. Why was my best friend's watch in my husband's jacket pocket? I heard heavy footsteps returning just as Antonio walked back into the kitchen. He was holding his phone to his ear, looking annoyed. He stopped when he saw me standing there. He saw the watch resting in my open palm. For a split second, a flash of panic crossed his cold eyes. He quickly masked it with a hard scowl. "What are you doing going through my pockets?" he demanded. He stepped forward and snatched the watch from my hand. "That belongs to Talia," I said. My voice was eerily calm, but my entire body was trembling. "Why do you have Talia's watch, Antonio?" He put it back in his pocket without missing a beat. "She dropped it in my car after the pack meeting yesterday. I told her I would return it to her. Stop being so paranoid, Greta. It makes you look insane." He turned to leave again. But the lie hung thick and putrid in the air. We did not have a pack meeting yesterday. He told me he was out of town visiting the borders.