Luring My Alpha Stepbrother

Caught Licking My Bite

Alissa's POV

We walked like this—pushing and pulling each other—until we crossed the street. Without hesitation, he dragged me into a grilled fish place. It wasn’t until we were seated that he finally let me go.

“What’s wrong with you?!” I snapped, rubbing my reddened arm. The mark stood out starkly against my pale skin, burning to the touch.

“I told them I was taking you out to eat tonight.”

“Who asked you to do that? Did you even bother to ask me first?”

“Would you have agreed if I had? Or have you already forgotten what happened the last time you were late? If I hadn’t come back, who would’ve saved you?”

I froze, the memory rushing back like a slap to the face.

Half a month ago, I stayed late to grade tests. The moment I got home, I barely stepped through the door before being kicked to the ground.

It wasn’t until I regained my senses that I heard my father’s cursing, felt his hand dragging me up by the ear. “How dare you stay out so late? Did you forget you haven’t shifted yet? What if vampires got you? How are you going to protect yourself?”

Ethan hadn’t been home that day—he’d been sent off to a meeting with several Alphas from other packs. By the time he returned, I was nursing a bruised stomach, trying to keep my posture straight.

“That was my choice. I don’t need your fake pity,” I said, my voice trembling.

I lowered my gaze, bitterness welling up in my eyes. A heavy silence settled between us again, broken only by my soft sniffles.

“What do you want to eat?” he asked suddenly.

“Hmm?” I looked up, startled.

“How about the signature grilled fish? I remember you liked fish.” Ethan slid the digital menu toward me, his tone surprisingly soft.

“I don’t care.” I wasn’t sure if I was answering his question or explaining my mood.

When the steaming grilled fish arrived, we hadn’t exchanged another word. I scrolled aimlessly through my phone, while Ethan toyed with his fork, poking at the fish.

Being alone with Ethan was always... uncomfortable. Growing up, we never shared much, as though a deep chasm separated us. I often looked at him with hatred, and he always spoke as if he didn’t notice.

Tonight was the most we’d spoken in over a month.

Something had changed about Ethan recently. In fact, he had been acting weird for a long time now.

When we were kids, he used to watch coldly as I got in trouble, sometimes even lying to make sure I was punished. The smug grin he wore afterward was seared into my memory.

But now... he was different. He didn’t mock me anymore. Sometimes, like today, he even shielded me.

Why? Why did my once cruel, arrogant stepbrother suddenly act like he cared? Like he... cherished me? Why did he protect me?

“How was school?” Ethan asked, glancing at my untouched plate, “Not hungry yet?"

“Why are you doing this? Aren't you happy to see me get punished before?" I shot him a sharp look, searching his eyes for an explanation.

But there was nothing. No scheming glint, no gloating smirk—just calm indifference. “Eat a bit, okay?” he said simply. “Or you will be hungry later."

Frustrated, I excused myself and went to the restroom. I didn’t want to continue this pointless conversation with him anymore.

Halfway through the meal, I realized I’d left my phone on the public sink. I thought about retrieving it, but Ethan left for the restroom just then.

I glanced around. There was only me and Ethan in the restaurant now, and the restroom was just behind me. I could quickly grab my phone and be back in no time.

With that in mind, I hurried out.

But as I reached the restroom, I froze. My breath caught, and my mind reeled, struggling to process what I was seeing.

Reflected in the mirror was Ethan, standing at the sink, licking the bite mark on his wrist—the one I’d left earlier when he’d grabbed my hands.

It wasn’t the kind of reaction one would expect from pain.

His eyes were closed, savoring the sensation. His tongue momentarily flicked over the bite mark, and for a second, I swear I heard his ragged breathing.

In the end, I didn’t retrieve my phone. I wasn’t even sure how I made it back to the table. I only remembered when Ethan returned moments later, he handed me the phone so casually as if nothing had happened.

I looked at Ethan, suddenly seeing my stepbrother in a new, unsettling light. I watched him casually pick up a piece of meat from his bowl and dip it into the sauce.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing my stare.

“Nothing.” I averted my eyes, heat rushing to my cheeks as if I had done something wrong.

Could I have misinterpreted it? Was it a mistake?

I turned the thoughts over in my head, my fork frozen halfway to my mouth. When I glanced up, Ethan’s gaze was on my lips—burning, intense.

He didn't look at me the way a stepbrother should have. He looked at me as if I was a prey to him, eyes filled with a desire that was too complicate for me to understand.

The room seemed to shrink, and suddenly the space between us felt far too close.

My heart thumped in an uneven rhythm, and I prayed Ethan couldn’t hear it.

“Eat,” He urged, his voice smooth but laced with a strange edge, as if he were holding back something deeper. “You’re going to need your strength.”

“Since when do you care?” My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I refused to be disarmed by whatever strange game he was playing. I tore my gaze away from him and stared down at the grilled fish, which now looked less appetizing and more like something I wanted to hurl across the room.

"You know what? I was just looking out for you. You don’t have to be so hard on me," Ethan said, his voice tinged with hurt.

His fork froze midair, his gaze locking onto mine again. There it was again—that stare, brimming with possessiveness and heat.

From what I saw earlier in that bathroom, it was obvious Ethan liked me more than he let on.

Could it be?

A smile curled my lips as I slid the fork in and out of my mouth, the motion deliberate, teasing, and unhurried. My glossy lips caught the light, mimicking movements I knew Ethan wouldn’t miss.

And his gaze darkened, his jaw tightening, just like I predicted. But I didn’t predict that my cheeks would burn hotter as well, a strange sense of triumph sparking in my chest.

What would my father and Avery think if they knew their perfect future alpha desired me?

On second thought, I don’t want them to know this yet. No—this secret was mine to keep, at least for now. I mean, what fun would it be if they found out before anything had even happened?

Something had to happen.

I slowly leaned back in my seat, a plan taking shape in my mind.

Revenge.

The best way to destroy my abusive family wasn’t through brute force or grand schemes. It was through him—their golden prince.

I would make their cherished future alpha bow before me, their pride and hope crushed beneath my feet.

My revenge didn’t require chaos. No. It only required the perfect bait. And tonight, I realized, I was holding it.