My Alpha Stepbrother is My Bully (Nevaeh) novel Chapter 114

Chapter 114

Eli

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“Don’t talk like that!” Evie exclaims, and before I know it, she hugs me in such a hard bear hug one could think she was trying to kill me.

I tap her shoulder. “Evie…can’t…breathe…”

“Oops, I’m so sorry!” I’m immediately released by a sheepish-looking Evie. “I sometimes forget that you’re werewolf cancer is back and how much weaker it makes you.”

I’m about to answer her and defend my pride by saying I’m not THAT much weaker, but that’s when Lautner and her friends surround us.

Lautner’s lips curve into a smug smile as she eyes me up and down like a hawk. She might be pretty, but right now, she looks like the crazy villain of a Disney movie. With her big nose, she reminds me a lot of Jafar from Aladdin.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the birthday boy’s dear stepsister. I’m surprised to see you out and about, considering your…condition.”

Who the hell told her that I’m sick? I glance at Evie, who quickly looks away-it’s obvious she has, once again, opened her big mouth. She can’t keep a secret to save her life, but I will deal with her later.

“Lautner,” I greet her coolly, keeping my expression neutral even though I dislike her. Clara, however, isn’t as nice as me and immediately drops a bomb.

“Lautner?” she asks in fake surprise. “What are you doing here? Didn’t Cam dump you on the street?”

I’m shocked by Clara’s words. I had no idea Cam had broken up with Miss Perfect Werewolf, and apparently, Lautner doesn’t like to be reminded since her face is already turning into an unappealing shade of red.

“Cam and I are just going through a temporary rough patch!” she hisses through clenched teeth. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

Clara just smirks, unfazed by Lautner’s venomous tone. “Oh really? Then why is there a rumor going around the pack saying Cam kicked you to the curb like yesterday’s trash.”

Suddenly, Lautner looks like she might explode. Her eye does this twitching thing you only see in movies, and then her nails transform into claws. It makes me worry she might linge at Clara, but she manages to restrain herself-barely.

“You don’t know anything about my relationship with Cam,” Lautner says with her big Jafar nose up in the air. “We have a special connection, one that a pathetic lowlife like you could never understand.”

I step forward, putting myself between Lautner and Clara. “That’s enough,” I say firmly, staring Lautner down. “Clara is my friend, and I won’t let you insult her. Cam broke up with you. Deal with it and move on.”

Lautner’s glare shifts to me, her pretty features twisting into an ugly sneer. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Eli? With me out of the picture, you think you actually have a shot with Cam. It’s so obvious you’re panting after

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Chapter 114

him like a bitch in heat.”

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My cheeks burn at her crude words, but I refuse to let her see how much they affect me. “My relationship with Cam is none of your damn business. He’s my stepbrother and my friend. That’s it.”

“Please,” Lautner scoffs. “I’ve seen the way you look at him when you think no one is watching. It’s pathetic. As if Cam would ever stoop so low as to mate with a sickly, inferior specimen like you.”

Her words cut deep, voicing my own worst fears. I’m actually terrified of finding out Cam is my mate and then having him dump me because I’m sick and weak, even if I know that would never happen. Cam has grown to become a sweet man and would probably take care of me if I wound up being his fated mate. Though that’s somehow worse. I don’t want to die on someone who deserves me…

Evie, bless her heart, leaps to my defense. “Hey! Back off, Lautner! Eli is worth a hundred of you. Cam would be lucky to have her as his mate!”

Lautner laughs cruelly. “Oh, that’s rich, coming from the pack’s biggest airhead. Tell me, Evie, do you even have two brain cells to rub together, or is it just empty space between your ears?”

Evie’s lower lip wobbles, and her eyes grow shiny with unshed tears. My protective instincts flare to life.

“Shut your mouth, Lautner, before I shut it for you!” I growl, taking a menacing step towards her.

Lautner snorts. “Shut it for me? You?” She smirks over her shoulder at her pack of popular friends before stepping forward. Then, without a warning, the bitch pushes me in the chest. She uses so much force that I fall down on my back, and then, I have Lautner’s heel pressing down onto my chest with added force. “As if you could beat me, Eli. You might have been a tough foe at some point, but with the cancer in your system, you’re not a match for me.”

I wince as Lautner’s heel digs painfully into my chest, but I refuse to give her the satisfaction of crying out. Glaring up at her, I grit my teeth and grab her ankle, trying to push her off me. But she’s right: in my weakened state, I don’t have the strength to overpower her.

“Not so tough now, are you?” Lautner sneers, grinding her heel down harder. “Face it, Eli. You’re nothing but a pathetic, dying waste of space-”

“Do we have a problem over here?” Cam asks calmly, but once he sees me lying on my back, it’s like someone pressed a button. Suddenly, there’s fire in his gaze. “Lautner, get your foot off my stepsister. Now.”

Lautner’s eyes widen and she quickly removes her heel from my chest, stumbling back a step. “Cam! I was just-we were only messing around…”

Cam ignores her and bends down. I give him a weak smile, “Thanks, but I can get up on-”

He doesn’t listen and picks me up bridal style, cradling me against his strong chest. I gasp softly, my hands instinctively clutching at his shoulders as he lifts me effortlessly. The feel of his warm skin under my fingers sends tingles racing through my body.

Cam’s eyes flash to the ones belonging to Lautner. “Leave. Now.” Those words are spoken in his Alpha voice, and I watch in mild fascination how Lautner’s legs move against her will. She doesn’t even argue.

Cam keeps holding me close as he watches Lautner and her friends scurry away with their tails between their

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Chapter 114

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legs. Only when they’re out of sight does he look down at me, his expression softening with concern.

“Are you okay? Did she hurt you?” he asks, his voice gentle but still laced with anger at Lautner.

“I’m fine,” I assure him, though my chest is still aching from Lautner’s heel. “Just a little bruised, maybe. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Cam frowns, clearly not convinced. “I’m so sorry, Eli. Lautner had no right to treat you like that. I don’t know what I ever saw in her.”

I shrug as best I can in his arms. “She’s pretty and popular. I get the appeal, even if she is a grade-A bitch… Now, if you could please put your poor stepsister down so she could join her friends…” I trail off when I realize Clara and Evie are nowhere to be seen.

Cam notices my confusion and looks around when he realizes we are alone. Once he sees my friends waving at us from the BBQ line, he smirks.

“Huh. I guess they decided to give us some privacy.”

“P-privacy?” I shriek. “What is that supposed to mean?!”

His eyes meet mine. “Your friends aren’t dumb, Eli. They must have realized you’re the most likely candidate to wind up being my mate.”

I blush at the implication, suddenly very aware of how intimately Cam is looking at me. “I doubt that’s the case… They probably just wanted food.”

“Really?” Cam asks with his attention flickering back to Evie and Clara. “Because it just looked as if Evie mouthed the words, ‘Go get him!’ when she thought I wasn’t paying attention, and now I think she is blushing.”

I follow Cam’s gaze, and sure enough, Evie is blushing furiously while Clara shakes her head in exasperation. My own cheeks heat up even more at being caught in such a compromising position with my stepbrother.

“They’re being ridiculous,” I mutter. “Can you please put me down now? People are starting to stare.”

Cam looks around and notices that, indeed, several partygoers are watching us with curious eyes, whispering amongst themselves. With a sigh, he gently sets me back on my feet, making sure I’m steady before releasing

“There. Happy now?” he asks, a hint of irritation in his voice.

I smooth out my clothes, avoiding his gaze. “Yes, thank you.” When I realize Cam isn’t in a hurry to go anywhere, I lift my eyes to his. “So, uh, are you excited to find out who your mate is tonight?”

Cam kicks away a rock with his bare foot. It almost seems as if the big guy is nervous. “Honestly? I’m terrified.”

Is it weird that I find it endearing that my gigantic stepbrother is blushing right now? It’s hard to notice due to his dark skin, but he is definitely red around the cheeks.

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