My Alpha Stepbrother is My Bully (Nevaeh) novel Chapter 87

Chapter 87

Duncan

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It’s been an entire month since Blair left the hospital, and while I’m happy to finally share a roof with my mate and son like a real family, I feel like a complete outsider.

Blair isn’t talking with me because she thinks I’m on her mother’s side, and I have no idea how to fix that, especially since I have more bad news to give her.

The Winter pack doesn’t want Blair to become their Alpha. They think she is too weak to lead and protect them, and I honestly can’t pretend they are wrong. Blair hasn’t fully recovered, so her physical strength isn’t really there yet…or maybe it’s there, but I’m finally starting to realize how weak lycans are compared to dragons.

Maybe I’m a better Alpha?

I ponder this from my porch until I hear a car approaching. It’s Blair. She is finally back from her shopping tour, and she decided she and our son needed to get some air. We also didn’t have any baby stuff, and I smile to myself when I realize the entire car is filled with stuff. Just how much money did she spend today?

The car comes to a stop, and Blair jumps out a second later to open the trunk. She seems agitated and growls while struggling to lift a cot out of the trunk by herself. I rush over to help, but she snarls at me before I can even touch the cot.

“I’ve got it,” she snaps.

I hold up my hands in shock. “Okay, okay! No need to get angry at me. I was just trying to help.”

She glares at me before trying to pull it out once more. This time, she puts all her strength into it, which…gets her absolutely nowhere.

A sigh escapes me. “Let me…

Blair ignores my offer and continues struggling with the cot, her face turning red with exertion. I can see her arms shaking from the effort. After several more failed attempts, she finally steps back, panting heavily.

“Fine,” she grits out. “You do it then.”

I wordlessly step forward and easily lift the cot out of the trunk with one hand, setting it gently on the ground. Blair stares at me with something resembling envy in her eyes. Is she mad at me for being stronger than her?

Without commenting, I turn back to the car to unload the rest of the baby items while Blair lifts Crow out of his car seat. She cradles him against her chest and avoids looking at me as she heads up to the mansion.

Yikes, have I made things even worse between us?

After every baby item is inside the mansion, I find Blair sitting on the couch with Crow in her arms. She is breastfeeding him but looks up as I enter the living room, her expression guarded. She shifts Crow slightly, adjusting the blanket draped over her shoulder for privacy as he nurses.

18:52 Tue, Jan 20

Chapter 87

I clear my throat awkwardly. “Everything’s inside now. Do you want help setting anything up?”

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No,” Blair says in an ice-cold tone, returning her gaze to Crow. Even though she is acting like an ice queen with me, she is sweet to him and smiles down briefly before her icy facade returns. “I can handle it myself.”

Her unwillingness to let me, her own mate, help her makes an uncomfortable silence stretch between us. I’m not sure what to do with myself and stand there like a fool while listening to the sounds of Crow nursing. I know I need to talk to Blair to clear the air about everything: her mother, the pack, my role as Alpha. But I don’t even know where to begin.

“Blair,” I start, taking a tentative step closer to the couch. I hope she doesn’t see me as crowding her space, but I bet I do. Gosh, I feel huge compared to her. “We need to talk.”

“About what?” she asks flatly and I don’t miss the shiver traveling up her spine when she looks at me.

My heart falters at that. There’s no mistaking it-Blair doesn’t like me approaching her. Her body language tells me she fears me, which is unsettling. We might have had sex at the hospital, but that doesn’t seem to mean anything since she clearly sees me as the enemy.

I try to ignore the hostility in her and focus on our conversation. “Well, we need to talk about everything, really…” I rake a hand through my blue hair, unsure how to continue. “Your mother, the elders, the pack. They…”

“They what?” Blair’s voice is sharp as she interrupts me. “Let me guess. They want you to stay as the Winter pack’s Alpha instead of me.”

I’m taken aback by her bluntness. “How did you…?”

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out, Duncan.” She laughs bitterly. “I’ve heard whispers and seen the way the pack looks at me. They think I’m weak, unstable, and unfit to lead. And maybe they’re right.”

“No,” I say firmly, moving to sit beside her. Crow has finished nursing and fallen asleep in her arms. Blair gently shifts him to her shoulder, patting his back.

“No, what?” she asks with venom in her voice. “If you’re going to tell me it’s my birthright to lead the Winter pack, save it. We both know you secretly love being the Alpha. People finally respect you now.”

I pause at that, blinking before speaking slowly, “You….you remember me, don’t you?” Your amnesia-…”

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“Is gone,” she finishes coldly. “I remember everything, including you and who you used to be before you had the witches turn you into a dragon. You were a werewolf once-someone everyone considered to be a weakling.”

I cast my eyes aside. “Yes, I was a weak werewolf and had the witches change me…”

“Why?”

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A humorless laugh escapes me. “What do you mean why? If you remember everything, then you know the reason.”

Her eyes, ever cold, remain on mine. “Yes, but I want to hear you say it.”

18:52 Tue, Jan 20

Chapter 87

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I have no idea what her deal is, but I’m not afraid of speaking the truth. “I changed for you, Blair. You deserved a mate capable of protecting you, someone equal, and therefore, I struck a deal with the witches.”

A smile that’s anything but happy spreads on her lips. “The old Duncan was really sweet…”

My eyes narrow. “The old Duncan?”

“Yes, the one who wanted to be strong for me,” her eyes pierce into mine, and chills travel down my spine when I catch a sea of sadness within them. The worst part is that Blair isn’t done breaking me yet. She continues speaking, and her next few words break me, “The old Duncan was family-oriented, but the man you’ve turned into is different. No longer do you wish to be strong for my sake only. You’re now strong for the pack-the pack you secretly wish to lead. It’s everything you’re thinking of these days.”

“What? That’s not true! I-…”

“How many times have you left me and Crow alone at home this month to take care of pack business?”

I open my mouth to protest, but no words come out because I realize Blair is right. I have been spending a lot of time away from her and our son, caught up in pack matters and the responsibilities of being Alpha.

“Blair, I…” I start, struggling to find the right words. “I never meant to neglect you or Crow. I just got so caught up in everything with the pack and trying to do what I thought was best.”

Her icy facade cracks slightly, revealing a glimmer of the hurt beneath. “What you thought was best for who, Duncan? Your family? Or yourself?”

I flinch at her words and Blair gives me a sad smile.

“You might be my mate, Duncan, but whatever we had before is gone,” Blair says quietly. “You’ve changed. Your priorities have shifted. And as much as it pains me to admit it, I don’t think I know you anymore. Maybe we shouldn’t be together anymore?”

Her words cut me to the core because even if I’ve been a bad mate and father lately, Crow and Blair are the most important people in my life-I’ve just lost sight of that.

“Blair, please,” I plead, reaching out to take her hand. She lets me, but her fingers remain limp in my grasp. “You can’t mean that. We have already marked each other-we are bound to spend the rest of our lives together.”

A sad smile spreads over her angelic face. “Then maybe it’s about time we begged the moon goddess to break that bond on the night of the full moon.”

My blood freezes over at Blair’s suggestion. Break our bond? The very thought makes my heart clench painfully in my chest. I stare at her, hoping to see some hint of uncertainty or regret in her eyes, but what I see is a woman who has already made up her mind.

Still, I can’t give up-I will never give up!

“You can’t be serious,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Blair, I love you. We have a son together. We’re a family.”

She gently pulls her hand from my grasp and looks down at Crow, who is still sleeping peacefully in her arms.

18:52 Tue, Jan 20

Chapter 87

“I love our son more than anything. But I’m not sure if what we have can still be called a family.”

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Blair’s words cut me to the bone. I can’t believe what I’m hearing-she wants to break our mating bond, to end our family. Is this really how she feels? Have I truly failed her that badly as a mate?

I swallow hard, trying to find the right words. “Blair, I… I had no idea you felt this way. I never meant to hurt you or make you feel neglected.” I reach out again, desperate to make a connection. “Please, can we talk about this? I want to fix things between us.”

She looks at me, her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I don’t know if there’s anything left to fix, Duncan. You’ve chosen your path. The pack comes first now. And I… I need to focus on healing and being a good mother to Crow.”

“You ARE a good mother,” I insist. “And I want to be there for both of you, I do. I just… I got lost for a while. Caught up in the power and responsibility of being Alpha. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you, that I don’t want our family.”

A single tear slips down Blair’s cheek. “I want to believe you. But your actions speak louder than words. When was the last time you spent a day with us without running off to handle pack business?”

I open my mouth to reply but then close it. She is right, and suddenly, I can’t stop the tears from falling. Maybe what we had can’t be fixed…

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