Page 9 of Forbidden Mischief

ASHER

My wolf is in full control right now. All my primal instincts are screaming at me.

He’s my mate. He’s mine .

All I want to do is pin him to the ground and sink my teeth into him, marking him as mine.

Get a hold of yourself, Asher.

“I don’t know what's got you so worked up, but whatever it is, we can talk it out, okay?” Zayne tries to coax.

“Just shift back. You have your mother worried. And to be honest, me too.” He licks his lips, running a hand through his hair.

“I don’t understand any of this,” he whispers more to himself, rubbing the spot over his heart.

“It hurts, you know?” He looks back at me with wide, confused eyes. “To see you hurting. I don’t know why.”

The same reason seeing him worked up and upset makes me want to rip the world apart.

Mine. Mine. Mine.

The wolf inside my head screams. We might be one in the same, but right now the shifter blood inside me is trying to take full control.

Ripping my gaze away from him, I pace, my paws pressing against the cold earth below me. All I want to do is run. To take off through these trees and run until my legs give out on me. To get out of my head and let the wolf take control.

Only I know if I did, all I’d do would run right back to him. My Mate.

Fucking hell, my stepbrother is my mate.

“Asher, please.” The anguish in his voice has my steps faltering. Attention snapping back to him, I let out a low whine.

My body starts to shift from wolf to man and a moment later, I stand before him. With my chest heaving, naked as the day I was born. I lock eyes with Zayne.

His eyes drop to where my cock is inconveniently hard, thanks to the hormones racing through my body right now.

The way his cheeks turn bright red, my wolf can’t help but preen over the attention of his eyes on my body.

“Ah…” He blinks rapidly, clearing his throat as he averts his gaze from me.

“It’s a naked body,” I grunt. “Can’t tell me it isn’t something you haven’t seen in the locker rooms before, can you?”

“Yeah.” He clears his throat again. “But this… this isn’t the same thing.”

Now I’m just pissed that he’s refusing to look at me.

What is wrong with me?

“Asher, love.” Mom steps out from behind the tree, a hand over her eyes and a stack of clothes in her other outstretched hand. “Here’s a change of clothes.”

“Thanks,” I mutter, stepping forward, eyes still on Zayne, who continues to avoid looking at me, as I take the clothes from her, pulling them on. My fingers fumble with the buttons of my jeans as I try to dress myself with shaky hands.

It fucking hurts, and I hate I feel this way. It’s because of all these new damn emotions overwhelming me. My wolf is taking this as rejection, but the poor damn guy doesn’t even know what he is to me.

Then my mind races. How is he going to take this? Is he going to panic, call me a freak, hate me? He’s not even into men. I’ve seen how he is with the girls at school. He’s never looked twice at a guy.

Just my fucking luck to be mated to a straight man.

My heart aches so damn much, but I ignore it as I roughly put my clothes on.

“Zayne, love, do you mind waiting in the car? I need to talk to Asher. If that's okay?”

“Oh.” Zayne looks at my mom. “Okay, yeah, sure.” He lets out a breath, running his hand through his brown locks. “I’ll, ah, I’ll meet you at the car.”

Zayne’s eyes flick over to mine, causing me to take a step forward before he takes off toward the car.

Balling my hands into fists at my side, I breathe heavily as I battle the war going on inside my head. Inside my damn heart and soul, too.

As soon as Zayne is out of sight, Mom swings her pitying gaze to me. “Asher, baby.” Her voice is soft. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t know.” I scrub my face with my hands, frustration and confusion coursing through my veins as I pace again. “It just happened. One minute I was playing football, the next my wolf was screaming at me that he’s my mate. I panicked, shifted and took off. And here we are.”

Mom’s brows furrow. “You didn’t know beforehand? Nothing to indicate there could be something more?”

With my head in my hands, I take a few deep breaths to try and calm myself. Do I tell her about the fact I haven’t been able to stop thinking about him? That I’ve touched myself to the thoughts of all the dirty and fucked up things I wanted to do to dear old stepbrother?

No. Because it’s fucked up. It’s wrong. All of this is fucking wrong.

“I’ve been attracted to him since I met him,” is all I admit. “But I didn’t think anything of it, apart from the fact that he’s good looking.”

“Oh, honey.” Mom steps forward, wrapping me in her arms.

She’s so much smaller than me, but right now I feel like a little boy who’s hurting and in need of his mother’s comfort.

“What do I do?” I rasp out, voice thick with emotion.

“Tell me what to do, Mom? Because I’m freaking the fuck out because he’s straight, Mom.

And, not to mention, he’s my stepbrother.

I don’t want to cause any issues between you and Dexter.

I really like the guy. He’s a good man, and honestly, a better father than I could have ever hoped for. I don’t want him to hate me.”

She steps back, giving me a soft smile as she cups my face between her small, soft hands.

“Mates trump everything, my sweet boy. Dexter adores you, he could never hate you. He understands how this works. It might not be something that happens often with warlocks, but he knows all about how shifters can mate anyone in and outside their own species. He’s not going to hate you or be upset.

And even if Zayne wasn’t your mate, if you chose to explore something between the two of you, we wouldn’t be against it.

You're both adults, eighteen now, and you didn’t grow up together.

You can’t help who you catch feelings for, and you sure as hell can’t help who you end up mated to.

” She gives me a soft smile, running her hands up and down my arms.

“That's the thing, Mom, did you miss the part where I mentioned the fact that he’s not into men? Therefore, he’s not into me!” I growl in frustration.

She gives me a small smirk. “I think you need to talk to the boy before you go thinking the worst of all of this. Follow your heart, Asher. Give into what destiny planned for you. Dexter and I , we will support you guys no matter what.”

“I’m scared, Mom.” I hate to admit it, feeling so small in this moment.

“Oh, honey.” Mom wraps me up in another hug and I cling to her.

We stay like this for a long moment before she pulls back and takes my hand. “Come on, love, let’s go home.”

My stomach is in knots as we walk to the car. Knowing Zayne is there. I’m going to be so close to him and not be able to touch him.

Unable to look at him for fear of what my wolf might do, I keep my eyes forward as I slide into the front seat of the car.

Mom gets in and starts the car. She gives me a light pat before pulling out onto the road.

I can feel his eyes on me, watching me. It sends a shiver down my spine and right to my damn dick.

Closing my eyes, I concentrate on my breathing, on keeping myself under control.

When we get back, I have to talk to him. I have to tell him what we are.

And I pray to whatever god is listening, that he doesn’t hate me. That he’s not disgusted with me or our destiny.

I can take a beating from my dad, but I’m not sure if I could handle Zayne’s rejection.