Page 26 of Rejected by My Stepbrother Alpha (Billionaire Shifter Club #1)

S ide by Side

Ivy

My heart warmed, and my hands slightly shook as I gazed at Asher and Adrian interacting.

Father and son.

Now that I had a chance to study them side by side, their similarities were glaringly obvious.

Not only was their hair the same light- brown color, but it had the same wavy texture.

As they spoke, Asher pushed away a lock of hair that had fallen onto his forehead.

Unconsciously, Adrian mirrored the gesture.

Although our son had inherited the same emerald green eyes as my brother and father, Adrian’s had the same gold flecks as Asher’s. Their faces were shaped almost identically. Even at such a young age, Adrian’s features were sharpening. Soon, his cheekbones would be as distinctive as Asher’s.

Seeing their resemblances made me lighter in a way that I didn’t want to examine closely.

As Adrian and Asher talked, a peacefulness settled over them. It was as if this conversation between them was long overdue. I was happy to see them bond, but felt guilty that I was the one who had kept them separated for six years.

“That's what Ms. Chelsea said at daycare. She said I always have my listening ears on. Didn't she, Mom?” Adrian's voice floated through my thoughts. “Didn't she say that?”

I cleared my throat and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. My stomach swooped when I felt Asher's gaze on me, but I kept my eyes on our son.

“She did,” I agreed and smiled. “She also said that you’re a natural-born leader.”

There was a flash of astonishment in Asher's eyes, and he appeared to be deep in thought. Was he realizing that there was a strong possibility that Adrian was his son?

Oh my Goddess.

Why in the hell would I say that? I hadn't decided whether or not I wanted to tell Asher that Adrian was his son.

But it was true that Adrian was a natural-born leader. He was like his father in that way.

Even more than their physical similarities were their…

auras. Ever since he was three and started to develop his personality, Adrian had this Alpha quality about him that I’d always seen in Asher.

Despite being younger than his cousin, Adrian usually took on the leadership role when he and Mateo played.

I hadn’t been a part of the BloodMoon Pack for long, but I watched Asher closely during my time there.

His pack respected him, not out of fear, but because he had qualities that made him an excellent Alpha—honesty, consideration, innovation, and the rare talent of being able to bring out the best in others.

I saw those same traits in my son every day.

Adrian’s face shone with pride, and he beamed.

“Other kids do come to me for advice in class, even some of the older ones.

Ms. Chelsea said I'm good at, um, mom, what's that word called? What did Ms. Chelsea say I was good at when Jonas and Imogen had that fight over whose turn it was to race the red car?”

I grinned at the memory.

“Ms. Chelsea said that you were a good mediator between your friends. She says that whenever your friends at daycare have a disagreement, you help them work through it,” I said. “That’s why she thinks you're a natural-born leader. Your friends look to you for advice on how to solve a problem.”

“Right!” Adrian said and turned to Asher. “I told Jonas that since Imogen had the car first, it was only fair that she got to race it. Then, Jonas could have a turn. It's called sharing.” He nodded knowledgeably. “After that, we got back to racing.”

“You had the situation handled before Ms. Chelsea could walk across the room,” I said, with pride in my voice.

“That's very impressive,” Asher said with a look of pure joy on his face.

His expression made my heart skip a beat.

He was gazing at Adrian with such deep warmth in his eyes.

It was similar to the feeling I had when I looked at our son.

Asher was looking at Adrian like he could see into his soul and get a glimpse at all of the good that Adrian had to share with the world.

He was looking at him like a parent would.

Like Adrian's accomplishments were his own because Adrian was a piece of him.

And Asher didn't even know that Adrian was his.

“You know, I do a lot of mediating, too,” Asher told Adrian.

Our son leaned closer to his father with an intrigued twinkle in his eyes. “Really?”

“Yes, I'm the Alpha of my wolf pack,” Asher said. “A lot of the time, I have to settle arguments between pack members and Elders.”

“Are any of the fights about sharing toys?” Adrian asked, clearly interested.

A slow grin spread across Asher's face that made my breath catch. “Honestly, some of the fights are very similar to the ones you see in your daycare.”

“Cool! I bet I'd make a good Alpha,” Adrian said with confidence. “I want to change my answer for what I want to be when I grow up. I want to be an Alpha. Just like Asher.”

Asher's eyes widened, and I froze.

Holy shit.

By keeping this secret, was I taking away Adrian’s birthright? If I never told him the truth, my son would never be known as Alpha Adrian.

Could I take that away from Adrian because I was fearful his father would one day turn his back on him like he did me?

I wasn’t sure what the right answer was.

“When you grow up, you can be whatever you want to be, sweetheart,” I said, my voice shaking slightly. My answer was a placeholder, but thankfully, Adrian grinned in response. “Honey, we should get going. Visiting time is almost over, and I'm sure Asher wants to get some rest.”

Adrian groaned and allowed his head to flop back dramatically. “Do we have to go?”

“Yes, honey. We have to get you back to the hotel so you can get ready for bed,” I said. “And I'm sure the nurses won't give us any special treatment since I snuck past them to see Asher.”

Asher’s lips twitched when our eyes met. “Healer Emery will let you stay if you want to.”

With his deep hazel eyes on mine, I almost agreed to stay, if only to watch Asher and Adrian talk some more, but it was getting late. “I really do need to get Adrian to bed.”

“Can I talk to you in private before you go?” Asher asked.

My stomach churned. I knew exactly what he wanted to talk about. My eyes went to Adrian…exactly where Asher was looking, too.

I wasn't ready to have this conversation, but I couldn't figure out a way to avoid it.

“Um, sure.”

I tracked down my dad, who was in the waiting room, narrowing my eyes at him for leaving Asher's hospital room so quickly. I left Adrian with him, then went back to Asher's room. My leg started bouncing when I settled back into the seat beside Asher's bed.

My former Mate took a deep breath as if he were preparing himself for something.

Here we go.

“Are you and Damian a couple? Is Damian Adrian's father?” he asked.

All I could do was blink at him. Out of all the things he could have said, that was the last possible thing I thought he was going to say.

Why would Asher think I was dating Damian?

Why would he think my biological brother was Adrian’s father?

I paused as I thought about Damian, Asher, and my previous interactions from Asher's point of view.

Of course, Damian and I never acted like a couple—gross—but it was possible Asher could mistake Damian's brotherly protectiveness as jealousy.

Damian and I never told Asher we were siblings either.

Also, Adrian and Damian had some physical similarities, even sharing the exact same color eyes.

Asher’s assumption was just one big, horrible misunderstanding.

But why wouldn't Asher even consider that Adrian was his son?

If he was speculating about Damian, wouldn't it make sense to ask if Adrian was his, too?

Was it possible that Asher honestly didn't remember our stolen night?

If so, why not? Did he block it out because he found it morally wrong?

Or was he too drunk to remember making love to me?

At least this answered one of the questions that had been forming in the back of my mind. Asher thinking that Damian and I were a couple explained why he was always hostile toward Damian.

Originally, I had written it off as Asher reacting to Damian’s icy behavior toward him. But now I knew Asher was jealous of…my brother. How absurd.

On their own accord, my lips twitched at the thought.

Asher gave me a strange look since he was still waiting for an answer to his question.

There was an ironic laugh forming inside my throat, but I swallowed it down.

I took a deep breath and met Asher’s eyes.

I opened my mouth, unsure what I was even going to say, when a nurse whom I'd seen at the front desk walked in.

“I'm sorry,” she said, not seeming at all apologetic. “Visiting hours are over.” She was looking at me pointedly and then at the door.

“Right.” I swallowed nervously and looked at Asher, whose eyes were pleading with mine to stay. “I'll talk to you later. Get some rest.” I swallowed nervously and stood from the chair on shaking legs, and started to walk out of the room.

“Goodnight, Ivy,” Asher's deep voice called out.

Like always, my real name on his lips affected me like nothing else could. I shut my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Against my better judgment, I turned around and looked at Asher.

“Goodnight,” I whispered as his eyes burned into mine like he was trying to read my mind. “I'm glad you're all right.”

“I'd be better if you would stay,” Asher murmured, too low for the nurse to hear.

I quietly gasped. Every fiber of my being was begging me to stay by his side. But I knew that there were a lot of things for me to consider before I was alone with Asher again.

After a moment that seemed to last forever—yet no time at all—I tore my eyes away from his and left the room with a heavy heart and a mess of a mind.