The Lycan's Bride: My Adopted Brother Is My Mate | Read Free Preview
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Chapter 1 — The Unwelcome Daughter
Aria’s POV.
“You look gorgeous, Aria.” The Gamma my best friend, Chloe, had hired to design my wedding dress, smiled at me in the mirror. Her hands fluttered over the intricate lace of the wedding dress, smoothing it over my hips. The dress was a masterpiece and it had cost a fortune.
“I thought Mr Adrian would be here with you, moments like this are very special for a couple.” She added and I smiled politely at her.
“A last minute meeting came up so he couldn’t make it.”
The door burst open and Chloe rushed in, the designer quickly excused us and as soon as she was out of earshot, Chloe leaned closer to me to whisper,
“You really need to see this. Adrian and Lydia were spotted together at the airport.” she blurted out and my entire body stiffened,
Before I could respond, Chloe thrust her phone in front of me and an image of Adrian holding Lydia in his arms so passionately inside the airport popped into view.
I stared at the image in silence, disgust and anger colliding violently inside of me.
“That lying, manipulative two-faced demon… you should call off the wedding Aria. I won’t let you get hurt by them.” Chloe was stomping around in anger but I remained calm.
Adrian was my fiancée, our wedding was in three days and Lydia… well, she was the adopted sister that had become a thorn in my flesh.
The sound of my phone ringing suddenly cut through the silence and the designer rushed to pick it up for me, she smiled gently,
“It’s Alpha Adrian.” She said as she handed it over to me. I could see the blush on her face, the same affectionate blush everyone had on whenever they saw or heard about my fiancée, Adrian.
He was the beloved heir and only son of the Alpha Of Crestville pack, a golden son to the public.
“Where have you been? Why do I have to call you more than once before you answer the damn phone?” His harsh voice snapped at me from the other end of the line.
“I was trying on my wedding dress.” I responded, calmly.
A loud pause came from the other end.
“We need to talk. Meet me at the cafe by the office. Now.”
“Talk?” I asked, my voice as cold as ice, “about what? The wedding or… is this about Lydia?”
“H-How did you— just get here Aria and stop asking me questions.” He snapped to cover up how badly he was stumbling over his own words.
The line went dead and I returned my attention to the mirror, the girl staring back at me was nothing like the girl I was before I came to Crestville.
I was stolen from my parents at birth by my father’s omega mistress who left me in the woods to die. I could have ended up as food for rogues but thankfully the Lycan king found me so for twenty-five years, I was raised in another pack.
Sebastian, the Lycan son that I grew to recognize as my brother, had loved and protected me like I was his biological sister. He was everything to me but when I realized my presence was becoming a tool his rivals wanted to exploit to stop him from becoming the next Alpha after the death of the Lycan king, I had to leave.
I knew my sudden disappearance would hurt him but I had to so I moved to CrestVille to start a new life but the goddess had other plans because here in CrestVille, I located my biological parents.
At first, it was a dream come true, a reality I never thought I would experience until I realized my own parents never wanted me back.
They would never choose me over the adopted daughter they had raised as their own for twenty-five years.
To them, I was just a stranger that happened to have their blood running in my veins.
“Aria?!” Chloe’s loud voice cut through my thoughts as she shook me wildly, “what did he say? What are we going to do?”
I didn’t answer, instead, I looked at my reflection one last time and without thinking, I grabbed the hem of my dress and ripped it off roughly. The sound of tearing fabric filled the air but that still wasn’t enough for me.
I yanked again at the delicate sleeves of the dress and tore it off.
“By the moons! Aria!” Chloe cried out as she rushed forward to hold my hands but it was too late already.
I stood there, breathing heavily, in what was now a short, sleeveless white dress. Gasps echoed from the doorway where the designer and her assistants stood, horrified.
“She’s crazy,” one of them whispered loud enough for us to hear.
“She’s the Beta’s lost daughter. I heard she tried to kill her own sister.” Another added with disdain in her voice.
Chloe’s head snapped toward them, a low growl escaped her throat but there was little an omega could do so she turned back to me.
When she saw the look in my eyes, she swallowed whatever she was about to say, forcefully guided me out of the shop and we stepped into the cool air outside.
“I won’t stay back and watch them hurt you Aria, they’ve done enough already so please, let’s just end this,” she pleaded softly.
“If Lydia’s back then she is up to something,” I said, that name felt like poison as it rolled off my tongue.
Quietly, I got into the car and drove down to the cafe. It was just as I expected. Adrian was there, and seated beside him were my parents.
My mother’s eyes swept over my torn dress with disgust. “What are you wearing? Never mind. Sit down.”
“You said we needed to talk. So, talk.” I replied coldly without taking a seat.
My stubbornness clearly irritated them all but they chose to remain silent because they knew they were about to feed me with lies.
“Lydia is back,” Adrian began, “the accident took a much more serious toll on her than we thought, she is fragile and we all need to focus on her recovery.”
“So we’re postponing the wedding,” Mom added, “and Lydia would be moving in with Adrian so we can all care for her properly.”
“How convenient,” I murmured.
“The wedding can happen after Lydia has recovered properly. For now, you should be grateful we’re even willing to let you sign a marriage agreement.”
“Grateful?” I spat, glaring at all of them one after the other, the same people whose blood ran in my veins but had never for once felt like my family, “you sent my would-be murderer away on a vacation and handed me her leftovers. And you expect me to be grateful?”
“Stop being dramatic!” Mom slapped her hands on the table, “We don’t care what you think Aria, this is our daughter and your sister we’re talking about. Have some shame, you almost killed her and now you’re getting married to her boyfriend. Yet, she is agreeing to it all like an adult while you throw tantrums like a child.”
“I tried to kill her?!” I yelled, chuckling darkly at the irony of it all, “if we’re going to talk about someone trying to kill anyone here then we should talk about how you all turned a blind eye when she drugged me, and almost got me raped and killed!”
“Where were you then? Or am I not also your daughter?” I added sarcastically, tears pricking the corners of my eyes as the memories of that horrible, rainy night came rushing back.
“Enough!” Dad’s firm voice overshadowed everyone else’s, “I am done listening to all these baseless accusations. Lydia is the one suffering here and I won’t let you make this about yourself again.”
“Just sign the damn papers Aria, you’re wasting everyone’s time.” Adrian spoke up and that was when I felt it.
The last thread of hope I didn’t even know I was clinging onto, snapped. I looked at Adrian, at the smug look on his face and I just knew that I was done.
I was done forcing myself to become a part of this family.
“How about we don’t postpone anything?” I smiled, it was a small cold thing as I stared straight into Adrian’s eyes, confidently, “you want Lydia to move in so you can care for her right, then don’t let me stop you, let’s just cancel the wedding.”
The smirk immediately vanished from his face, he shot up from his chair and grabbed my arm roughly,
“You can’t do that, no one cancels a wedding on me.” He hissed and I grinned,
“Oops, I just did. I don’t want to marry you Adrian.”
“Don’t be a fool,” he growled as he yanked me closer to him and his voice reduced to a whisper, “this marriage is the only thing keeping you here, without it, your parents will throw you out. You’ll have nothing, not even a roof under your head.” He threatened but I didn’t falter, instead my grin only grew wider.
I wrenched my arm from his grip,
“You can all do your worst.”
I turned and walked out of the cafe without another word.
“Did you hear? Alpha Sebastian just implemented a new law that reduced taxes for omegas, his pack is so lucky to have him.” I overheard one of the women that had just stepped past me into the cafe, say to her partner and my heart skipped a bit.
Sebastian.
I haven’t heard his name in a while and it felt so good to hear it again especially at a time like this when I felt completely alone in the world.
Chapter 2 — The Return Of Her Protector
Aria’s POV.
“Let’s run these numbers through the finance team before we make any decisions just to be sure.” I instructed Chloe and she nodded as she took the papers from me.
It’s been two weeks since I walked out of the cafe. My accounts have been frozen, the apartment I lived in had been cleaned out by Dad’s men and I was locked out of it.
They took everything back in the blink of an eye but I didn’t care, I didn’t need them anymore and I had known they were going to do something like this.
“I’m still surprised you know,” Chloe said, slipping into the space beside me on the sofa in my penthouse apartment, “when did you put all this in place? How did you even start this brand without anyone knowing about it?”
“Sebastian. Before we left the pack, he gave me enough money to start a fashion brand. I didn’t think much about it until we arrived in CrestVille. I wanted to build the brand until it was successful enough before showing it to my parents but when I realized that nothing I did mattered to them, I just decided to grow it secretly.” I explained to her and she stared at me in utter disbelief.
“Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how much your brand is worth right now in the stock market?” She cried out loud in excitement and I laughed softly.
“Yeah I do, it’s not there yet but I am sure we can make it happen.”
Deep down, I wished Sebastian had been here to see it all happen. He had always believed in me, better than I even believed in myself and I was grateful that he had made this possible for me.
I would never have been able to afford a life of my own after my parents cut me off without my brand. It has grown into a thriving business ever since I started it.
Suddenly, my phone began to buzz beside me and my brows furrowed as I stared at the unfamiliar number,
“Aria.” A familiar, annoying voice boomed softly from the other end and my entire body tensed up in reaction.
Lydia! I would recognize that manipulative voice of hers anywhere.
“Can you come down for a minute? I just want to talk.” She said softly before the line went dead.
I had no idea what she meant by come down, except she was downstairs in the lobby but I doubt she would be there. She had no idea where I lived now so how could she…
“Security just called, Lydia’s downstairs in the lobby and she’s insisting on having a word with you.” Chloe spoke up after hanging up the telephone, her voice laced with anger.
“I can handle this for you, just let me give that witch a piece of my mind.” Chloe added aggressively as she took a step towards the door but I held her back.
Lydia was probably here to see if I was living a miserable life like they had expected, either that, or she was here to rub her time with Adrian in my face because images of them together have been flying around social media for the past two weeks. I knew how badly they all wanted me to come crawling back to them and I was already satisfied with the fact that I knew that was never going to happen.
So I had no interest in indulging her.
In the elevator, I kept thinking about how Lydia knew I was here but came up with nothing.
“Hello sis,” I could hear the mockery in her voice, the disgust in her tone when she called me sister, it had always been like that ever since I stepped foot in my father’s house but no one else noticed it.
She was on a wheelchair but I knew it was all part of her act. To gain the public’s sympathy and fuel their hatred towards me because to the public, I was the deranged, jealous biological daughter who’d tried to kill sweet, beloved Lydia and stolen her fiancé. They had no idea that the ‘accident’ was Lydia’s attempt to get rid of me, an attempt that backfired spectacularly.
My own parents had chosen to believe her lie. They’d sent her away not to punish her, but to protect her from me.
“What do you want?” I growled, desperate to get away from staring at her annoying face.
I could feel the rage in my blood, the suffocating feeling in my chest and the sharp sensation that always poked at a side of me whenever she was around.
“Relax Aria. I am not here for a fight. Remember when you were so eager to look like me? When you dyed your hair to match mine and even tried to…”
“Just say what you want and get lost.” I clapped back, bitterly but she simply grinned.
She was right. There was a time I was desperate to prove to my parents that I could fit in, that I badly craved the love and affection they showered on Lydia so I tried my best to emulate her but like always, I ended up as the villain.
All Lydia had to do was shed some crocodile tears and my family assumed the worst of me, blamed me for everything and she got away with it every time.
“Listen, I didn’t mean to have them postpone the wedding. I was scared… I really thought I was going to die so I had to ask Adrian for help. I wasn’t going to get him involved but…” Tears sprang to the corner of her eyes and she began to sob.
Those fake tears of hers that made my blood boil.
“Save your crocodile tears for the people it works on, you should be happy, I already called it off so you can have him all to yourself.” I hissed, “so go back home to your parents Lydia, I don't want to have anything to do with any of you anymore.”
I turned to walk away but she suddenly reached out to grab my arm, “Please Aria, you’re my sister, I…” I could hear it in her voice, the mockery and the fakeness. She had gotten so good at it, hiding it in plain sight but from everyone except for me.
“Get away from me!” I yelled as I snatched my arm away from her. I didn’t even push her, I simply shook her off but for some reason, Lydia crashed back into her wheelchair and the way she dramatically slipped from it and crashed to the ground should have been impossible but it happened.
She hit her body so hard that it drew everyone’s attention.
Her sick scream tore through the air and the security men rushed over while the people in the lobby stared at us in horror, some already throwing looks of disdain toward me.
“I didn’t even push you.” I yelled at her but that only made the situation worse and some people were already recording.
“LYDIA!” Adrian’s horrified voice boomed across the lobby and I glanced up just in time to see him charging towards us, his face twisted with concern as he crumbed to his knees beside her.
Of course, I rolled my eyes at her, I should have known she would put on an act, especially when her puppet was close by.
“Are you alright?” He asked, pure concern all over his face, something he had never shown towards me before.
She suddenly burst into tears as her body shook violently but he held her close to himself.
“I’m sorry Adrian, I just wanted to apologize, I wanted to fix things between us. I-I didn’t mean to upset her,” she sobbed and I was left amazed at how easily she could produce such heavy tears.
She was really an amazing actress.
“You!” Adrian growled as he rose to his feet sharply and with a few steps, he had eaten up the space between us. His large frame towered above me as he glared down at me, rage burning in his eyes.
“How dare you touch her?! She’s just been through surgery and that fall could have caused her to…” he shook his head wildly as if he was scared of even thinking about anything harmful happening to her.
“Look at you, a miserable, pathetic nobody. You think we don’t know you’re whoring yourself out to one of the men here? You disgust me,” he spat,
“We both know you can’t afford a place like this so you’re using your body to get it. You’ll never be half the woman Lydia is. You’re nothing without the family, you’ll rot out here on your own if you don’t come back and I look forward to making you miserable when you do.” He added with so much hatred.
His intimidating frame towering above mine should have been enough to force me to back down but I was done letting them trample on me so when I saw the way Lydia was grinning on the floor behind Adrian, something snapped inside of me,
“Since you both want drama, how about I show you something worthwhile,” I shot back as I quickly moved past him and grabbed onto Lydia.
She screamed out loud as my fingers dug into her hair but I ignored her, grabbing a fistful of it, I dragged her away from the wheelchair, and across the floor while she thrashed around screaming and crying for help.
“You think you’re the only one that can put on a show? Let me show you what it really means to put on a show!” I yelled as I brought my shoes down heavily on her leg.
I could have sworn I heard her bone crack but I didn’t stop, I kept hitting her legs over and over again until Adrian grabbed me roughly.
His tight grip sent a sharp pain through me,
“You crazy b**ch! I’ll kill you!” He growled angrily as his sharp claws dug into my flesh and blood began to flow down my arm.
He raised his hand high in the air and was just about to bring it down heavily on my face when someone suddenly grabbed his hand mid-air and shoved him back so hard that he crashed into Lydia’s wheelchair.
A strong pair of arms wrapped protectively around me and my head rested on a broad, solid chest as a familiar scent hit me hard. I didn’t have to look up to know who it was and my heart skipped a beat at the mere thought of it as tears welled up in my eyes.
“Lay a finger on her again and I’ll end your miserable life.” A masculine voice growled aggressively.
Chapter 3 — Alpha Sebatian
Aria’s POV.
Sebastian.
I spun around to see him standing right behind me, holding my body to his protectively as he glared at Adrian. My breath caught in my throat when that familiar face came into view.
My body stiffened against his.
“Are you alright?” He asked, glancing down at me briefly and my lips parted like I was about to say something but the words died in my throat.
For the few seconds his striking grey eyes peered into mine, I felt a familiar shiver race down my spine. His honey-brown hair styled professionally to the side without a single strand out of place, his shirt and pants clung to every muscle on his body like it was made only for him.
Standing there, with my body pressed against his, the entire world fell away and it was just me and him. My mind drifted back to when we were kids, how he had always defended and protected me, how he was the only real family I ever had.
“Oh… I see what this is,” Adrian’s angry voice filled my ears, snapping me out of my trance and drawing me back to my surroundings, “is this the asshole you’ve been sleeping with? I can’t believe I almost married a prostitute like you.” He spat, aggressively straightening his clothes like he was upset Sebastian had been able to push him.
He stepped closer, his eyes burning with hatred as he glanced from me to Sebastian who still remained unmoving behind me, with his hands possessively wrapped around my waist,
“Do you have any idea who I am?” He growled, “this tramp here is not worth getting on my nerves over so I advise you get lost before I decide to make your life miserable just like I am about to make hers.” He threatened but Sebastian remained rigid behind me.
He had not said a single word but his firm grip around my waist made it clear that he wasn’t going to let go.
“You… I am going to teach you a lesson you will never forget.” Adrian sneered as he reached out to grab my hair but before he could grab onto me, Sebastian’s hand shot out from behind me and grabbed his.
Stepping out from behind me like a predator that had just emerged from his hideout, he twisted Adrian’s arm and the sickening crunch of his bone dislocating filled the air accompanied by Adrian’s loud scream.
“Adrian!” Lydia cried out and everyone in the hallway gasped in shock and fear but that didn’t stop Sebastian, he reached out and grabbed Adrian’s other hand,
“What did I say about laying a finger on her?” He said, he sounded irritated yet oddly calm, like he was simply scolding a child.
His masculine, yet silky smooth voice clouded my mind and for a second I almost forgot how bad the situation was becoming but I snapped out it.
“Sebastian, No!” I stepped forward and grabbed onto him, “please let him go, please.”
He froze but didn’t let go of Adrian, instead, he shoved him towards Lydia who was still screaming hysterically as if she was the one with the broken arm.
“Get out of here.” He snapped and Adrian hissed in pain as Lydia struggled to help him to his feet.
“T-This isn’t over Aria, I’ll be back and I promise you, you’ll regret what you and your side piece did to me.” Adrian said but I didn’t give a response.
As soon as they began to walk away, I grabbed Sebastian’s hand and pulled him after me. It wasn’t until the elevator doors slid shut behind us before I realized I was still holding onto his hand and immediately let go of it, awkwardly.
A deafening silence fell over us. I didn’t know what to say, where should I start? How do I explain to him why I had left without a word four years ago?
How did he find me?
The fact that he stood up for me without asking any questions even after I had walked out on him without a word all those years ago made me feel horrible.
My throat burned anytime I tried to swallow, I wanted to say something, anything at all to him, to explain why I had left but the tears already stinging the back of my eyes wouldn’t let me.
I never imagined I would see him again.
“Aria I—-“ he suddenly spoke up but the sound of his voice made something inside of me snap and without thinking, I reached out and wrapped my arms around him.
I wrapped my hands around his back and pressed my body against his tightly in a warm hug. The tears I had been fighting so hard to hold back began to slide down my face and I was helpless against it.
“I-I’m sorry Sebastian.” I whispered, my voice sounded even weaker than I thought it would. “I am so sorry…” I sobbed but he didn’t say a word, instead, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him.
The feel of his muscular arms wrapping around me protectively just like he used to when we were kids made my sobs heavier. I buried my face in his chest, letting my body shake violently as the tears washed over me.
Why was I crying this much? What was it about Sebastian that just made me vulnerable and unable to hold back?
“It’s over now, Aria. I’m here now.” He whispered gently, his fingers running through my hair as he lifted me into his arms just as the elevator made a ding sound and the doors slid open to reveal Chloe pacing the length of the hallway.
“What took you s—“ she called out as she stepped forward but her words trailed off when her eyes rested on me in Sebastian’s arms.
Her eyes widened in shock but she immediately bowed her head slightly,
“Alpha Sebastian, I-I uhm… What happened? What did that crazy woman do to you?” She cried out as she rushed forward to touch me.
I didn’t say a word and neither did Sebastian. He followed Chloe without letting go of me and as soon as we were inside my apartment, he laid me down gently on the sofa.
“Who was that?” He asked, softly and for some reason, my heart beat intensified.
How was I supposed to tell him about everything that had happened? How I almost lost my life because of my adopted sister? How my own biological parents didn’t want me and how I almost married someone like Adrian?
He must have sensed my hesitation in giving him a response because he sighed heavily and reached out to take my hands in his,
“I know you had your reasons for leaving Aria but I went through hell to find you and I am not just going to leave here without you. It’s either you come back home with me or I stay here with you until you’re ready to come home.”
He searched for me? After I left, he searched for me?
I looked up at him, at those eyes that always gave me comfort. Even my own parents had not bothered to search for me after they lost me, but Sebastian… he…
Tears welled up at the bottom of my eyes again but I couldn’t let him stay here.
“No Adrian, I can’t keep you here. You’re the Alpha of your pack and you cannot be away from them for long. You have to go back. I appreciate everything you’ve done but you have to go back.”
Those words tasted bitter in my mouth. I didn’t want him to go, I wanted him to stay but saying that would only mean the sacrifice I had made by leaving in the first place was for nothing.
“You know, after you left, I…” he words died out like he had just stopped himself from finishing his sentence, “we’re family Aria, I don’t know what’s going on but I know you shouldn’t be in a place like this. Those people in the lobby have no right to treat or speak to you in that manner. You always have a home to come to and you know that so why would you even—“
The sound of the doorbell ringing cut him off and he glanced up at Chloe who immediately rushed to the door to check who it was and his eyes returned to me.
This wasn’t the first time he was looking at me so why was my skin tingling under his gaze? Why could my eyes not meet his? Sebastian was the only man I was ever comfortable crying in front of because he was the only one who never made me feel embarrassed for it.
“No! You can’t just…” Chloe’s loud voice suddenly rang out before a loud banging sound erupted.
She staggered backwards into the apartment like somebody had just kicked her and Adrian stormed inside with a handful of the pack’s security men.
“There he is! That’s the bastard who dared to lay his filthy hands on me.” He yelled, his finger pointed directly at Sebastian who remained calmly seated without a shift in his expression.
Like he was simply watching a boring show.
“I want him thrown into the deepest dungeon in the pack house along with this tramp!” Adrian added.
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