Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother (by CalebWhite) novel Chapter 22

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Chapter 22

By the time I got home, the sun was setting. I snuck in through the side door, desperately hoping to avoid Mom, My emotions were so close to the surface, Id probably burst into tears the second she asked how my day went.

Trin? Is that you?” Mom called from the kitchen.

1 quickly wiped my eyes and slapped on a fake smile before heading toward her voice.

“Hey, Mom.” I said, trying to sound normal and failing miserably.

She was cooking something that smelled amazing, but the thought of food made my stomach clench. When she turned and saw me, her smile disappeared

“What happened?” she asked, abandoning the stove and coming toward me. “You look like hell, sweetheart.”

“Thanks,” I tried to joke, but it fell flat. “lust a rough day at school. The speech competition didn’t go as planned.”

Mom’s face softened with sympathy. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry. You worked so hard on that presentation.”

only she knew the half of it. I shrugged, not trusting myself to speak without breaking down.

Are you hungry?” she asked, returning to the stove.

The thought of food made my stomach chum. “Actually, I’m really tired. I think I’m just going to head to bed early

She studied my face for a moment longer, clearly not convinced. “Alright. But if you change your mind about dinner, just come down. I’ll save you

“Thanks, Mum. 1 kissed her cheek before escaping upstairs to the sanctuary of my bedroom.

La plate.”

The second my bedio door shut behind me, I completely fell apart. I slid down against the wall and just lost it, hugging my knees as tears streamed down

my face.

Derek God, the way he looked at me in that hallway. Like I was some annoying problem he had to deal with. My wolf was practically crying inside me, Lelling his rejection like a knife to the heart.

“You stupid wolf,” I whispered angrily, wiping at my tears. “Why him? Why d you have to pick the one guy in the entire Pack who clearly can’t stand us?

Why wouldn’t you let me out today?” My wolf suddenly spoke up, her voice a growl in my mind. “I could have torn those bitches to pieces, especially Lily.”

“You know why,” I sighed, rubbing my temples. “We can’t just shift in the middle of school. We’d be expelled, maybe even exiled from Pack territory.”

“They deserved it. They humiliated us. Stole from us.” My wolf was pacing angrily inside me, her rage making my skin feel hot and tight.

The Alpha was right there,” I reminded her. “You know, at the speech competition? Remember how that went last time we lost control around him?”

At the mention of Derrk, my woll instantly changed. Her anger melted into something else–a warm, yearning sensation that spread through my chest and down to my stomach:

“Alpha,” she purred, and my heart rate picked up embarrassingly. Images flashed through my mind–Derek’s powerful shoulders, the intensity in his steel- gray eyes, the way his presence had filled that hallway. So handsome. So strong.

“Stop it,” I muttered, hat I could feel my cheeks flushing. My body was betraying me again, responding to just the thought of him.

is it mate, my wall insisted. I submit to him willingly. He is worthy?

My wolf whined, a pitiful sound that somehow made the hollow ache in my chest even worse.

puffy, my head was pounding.

I seriously considered just staying in bed forever. What was the point of facing everyone at school? what she said: pathetic, desperate, and weak.

to get up.

But hiding would only prove Lily right–that I was exactly

The moment I stepped onto campus, I knew yesterday’s disaster had spread like wildfire. Conversations hushed as I passed, only to resume in urgent whispers once I was safely out of earshot. Some students stared openly, while others pretended not to see me at all.

I kept my head high and my eyes forward, refusing to acknowledge the stares and whispers. Inside, my wolf growled, bristling at the disrespect, but I kept her firmly in check.

As I approached my locker, a sickening feeling settled in my stomach. Someone had taped printouts of yesterday’s presentation photos all over the metal door. The suggestive captions had been highlighted in neon.

My hand shook as I tore down the photos, crumpling them into balls and shoving them into my backpack. I would dispose of them properly later, somewhere no one could find them and put them back up.

“Look who it is,” a familiar voice called from behind me. The omega who thinks she can climb the Pack hierarchy by sleeping her way to the top.”

didn’t have to turn around to know it was L

LIİY-

“Leave me alone, Lily.” I said, not bothering to face her. I focused on entering my locker combination,

fingers clumsy with suppressed anger.

“Why? Am I interrupting your plans to seduce another Pack member?” she taunted, moving closer. “First Bradley, then the Alpha… who’s next? Maybe you should work your way through the Enforcers, I’m sure they’d appreciate the attention from such a… dedicated wolf.”