Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother

Chapter 75.

~Hardin.

Nobody would have probably believed me but, I was damn serious when I said I could give up my position as the Alpha if that was what it would take Jasmine to forgive me, I thought as I walked through the hallway.

I had wronged her and I didn’t realize my wrongdoings early enough to apologize. I was sorry now and was willing to prove it but, first, I needed to make her see reasons why she should forgive me.

And I intended to do that, right until Lorenzo interrupted my thought with a growl that came at me.

With a frown on my face, “What is it Lorenzo?” I asked.

“Don’t try to be innocent with me, Hardin!” He bawled out immediately, and I wondered for a start, if Lorenzo was even sensible enough to realize that for one of the first times since I had known him, I just wanted to have a peaceful talk with him, without having to throw punches.

“Innocent?” I scoffed. “You know that is one thing that I would not dare. Good thing, I don’t find myself pretending like you do.”

“Stop trying to go around corners, Hardin!” He remarked. “You know I’m talking about Jasmine. And I am only having this discussion with you, because I respect the part that she is your step sister, intentionally choosing to avoid every other sexual thing you have had with her as much as it irks me.”

I chuckled. If it was Jasmine, Dad or Camila, I would have actually been filled with guilt. But at that moment, I was glad that even Lorenzo admitted that it pissed him off. My dislike for him was still so much, even as I did not know why. But everyday, with all of his actions, he made me see reasons why I actually should hate him.

“Jasmine is my mate, Hardin. Can you do me the favor and stay away from her, because I really don’t want to go about this cycle with you.”

I had not taken anything Lorenzo said to heart, until he mentioned that Jasmine was his mate.

“What are you saying?” I probed, with my brows furrowed. How was it even possible?

“Jasmine is my mate, Lorenzo, so what you are saying makes no sense.”

“It’s not possible, you should not say that!” He growled, and before I could get a chance to respond, Lorenzo sent a punch to my face.

“You did not just dare that,” I clenched my fists in anger, and that was how we continued throwing blows that landed us in the office of the principal.

And as things could turn out, the principal dismissed us, after making sure to complain to Russo and Lorenzo’s father that we fought for a reason that did not make sense, because it really did not make sense to me. And the only thing I could see was Lorenzo intentionally getting on my nerves.

“How do you expect I let your son claim my son’s mate? It isn’t right and has never been done.” Alpha Hills, Lorenzo’s Dad, said to Russo and my brows knitted. Dad had invited Lorenzo and his dad to our pack to deliberate on the mate issue -an issue I didn’t see the need for deliberation.

How could he not realize that Lorenzo was clearly lusting after Jasmine and was not actually mated to her.

“I can’t just let your son claim Jasmine as his mate. The moon goddess had taken her time to mate them.” Dad replied and I looked up at Lorenzo to see him glaring at me.

“And the moon goddess didn’t mate us?”

“Let the elders speak,” I said to Lorenzo while returning the glare he was giving me.

“Yeah son, let the elders speak.”

“Lorenzo clearly is confused about his mate’s identity,” I began after dad spoke and Lorenzo raised a brow at me, obviously pissed that I got to talk after shutting him up.

“Because I am positive that the moon goddess wouldn’t think of mating Jasmine with someone like him.”

Lorenzo sprang up from his seat and tried to come at me and I stood too, ready to defend myself.

“Why don’t you go sit your scared ass down on your seat?,” Lorenzo threatened, closing up the space between us.

I chuckled dryly, ” I am not scared of you and you know that. I’d rather advise you to do as you have just said.”

Lorenzo growled, his fangs turning visible as he tried coming at me again, but Alpha Hill got himself in the middle of the both of us, holding Lorenzo back. I had always known that the calm person that Lorenzo put up in front of Jasmine was a facade, and once again, he was proving me right.

Dad only passed a glare at me, and left with no other option, I had to sit back.

“I think I have found a solution to this issue.” Lorenzo’s dad said as he directed Lorenzo back to his seat.

“Yeah? That Lorenzo is not man enough to have Jasmine?”

“A car race.” He announced, ignoring my petty talk, and somehow we all managed to ask ‘what?’ at the same time.

“Yes, a car race, two days from now at the open field dividing our packs, whoever wins the race shall be announced as Jasmine’s mate.”

“I think that is a good idea.” Dad concurred and I furrowed my brows.

“A car race really?” I felt it was rather absurd. So whoever wins would be announced as Jasmine’s mate randomly, what if Lorenzo was even lying? Why had nobody even included asking Jasmine from the start?

I understood that Dad did not want to get her head messed up with the ‘dragging for mate thing,’ and concurred to the car race because he probably wanted me to prove myself. But it still did not make any sense.

“I am in,” Lorenzo said, interrupting me and I sighed.

Staring at him intently, like I was trying to search his thoughts, “and if I win the car race, we will not have this juvenile banter anymore? Because I am really sick of all of these with you.” I said.

“Yes,” he nodded, and I wondered if I was doing the right thing.

“Fine then,” I mentioned. “A car race it is.”

The days went by quickly and soon, the day for the race came. I had been sitting in the living room all day since I woke up, shuffling between staring into space and wondering how it would be if I did or did not win the race.

I was prepared, though I had been prepared since I had woken up, but I lacked the strength to go about other activities.

“Do you need help with that?” I said to Jasmine who came into the living room ignoring my presence as she tried to fit her necklace around her neck.

She cut me a glance and deadpanned, ” I got it, thanks.”

I kept my gaze on her as she went to take a seat across from me, probably waiting for mom and dad and I turned my face to her.

“Am I not yet close to receiving your forgiveness?”

“My forgiveness only goes to someone who deserves it and you, Hardin, do not deserve my forgiveness.” She didn’t care to raise her face to me and I fell back into my seat.

She was still reluctant about accepting me as her mate and still unwilling to forgive me. And when Dad had asked her if she felt any connection with Lorenzo, she had said no.

But to just get Lorenzo’s troublesome ass out of our face, I had to finish the race that I had accepted to partake in.

Perhaps, I thought, if I win the race, by the moon goddess’s aid, she will see how apologetic Iwas and finally accept me as her mate.

I turned my eyes to the stairs as I heard someone walking down, to see dad while Camila walked behind him. They were dressed and ready for the race. Camila walked over to Jasmine, gave her a side hug and kept her by her side.

“Are we going to see you there?” Dad said and I nodded.

“Yeah, I will be there in a few minutes.” And he turned and left, leaving Camila and Jasmine to follow behind.

I kept my eyes fixed on Jasmine till she got into the car and out of my sight. I wondered why she needed me to go through that race stress, but if she was ready to look at me if I won, then I was willing to risk it all and win.

As soon as dad left with Jasmine and Camila, I got into my car and headed for the field that had been chosen for the race. Dad, Camila and Jasmine were already seated, same as Lorenzo’s parents.

I went out back to check on the car I had chosen for the race; an Audi R8 LMS and I cussed under my breath as I saw Lorenzo checking out his car.

“Look who the cat dragged in, it’s the mate thief. How have you been, Hardin my boy?” He asked and gave out a mocking laughter as I looked at the inside of my car.

I had a thousand things I wanted to say to Lorenzo but I decided to keep quiet so we could get over the race and I could take Jasmine home to make her start loving me.

For me, the race was just a protocol. I was certain that Jasmine belonged to me, and though we had not started out at the right footing, I was ready to prove it.

“I am talking to you, punk face,” Lorenzo said and nudged me.

“What the fuck, Lorenzo?” I was already in a bad mood which had been worsened by Lorenzo’s presence but I wasn’t interested in getting irritated by him.

“You don’t think I am going to let you steal my mate from me, huh?”

I ran my hands through my hair and clenched my fist to hold myself back from attacking him, “Go away, Lorenzo, I have explained clearly times without number that Jasmine is my mate, but since you want to compete with me and see things for yourself, you can. Just make sure to do that from your own lane.”

“And if I don’t, mate thief?”

I chuckled dryly, “You wouldn’t want to know what will come next.”

Before I could finish the sentence, “Lorenzo grabbed me by my shirt and pressed me against my car, instinctively, I clenched my fist and gave him a punch.

He winced and let go of me, buying me enough time to give him another punch.

“What the fuck, Hardin?” He rubbed his jaw and made to rush at me but I slid from under his arm causing him to punch my car which gave it a dent.

“That costs a lot, you know,” I yelled from behind him and he turned to me, with one hand caressing his jaw, the other clenched and ready to throw a hit.

“What are you guys doing?” Lorenzo’s dad’s voice came and we turned to him, “You guys are here to race out your difference and not fight it out. Get into your cars and get on to the track, now!”

I growled while giving Lorenzo a hard stare as we went back to our cars.

We drove out to the field to meet each of our family members standing on both sides of the track.

“The rules are quite simple,” Dad said loudly to us, ” the both of you are to go round this field three times and the winner of this race will be declared as Jasmine’s mate. You may begin the race.” He announced.

I woke my engines and sped off. The field was quite large yet could be classified as a little space when being explored with a car. It was my second round and I was almost making it to the next round when I felt Lorenzo’s car hit against mine twice.

I turned to him with furrowed brows and saw him giving me a mocking laughter as he drove past me.NôvelDrama.Org owns all content.

He was trying to steal my mate through a crooked way? Furious, I pressed on the throttle and sped off, whooshing past him. As I successfully rounded the third trip, I brought the engines to a halt, stepping out of the car with a proud smile on my face.

I turned to Camila and Dad and they had the same smile on their faces but Jasmine? She was expressionless.