Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother novel Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Hardin's POV

"Welcome back captain." The team chorused as I stepped into the changing room and I grinned, finally able to rest and know that I was not under any pressure to keep the position any longer, especially because it involved trying not to show my intense dislike for Lorenzo.

As I passed by him on the way to my locker, he smiled and I ignored him.

"Congratulations on becoming captain of the team, again. Well deserved." He said in a calm voice that would have been believable from anybody else except him because not up to twenty four hours ago, he was still running against me for this very same position.

It baffled me how composed he looked and I wondered why he had even run against me in the first place?

Was it to piss me off because he had done an excellent job at it. I couldn't think of any reason why he did and suddenly dropped out. I bet Jasmine would know about why but she didn't look like she did yesterday.

Anyways, it didn't matter anymore. I was captain again and no matter how much I wanted to punch Lorenzo in the face anytime I saw his face, I would save all of that for when we were not on school grounds.

"Thank you for your contribution to the team. It was fun running against you even though there was really never any competition, was there?" I answered and the smile on his face dimmed for a second before it came back in full force. Fake. So fake. I wondered how Jasmine and the rest of the school population did not see past his good boy act.

Then again, as long as he did the act far away from me and Jasmine, I didn't care.

As for Jasmine, I'd be damned if I let whatever Lorenzo thought was between them flourish. He didn't know that but if he thought that by stepping down for me, he was going to find my favour in that area, then he was in for a surprise.

"If you say so, Hardin. See you at practice." He answered and as he headed out of the locker room, Alex and Sandro walked over to where I was standing.

"What did he want?" Alex asked and I shrugged.

"To congratulate me."

"Well, then, that's not suspicious at all, is it?" Sandro said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, showing that just like me, he didn't believe that something was not up with Lorenzo.

"Whatever he's up to, we will find out in due time." I answered, picking up my helmet as we headed for the field.

Whatever Lorenzo was up to, I would find out and I would be ready for him.

The one person that I was not ready for, however was my father because his text was waiting for me after I finished practice to see him when I got home.

Even though I knew why he wanted to see me, it didn't make my legs feel any lighter as I dragged my feet to his office when I got home, wasting enough time in the shower and still being unable to avoid the inevitable topic that was apparently not just bothering him but the pack elders and was very important to the future of the pack.

Finding my mate. . .

When I entered his office, Camila was leaning against the table beside him, the two of them looking at something on the laptop.

"You're here. Welcome" Camila said when she raised her head and saw that it was me that had entered, her smile wide and warm in a way that I was still not used to. Perhaps it was because I was still unsure if she was for real and because I felt bad that liking her would be betraying my mother.

"Hello Hardin" My father said coolly, turning to look up at his wife with a smile. Camila leaned down and kissed him gently.

"I'll leave you two to discuss. Shall I send snacks up?"

"Yes, my darling. You may." My father answered with an affectionate smile that made me feel like I shouldn't even be here. I wanted to hate him for moving on. But he had loved my mum with every fibre of his being, had not looked at another woman when she was alive so as much as I was angry, I could not help but feel envious that he had been given a second chance at love. Especially because I was yet to even find my mate and given my behaviour, I was not sure that the gods would bother to pair anyone with someone as insufferable as I was.