Bullied By My Alpha Stepbrother novel Chapter 80

Chapter 76

Jasmine.

I exhaled deeply and released the breath that I wasn’t aware I was holding in as Hardin rounded the third round and successfully made it to the stop. My heart thumped, even though my face was void of emotion, as I watched him step out of his car with a proud smile on his face, but I tried my best not to show my happiness. I was glad that Hardin had won but I was happier that he was the one to be proclaimed my mate.

I kept my eyes on Hardin as he looked up at dad and mom, who were looking down at him with so much pride. And when he turned to me, I locked my eyes, pulling him into a staring contest. It was not until we heard Lorenzo’s car screech loudly before coming to a halt that he turned his eyes away to look at Lorenzo. I kept my gaze, still, fixed on him without even caring to look down at Lorenzo who was now accusing Hardin of cheating his way through the competition.

“The young lad would have dropped dead by now had your eyes been guns,” Mom said, rubbing my hand slowly, and I turned my eyes away from Hardin. Knowing that other people must have noticed my stare too.

“Now he has won the competition, you should learn to look at him with loving eyes,” she added, except, I had not been giving Hardin death stares, I had only lost the clue on how to change my expression from a frown to a smile.

Dad stood up as Lorenzo got out of his car and took some steps down the stairs, clapping cheerfully as he walked down.

“The competition was simple, Lorenzo,” Dad responded to Lorenzo’s accusations, “and we all watched it from up here, we saw whomever it was that tried to cheat but, we decided not to discuss that because it would be a waste of time for us. Alpha Hills' Dad called, turning to Lorenzo's dad, "Why don’t you do the honours?”

Alpha Hills cleared his throat, giving Dad a quick glare as he climbed down the stairs from the other side and stopped at the same level as dad.

“Two days ago,” Alpha Hills began, “to resolve the issue of who will be Jasmine’s mate,” he pointed at me, “we decided to have a competition stating that anyone who wins the competition will automatically become Jasmine’s mate.”

I tuned out Alpha Hills as I reverted my gaze to Hardin. He was biting his upper lip and raking a hand through his hair. Even though he had won the competition, even though everybody had seen him win, he was very nervous, as though he were thinking they would change the result.

I shifted my eyes from Hardin to Lorenzo, who had his fist clenched and was obviously chewing his teeth. Lorenzo was one person I never seemed to understand and at the moment, I couldn’t tell if he was angry because he lost to Hardin or whether he was angry because he lost me as a mate.

“…and this day,” I subconsciously tuned in Alpha Hills, with my eyes still on Lorenzo and turned my eyes away quickly as he shifted his gaze to me. “Hardin Morales from has won the competition and henceforth is declared a mate to Jasmine.

Mom rubbed my hands happily and began clapping, Dad was beaming with smiles while my heart pounded intensely against my chest. It was racing from a combination of emotion- excitement and anxiousness.

I looked down at Hardin. He appeared relieved, a proud smile on his face as he bowed his head respectfully to the praises but the minute he turned to me, his smile fell. I was still expressionless or rather, trying to figure out how to put on a smile.

“No! I can’t accept this!” Lorenzo yelled, attracting every eye to him, “Jasmine is my mate, I can’t let him have her, not while I’m alive.”

“You were there when we agreed to this, Lorenzo, let this go.” Alpha Hills said, giving Lorenzo a stern glare.

“I can’t, she is my mate, I can’t,” he said and quickly ran up to me, “Listen Jasmine, you don’t have to go with these rules, we don’t, you are my mate, and I am certain about that. I am positive that you are mine.”

I shook my head rigorously and withdrew my hands as he tried to grab them, “I am not your mate Lorenzo. I’m sorry. I do not feel any bond with you and I have never felt it.”

“No, you need to stop saying that Jasmine, you, me, the both of us, we were fated by the moon goddess, we were meant to been toget…” Lorenzo was sent flying before he could finish his sentence, causing a gasp to escape mine and mom’s lips. I turned to where the force had come from to see Hardin fuming and charging towards Lorenzo.

“Leave her be, Lorenzo. This is my last warning to you,” Hardin snarled, stopping a foot away from Lorenzo as he held him down with his glare.

“I am not going to watch you steal what is mine, she is my mate and I will take her back,” Lorenzo said through gritted teeth.

I darted my eyes between the two boys, shuddering in my seat. I didn’t want to go with Lorenzo, and I didn’t want Hardin fighting Lorenzo to make my point clear.

Hardin scoffed, “I will be more than happy to watch you try.”