Mated To My Alpha Stepbrother (A Sunwoo ff) ✓

Chapter One

˚₊໒🌙꒱Jihyo₊˚

"I met a man."

Jihyo stopped her assault on the punching bag hanging in the spare room of her two-bedroom apartment. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she turned up the volume on her bluetooth headset. Because she was adamant that she heard her mother incorrectly. She cleared her throat "You met a man?" she repeated, feeling a bit like a parrot. "As in a wolf?"

Her mother's excitement transferred into a squeal. It reminded Jihyo of a sixteen-year-old girl, which had been her mother's age when she first met her fated mate, Jihyo's father. He died several years before in a pack war.

It was fair that her mother moved on, but Jihyo was skeptical. "What pack is he from, Mom?"

"Oh, honey. You and your politics," she sighed. "I want you to come down this weekend to meet him."

She didn't miss that her mother skipped over that question; however, she'd let it slide, for now. Jihyo didn't go down to the Crescent Moon Pack lands very often anymore. She had better things to do with her life than find a place in her pack as a nurse or a birthing coach. Her accounting dream was coming true; she only had one more semester left before she graduated.

Her internship would turn into a full-time position, and she'd marry her long-term boyfriend, Seojun. She was lucky enough to have learned from a witch doctor at a young age, that her true mate would die before she met him.

Which was fine by her - Jihyo liked being in control, and picking who she'd spend the rest of her life with.

"He wants us to come to his house for dinner. He makes a killer steak. I promised him that I would drag you away from the city. Please, Jihyo. I'm your only mother."

Oh, the guilt trip.

Jihyo walked towards her shower and loosened her raven-colored hair from its tie. "Seojun is out of town this weekend. I guess it wouldn't hurt to come visit for the night."

Her mother squealed again. "I'm so excited. Come Friday night, and we'll spend Saturday thrift store shopping like the old days."

Jihyo smiled into the mirror, swiping a drop of sweat from the olive-colored skin that she got from her father. "Sounds good, Mom. I'll see you then, okay?"

"Love you, baby girl."

"Love you, too mom."

Jihyo ended the call and tugged off her clothes, tossing them into the hamper in the far corner. Seojun would be excited that she wasn't spending her weekend studying, held up like a hermit. She set her bluetooth and phone on the sink and reached back to unclasp her necklace. It shimmered in the fluorescent lighting of her bathroom, a forever reminder of her father.

He'd given her the emerald jewel after her eye color matched her grandmother's. She'd cherished it or years, and promised to wear it every day in honor of them both.

Not that she needed a reminder of her father's absence. She thought about him every day. She promised herself she would excel at everything she could to make him proud.

Because, she knew, he watched from the stars.

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Her mother stood by her car when Jihyo pulled up that Friday afternoon. She looked pretty, more attentive to her outfit and her flaming red hair that had dulled over the years. Jihyo always envied her mother's hair; her own ebony locks came from her father's side of the family.

She hopped when Jihyo got out and wrapped her into a tight hug. Her mom smelled like home, and for a brief moment, Jihyo felt sad that she didn't make it home  more often to visit.

"Baby girl," she said, pulling back from the hug to cup Jihyo's face. "You look beautiful! You've grown up so much!"

Jihyo narrowed her eyes to slits. "Mother. I have not. I'm twenty-two. Girls stop growing at eighteen, unless you're talking about my weight, and I'm assuming you want to fight then."

Her mother chuckled. The lighthearted aura around her made Jihyo excited to meet her mom's new boyfriend. It felt weird to say it, but Jihyo knew she was lonely.

Those late night texts proved it.

"Are we ready to go?" Jihyo asked. "I'll follow you there-"

"No," her mother said, waving her off. "You can ride with me, unless you changed your mind about staying the night."

"Nope, I'm here for the weekend actually."

"Seojun is out of town again?" her mother asked.

Jihyo hid her irritation. Her mom didn't love Seojun. She didn't hate him, because she had no sound reason, but she didn't like Jihyo not trying to find her fated mate. "Mom. My mate is dead," Jihyo said.

She put her hands out in surrender. "Okay. Okay. You're right. I just don't know about that witch doctor," she said sarcastically. "You know how I feel about magic."

Jihyo chuckled as she slid into the passenger seat. "Says the werewolf shifter. Funny."

Her mom huffed. "It doesn't matter," she said, hitting the steering wheel playfully. "It's your life. If Seojun makes you happy, then so be it. I just need to be around him more often. I'm sure he'll grow on me."

Smiling, she watched as her mother pulled out of the driveway and drove toward the highway. her humming under her breath and the excitement rolling off her had Jihyo's body vibrating with excitement.

Until it wasn't.

Jihyo glanced at the small population sign that read 'Beacon Hills' and her stomach dropped to her butt. There was only one pack in the Legend Parish, and they'd caused the pain that still resided in her chest.

They were the pack that had killed her father.

"Mom," Jihyo said softly, trying to swallow the painful lump in her throat. "Are you going the right way?"

Her mother smiled. "of course. We take turns visiting one another. I know the way-"

"Is there a new pack in Beacon Hills?"

Her mother looked confused, as if she didn't understand why Jihyo's wolf skimmed the surface, or why her bottom lip trembled in suppressed aggression.

"Jihyo, what's the-"

It clicked.

Finally.

"Honey," her mother sighed. "I didn't realize you were still so angry. I understand your pain. I do, but you have to let it go."

"Let me out," she said quietly, tightening her hand around the edge of the seat.

"Jihyo. Our alpha started that war, and your father was a faithful beta. You can't blame the other pack for everything. They were doing just what he was doing, fighting for their alpha."

Jihyo's throat began to tighten, and she felt like she would drown in in the rhythm of her own heartbeat. "Stop. The. Car. Let. Me. Out."

"No," her mother said sharply. "I've already promised Jeongho that you were coming. Now, stop being dramatic and calm down. If you shift in this car, you're paying for a new one. Unfortunately, insurance doesn't cover werewolf damage, Jihyo."