Mated To My Alpha Stepbrother (A Sunwoo ff) ✓

Chapter Twenty-Six

˚₊໒🌙꒱Sunwoo₊˚

The smell of the bonfire hung heavy in the summer air. There was something about a night with the pack that made Sunwoo feel as if he was doing something right as alpha.

His stepping down from that role, and mingling with the wolves of the pack, made him feel humble. Made him feel like a real person.

Sometimes the weight of alpha weighed heavily.

With every decision being put on his shoulders, he felt robotic at times. Crushed by life. That was one of the many reasons wolves had mates.

To balance them out.

Help with the load of life. Love them. Give them something to look forward to coming home to.

Sunwoo did as Jihyo asked and didn't call his father. Not that the smoke billowing up into the night sky wouldn't lure them both over soon.

Jihyo stood by Sunwoo's side around the bonfire, sticking a marshmallow into the flames and waiting until it was engulfed to bring it out.

"So, you like yours burnt?" he leaned in and asked.

She chuckled and stuck it between the graham crackers and chocolate. "It's the only way," she said, shoving it into her mouth.

Sunwoo chuckled and took a bite out of his own. Most of the wolves were by the bonfire, with a few couples in the field close by. Sunwoo felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, but as he scanned the trees, he didn't see anything.

"What's wrong?" Jihyo asked.

He glanced down at her big dark eyes. "Nothing."

"You seem tense. Do you see something?" she asked, sliding the tip of her finger into her mouth, and sucking off the sticky marshmallow.

The girl knew how to distract him from the problems at hand. "No. Sometimes my wolf doesn't know how to take a break."

"Duties of being an alpha, huh?" she asked, sitting down in one of the plastic lawn chairs nearby.

Sunwoo wanted to sit beside her, but his wolf stirred.

Someone is watching us, his wolf said.

Sunwoo slid his tongue across his teeth. "Hey," he leaned down and whispered. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Jihyo waved him on and started gathering her ingredients for her second s'more. Sunwoo jogged over to Jacob, who stood in the midst of a few of their best warriors. "Someone is watching us," he blurted out.

Jacob turned to look at him. "Well, good to see you too, boss."

Sunwoo narrowed his gaze to slits. "My wolf is on high alert. We need to make a quick run."

Jacob lets his head drop toward his chest. "You're killing me, Sunwoo. One night? You think rogues are watching us when we're all together like this?"

"I think they are scoping us out. Get a few of the wolves together that feel like making a run, and go check it out."

Jacob nodded. "Oh, so we go do the run while you mack on your mate, huh?"

"Exactly. When you're an alpha you can do whatever you want, too."

"Oooo burn," Jacob said. "We'll go check real quick."

Sunwoo walked back over toward the bonfire to see his father and Jihyo's mother standing next to her. Jihyo seemed to be far away from their conversation, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.

"-I was just asking, Jeongho."

His dad put his hands up in surrender, but Jihyo turned to her mother and glared. "Can't we just sit around and have fun? Here, eat some s'mores. Take a load off. Forcing jobs on me must be exhausting."

Crap. Sunwoo had promised he would try to keep her busy and away from her mother's plans to force a job on her. "Hey, guys," Sunwoo interrupted Mrs. Kim. "I was just looking for Jihyo. I need her help with something. Y'all enjoy the s'mores. I believe the shewolves have more over there by the picnic table."

Sunwoo grabbed Jihyo's arm and dragged her towards the back of the house. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Sunwoo didn't give her a chance to answer; he swept her into his arms, racing forward and dove into the swimming pool. Jihyo's scream deafened as they sliced through the cool water.

She frantically kicked wildly in the water and beat him to the surface. "You butthead!" she shouted, splashing water in his face.

Sunwoo watched as she pushed her hair from her face, and water droplets raced down her skin. "That's your big diversion to get away from our parents? Nearly drown me? "What if I couldn't swim, huh?"

He backstrocked away from her. "Then I'd save you."

Sunwoo felt the water move, and then Jihyo appeared behind him, dunking him underwater. He chuckled and turned to grab her, trapping her between his chest and the side of the pool.

Her body stilled.

"I'll always save you," he said.

Jihyo smiled. "If only I couldn't swim. Should I pretend so you can play the hero?"

Sunwoo tucked a string of wet hair behind her ear. "No. There will be plenty of time for me to save you... if you decide to stay. Maybe I'll save you from a broken heart."

"You'll put it back together?" she whispered.

"But I won't be the one to break it. Ever. I meant what I said about you deserving more than what he gives you."

Jihyo nodded, her gaze lowered to his mouth, and Sunwoo's wolf stirred inside of him. "You deserve more than to be an afterthought."

Jihyo's eyes brimmed with tears. He reached forward, going to try and console her when she grabbed his t-shirt and kissed him again.

It didn't bother Sunwoo that the entire pack was yards away. Or that she'd initiated the kiss again. This way he knew she wanted it. He didn't have to guess if she wanted his kiss.

Jihyo curled her arms around his neck, her kiss softer than the one in the Jeep, deeper. There was definitely more longing than before as if she'd dreamed of doing it again. Sunwoo sank his fingers into her hair and matched her pace. Everything about it. The moonlight. The water. It was Heaven on Earth for him.

Jihyo wrapped her legs around his wast, and Sunwoo slid his arm around her hip, holding her steady.

He became mindless. His thoughts a scattered mess, and his hormones taking him back to seventh grade.

She pulled away and rested her forehead against his. "This was a good distraction from my mother."

We caught the scent of a rogue, Jacob said through their mind link.

Sunwoo closed his eyes and groaned under his breath. "Go after him."

Jihyo asked, "What's going on?"

Sunwoo swam them over towards the ladder and helped Jihyo out. "I sent Jacob to search the perimeter. They caught the scent of a rogue."

Jihyo wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.

"Come on. Let's get a shower. Jacob can handle it for a bit. I'll go check on them once we've finished."

Sunwoo fell into step with her.

"Why do you think you have so many rogues all of the sudden?" she asked.

A shiver raced down his spine. "I don't know. But I don't like it."