Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196

I blinked rapidly. “What?” I asked with a breathy scoff.

Mum didn’t even flinch. “Yes, Kasmine. It was signed and agreed upon when his father helped your father seven years ago. He got us through a major crisis, and in return, a marriage alliance was secured. It is beneficial to us all in the long run.”

Her voice was calm and steady as if she were simply reading out a bedtime story.

Her words weren’t making any sense. None of this was.

“Wait. I was payment? Gratitude? Appreciation?” I counted the words.

I turned to face her fully now, standing close, right in her face. I wanted her to look me in the eye and tell me it was okay to trade my life and future for the pack’s ‘beneficial

future.

“Don’t see it that way, baby.” She reached out to touch my arm, but I stepped back. “If this wasn’t necessary, it wouldn’t have happened.”

There wasn’t an ounce of regret in her voice. Not a single hint of remorse.

“This isn’t happening.” I shook my head, the words spilling out before I could even think.

“Kester will never let this happen. He won’t. You’ll see,

“Kester knows, baby.” She said, and I froze. “He was there when it was all agreed upon.”

The air in my lungs vanished.

Blood turned to ice.

The world tilted just slightly.

“What?”

***

The perfect day I had been looking forward to crumbled before my eyes, slipping through.

my fingers like sand. And there was nothing I could do to save it.

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Chapter 196

1 sat with Jake in our usual garden, the secluded spot on the school grounds where we

always snuck to. The place where, for a little while, the world didn’t exist.

I wanted to be happy to see him. I really did. But my mind was too clouded, and my heart

too heavy.

And I guess I wasn’t doing a good job hiding it because he caught on immediately.

“Kasmine,” he said softly, his warm brown eyes scanning my face. Is everything okay?”

I sighed, forcing a smile that I knew didn’t reach my eyes. “I’m fine. Jake. Sorry. I’m just…” My voice trailed off, lost somewhere between frustration and exhaustion.

“Is this about Karina? About the problems she’s stirring up in the pack?” He asked, and I

looked at him in confusion.

What was he talking about?

I blinked, my head tilting slightly. “What?” My brows knitted together. “Who is Karina?”

The name sounded familiar, but I sincerely couldn’t tell where I had heard it, but definitely not in recent times.

Jake’s expression shifted, his brows rising slightly. “Karina. Your stepsister. Or, well, your brother’s stepsister, I guess.” His tone was the kind that said, Come on, isn’t this obvious?

But my confusion only deepened.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Jake. My curiosity piqued, and for some reason, my heart began to hammer in my chest.

A pit started forming in my stomach while dread curled around my insides.

“If you don’t know, then maybe you should ask your parents. Or Kester.” He leaned back slightly, studying my reaction. “They’ll explain it better.” He said, and before I could. protest, he had brought out something from his pocket.

It was a box.

Beautiful. Elegant. The kind of thing that looked both expensive and carefully chosen.

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Chapter 196

“What’s in there?” I asked, my curiosity spiking, pushing aside the dread lingering at the edges of my mind.

I swallowed hard, my fingers twitching slightly as I stared at the small, elegant box in Jake’s hands.

My heart was already on edge from our previous conversation, but now it pounded for an entirely different reason..

“You know how I suck at expressing things with words,” he said, his voice lower now, “but this…” He gestured slightly with the box. “This is me saying I want you, Kasmine. Us. No more waiting for the right time, no more excuses. Just us.”

to make your own choices. His jaw clenched briefly. “Screw that. I don’t care if we have

“And what if…” I hesitated, licking my lips. “What if I find my mate on my birthday?”