Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother

Mated 310

KESTER.

I pulled back a little more, hands still on her waist. "What were you going with them?"

She tilted her head. "Them?"

"The guards."

Her mouth opened, then curved into a smile again. "Oh! The food. I was giving them the packs you bought last night/

My brow furrowed. "Why?"

pher

"Because there's no way I could eat all of that on my own. Not even in two days. It would go bad and be a waste."

My jaw clenched slightly. I looked down at her like she had just spoken a foreign language. "I bought it for you, Kasmine. Only you."

"And appreciate that. Really." She placed a hand over my chest. "But I don't need that much, Kester. It's okay to share when you have plenty."

I stared at her, completely still.

She gave a small laugh, eyes shining with something that looked dangerously close to affection. "You look like I just told you the

moon was square."

I was still stuck on the word 'share.' That shit had never sat well with me. Never had a reason to even think about it.

"I don't like sharing, and I've never had to share," I said in a low and rough voice. "Especially not when it comes to you. Or things

that are yours. Things I gave to you."

"I know," she said gently, "but think about it this way-if someone gave you more than you could ever need, and someone else had nothing, would you just hoard it all? Let it rot?"

I blinked at her, chewing on that thought like it was something bitter and foreign.

Her hand on my chest moved, fingertips brushing against my shirt as she spoke again. “Kester, it doesn't take anything away from me to let them have a little. And it makes them happy."

I looked away. "Yeah, well... I don't do that. I don't do friendly. I don't do sharing is caring speeches. That's not how I'm wired."

"I know," she said. "That's why I want you to go give the rest of the food to them."

snapped my head back to

heard me. The

your damn

was sweet. No, I've just decided to use my influence wisely. You're going to

you share them," I growled, gesturing toward the door. "I have

You have agreed to let me share it. But you haven't done anything. That's not

God.

grown two heads, "It's

she was explaining basic math to a stubborn child. "One is tolerance. The other is participation. One keeps your walls up.

to my sides. "You want me to go out there and... hand out meat pies

"Exactly."

over grown wolves who've skinned enemies alive. They'd die of shock

snack."

shrugged. "Then let them die. At least they'll

There was silence.

do it," she said with a soft grin. "Say something

looked at the bags, eyeing them like they were live explosives.

"It's growth."

groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "Fine. But I swear to Selene, if one of them makes a comment about my

"I'll kiss it better."

I smirked, "You're impossible."

growth," she said softly. "Which is why this matters. I'm not asking you to braid their

stepping away from her before I caved too fast. My pride clawed at my throat. But her words... they planted themselves in my chest like seeds

I muttered, walking to the dining room like I was marching to

still crossed, but her eyes were

the table. My hands felt stupid and heavy. How

leaning against the

how this would go.

won't," she promised, her lips

"I mean it, baby."

"But I'm really proud of

It lodged itself under my ribs and sat

2/4

Chapter 310

who had ever told me she was proud of me. She had always said it to me since she came into my

gone back to their various posts, but they looked like they weren't

widened the moment they

slowly, trying not to look like I

of them-Tal, the youngest-stood to attention like I was about to chew