Chapter 0002

Among all of Alex’s friends, Nicholas was the one I had been least familiar with. All I could really remember about him was that he had been the coldest and the most distant.

With how much my face burned, I imagined the entirety of it was a bright cherry red color. I was so startled and awkward and horrified by what I’d done – and to whom – that words entirely failed me. I knew I should apologize or excuse myself or any number of other things. Yet when I opened my mouth, nothing eloquent came out.

“Uh…”

Nicholas, seemingly recovered from his own shock, narrowed his eyes at me. “Who are you?”

He didn’t remember me either.

At first, a rush of relief washed over me. However, almost immediately following it came a burst of irritation. Nicholas was far too haughty to recognize the commoner stepsister of his friend.

This annoyance finally allowed me to find my voice.

“We were just playing Truth or Dare,” I said. “Sorry.”

Immediately, I turned around to get back to my table with Annie. Before I could take one step, however, a different man placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Holly?”

At once, a familiar, comforting scent enveloped me. I knew it at once, and quickly swiveled on my heel to face my stepbrother Alex. Finally, after three years away from him, he was here. We were together again.

He’d changed some, taller and broader now than the lanky teen he’d been. But his soft eyes were the same, as was that bushy brown hair, even if he styled it much shorter and sleeker now than he had in the past.

Tears welled in my eyes, though I forced them back, unwilling to cry like this.

I had no idea how he could always manage to make me feel so vulnerable in front of him, just with his presence. Somedays it felt like he was the only person in the universe who could make me feel safe.

Alex’s own eyes started to fill with worry. He lifted his hand off my shoulder, drawing it very near my face as if he wanted to touch but held himself back. It hovered there instead, an inch away from my cheek.

“Why are your eyes red?” Alex asked me. Then, his gaze darkened as he glared at Nicholas. “Did you bully her, Nicholas?”

Alex turned toward Nicholas, pulling me gently behind him, protecting me as he always had.

Over Alex’s shoulder, Nicholas gave me a teasing look, lifting one brow.

“Your little princess? How could I bully her? But she, on the other hand…”

Fear struck through me. Was he about to tell Alex what I’d just done?

Worried he might twist the truth, or reveal too much of it, I grabbed Alex’s arm, reclaiming his attention, and explained, “This is all just a misunderstanding. I only came here to have a few drinks with Annie…” I gestured toward the nearby table, where Annie sheepishly waved at Alex.

Alex nodded in return.

“I guess I got a little emotional, missing home,” I said, hoping that would be enough of a reason to explain my near-tears. “Then I just happened to run into Nicholas when I was on my way to the bar…”

A line split Alex’s brow as he listened to what I had to say. Turning his head toward Nicholas once more, he asked, “Is this true?”

I knew Alex was testing Nicholas more than he was doubting me. If Nicholas had a different story than mine, he would be fiercely interrogated. Even so, from behind the safety of Alex’s shoulder, I gave Nicholas the most wide-eyed pleading look I could muster.

Please don’t say anything, I hoped that look said.

Nicholas saw it, his gaze shifting from me to Alex. Then, vaguely, he started to smile. It was a dangerous look, with a glint in his eye, that sent a shiver down my spine.

“Well?” Alex prompted. “Is it true?”

“Sure,” Nicholas said. He’d agreed with me, done as I’d pleaded for him to do, and yet I didn’t feel any better about it. The way he’d said it, and with that sharp smile… I felt like that agreement didn’t come without some kind of as yet unknown cost to myself.

The answer fully satisfied Alex though, who turned back to me.

“You didn’t tell anyone when you were coming,” Alex said. “I could have come to pick you up.”

My heart melted at once. I’d avoided much communication with Alex these past few years. Finding him to be exactly the same as he had been when I left was a comfort to me.

“I’m all grown up now, Alex. I can take care of myself.”

He gave me a sad sort of smile. “You’ll always be my little sister.” After a pause, he glanced away, adding, “The family will always have rules for you.”

“Let me grab my suitcase,” I said. Rushing, I returned to my table with Annie. I left her some money to cover my half of the bill, and then gave her a quick, but tight hug.

“I have to tell you something,” she said, excitement in her voice. “About that guy you kissed.”

“Later,” I promised. The last thing I wanted to talk about right now was Nicholas, especially with Alex waiting.

Breaking our hug, I grabbed my suitcase and then wheeled it out to the curb in front of the pub. Alex was standing there by his sports car. I was pleased to see Nicholas had already departed.

After Alex packed my luggage into the trunk, we both entered the car, with him behind the wheel and me in the passenger seat.

As he pulled out into the road, we were quiet. I had so much I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t know where to start. I was also unsure. Since the scandal, I felt like I always had to be careful what I said to Alex anymore.

“So,” Alex said, breaking the ice building up between us. “How was it? Studying abroad?”

“It was okay,” I said. The Timber Pack, where I had been sent was one of the northern most packs of the continent. It was bitterly cold there, even in the summer, and so very quiet. Beautiful, certainly, with year round permafrost, but also very isolating.

I was certain that the location had been specifically chosen as part of my punishment for the scandal I’d caused.

“You barely contacted me at all,” Alex said, his voice soft.

“Oh. Well. I was so busy all the time,” I lied. Glancing out the window, I added, “I’m not a little girl who can keep depending on her brother.”

I’d wanted to contact him every day. In fact, my phone contained countless messages I had wanted to send to Alex, but I’d always stopped myself, never sending more than a few updates now and then.

Anything else would have raised suspicion.

Alex hummed, seemingly dissatisfied with my answer. He didn’t push though. Instead, he changed the subject. “What had you been talking about with Nicholas?”

At once, the memory of the kiss flashed through my mind, and I fought back another blush.

At the same time, my phone buzzed with a message. I tapped the screen to see the message. It was from Annie.

That guy you kissed is a local celebrity. A celibate heartthrob! And the youngest professor at the academy.

Immediately, I clicked off the screen, not wanting to see anymore.

“Well?” Alex asked, still waiting for his answer.

“Nothing important,” I said. “I just apologized for running into him…”

Alex didn’t say anything more about it.

When we reached the family estate, pulling up the long drive way to the mansion, I spotted Mom and my Alpha stepdad waiting for us outside. My Mom’s smile was grim.

Even after Alex parked and I exited the vehicle, when Mom pulled me into a hug, I could feel the tension in her body.

She wasn’t happy to see me.

“Welcome home,” she said, but the words felt cold.

Later, when I had finished unpacking in my old room, I stepped into the hallway and accidentally overheard Mom and Alpha talking.

“You never should have let Alex pick up Holly alone,” my stepfather said unhappily to my mom. “They have to avoid suspicion.”

“I didn’t know,” Mom replied.

My heart sinking, I turned away, ready to hide in my room until I was called for.

As I closed the door, I overheard a bit more.

Mom said, “At least she doesn’t know what’s been going on…”