BLAIR’S POVI found Kade leaning against the edge of the windowsill in the room, the light catching in his dark hair, and highlighting his structured body. He was alone so I shut the door behind me, figuring this was the best time to talk.“Hey,” I hugged him from behind, burying my face into his back and holding him tightly. He stiffened a little, but didn’t turn around or say anything. “What's on your mind?” I asked when he remained quiet.“I just want to get out of here, Blair,” he murmured and I could hear the frustration in his voice. “Who knows what has happened in school these past few days.”School? Since when did he start missing school?“I don’t even know how the basketball team is doing,” he continued. “I’m supposed to be their captain. I’m supposed to be training with them, getting them prepared for the next game. But I’m stuck in here with Jaxon, playing besties.”“About that”, I cleared my throat and pulled back. “I think we need to talk.Kade turned slightly. “What abou
BLAIR’S POVHarper didn’t answer right away. She looked down, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her dress, pulling at a loose thread, perhaps buying herself time. Then she shrugged.“I was never jealous of you when you started dating Jaxon, Blair.” she started and I scoffed. “Is that so?”“I was actually happy for you,” she said in her own defense. “You were my friend and I never looked at Jaxon in a romantic way or anything like that until he started texting me.”“Hmm,” I mumbled, crossing my arms. “So he made the first move, huh?”“You were the one who gave him my number,” she said, her voice rising. “That was because you were my best friend!” I shot back, matching her tone. “Fine, I was naive but you knew exactly what you were doing when you fucked him.”She shook her head like I got it all wrong and I decided to stay quiet so that she would explain. “Jaxon texted me first,” she repeated in a quiet voice. “It was just friendly at first. Until he began flirting with me. He sta
BLAIR’S POVThe screech of the door opening was the first thing I heard from my sleep, followed immediately by that painfully familiar voice that irritated me, coming through the quiet like a trumpet.“Get up, all of you!”I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow, but it was useless. I was starting to believe that Mrs. Priscilla’s voice could wake the dead. I forced my eyes open and there she was, towering by the door like a villain straight out of a bad dream. I squinted at the still-dark sky outside the window. The sun wasn’t even out yet. Couldn’t the moon goddess strike this woman with a temporary cold or something? Just long enough for us to get a full night’s sleep?“If your back is still on the bed in the next thirty seconds, you’ll be assigned more responsibilities today,” she snapped and I groaned loudly, pushing myself up.“We’re going hiking,” she announced with way too much energy for someone who clearly fed off our misery. “You’ve got twenty minutes to get rea
BLAIR’S POVThey say parties are meant for fun, a place to lose yourself and escape your worries. In my case, I lost my mate and everyone I thought I trusted.I spotted a couple kissing the moment I stepped into the loud frat house filled with people dancing and drinking. I watched them for a second and shook my head as they groped each other.As I weaved my way through the dark crowd, the house vibrated with deafening music and the air was thick with the scent of alcohol and sweat.Wow, I thought, seeing how people were pressed against each other, grinding to the beat and lost in the thrill of the party.Once again, Jaxon had thrown the wildest and best birthday party of the year.I tightened my grip on the wrapped gift in my hands, making sure it didn’t slip. I had spent weeks thinking about what to get him this year and finally decided to get him a jersey with my name printed on it.It was different from the usual cologne, sneakers, or watches I’d given him over the years. This was
BLAIR’S POV“Another glass, please.”I slammed the glass cup on the bar top, sniffling as tears dropped to my clothes. The bartender gave me a pitiful look before pouring me another shot of vodka. I shouldn’t be crying in a bar but it was the only place I could drown my sorrows.I couldn’t go back to my room, not yet. It would be too suffocating and I didn’t want to be that girl. The one who curled up in bed and cried while the ones who betrayed me carried on like nothing happened. I caught them. They were the ones who should be miserable. Not me. The alcohol burned its way down as I gulped it, but it wasn’t enough. It didn’t drown out the betrayal, didn’t erase the image of Jaxon and Harper together, with his body pressed against hers as he thrust into her.I could still see them and hear their moans. Maybe if I kept drinking, it would finally stop. I slammed my empty glass down on the counter and signaled the bartender. “Another.” He hesitated, giving me that look, the one
BLAIR’S POVI stirred awake, squinting my eyes at the sun rays coming through the window. A yawn escaped my lips as my body stretched against the bed.Wait!This bed felt different.My eyes snapped open, and I bolted upright, the bedsheet slipping down my bare shoulders. I looked down, and my eyes widened when I saw that I was naked!I sucked in a sharp breath and pulled the covers up to my chest, my gaze darting around the unfamiliar room.And soon, I spotted my clothes scattered on the floor.Oh, my goddess, I thought, panicking.How did I get here? What did I do?My heart pounded as bits of memories flashed through my mind.I remembered the bar. The drinks. That guy, the one with piercing blue eyes and a gorgeous smile.I remembered kissing him. I remembered wanting him. But the rest? I couldn’t remember the details. I couldn’t remember how I even got here.Shit!Did I really do it? Did I actually have sex with a complete stranger?Embarrassment flooded me, and I closed my eyes, wi
BLAIR’S POVIt felt like the sitting room was suddenly shrinking and then it began to spin. The furniture, the TV and even my mother blurred into nothing as I stared at him.That face.No. No. No.This could not be happening.I tried to swallow but it felt harder than anything. I couldn’t even breathe properly and I was sure everyone could hear my heart beating so loudly.Why was it him?I pinched myself, desperate to wake up from my dream. I must still be sleeping because this could not be my reality.The pain I felt in my hand after I pinched myself made me realize that this was real. I was here, with my mother and the boy I lost my virginity to.Last night, he had kissed me, and we had sex. And now, he was standing there, about to be introduced as my new step-brother.My lips opened to talk but no sounds came out. I looked like a fool, my mouth opening and closing out of shock.Immediately, I looked away, biting down on the insides of my lips. There was no way this was happening to
BLAIR’S POVKade dropped his box on my bedroom floor with a heavy thud.I knew I shouldn’t be staring as he bent down, but my eyes had a mind of their own. His jeans clung to his body in all the right places, like his ass, and his muscles flexed as he moved.Moon Goddess, please help me. How would I survive living with him for a full month?“Snap out of it!" my wolf growled, dragging me back to reality.I cleared my throat, trying to focus on something other than him. But I had questions, things I needed to ask.I folded my arms. “Did you know?” I asked.Kade didn’t look up at first. He just kept unpacking his things like we weren’t in the most awkward situation in the world. But when he finally turned, his blue eyes looked me over for a second, making my breath hitch before I could stop it.“Know what?” he asked.“That I’m your step-sister.” I responded. “At the bar last night.”“No.”I opened my mouth, ready to say something, but then he beat me to it.“Forget about last night,” He
BLAIR’S POVThe screech of the door opening was the first thing I heard from my sleep, followed immediately by that painfully familiar voice that irritated me, coming through the quiet like a trumpet.“Get up, all of you!”I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow, but it was useless. I was starting to believe that Mrs. Priscilla’s voice could wake the dead. I forced my eyes open and there she was, towering by the door like a villain straight out of a bad dream. I squinted at the still-dark sky outside the window. The sun wasn’t even out yet. Couldn’t the moon goddess strike this woman with a temporary cold or something? Just long enough for us to get a full night’s sleep?“If your back is still on the bed in the next thirty seconds, you’ll be assigned more responsibilities today,” she snapped and I groaned loudly, pushing myself up.“We’re going hiking,” she announced with way too much energy for someone who clearly fed off our misery. “You’ve got twenty minutes to get rea
BLAIR’S POVHarper didn’t answer right away. She looked down, her hands fidgeting with the edge of her dress, pulling at a loose thread, perhaps buying herself time. Then she shrugged.“I was never jealous of you when you started dating Jaxon, Blair.” she started and I scoffed. “Is that so?”“I was actually happy for you,” she said in her own defense. “You were my friend and I never looked at Jaxon in a romantic way or anything like that until he started texting me.”“Hmm,” I mumbled, crossing my arms. “So he made the first move, huh?”“You were the one who gave him my number,” she said, her voice rising. “That was because you were my best friend!” I shot back, matching her tone. “Fine, I was naive but you knew exactly what you were doing when you fucked him.”She shook her head like I got it all wrong and I decided to stay quiet so that she would explain. “Jaxon texted me first,” she repeated in a quiet voice. “It was just friendly at first. Until he began flirting with me. He sta
BLAIR’S POVI found Kade leaning against the edge of the windowsill in the room, the light catching in his dark hair, and highlighting his structured body. He was alone so I shut the door behind me, figuring this was the best time to talk.“Hey,” I hugged him from behind, burying my face into his back and holding him tightly. He stiffened a little, but didn’t turn around or say anything. “What's on your mind?” I asked when he remained quiet.“I just want to get out of here, Blair,” he murmured and I could hear the frustration in his voice. “Who knows what has happened in school these past few days.”School? Since when did he start missing school?“I don’t even know how the basketball team is doing,” he continued. “I’m supposed to be their captain. I’m supposed to be training with them, getting them prepared for the next game. But I’m stuck in here with Jaxon, playing besties.”“About that”, I cleared my throat and pulled back. “I think we need to talk.Kade turned slightly. “What abou
BLAIR’S POVThe hall was so noisy during breakfast that I could barely concentrate on a single thought. I sat next to Jaxon who was distracting me, hitting his fork against his plate annoyingly. If he wasn’t hungry, why bother touching the food?I wanted to snap at him but I remained silent, knowing I was too irritated to talk to him. My fingers curled around my fork so tightly as I turned my attention to the next table for the third time in 30 seconds. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Harper and Kade who were seated there. The plan we agreed on was already in motion and what I was seeing, was why I was against it in the first place.Harper was smiling, no, beaming and running her mouth about something. I didn’t know what she was saying, but why was she smiling like that? This was supposed to be an act, a performance for the sake of good remarks. But Harper seemed to be enjoying it too much. Her laugh rang out and she let her hand brush against Kade’s arm. I had promised Kade I w
Blair’s POVI stacked the last of my dry clothes on the bed, smoothing the shirt sleeves even though they didn’t need it. Kade sat beside me, fiddling with a thread on his pants, obviously frustrated as I was. For once, Beth wasn’t breathing down my neck, following my around, and I just wanted five minutes of quiet.But of course, that was too much to ask.I heard them before I saw them—Jaxon’s heavy footsteps, and Harper’s annoying sigh. I tensed immediately, looking up as I saw them approach us. What did they want? “Can we talk?” Jaxon asked, staring at Kade and ignoring me completely.“No,” I snapped without looking up from my clothes. “I’m finally getting some peace now that Beth’s stopped shadowing me. I’d like to keep it that way.”“It’s about getting out of here with good remarks,” he said, ignoring my refusal. “Let’s pretend to work together and be friends. If we can convince the crazy Mrs Priscilla that we’re getting along, we would leave this place soon.”I laughed out loud
BLAIR’S POVI stomped my foot on the floor, and the thud could be heard throughout the small, stuffy room. I could feel the anger in my chest as I stared at the door Mrs Priscilla had just gone through. "Can you believe her?" I snapped in a loud voice. "That annoying psychologist had the nerve to sit there and read me like some open book. And she wasn’t even right."Beth, who’d been leaning against the wall, gave a low scoff and shook her head slowly, as if I just said something stupid. "Honestly?" she said, folding her arms across her chest. "I think she did a pretty good job reading you."I turned on her so fast I almost lost my balance. "What did you say?" My eyebrows shot up. "No, she did not. She doesn’t know anything about me."Beth just shrugged indifferently."I don’t blame other people for my problems," I went on. "I never have. I take responsibility when it’s my fault. Always. But this?" I gesticulated wildly. "This is all Harper and Jaxon’s fault. Every bit of it."Beth st
Blair’s POVI scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief. So this was Mrs Priscilla’s grand plan? A psychologist? When she said we would be working with delinquents, I thought we would suffer through punishments. I definitely did not expect to sit through a therapy session. Community service, they said. Not group therapy. I didn’t sign up for this nonsense. And yet, here I was, perched awkwardly on a hard chair while the psychologist with her tightly pinned hair and gentle, annoying smile tried to pick apart my brain.What did they even expect to achieve with this? Make us hold hands with delinquents and sing songs about teamwork? Did Mrs Priscilla really think I would open up about myself? And even if I did, what next? Lock us up with criminals? “Tell me, Blair,” the psychologist cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. I’d been expertly avoiding her gaze, like maybe if I ignored her long enough, she’d give up. I didn’t get such luck as she went on with her question. “How do you f
KADE’S POV “Someone did this!!!!” My body jolted up as my eyes flew open. I tried to orient myself, disoriented for a second, unsure of where I was. Then I saw Blair standing in the doorway, her clothes in her hand, dripping with water all over the floor. Her hair hung in messy strands, and her eyes were wide with rage as she glared at Jaxon and Harper who were seated on the other side of the room.“Who did this?” she screamed, her voice carrying pure, unfiltered anger. I pushed myself up, my heart racing as I looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. “What happened?” I asked, my voice still rough from sleep, but I made sure that the concern was clear in my tone. Blair's finger shot out toward her suitcase, which was now nothing more than a soaked pile of clothes. "Someone drenched it with water," she snapped. "All my clothes are wet now. I have nothing to wear." I could see the frustration on her face, her usually put-together appearance completely go
Kade’s POVHer back felt stiff under my palms and there were knots of tension along her spine that I massaged with my thumbs. She let out a shaky breath, her head tilted forward as I kneaded her shoulders.“Honestly, this is the worst time of my life,” Blair groaned, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into the pillow. I huffed a low laugh, still massaging in slow circles across her muscles. “Worse than when I got poisoned?” I asked, half-teasing but only because I didn’t want to admit I’d been thinking the same thing all day — about how much shit she’d been put through. She was quiet for a moment, then she mumbled, “I’m actually contemplating it.” She let out a dry, tired laugh. “I can’t believe I spent the whole day lifting bricks like some prisoner in a labor camp.” Before I could reply, she pushed herself up abruptly, her hair spilling over her shoulders in tangled waves. She turned to face me and with a serious face, she said, “This is forced labor. Literal forced lab