Alaric knew something.That much was clear the moment he stepped into the dining room, his presence wrapped around the air like a noose, slowly tightening around all of us. His sharp, assessing gaze skimmed over the table, taking in our frozen postures and the lingering tension that none of us could shake off.Then, as if he hadn’t just walked into a room full of people on the brink of plotting his downfall, he smiled. A slow, knowing, chilling smile appeared to scare us. “Why does it look like someone just died?” he mused, his voice was light and easy, but there was something underneath it—something taunting, something dangerous.Nobody answered.I could feel the tension radiating from Caspian beside me, the way Lucas’s fingers tightened around his fork, and the barely restrained scoff from Dev.Alaric didn’t seem to mind the silence. He strolled forward with unhurried confidence, like a predator stepping into a den of prey. Pulling out the chair next to Leo, he sat down, completely
I didn’t want to talk about the Salvatore family with Cami. It was too depressing to have that conversation with her. I didn't want to talk to her about Alaric, or about my mother, not about Derek lying in the hospital while his sons tried to salvage the mess he unknowingly helped create.For once, I just wanted to talk about myself.And—more specifically—I wanted to talk about Caspian.“So, let me get this straight.” Cami’s voice was clear through the speaker, cutting through the quiet of my dimly lit bedroom. “You like Caspian?”I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and burying my face in my pillow for a second before lifting it again. “God, don’t say it like that. I didn't mean it like that. I meant there are things that have happened, and he has done things that made me feel weird.”“Like what? The true feeling you've been hiding for months?” She let out a breathless laugh. “Kat, this is huge. You’ve been dodging relationships for years, and now you’re telling me you have actual fee
I hated my family. And even more than that, I hated the fact that I had no other choice but to leave behind the town I grew up in and move to Washington, to live with my mom's new family. While I knew Washington would be a lot different from Texas, yet, my mind was consumed by the thought of living in a house filled with strangers. I blamed my poor state on my father, for not loving or caring about me. For calling me after years, only when he learned that I was going to live with mom's new family. I hated him for not coming to my graduation or calling me to tell me that he was proud of me. I hated him for choosing a man over me, his flesh and blood. I also blamed my mother and her habit of jumping from one man to another. However, I was also a little impressed by her, because this time, she hadn't gone after a carpenter, a chef, an author, or a musician. This time, she managed to catch a big fish. Her sixth husband was the owner of a multinational tech company and the sixth ric
“Having fun, little wolf?” The words echoed in my head. I was still puzzled by the new feeling erupting in my body when he brushed his lips against my neck. No one had ever done something like that to me before. I had no idea how to react. So, I closed my eyes and forced my brain to stop thinking and let my body move on its own. Our bodies moved in unison. He grabbed my hand, which sent shivers down my spine, and swirled me around. That's when I got to see him for the first time. He stood tall over me, with dark blonde hair and forest green eyes. He had me completely enthralled. I couldn't take my eyes away from him, and he was staring at me like I was a food item. He was simply stunning. I inspected his body, letting my hand roam over his wide shoulders, strong chest, and torso. He was gifted with a good amount of muscles that complemented his physique. I also noticed a tattoo peeking through the opening of his shirt when he moved. “What are you looking at?” he whispered in my
We kissed all the way to the hotel he was staying in, and I cherished every moment his lips were on mine. The hotel was one of the luxury ones and his suite was enormous, though I didn't get to see much because he carried me bridal style and took me into the bedroom. I saw the bed in the middle of the room and tensed up. However, he didn't take me to the bed. Instead, he tossed me onto a couch near the entrance and began unbuttoning his shirt. I quickly got rid of my dress and shoes, thanking Camilia in my head for buying me a pair of black lace lingerie and convincing me to wear it that night. I looked at him as he threw his shirt on the floor, and fell back onto the soft furniture, arching my back- just like I'd seen in a movie. It looked so sensual that I had wanted to try it ever since. He groaned as he knelt, pressing soft kisses to my stomach. One hand gripped my ass while the other played with my breasts. I had never felt anything like that before. Everything about him
Lucas was huge. "What happened? You look scared, little wolf," he said, making me raise my head to look him in the eyes. "I-I-I don't think this is going to work," I breathed out, pulling myself to sit up. "I haven't done it with anyone and you're... like this." He smirked and once again picked me up in his arms. "Don't worry, I'll be slow and careful not to hurt you." He carried me to the bed, and after placing me softly on the mattress, he climbed on top of me. Both of us were naked; no piece of fabric separated us, and I could feel his erection on my stomach. I tried looking away, but he grabbed my chin and moved my face so that we were staring into each other's eyes. He licked his lips and then slowly rubbed them against mine. The action sent electricity throughout my body, and I grabbed his arms, trying to rub my waist against him like before. He smirked and once again came down for my lips. I reached forward, but he pulled away. "I thought you didn't want this," he teased,
Three Days Later, “Miss Katherine! We’re going to be there in five.” The old chauffeur said, glancing at me through the rearview mirror. I gave him a weak smile when our eyes met, but it quickly faded as soon as he turned his attention back to the road. I sighed, trying to quell the nervous flutters in my stomach. My fingers fiddled with the hem of my shirt, and I looked out the window, trying to absorb the new environment. Washington was much greener and wetter than the dry town where I spent my teenage years. The lush trees lined both sides of the winding road, their leaves glistening under the soft drizzle that had begun to fall. The air was cool and smelled of pine, a stark contrast to the dry, sun-baked earth I was used to. I’d always dreamed of visiting a place like that, but now that I was here, all I could feel was dread. My heart pounded against my chest as the feeling of unease consumed me. I was moving in with seven stepbrothers, none of whom I had ever met, and w
“Little sister!” I thought about the word and repeated it in my head, but it never felt authentic. It was weird listening to him call me ‘little sister’ when we were not siblings. While it was true that our parents got married, I never gave much thought to that new relationship. Frankly, I didn't know if I wanted to because I wasn't blood-related to them. The whole idea of being part of a family I barely knew still felt foreign. “Yeah, that’s Katherine,” Dev replied, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. He then turned towards me and added, “And this lazy guy over here is Neel.” Neel sat up, rubbing his brown eyes before offering me a lopsided grin. “Welcome to the madhouse, Kat. Can I call you Kat?” “Y-yeah,” I said hesitantly, feeling a bit awkward under his sleepy gaze. “Relax, we’re not murderers here—well, apart from Ian.” “Neel,” Dev warned, glaring at his brother, who looked exactly like him. They had the same facial structure, height, complexion, and eye colour.
I didn’t want to talk about the Salvatore family with Cami. It was too depressing to have that conversation with her. I didn't want to talk to her about Alaric, or about my mother, not about Derek lying in the hospital while his sons tried to salvage the mess he unknowingly helped create.For once, I just wanted to talk about myself.And—more specifically—I wanted to talk about Caspian.“So, let me get this straight.” Cami’s voice was clear through the speaker, cutting through the quiet of my dimly lit bedroom. “You like Caspian?”I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and burying my face in my pillow for a second before lifting it again. “God, don’t say it like that. I didn't mean it like that. I meant there are things that have happened, and he has done things that made me feel weird.”“Like what? The true feeling you've been hiding for months?” She let out a breathless laugh. “Kat, this is huge. You’ve been dodging relationships for years, and now you’re telling me you have actual fee
Alaric knew something.That much was clear the moment he stepped into the dining room, his presence wrapped around the air like a noose, slowly tightening around all of us. His sharp, assessing gaze skimmed over the table, taking in our frozen postures and the lingering tension that none of us could shake off.Then, as if he hadn’t just walked into a room full of people on the brink of plotting his downfall, he smiled. A slow, knowing, chilling smile appeared to scare us. “Why does it look like someone just died?” he mused, his voice was light and easy, but there was something underneath it—something taunting, something dangerous.Nobody answered.I could feel the tension radiating from Caspian beside me, the way Lucas’s fingers tightened around his fork, and the barely restrained scoff from Dev.Alaric didn’t seem to mind the silence. He strolled forward with unhurried confidence, like a predator stepping into a den of prey. Pulling out the chair next to Leo, he sat down, completely
Dinner had never been that quiet. Not in the Salvatore house. The long dining table was filled with plates of steaming food—pasta, grilled chicken, and fresh bread—but no one seemed interested in eating. They were thinking about something, and while their hands moved mechanically I knew they wanted to know what was the important thing Caspian wanted to talk about. He told them that he had something important he wanted to share with them after the dinner. And I guess he shouldn't have shared that much information with the others before because the others were still thinking about it, trying to figure out what it might be. Ian already had a small idea, yet he could feel the tension in the room. As a result, he was very uncomfortable. I could see it in his eyes. The room was dimly lit, with the chandelier above us casting soft, golden light over the strained faces. Unlike other days, even Leo didn't fuss about the food or ask for dessert with the meal. And that's when I realise
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dried and felt like sandpaper when I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat. I wasn’t sure about my own emotions, about what to feel—relief, panic, guilt? Maybe all of them at once, or maybe none. Mom had looked at me when I was coming downstairs to help Dev with the dinner, her expression was unreadable. Yet, I knew what was going on inside her head. She must have been afraid of what kind of person wouldn't be in this situation. I asked her what happened or if she needed help with something, and she simply said, “I don’t care what happens to me. As long as you’re safe, I'm willing to do anything in the world. You might not trust me right now, but believe me, my words are true. And I'm going to show it tomorrow.” I hadn’t known how to respond when she was being that open with her thoughts. I should have said something, anything, but I didn't. I couldn't find the right words to say, and thinking about it now, I guess it wouldn't have ma
“So, when are we going to tell the other about what is going on in the family?” I asked the two brothers who still looked conflicted. “If mom confesses tomorrow, their life will be in danger too. If Alaric finds out, he will take it out on whoever he finds.” Caspian and Lucas shared a secret look but told us nothing about it. I was sitting at the kitchen island, my fingers were wrapped around the cool ceramic of my untouched water glass. While, my mind was elsewhere—spinning, twisting, trying to make sense of everything we were about to do. But worse were the fears associated with our every move. That was the reason I wasn't speaking much because I was afraid my fears and what-ifs would slip out mistakenly in normal conversations. And I knew it would only damper their mood, so I heard them instead and tried to be positive about our little mission. “She's right. At this point I think we need to tell the others,” Dev said, stirring a simmering pot of pasta sauce. “This morning t
The room was much quieter after my mom had left. It had been more than an hour since she was gone. Yet, the heavy air of her decision lingered in the room that surrounded us, entering my brain through my nostrils. I couldn't stop thinking about it because it felt like an invisible force that had a huge surprise for everyone in the house. I still wasn’t sure if I believed her—if I could afford to believe her. I didn't know where I stood with her; sometimes, I had been acting like the best daughter in the world, while other times I felt as if she was my biggest enemy. I couldn't figure out how to act around her. Even though she had agreed to confess and that was ‘something not to look over’ according to Caspian, I couldn't bring myself to trust her completely. I knew I could have trusted her more when she told Derek the truth, but I couldn't help but think it was one of her other elaborate plans. “A woman can get anything if she wants it enough... anything.” Her words from years
“My brothers are crazy,” Caspian followed after when my eyes found his. “They have done some of the wildest things on the planet, and don't even let me start with Leo. He's the definition of cringe and intrusive thoughts.” “Yeah, that I know,” I agreed with him about Leo, because he had done some of the wildest things. However, after Ian disappeared on his birthday, Leo got a little serious about the things around him. “There's a lot more.” The way he said that made me think about what he meant by it. There was an undertone of some sort that I couldn't place, but it wasn't anything positive. The way he said that, it felt darker and chilling. “Well, I'd love to know more about you brothers than,” I said, hoping he would get the hint and will talk about himself then. ‘What are you trying to do?’ My brain questioned and I stopped myself from continuing, realizing that I was flirting with him. “You got time,” he said taking a seat on my bed and looked at the famed picture of me with
The air outside was cold and comforting, just walking outside through the entrance made me feel much at loose than I had been the whole day. A soft breeze carried the faint scent of the forest that surrounded the Salvatores’ estate, and moisture that brought me relief. The sky was covered with dark clouds and looked like it was going to rain soon. I was almost waiting for the rain, hoping to see the forest come to live. I was walking beside Caspian. I could feel the tension from the meeting still sitting heavily on Caspian's shoulders. Lucas was following closely behind us, his brows were still furrowed in deep thought, while Dev walked a few steps in front of us with Matthew. As we reached the driveway, Matthew paused. His shiny black Mercedes was waiting for him, the driver was inside. Matthew turned to face us, his demeanour was as calm and professional as ever. He had the same aura around him that at the beginning, I saw around Caspian. “I’ll wait for your call,” he said, his
Caspian’s office had turned into the Salvatore family's war room over the past few weeks. It was a room that once felt intimidating—lined with tall bookshelves, mahogany furniture, dark leather chairs, and the history it contained of me and Caspian. Now, it was a place where heavy discussions were taking place, to reach decisions that could alter the family’s fate. I was sitting in the corner of the room, feeling like an intruder in their world of business and law. Yet, as I watched Lucas and Caspian argue over the papers spread across the desk, I realized I wasn’t exactly an outsider anymore. I was part of the mess, whether I liked it or not.Matthew, the Salvatores’ lawyer, sat across from me. He was calm and collected despite the storm brewing in the room, trying to hear both sides. His neatly pressed suit and calm demeanour gave him an air of professionalism that felt out of place amidst the storm of words. Dev was pacing near the window, his hands were shoved deep into his po