By the time I get back to the Pyramid, my blood is absolutely boiling and I’m ready to throw down. Knowing the only way to end this stupid plan the brothers have concocted is to convince the leader, I go straight for Neil’s room. I’m fired up, hands in fists, strategizing every argument in my brai
The words hurt. But if I push that initial hurt aside and remember what Angela said, about the brothers planning to hurt me to protect me, then maybe even this is part of their plan to cast me aside. Archer wouldn’t be kind to me if he wanted me gone tomorrow anyway. “You don’t have to do this
I retreat to the only safe space I have left in this place: Mia’s room. She is down for a nap, so I sit in a chair beside her crib and watch her sleep. Whatever happens from here on out, whatever hurtful things the brothers utter, whatever heartache I’m made to endure, I will find comfort in knowi
I crawl into my bed and stare at the ceiling. Sleep doesn’t find me that night. I wonder if I’ll ever really sleep again. The next morning, I collect my duffle bag and my book bag that has my laptop and school supplies inside. The rest, I’m sure the brothers will have delivered to me. I can’t
I force myself to keep taking long strides forward. I won’t break down here, in front of everyone. Some of the crowd has even taken to following me. I know the spectacle I must make. I don’t stop walking until I’m entering the building of my new dorm room. The crowd stops at the door, not follow
The next day, I wake up at 6 am to the sound of my alarm. My first instinct is to trudge down the hallway and check on Mia. But when I sit up in an unfamiliar room on an unfamiliar bed, the reality of the past day comes flooding back to me. I don’t live at the Pyramid anymore. Today is the first
Beau, being the marathon lover that he is, stays until the middle of the night before he rolls out of bed and begins collecting his clothes off the floor. He trails the whole way back to the front door, then brings them all back to the bedroom and drops the clothes pile on the foot of the bed. As
My first thought is to defend myself, so I straighten my stance, take a strong step forward, and open my mouth. Yet before any sound can leave my throat, Steven places his hand on Archer’s shoulder and says, “It was my idea.” Archer’s angry gaze immediately snaps toward his brother instead. St
I’m happy because I have four hearts beating alongside mine.“Do you feel it, too?” I ask. “My connection to each of you?”I blink my eyes open once more. I want to see their faces, their reactions.Neil has his hand over his own heart. “It’s strange. It’s like part of you is inside of me.”“Me, too
In the darkness of my mind, I floated, surrounded by the comforting embrace of love. Distantly, I could feel another presence, one that grew stronger and stronger, the more I focused on it: my wolf.As I thought of her, she appeared before me as if I willed her into being. Maybe I did. We are in my
Damn alpha wolves and their heightened senses.“I’ve already made my choice,” I say. “Honestly, I think I made it a long, long time ago.”Archer relaxes marginally. Steven starts to smile.Neil turns to me, worry still on his face. “You say that now, Chloe. But the pull could be strong…”“I don’t ca
The eve of my birthday, I rest in bed and stare at my ceiling. It’s late, near midnight, but I still have my bedside light on.With my feelings shared and grown with Neil, Archer, and Steven, I didn’t expect to spend any night alone, especially the one right before the day that could change everythi
I awake to a sharp knock on my bedroom door. Neil’s arm is still draped over me but some distance had inched between our hot bodies in the night. I’m able to slink out from under his arm without him waking.Naked, I quickly stop by the bathroom to throw on my fluffy bathrobe. Then, after glancing ba
They.Beau glances at me and see my incredulous look. “What do I need to go out every night? Can’t a man just enjoy staying home for a change?”“You can do whatever the hell you want,” I say.“Good, then.” Beau slumps down on the couch. He stretches out, lifting his feet up and into my lap. “Now tel
For the rest of the morning, I desperately try not to think about Neil. Whoever he’s in love with, I won’t be offended by it. The hurt I feel has nothing to do with this new person. She must be great for her to have won Neil’s affections.The hurt is my own loss, my own problem. I let my feelings fo
After Steven and I have cleaned ourselves up with a quick shower, we fall back into bed together, giggling and laughing all the way. My now, Steven has discovered a few of my tickle zones, which he is exploiting. As revenge, I touch the places I now know make him shiver.For a while, nothing seems l
His hands fumbled with the buttons of his own shirt. Such usually steady hands are rendered useless by his nervousness.“Allow me,” I tell him. I lightly bat his hands out of the way before replacing them with mine on his shirt buttons. My times with Neil have served me well. I’m able to undo all th