I felt better and more confident heading to school. I knew Emma would be there and she would help make things more bearable. I got onto the bus and took my usual empty seat in the back. It was easier to ignore the stares and whispers from other students now—their gossip didn’t matter.I waited anxiously as the bus rounded the corner to the next stop. Several people got on first but then there was Emma, smiling and waving at me. I hadn’t realized until I saw her that part of me still felt like it had been a dream that I had found a friend. “Good morning,” she said, sitting next to me. “Good morning, how are you today?” I asked. “I’m doing good, though I’m a bit tired. I stayed up too late doing homework,” Emma explained. “What about you?”I thought about the strange encounter with Dylan and Gar yesterday. I thought about how I felt afterward and my time alone in my room. All the uncomfortable and confused feelings rushed back. I forced them quickly from my mind. “I
“No, I am fine.” I held my tears so they wouldn’t come out. I learned to not cry in front of the boys. It would only make things worse and they wouldn’t feel sympathy—they only thought it was fun to watch me cry. “Did you just come out from my brother’s room? What are you doing?” Lionel said as he pulled me closer and narrowed his eyes. “You cried because he did something to you? Tell me and I will ask them to stop.”Before I could even think Lionel pulled me close to him again and ran his hands down my back until he was gripping my ass. I wanted to pull away instantly but he held me tight. I was very aware of his body pressed against mine. Sometimes when I was alone with Lionel he was nicer than the others. He wouldn’t treat me so poorly and would even comfort me. Now was clearly not one of those times. He never seemed to fail in reminding me that no matter how nice he could be, he was still one of the Horace brothers. I would never be someone he could really respect. “
Alpha Angus was home when I woke up. I felt a little better. Things were always calmer when my adoptive father was home. My brothers were always on their best behavior when the Alpha was around to watch. But it didn’t stop Luna Simona from treating me like a servant and reminding me that I was not and would never be her child. I dragged myself out of bed and headed toward the shower. I tried to wash off all the negative feelings from the days before. I would start fresh and focus only on graduation so I could leave. The day went by quickly. I tried to be quiet and ignore everyone but Emma. She was concerned but I tried to brush her off. I couldn’t explain all that had happened with the brothers. When I got home and it was time for dinner, Alpha Angus insisted I eat with them. Part of me wanted to see him and spend time with him. But I didn’t really want to endure more torture or conversation with the brothers or Luna Simona. I could only imagine the little whispers she woul
GerardNone of us were particularly excited about the mating ball but none of us objected to our father. Our mother seemed weird and flighty about the whole thing. When she talked to us directly—especially Ezekiel—she seemed excited and anxious that we should all find mates. But she acted strangely whenever Rhea was around. I could tell that she was not excited about the idea of Rea finding a mate.Rhea.Thinking about her sent a strange mix of emotions through me. When she first moved here, none of us liked her. She was a small worthless little thing that our father had taken in. She was almost a nuisance to the family.It was very clear that my mother had a high distain for her. I wasn’t entirely sure why my mother hated her so much, but since my feelings were the same, neither me or my brothers argued with her.I was certain there was something we were missing. Something between our father and Rhea that we were missing. There had to be a reason he felt so connected to
Rhea My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t believe it was happening. Instantly, I remembered our day in the kitchen. I remembered each of them touching me and how much I had wanted it. Clearly, I couldn’t be completely to blame for my lustful feelings toward them. They were my mates. And I hated that. The wolf in me cried and yearned for them. They were clearly meant for me and I could tell they felt it too. But they had clearly just finished having sex with Anastasia. The thought of that made me nauseous. It would have been bad to catch them with any girl at that moment but Anastasia was by far the worst. I felt sick and utterly betrayed. How could they do this to me? How could they deceive me and be with Anastasia of all people? Anastasia stared at me and moved toward me as if to make some terrible move. I stepped back instantly. At this moment, it was hard to decide if she just hated me, or felt threatened by me. But it didn’t really matter either way. I wanted as li
Ezekiel The ball was boring. As I knew it would be. I had no interest in finding a Luna. I could have any girl I desired if I was in need of that. Maybe I was. I need something— someone to keep my mind off of Rhea. I wasn’t sure what was happening. I wasn’t sure when my feelings toward her changed but I hated it. I kept trying to remind myself she was a worthless Omega. She was a nothing servant girl my father picked up from the streets one day when he was feeling particularly generous. None of those words mattered though when Rhea walked into the room. “Hey, Zek, long time. How are you?” Anastasia said, leaning into me and pushing her hand in my jacket. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her away from me. “I’m fine, Ana. I see you haven’t changed at all. Let me remind you I’m no longer interested.” I walked away, not interested in hearing her reply. I was certain she’d get over it quickly and move on to my brothers. I couldn’t b
They brought me to the kitchen and let me eat and drink before Zek helped me back to my bathroom. He ran a bath for me and helped me undress. I could see him staring at me again but he kept his hands to himself. I was so dazed I almost fell asleep in the tub. Finally, he brought me—wrapped in a warm, fluffy towel—back to my room. Gerard, Dylan, and Lionel were all waiting. All of them helped me get dressed and ready for bed before laying me down. They simply let me rest. I was surprised by how gentle they were. I needed real rest before I thought about anything with them. I tried to just be grateful and not focus on the pain and fear I still felt.I wasn’t ready to be rejected by all four brothers. I wasn’t ready to lose my home or be further tormented. Now I would truly never find someone because my ‘someone’ was supposed to be them. I thought about all the bullying and torture from the brothers. I thought about how many times they told me I was ugly and worthless. I hadn’t
Lionel As soon as Rhea was asleep Doctor Bauer came over to us. He pushed us out of the room and closed the door. He looked very distressed which made me anxious. “She’s suffering from an acute phobic attack. She is clearly very claustrophobic and I’m afraid her time in the room made things worse. She’s weak and will need some time to rebuild her strength. Rhea has been through a lot. Do you know any causes of her claustrophobia and heightened stress levels?” Doctor Bauer looked at each of us as if trying to burn out the truth. We all looked at each other sheepishly. “She grew up in foster homes mostly. We’ve only had her here for the last five years… We don’t know a lot about what happened to her beforehand,” Zek explained.It wasn’t a lie but it certainly wasn’t the whole truth. We had all taken our turns being cruel to her and I was certain that added to her condition. Even my mother looked shameful. Doctor Bauer nodded as if he understood. I felt certain he k