Nova didn't realize how fast news could travel. One minute, she was laughing with Kane on the balcony of his house under the warm glow of fairy lights, and the next, she was being dragged—yes, dragged—back into the mansion by none other than her stepbrother Ryder, his jaw clenched, eyes blazing.
"Ryder, let go!" she yanked her arm, but his grip only tightened.
"I told you not to mess around with him," he snapped. "And now the entire school knows you two are a thing."
"I didn't do anything wrong!" she protested, yanking free as they crossed the hallway of their house. "Why does everyone care so much about who I hang out with?"
"You don't get it," Max piped up, following behind them. "This isn't about Kane. It's about people knowing you're connected to us—our family. And with Kane being, well, Kane…"
"What about him?" she snapped, spinning around to face Max.
"He's not the problem," Ethan said, entering the conversation calmly, "but he's tied to a lot of things. Some of them dangerous. And people talk, Nova. Rumors spread."
"You don't trust me," she whispered.
"No," Darian said from the shadows, arms crossed, watching it all quietly, "we don't trust him."
Nova blinked. It was the first thing he'd said in front of her in days. His voice was ice, calm but intense.
Ryder turned, pulling open the sitting room door. "We need to talk," he said. "All of us."
Inside, the tension was thick. Nova sat on one end of the couch, arms crossed. The four brothers stared her down like they were in an interrogation room.
"This is ridiculous," she finally said, breaking the silence. "You're acting like I kissed your enemy."
"We don't have enemies," Ryder said. "But Kane might."
Nova blinked. "Are you actually worried about me?"
Max shrugged. "You're annoying. But yeah. You're…our annoying."
Something strange passed through Nova. For the first time, she wasn't just a girl who had been shoved into a house of rich strangers. She was… someone they actually cared about?
Before anyone could say more, her phone buzzed. A message from Kane:"Tell me you're okay."
Nova smiled slightly, texting back a quick "I'm fine. Just family drama."
"You're not texting him again," Ryder said, looking over her shoulder, and then snatched the phone from her hand
She met his gaze. He meant it. All of them did—even Darian, who gave a slight nod before walking out of the room without a word.
Before Ryder went, he said, You are not getting your phone now
Are u kidding me? Nova said
ya, if you think so
Meanwhile, across town…
Kane threw his phone down on the bed, running a hand through his hair. "They dragged her back," he muttered.
His older sister, Mira, leaned against the doorway. "You care about her more than you think, huh?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "She's not like anyone else. She doesn't try to impress anyone. And when I'm with her, I don't feel fake."
Mira smiled. "Then don't mess it up."
Back at the mansion…
Nova stepped onto the rooftop alone. The stars above her were bright, a contrast to the storm inside her. She didn't love Kane…not yet. Maybe she didn't even know what love felt like anymore.
But for now, she liked him. He made her laugh. He made her feel seen.