The living room was awkwardly silent—well, awkward for Nova. For everyone else, it was absolute chaos.
Max paced like a squirrel on caffeine, waving his arms and mumbling, "Mate? Mate? What, like soulmate? Like Twilight?!"
Ryder had his arms crossed, planted in front of the door as if Kane might charge through at any second. "No. Absolutely not. I don't care what he thinks she is."
Darian said nothing, but the clenched fists at his sides and his burning stare said plenty.
Only Ethan, sitting calmly on the couch, spoke with reason. "Let's not jump to conclusions. We don't even know if Nova feels the same."
Nova sighed. "Exactly. I don't."
Three heads turned at once.
"I mean—he's nice, I guess," she said quickly, avoiding their glares. "But I'm not in love with him or anything. I barely know him."
"Good," Ryder snapped. "Because you're not going anywhere near him."
"Guys," she said, trying to keep her voice steady, "I'm not a child."
"You ran off to a guy's family party!" Darian barked, his voice suddenly booming. "Do you know how dangerous that was?"
Nova stared. This wasn't the silent, emotionless Darian she'd known. This was the big brother who actually cared—and didn't know how to say it except with anger.
"You're all freaking out for no reason," she muttered, walking past them.
But Max blocked her, this time not smiling. "Nova. He called you his mate. That's serious stuff in his world. And guess what? His world isn't normal."
She blinked. "What do you mean?"
Ethan stood, his gaze heavy. "You're not just dealing with a rich guy. Kane's family… they're powerful. Ancient. And not all human."
Her heart skipped. "You mean like…?"
Max nodded. "Werewolves, witches, all that supernatural madness. They keep to themselves, but everyone in the underground knows to stay out of their business."
Nova dropped onto the armrest of the couch, her hands trembling slightly. "He didn't tell me any of that."
"Of course he didn't," Ryder growled. "Because he wants you to trust him."
Silence hung for a beat before Ethan added, "But he may not be a bad guy. Just… complicated."
Nova swallowed hard. Her world had already been flipped upside down when her parents died. Then the move. The mansion. The stepbrothers.
And now? She might be a werewolf king's mate?
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Suddenly, Darian said, "You're grounded."
Nova blinked. "What?"
"Until we figure this out," he added, eyes dark.
"You can't ground me," she snapped.
"I just did."
Max gave her a half-apologetic smile. "We all agreed."
"All of you?" she gasped.
Ryder nodded. "For your safety."
"You've got to be kidding me."
Ethan offered a glass of water like it might somehow fix things. "Let's just take a few days. No contact with Kane. We'll do some digging, talk to Dad when he gets back, and figure out what's really going on."
Nova wanted to argue. To yell. But deep down… she felt it too.
Kane hadn't lied exactly. But he hadn't told her everything either.
And that hug—the way he'd held her, like she belonged to him already—had sent a strange thrill down her spine… and a warning through her veins.
Something wasn't normal.
And she needed answers.