EMBER POV
The moment I step through the door, every instinct I have screams run.
Three men stand in the entrance hall like they own the world. Because they do—at least this part of it.
My new stepbrothers.
I know it's them even before Lyanna makes introductions. They have the same dangerous energy as every Alpha who ever hurt me, but somehow worse. More focused. Like weapons that learned to walk like humans.
"Ember, these are Marcus's sons." Lyanna's voice is bright, hopeful, completely missing the tension thick enough to choke on. "Kael, Damon, and Asher. Boys, this is my daughter."
The one in the middle—Kael, I assume—doesn't even look at me. His eyes are ice-gray and fixed somewhere over my head, like I'm not worth focusing on. Everything about him is cold and controlled, from his perfectly straight posture to his expressionless face.
He's the most terrifying person I've ever seen, and Dad used to beat me unconscious.
"Welcome to Crimson Moon Pack." His voice could freeze fire. Still not looking at me. "I'm sure you'll... adapt."
The way he says "adapt" sounds like a threat.
The second brother—Damon—is the opposite. He moves closer, circling around me slowly. I feel his eyes on every part of me, studying, assessing. Looking for weaknesses.
He smells like forest and danger and something wild that makes my nonexistent wolf want to crawl into a hole and hide.
"So small," he murmurs, more to himself than me. "Fragile. Do you even weigh a hundred pounds?"
"Damon, don't be rude," Lyanna scolds gently.
"I'm not being rude. I'm being accurate." He stops directly in front of me, towering over me. I'm five-foot-three. He's probably six-foot-four. "I'm just trying to figure out how something this breakable survived nineteen years."
By learning when to be invisible, I think but don't say.
"She's stronger than she looks," Lyanna defends me, squeezing my shoulder.
"She'd have to be." Damon's smile doesn't reach his eyes. They're green, like leaves hiding poisonous snakes.
The third brother—Asher—steps forward with the kind of smile that probably makes most girls melt. It's warm and charming and completely fake. I've seen enough fake smiles to recognize one instantly.
"Ignore my brothers. They have terrible social skills." He extends his hand. "I'm Asher. Welcome to the family, little sister."
I shake his hand because refusing would be worse. His grip is firm but not crushing. Calculated. Everything about him feels calculated.
"Thank you," I manage, voice steadier than I feel.
"We should eat," Alpha Marcus announces, appearing from somewhere. He's older, powerful, with the same cold eyes as Kael. "Dinner's ready."
Dinner is a nightmare dressed up as a meal.
The dining room table is huge and fancy. I sit between Lyanna and Alpha Marcus, with the three brothers across from us. Every bite of food tastes like dust because I can feel them watching me.
Kael still won't look directly at me, but I catch him glancing my way when he thinks I'm not paying attention. Each glance feels like being scanned by something hunting.
Damon stares openly, not even pretending to be polite. He eats his steak rare—so rare it's basically raw—and I try not to think about what those teeth could do.
Asher makes conversation with Lyanna and his father, all charm and perfect manners. But every few minutes, his eyes flick to me. Assessing. Planning something.
"So, Ember." Alpha Marcus finally addresses me. "Lyanna tells me you're starting at Silver Moon University next month. What are you studying?"
"Literature," I answer quietly. "I want to be a writer."
Silence falls over the table.
Then Damon laughs. Actually laughs. "A writer? What are you going to write about? How to be useless?"
"Damon," Alpha Marcus warns.
"I'm just curious. Most wolves study business, combat training, pack management—useful things. But literature?" He leans back, that cruel smile still on his face. "That's very... human of you."
The insult lands exactly as intended. My cheeks burn.
"There's nothing wrong with literature," Lyanna says firmly. "Ember is very talented—"
"I'm sure she is." Asher cuts in smoothly. "Everyone has different strengths. Right, Kael?"
Kael finally—finally—looks directly at me.
The moment our eyes meet, something slams into my chest. Like lightning made of pure electricity. Like being hit and healed at the same time. My breath catches. The room spins.
What was that?
Kael's eyes widen for just a second—shock, confusion, something almost like fear flashing across his face. Then his expression goes blank again, cold as ice.
"Right," he says flatly. "Different strengths. Though in our world, some strengths matter more than others."
He stands abruptly, chair scraping against the floor. "Excuse me. I have work to do."
He walks out without another word.
Damon watches him go, eyebrows raised. "Well. That was dramatic, even for him."
"Kael has a lot of responsibilities," Alpha Marcus explains, but he looks confused too. "He takes pack leadership very seriously."
The rest of dinner drags on forever. I barely eat. Barely breathe. That moment with Kael keeps replaying in my mind.
What was that feeling? Why did it feel like something inside me recognized him?
Because he's yours, whispers Seraphina, my wolf's voice clear for the first time since the bus. They're all yours. And you're theirs. The bond is trying to form.
No, I think desperately. That can't be right. They hate me.
For now, Seraphina sounds amused. That will change.
After dinner, Lyanna shows me to my room. It's nice—way nicer than anywhere I've ever lived. But it feels like a cage.
"They'll warm up to you," she promises, hugging me goodnight. "Give them time."
I don't believe her.
After she leaves, I sit on the bed, trying to process everything. Three stepbrothers who clearly want me gone. A father-figure who seems decent but distant. A pack that probably hates me already.
And somewhere in this house are three Alphas who my wolf insists are my mates, even though they look at me like I'm garbage.
A knock on my door makes me jump.
"Come in?"
Asher enters, still wearing that fake-charming smile. "Hey. Settling in okay?"
"Fine," I lie.
"Good. Good." He steps inside, closes the door behind him. The click of the lock makes my heart race. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you privately. Brother to sister."
We're not siblings. Not really. But I don't correct him.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot at dinner." Asher sits on my desk chair, relaxed and friendly. "My brothers can be... intense. Especially Kael. But they're not bad guys once you get to know them."
"Okay," I say carefully.
"The thing is, Ember..." His smile fades. His eyes go cold. "You need to understand something about Crimson Moon Pack. We're not like Red Oak. We don't accept weakness here. We don't make exceptions. We don't lower our standards for anyone."
My stomach sinks.
"Kael is going to be Alpha someday. Damon is our head enforcer. I handle pack strategy and politics. We have reputations to maintain. Images to uphold." He leans forward. "And having a wolfless girl living in our house? That's... complicated."
"I didn't ask to be here," I whisper.
"I know. And I actually feel bad for you. I do." He sounds sincere. That's what makes it worse. "But feeling bad doesn't change reality. You're going to have a very hard time here unless you make the right choices."
"What choices?"
"Leave." The word drops like a stone. "Convince your mom this isn't working. Go back to Silver Moon City, live your own life, be happy somewhere else. Trust me, it's better for everyone."
"Your father wants me here—"
"My father will get over it." Asher stands. "Think about what I said. Because if you stay, things are going to get difficult. My brothers won't be as nice as me. And you..." He looks me up and down. "You're not strong enough for what's coming."
He leaves, closing the door softly behind him.
I sit frozen, his words echoing in my mind.
They're going to break you.
My phone buzzes. Unknown number: "Don't let them scare you. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, they'll try to make you leave. But you're stronger than all of them combined—you just don't know it yet. Your wolf will awaken fully soon. When she does, those three Alphas will realize they just declared war on their own mate. And Ember? True Omegas don't run. We fight. Get ready."
I look at my closed door. Somewhere in this house, three brothers are probably planning my destruction.
They don't know I'm planning something too.
Survival first. Revenge later.
But then my chest suddenly burns—that same lightning feeling from when Kael looked at me. Except now it's three times stronger. Three distinct pulls toward three different parts of the house.
Toward three brothers who are supposed to be off-limits.
The mate bond, Seraphina confirms. It's starting. They can feel it too, even if they don't understand what it is yet. That's why Kael ran. That's why they're so desperate to make you leave.
They can feel it?
Oh yes. And it's driving them absolutely insane.
Despite everything—the threats, the fear, the danger—I smile.
Good.
Let them suffer.