SEREN POV
I throw up in the bushes before we even reach the front door.
"Get yourself TOGETHER!" Mom hisses, yanking me up by my arm. Her nails dig into my skin. "You will NOT embarrass me in front of my new husband!"
My new husband. She's known him for what—a week? Maybe two? And now we're standing in front of a mansion that looks like a castle, and I'm supposed to pretend this is normal.
The front doors open before we can knock.
A man stands there. Tall, powerful, with silver streaks in his dark hair and eyes like frozen steel. He looks at Mom with something that might be affection. Then he looks at me.
And there's nothing. Just cold, empty judgment.
"Caldric!" Mom throws herself at him, all fake giggles and batting eyelashes. "Darling, this is my daughter, Seren."
"Hello, sir," I whisper, keeping my eyes down.
He doesn't respond. Just stares at me for a long, uncomfortable moment. Then he turns to Mom. "The boys are waiting inside."
Boys. My new stepbrothers.
The ones who sent me that creepy text message.
My stomach twists into knots as we walk through doors that are taller than my entire apartment. The inside of the mansion is huge and cold and perfect. Everything looks expensive. Everything looks breakable.
I don't belong here.
"BOYS!" Mom's voice echoes off the marble floors. "Come meet your new sister!"
I cringe. I'm not their sister. We all know it.
Then I hear footsteps. Multiple footsteps, coming from upstairs.
I look up, and my breath stops.
Five guys are standing on the grand staircase, and they're the most beautiful people I've ever seen. And the most terrifying.
The one in front is tall with platinum blonde hair and silver eyes that pin me in place like a butterfly on a board. He's maybe twenty-six, built like a warrior, and radiating so much power my wolf—if I had one—would be cowering.
Next to him is a monster of a man with jet-black hair and amber eyes that promise violence. His hands are scarred, and he's looking at me like he's deciding how to make me disappear.
The third one is gorgeous in a dangerous way—bronze hair, green eyes, with a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He looks like he could charm you or destroy you, depending on his mood.
Fourth is leaner, with dark auburn hair and gray-blue eyes that study me like I'm a bug under a microscope. His expression is cold. Calculating.
The last one is my age, maybe younger. White-blonde hair, violet eyes, and features so perfect they look painted. But there's something broken in his eyes. Something that recognizes the brokenness in mine.
They all hate me. I can feel it pouring off them in waves.
The platinum-haired one—the leader, obviously—walks down the stairs. Each step is deliberate. Intimidating.
He stops right in front of me. I have to tilt my head back to look at him.
"Rules," he says. His voice is ice. "Stay out of our way. Don't touch our things. Don't talk to our friends. Don't embarrass this pack." His silver eyes bore into mine. "You're not family. You're not pack. You're just some girl who happens to live here now. Understand?"
My throat is so tight I can barely breathe. But I nod.
"Say it," he commands.
"I... I understand," I whisper.
"Good." He looks at his brothers. "Let's go."
They all turn to leave, dismissing me like I'm nothing.
But as I pass the youngest one—the beautiful broken one with violet eyes—he leans close and whispers in my ear.
"Broken little wolfless thing. You won't last a month here."
The words hit me like a slap.
Then they're gone, disappearing into another part of the mansion, and I'm left standing there with Mom and Caldric.
"Your room is upstairs," Caldric says without looking at me. "Third floor. East wing. Stay there."
He walks away with Mom, leaving me alone in this enormous, cold house.
I climb the stairs with my two garbage bags of belongings. Find my room. It's bigger than my entire old apartment, with a bed that looks like it costs more than everything I own.
I drop my bags on the floor and sit on the edge of the bed.
From downstairs, I hear them. The brothers. Laughing. Talking. Living their perfect lives.
Without me.
I'm unpacking my pathetic clothes when I feel it again—that weird stirring in my chest. Like something waking up.
My hands start tingling. I look down and gasp.
Silver light is dancing across my fingertips. Real this time. Not my imagination.
What is this? What's happening to me?
Then I hear footsteps in the hallway. Coming closer.
Someone knocks on my door. Three sharp raps.
I shove my hands under my legs, hiding the light. "Who is it?"
The door opens without permission.
It's the black-haired one. The violent one. Korrin—I heard Caldric say his name.
He stands in my doorway, filling it completely, and his amber eyes are locked on me with an intensity that makes my skin burn.
"You," he growls. His voice is rough. Dangerous. "What are you?"
"I... I'm nobody. Just—"
"Liar." He takes a step into my room. "I can smell it on you. You're hiding something."
My heart is pounding so hard I think it might explode. "I'm not hiding anything!"
His eyes narrow. "Then why does my wolf want to—" He stops. Shakes his head like he's arguing with himself. "You need to leave. This house. This pack. Before—"
He doesn't finish. Just turns and walks away, slamming my door so hard the walls shake.
I sit there, trembling, staring at my hands.
The silver light is gone now. But I can still feel it under my skin. Waiting.
And Korrin's words echo in my head: "What are you?"
I don't know.
But I think they're going to find out.
And when they do, everything is going to change.