At my uncle's engagement party, the man who was supposed to be making his engagement vows was buried between my 🍑💦, driving me to the edge of ecstasy. 🔥 “We shouldn't be doing this,you're my...” I tried to stop him, but uncontrollable moans escaped my lips.🥵 Instead, he pushed my legs farther apart. "No,I'm not." "What..." “Say one more word, and I’ll make sure you can’t walk for the rest of the day.” Then he pulled out his already rock-hard 🍆🔥… ------------------------- Shayna “He can kiss my ass, I’m not f*cking going!” My mother went very still at the kitchen table. That was how I knew I’d finally managed to say exactly the wrong thing in exactly the wrong way. Amelia Rivers had mastered the quiet disappointment look long before I was old enough to understand it. “Shayna,” she said. “No.” I pointed toward the cream envelope lying between us like it had crawled in from the underworld. “Do not Shayna me. I mean it. I am not getting dressed up to go stand in that estate and pretend I am happy for Alpha Daniel Stone.” Dad lowered the newspaper just enough for me to see one gray brow rise over the top of it. Ethan Rivers had the kind of calm that made people underestimate him. “It is a mandated pack event,” he said. “It is an engagement party,” I shot back. “It is both.” My mother sighed. “Daniel is announcing his future Luna. Everyone is expected to attend.” “Everyone?” I leaned against the counter and folded my arms. “That is adorable. Since when do the Stones remember we’re included in everyone?” Her mouth tightened. I hated that I had put that look on her face, but I hated the reason for it even more. The invitation had arrived that morning, hand-delivered by one of Daniel’s pack messengers. He had simply held out the envelope, waited for my mother to take it, and said every member of Raven Ridge Pack was required to attend Alpha Daniel Stone’s engagement celebration that evening. Required. That one word had sat in my chest all day, sharp and ugly, while Mom pretended it was fine. It was not fine. Nothing about the Stone family had ever been fine. “Shayna,” Dad warned gently, and that made it worse because he knew exactly where my temper was going. “No, Dad. I’m serious.” I pushed away from the counter and faced my mother because she was the one who kept bleeding quietly and calling it peace. “They have not invited us to the Alpha Estate in nine years. Nine years, Mom. No birthdays. No Solstice feasts. No pack dinners. No holidays. Not even my eighteenth birthday, and that was supposed to be a big deal.” “There were reasons,” she said softly. “There were excuses.” Her fingers tightened around her cup. She had been born Amelia Stone, the daughter of one of the strongest Alpha families in the region. Unfortunately for her, fate had made her an Omega. The Stones had never forgiven her for that. They had never said it plainly, of course. “You know they treated you like shit,” I said, softer now, but no less angry. “You know they still do.” “Shayna,” she whispered. “No, Mom. They do. You were born an Omega in a family that worships rank, and they acted like that made you some kind of stain on their perfect little Alpha bloodline. Then you mated Dad, who is also an Omega, and they decided we could all just disappear to the edge of the territory where nobody important had to look at us.” Dad folded his newspaper and set it aside. That was never a good sign. “I won’t have you speaking to your mother like that,” he said. “I’m not speaking to her badly. I’m speaking badly about them.” “You’re hurting her.” That stopped me. My anger wanted to keep running. It had claws out and teeth bared, ready to tear through every ugly truth we usually stepped around. But my mother looked down at her tea, and suddenly all the fire in me turned sour. I swallowed. “I don’t mean to hurt you.” “I know, sweetheart.” “That’s why I don’t want to go.” My voice cracked despite my best efforts, and I hated that too. “I don’t want to stand there while they pretend we’re family for one night because Daniel needs the pack to look united for his engagement party. I don’t want to watch people kiss his ass while everyone ignores how he let them treat you.” My mother’s expression softened with something that made my throat tighten. “He is still my little brother,” she said. “He is your Alpha.” “He is both.” “He has not acted like both.” Dad finally stood and came around the table. “There has not been a mandated gathering at the Alpha Estate in nine years. That is why we haven’t gone.” “Convenient,” I muttered. “Perhaps,” he said. “But refusing a direct pack order is not a small thing. Daniel may not notice if one family slips out early from a festival, but he will notice if we fail to appear tonight.” “Good. Let him.” Dad gave me the look. The actual look. The one that said I was one clever comment away from scrubbing floors like I was twelve again. I pressed my lips together. Good girl, Rayne huffed inside me, dripping with sarcasm. Do not start with me, I snapped back. My wolf gave the mental equivalent of a tail flick and went back to pacing. “It is one evening,” mom said. “We go. We congratulate Daniel and Sophia. We show respect to the office, if not the man. Then we come home.” “Fine,” I said. My mother blinked, obviously not expecting surrender that quickly. Dad narrowed his eyes. “Fine?” “Yes. Fine. I’ll go.” I lifted a finger before either of them could smile. “But I am not staying. I will make an appearance, congratulate my dear uncle and his bride-to-be, and then I am slipping out the first chance I get.” “Shayna—” “I am only doing this so the two of you don’t pay for my insubordination,” I said, looking between them. “That is it. I am not pretending to be happy. I am not letting Victoria Stone look down her nose at you all night while I smile like an obedient little Omega. And if anyone says one rude thing to you, I make no promises.” Mom’s lips twitched, which meant she was trying not to smile. Dad was not trying nearly as hard. “Try not to start a war at the engagement party.” “I said no promises.” Two hours later, I stood in front of my mirror regretting every decision that had led me to being born into a pack with mandatory formalwear. I chose a deep green dress because Mom said it brought out my eyes and because black felt too honest. My honey-blonde hair refused to behave, so I left most of it down in loose waves and pinned back the front before I could give in to the urge to shave my head and fake illness. The moon necklace I had worn my entire life rested against my collarbone, cool and familiar. By the time we reached the Alpha Estate, the sun had dipped low enough to turn the sky the color of bruised peaches. Mom smoothed her dress twice before we reached the steps. Inside, the ballroom glittered with chandeliers, champagne glasses, and the kind of people who smiled with their teeth while measuring your rank with their eyes. I felt those eyes skim over us the moment we entered. Amelia Rivers, the Alpha family’s Omega daughter. Ethan Rivers, her Omega mate. Shayna Rivers, their Omega child. A little family of disappointments, arriving right on time. Mom’s hand brushed mine, and for a moment I thought she was steadying herself. Then I realized she was steadying me. That made me behave for exactly nine minutes. I avoided mom’s family with the precision of an assassin. Rayne, however, was not cooperating. She had gone quiet in a way I did not like. Not calm. Focused. Her attention kept jerking toward the far side of the ballroom, where guests were lining up to greet Daniel and Sophia. Every now and then a scent drifted through the ballroom. Cedar after rain. Clean. Wild. Familiar in a way that made no sense. My fingers tightened around my glass. Mom appeared at my side, looking far too innocent. “You still need to congratulate your uncle.” I groaned. “I was hoping you’d forgotten.” “I am your mother. Forgetting things you dislike is not one of my gifts.” “Unfortunately.” “Shayna.” “I know.” I handed her my untouched glass. “I’ll go. I’ll smile. I’ll lie. Then I’m leaving.” “Be polite.” “I will be so polite they’ll suspect possession.” Dad coughed into his hand. Mom gave him a look, then gave me one too. “Please.” That single word did what the mandated order, the invitation, and the threat of punishment had not. It made me move. The line felt longer than it was. Every step closer made Rayne more restless, until her pacing turned into something sharper. Anticipation. Hunger. Recognition without reason. I pressed a hand lightly against my stomach as if that could settle her, but the strange scent grew stronger with every breath. Daniel stood beside Sophia beneath an arch of white flowers and silver ribbon. I had not seen him up close in years. The couple ahead of me stepped away. Sophia turned first. “Hello, Shayna. We’re so glad you could—” Daniel looked at me. The world stopped moving. Not slowly. Not romantically. It stopped like something ancient had reached down and wrapped one hand around the throat of time. His amber eyes locked on mine. My breath vanished. Rayne lunged so hard inside me that my knees nearly buckled, and before I could think, before I could move, before I could understand the horror blooming through my chest, my wolf screamed one word with enough force to shatter my life. Mate! Chapter 2 - This Isn’t Happening Shayna I turned around and walked away before my brain had a chance to catch up with what had just happened. Running would draw attention, make people ask questions, and would guarantee someone came after me. So I walked. Behind me, I heard Sophia say Daniel’s name, followed by another voice asking if everything was alright, but I never looked back. I couldn’t. Every instinct I had was focused on putting as much distance between myself and the receiving line as humanly possible. Rayne had other ideas. Mate! Shut up. Mate! He is my uncle. She didn’t care. She kept pacing inside my head, pushing against me with a desperation I’d never felt from her before. She wanted me to turn around. To go back. To stand beside him like nothing in the world had just shattered into a million pieces. I wanted to throw up. By the time I made it through the ballroom doors and down the front steps of the Alpha Estate, my hands were shaking hard enough that I had to curl them into fists. The cool evening air hit my face, but it did nothing to settle the panic clawing through my chest. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be. The Moon Goddess didn’t make mistakes. Which meant… Nope. I refused to finish that thought. I had almost reached the end of the front drive when two guards stepped into my path. “Miss Rivers.” I stopped so abruptly that the gravel shifted beneath my heels. “I’m leaving.” One of the guards offered an apologetic smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m afraid Alpha Daniel has requested your presence.” “I don’t care.” His expression didn’t change. “It’s not optional.” A humorless laugh escaped me. “Tell Alpha Daniel he can kiss my ass.” Neither man moved. “We’ve been ordered to escort you to his office.” Escort. That was certainly a nicer way of saying I wasn’t being given a choice. I looked past them toward the open gates. Home wasn’t far. I could be back in my bedroom within twenty minutes. I could lock the door, crawl under the blankets, and pretend tonight had never happened. Rayne whined. Go to him. Absolutely not. Mate. Uncle. She fell quiet, but I knew better than to think she’d changed her mind. She hadn’t. She simply knew there was no point arguing now. The guards were already waiting. I let out a slow breath and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Fine. I’m walking on my own, so unless one of you has suddenly forgotten how feet work, stop hovering.” The two men exchanged a glance before silently turning back toward the estate. Neither of them relaxed. Neither did I. The walk back felt twice as long as it had only minutes before. My mind kept reaching for another explanation, some absurd loophole that would make everything make sense again. Maybe I’d imagined it. Maybe Rayne had mistaken someone else’s scent for a mate. Maybe Daniel’s wolf hadn’t recognized me at all. Except I’d seen his face. That hadn’t been confusion. It had been the exact same horror currently sitting in the pit of my stomach. Good. At least we agreed on something. One of the guards stopped outside a set of heavy wooden doors and knocked. “Alpha.” “Send her in.” The door opened. I stepped inside without waiting to be announced. Daniel stood near the windows with both hands clasped behind his back. The moment the door clicked shut, he turned to face me, and for several long seconds neither of us spoke. He looked exactly as he had downstairs. Perfectly put together. Perfectly controlled. Only his eyes betrayed him. They looked haunted. Finally, he motioned toward one of the chairs in front of his desk. “Sit.” “No.” One corner of his jaw flexed. “I’m not asking.” “Well,” I shot back. “I’m still not sitting.” His shoulders rose with a slow breath before he walked around the desk and rested both palms against the polished wood. “I suppose we’re both aware why you’re here.” “Oh, I don’t know.” I folded my arms. “Maybe because your guards kidnapped me.” “They escorted you.” “I wasn’t aware refusing was an option.” “It wasn’t.” I barked out a laugh. “See, kidnapped.” Silence settled over the room again, heavier this time. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re my uncle.” Daniel closed his eyes. “Don’t remind me.” “I don’t think either of us is ever going to forget.” “No.” I threw my hands into the air. “And even if you weren’t my uncle, you’re, like… a million years older than me.” His eyes opened. “A million?” “Practically.” “How old are you now?” “Twenty-one.” He frowned like he was doing the math despite already knowing the answer. “I’m thirty.” I blinked. “…Seriously?” “Yes.” “I thought you were at least forty.” One of his eyebrows lifted. “Thank you for that.” “You’re welcome.” He let out a slow breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s nine years, Shayna.” “Nine years is still weird.” “It is.” Another heavy silence settled between us before he muttered, almost to himself, “The age difference is somehow the least disturbing part of this conversation.” His voice came out rough, stripped of the calm confidence he’d worn downstairs. I stared at him. That wasn’t the response I’d expected. I had prepared myself for denial. Anger. Maybe even accusations that I’d somehow done this on purpose. Instead, he looked every bit as sick as I felt. “There are only two people in this room who understand exactly how catastrophic tonight has been,” he said quietly. “I know.” “The answer is simple, we reject each other.” The words came so quickly that I almost laughed from sheer relief. “Gladly.” He nodded once. “So we’re agreed.” “We’ve never agreed on anything before.” “I don’t imagine either of us expected this to be the first.” Neither did I. Daniel stepped out from behind the desk and stopped a few feet away. Close enough that the scent I’d noticed downstairs wrapped around me again. Cedar after rain. Clean. Wild. Dangerously familiar. Rayne sighed like she’d just found her favorite place in the world. Traitor. Daniel drew in a slow breath. “I, Alpha Daniel Stone…” His voice stopped. He frowned. Tried again. “I, Alpha Daniel Stone…” Nothing. His throat worked, but the words refused to come. Confusion flashed across his face before irritation quickly replaced it. “What the hell…” He tried a third time. The rejection simply wouldn’t leave his mouth. My stomach dropped. “My turn.” I swallowed hard. “I, Shayna Rivers…” The words were right there. I knew them. Every wolf did. All I had to do was finish the sentence. My mouth refused to cooperate. It felt as though something invisible had wrapped around my throat, squeezing tighter every time I tried to force the words out. I pushed harder. Nothing. Rayne stood quietly inside my mind, watching me. No. Rayne… No. I tried again. The rejection died before it ever reached my tongue. Daniel stared at me. “You couldn’t say it either.” I slowly shook my head. For the first time since I’d walked into the office, genuine frustration cracked through his composure. He dragged both hands through his hair before turning away with a muttered curse. “This isn’t possible.” “I know.” “Wolves don’t refuse rejection.” “I know.” He turned back toward me. “Do you have any idea why this is happening?” “If I did,” I said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of my voice, “don’t you think I would’ve mentioned that before telling you you’re apparently my mate?” His expression flattened. “Fair point.” Neither of us spoke for several seconds. Finally, he straightened his suit jacket and looked at me with the same determination I’d seen him wear every time he’d addressed the pack. “This changes nothing.” “Good.” “We are rejecting each other.” “I couldn’t agree more.” “As soon as we figure out how.” “Exactly.” For one brief, surreal moment, Alpha Daniel Stone and I stood in complete agreement. It somehow made the situation even worse. He reached for the phone on his desk. “What are you doing?” “If there’s an explanation for this, your parents may have it.” “There isn’t.” “We’re about to find out.” He pressed a button. “This is Daniel.” A woman’s voice answered almost immediately. “Yes, Alpha?” “Send Ethan and Amelia Rivers to my office.” My heart dropped into my stomach. “My parents don’t know anything.” “We’ll see.” He set the receiver back in its cradle, and the room fell silent once more. A knock sounded at the door. Daniel’s eyes never left mine. “Come in.” Chapter 3 - Sit Down, Sweetheart Shayna The office door opened, and my parents stepped inside looking confused enough that I almost felt bad for them. “Shayna?” Mom asked. “What’s going on?” I opened my mouth, then closed it again because there was no good way to say it. There was no version of the sentence that sounded normal. There was no gentle path into your little brother and I just tried to reject each other but our wolves staged a spiritual coup. Daniel straightened behind his desk. “Thank you for coming.” Dad gave a short nod. “Alpha.” “I apologize for pulling you away from the celebration,” Daniel said, his voice so controlled it made me want to throw something at him. “I think Shayna needs to speak with you privately.” Mom looked at me again. Privately. Right. Because apparently tonight had decided to become a family crisis with an audience rotation. Daniel’s gaze flicked toward the door before returning to my parents. “I should also check on Sophia. I left my bride-to-be downstairs without an explanation.” Rayne growled so sharply inside my chest that I nearly flinched. Don’t. Not hers. He is very publicly hers. No. Wonderful. My wolf had apparently chosen tonight to develop opinions about engagement etiquette. Daniel paused with his hand near the door, and for one weird second I thought he had heard her, which is impossible. His eyes cut briefly toward me, sharp and searching, then he looked back at my parents. “I’ll return shortly.” The door closed behind him, and the room immediately felt smaller. Mom stepped toward me. “Sweetheart, what happened?” I laughed once, but there was nothing funny in it. “Apparently the Moon Goddess has a really twisted sense of humor.” Dad’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What does that mean?” “It means Daniel is my mate.” Silence dropped over the room so fast it felt physical. “Believe me,” I added quickly, because I could already see the horror settling into my mother’s face. “He was just as disgusted as I was.” Mom winced. “That came out wrong,” I muttered. “Or maybe it didn’t. I don’t know. Everything is wrong right now.” Dad moved first. He crossed the office and pulled one of the chairs closer to Mom without asking if she needed it. She lowered herself into it slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. “Start from the beginning,” Dad said. “There isn’t much of a beginning. I went up to congratulate him and Sophia like I promised I would. Sophia said hello, Daniel looked at me, and Rayne screamed mate loud enough to rearrange my soul.” Mom pressed a hand over her mouth. I swallowed hard and kept going before I lost the nerve. “I walked away. I tried to leave. His guards stopped me and brought me here. Daniel and I talked, if you can call mutually horrified arguing talking, and then we both agreed there was only one solution.” Dad’s voice was quiet. “Rejection.” “Yes. Obviously. He tried first.” My throat tightened as the memory pressed in, his voice stopping, his expression shifting from determination to confusion to anger. “He couldn’t say it. Then I tried, and I couldn’t either. It was like the words were there, but my mouth wouldn’t let them out.” Mom looked at Dad. Dad looked at Mom. It was quick, barely more than a glance, but I saw it. I knew them too well not to see it. I folded my arms, partly because I was cold and partly because if I didn’t do something with my hands, I might start pulling my own hair out. “What was that?” Dad turned back to me. “What was what?” “That look.” Mom’s eyes filled. My stomach sank. “No.” I shook my head once. “No, don’t do that. Don’t look at each other like you’re having an entire conversation without me and then pretend I didn’t notice. I grew up with you two. You do that all the time.” Dad let out a slow breath. Mom whispered, “Ethan…” “I know.” “You know what?” I demanded. “Because that would be an excellent thing to share with the person whose wolf apparently just picked the worst possible mate in the entire pack.” Mom flinched again. My anger softened immediately, but not enough to disappear. “I’m sorry,” I said, dragging a hand down my face. “I’m not trying to be cruel. I’m just asking if you know anything that might help. You’re the older and wiser parents. So if either of you has ever heard of wolves refusing a rejection, or a loophole, or some ancient mate-bond trick that involves chanting under a full moon and sacrificing my dignity, now would be a fantastic time to mention it.” Dad didn’t smile. That scared me more than anything. He reached for Mom’s hand, and she gripped his like she was holding herself together through him. “We hoped we would never have to have this conversation with you,” he said. The air left my lungs. “What conversation?” Mom’s tears spilled over, silent and steady. “Sweetheart,” she said. “No.” My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. “Don’t sweetheart me like that. That is not a normal sweetheart. That is a sit down, someone died sweetheart.” Dad looked at the empty chair beside Mom. “I think you should sit down.” “I think if I sit down, I’m going to start panicking, and I’m doing a truly impressive job not panicking while standing.” “Shayna.” That was all he said. Just my name. And because it was Dad, because he almost never used that tone unless the world had shifted beneath us, I sat. The chair felt too hard. The office felt too quiet. Somewhere below us, music was still playing for Daniel’s engagement party, which seemed rude considering my life was actively being fed into a wood chipper. Dad crouched in front of me instead of standing over me. That nearly broke me before he even spoke. “Before I tell you anything,” he said, “I need you to understand that nothing about who loves you changes after tonight.” My mouth went dry. “What does that mean?” “It means you are my daughter. You have always been my daughter. You will always be my daughter.” “I know that.” “And Amelia is your mother,” he continued, his voice rougher now. “She has loved you every day of your life. Every scraped knee. Every fever. Every nightmare. Every birthday. Every single moment.” Mom made a broken sound and pressed her fist against her mouth. I looked between them, my pulse pounding harder with every word. “Why are you saying this like I’m about to argue with you?” Dad’s eyes shone. “Because Amelia didn’t give birth to you.” For a moment, I didn’t understand the words. They entered my ears, but they didn’t become real. I stared at him, waiting for the rest of the sentence. Waiting for the correction. Waiting for him to tell me I had misunderstood. “What?” Mom reached for me. “Baby…” I pulled back before I meant to, and the hurt that flashed across her face sliced straight through me. “No,” I said quickly, because I couldn’t bear that look. “No, I didn’t mean… I just…” My hands shook in my lap. “What do you mean she didn’t give birth to me?” Dad stayed exactly where he was, steady as ever and somehow looking like the oldest version of himself I had ever seen. “I mean Amelia raised you from the moment you were born, but she is not your biological mother.” The room tilted. I gripped the arms of the chair. “Am I adopted?” “No.” “Then what am I?” “Our daughter,” Mom said immediately, tears thick in her voice. “You are our daughter, Shayna. Nothing changes that.” “Something changes it,” I said, and I hated how small my voice sounded. “Because you’re both looking at me like something just did.” Dad squeezed Mom’s hand, then looked back at me. “You are mine by blood,” he said. “But I had another mate.” My thoughts stumbled over themselves. Another mate. The words didn’t fit with the father I knew, the mother I knew, the life I knew. They sounded like they belonged to someone else’s family, someone else’s secret, someone else’s terrible night. “She died,” Mom whispered. “Giving birth to you.” I looked at her then, really looked at her, and saw nothing but love and grief tangled together in her face. Dad’s voice was barely above a whisper. “Your biological mother’s name was Elara.” My chest hurt. Not because I knew that name. Because I didn’t. “Elara,” I repeated. Dad nodded. “Elara Moonveil.” The name seemed to settle into the room like a ghost. My hand rose without thought to the moon necklace resting against my collarbone. The metal felt cool beneath my fingers, familiar as my own heartbeat, and for the first time in my life, familiarity did not feel safe. Dad’s gaze followed the movement. “That was her necklace, she never took it off.” I looked down at the necklace. I’ve never taken it off as long as I can remember. Every answer only opened another door, and behind each one was something darker than the last. Mom wiped at her cheeks. Dad held my gaze, and in that moment I knew we were not finished. Not even close. “She was my first mate,” he said. Then his eyes dropped to the necklace still clenched in my hand. “And she was not only a wolf.” Chapter 4 - My Wolf Wants You Close Daniel I made it halfway down the hall before Onyx spoke again. Go back. I kept walking. Mate. I clenched my jaw hard enough for it to ache. I know what she is. No. You know what you fear. That was the problem with Onyx. He did not panic. He did not rage unless there was a reason. He simply stood inside me like a shadow with teeth, certain of what belonged to him and completely uninterested in the consequences. Twenty minutes ago, my life had been painfully simple. Sophia was downstairs wearing my ring. The pack had gathered to witness the first step toward a future my father approved of. Then Shayna Rivers had stepped in front of me, and my wolf had chosen chaos. No. Not chaos. Her. I stopped near the top of the staircase and looked down toward the ballroom. Sophia stood near her father with a glass in her hand, smiling too tightly while guests pretended not to whisper. I should have gone to her. I should have explained. Instead, all I could feel was the closed office door behind me and the woman on the other side of it. Mate. She is my niece. Onyx’s answer was immediate. No. I went still. That single word settled into me with enough certainty that my breath caught. Wolves could be stubborn. Mine had always been worse than most. I turned back toward the office. By the time I reached the door, I did not hear shouting. That worried me more than noise would have. Shayna did not strike me as a woman who processed catastrophe quietly, and after the way she had looked at me downstairs, I had expected anger. Instead, silence waited on the other side. I opened the door. Ethan stood near one of the chairs. Amelia was seated, her cheeks wet, one hand clasped in her mate’s. Shayna sat rigidly across from them, her fingers wrapped around the moon necklace at her throat. The moment I stepped inside, all three of them went still. Whatever they had been saying stopped. My eyes went to Amelia first. “Amelia,” I said, softer than I intended. She wiped at her face quickly. “I’m fine.” She wasn’t. I looked at Shayna. She looked like she might bite me. That, at least, felt normal. “Did we figure anything out?” I asked. “No,” Shayna said immediately. “They do not know a secret trick to make our wolves cooperate, if that’s what you were hoping.” I shut the door behind me. “Then nothing changes.” Shayna’s eyes narrowed. “That is not the reassuring sentence you think it is.” “I meant what I said earlier. We reject this bond as soon as we find a way.” “Fantastic. I support that plan with my whole disgusted little heart.” My mouth tightened before I could stop it. “In the meantime, you’ll move into the Alpha Estate.” She stared at me. Then blinked once. “I’m sorry?” “You heard me.” “Yes, I heard you. I was just hoping maybe you had experienced a moment of temporary insanity because what in the actual fuck?” “Shayna,” Amelia said weakly. “No, Mom, I feel like this is a fair time for that word.” I did not disagree. Still, I held Shayna’s stare because if I looked away, Onyx might interpret it as weakness, and I was already losing too much ground with him. “My wolf wants you close.” Her expression shifted just enough for me to know she understood the problem before she wanted to. “Then tell him no.” “I have.” “Try harder.” “He does not care.” Her lips parted, then closed again. I dragged a hand over my jaw. “If you leave tonight and go home, I don’t know if I can control him. He may take over completely and bring you back himself.” Shayna looked horrified. Good. So was I. “Bring me back himself?” she repeated. “What does that mean?” “It means there is a very real chance my wolf decides my opinion is irrelevant and drags you back here by your ankle.” Amelia made a soft sound. Ethan’s expression darkened. Shayna stared at me like she was trying to decide whether to scream or laugh. “That is supposed to convince me to stay?” “No,” I said. “It is supposed to tell you the truth.” Good. She stays. Temporarily. Onyx did not answer, which was not comforting. Shayna pushed herself out of the chair. “Absolutely not. I am not moving into your house because your wolf has attachment issues.” “He is not the only one,” I said before I could stop myself. Her eyes flashed. I immediately regretted it. Her wolf rose behind her gaze, not visibly, but enough that my wolf noticed. Onyx went very still, all focus and satisfaction. There she is. I ignored him. Shayna crossed her arms. “Let me make this clear. I do not want to be here. I do not want to be near you. I do not want your wolf deciding anything about me.” “I know.” “Do you?” “Yes.” “Because you’re doing a very convincing impression of someone who thinks ordering me around is a solution.” I forced my voice lower. “I am not asking you to like it. I am asking you to understand that until we can end this, proximity may be the only thing keeping Onyx from making this worse.” For the first time, she did not immediately argue. After a long moment, Shayna exhaled through her nose. “Fine.” Amelia looked up. “Sweetheart—” “Fine,” Shayna repeated, though the word sounded like it had splinters in it. “But only because I would rather walk in here myself than get hauled back like a sack of potatoes by a feral Alpha wolf with boundary issues.” I like her. That makes one of us. Onyx’s amusement slid through me, dark and unwelcome. Ethan stood fully. “If she stays, I want assurances.” “You have them,” I said. His eyes hardened. “I haven’t asked yet.” That was the first time all night Ethan Rivers had sounded less like an Omega and more like a father prepared to tear apart an Alpha with his bare hands. I respected it more than I expected to. “She will have her own room,” I said. “No one enters without permission. No one touches her. No one speaks of what happened tonight.” “And Sophia?” Amelia asked quietly. The name tightened something in the room. Shayna looked away first. I hated noticing. “Sophia will be told only what she needs to know for now,” I said. Shayna laughed under her breath. “I’m sure she’ll love that.” “She will be upset.” “She’s your bride-to-be. I imagine upset is the polite version.” Onyx growled. Not ours. The sound moved through my chest, and Shayna’s eyes snapped back to mine as if she felt the shape of it even without hearing it. I steadied myself. “This arrangement is temporary.” “Great. Then obviously I need my clothes, unless you expect me to live in this gown forever.” “I can provide a suitable wardrobe.” The second the words left my mouth, I knew they were wrong. Shayna went very still. Shayna’s smile was slow and dangerous. “A suitable wardrobe?” “That is not what I meant.” “No? Because it sounded a lot like you think the Omegas who live on the edge of the territory don’t own suitable clothing.” “I did not say that.” “You didn’t have to.” I took a breath. “The Alpha Estate has certain expectations.” “Of course it does.” “Formal dinners, visiting pack leaders, council members,” I continued, feeling the ground crumble beneath every word. “The pack house tends to be more formal than most homes. Not suits and gowns every day, but nicer than jeans and sneakers.” “How tragic for the jeans.” “I am explaining badly.” “You are.” Amelia wiped her cheeks and, despite everything, a faint smile touched her mouth. “He means dinner here is usually more formal, sweetheart. I remember.” Shayna glanced at her, and some of the fight softened at the edges. “You’re defending him now?” “I’m translating Stone arrogance into normal language.” Ethan coughed into his hand. I deserved that. Probably more. Shayna looked back at me. “Fine. I’ll have Mom gather clothes. My clothes. From my closet. The ones I already own.” “Of course.” “And books.” “Fine.” “And my baking journal.” I paused. “Your what?” “My baking journal. Unless the Alpha Estate also has unsuitable opinions about muffins.” Amelia’s smile trembled. For one strange second, I almost smiled too. “Your journal will be brought,” I said. Shayna lifted her chin. “Good.” I crossed to the phone again and called for Mrs. Morris, the head housekeeper. When she answered, I kept my eyes on the window because looking at Shayna was becoming a problem I did not have the patience to examine. “Prepare a room in the east wing,” I said. “Tonight. Full privacy. No staff entering without permission.” “Yes, Alpha.” “And send two guards to escort Ethan and Amelia Rivers home so they can gather Miss Rivers’s belongings.” After I ended the call, silence settled again, quieter now but no less tense. Below us, the party continued. Above us, the Moon Goddess had apparently decided we were all entertainment. Shayna lifted her hand. “Just to be clear, I hate this.” “I know.” “I would rather sleep in the barn.” “I’m sure Onyx would retrieve you from there too.” Her eyes narrowed. I looked back at her, exhausted beyond measure. “Temporarily, Shayna.” She held my gaze for a long second. Then, with all the grace of someone accepting a prison sentence, she said, “Fine. But if your wolf drags me anywhere by my ankle, I’m biting him.” Onyx purred. Good. Goddess help me. Chapter 5 - My Mother Was What? Shayna Daniel left the office to check on Sophia, and the moment the door closed behind him, I turned back to my parents. Dad had barely finished telling me my biological mother had been more than a wolf before Daniel barged in, announced I was moving into his house, insulted my wardrobe, and arranged my temporary imprisonment with the efficiency of a man ordering dinner. Now we had a limited amount of time before he returned and made my life worse again. I folded my arms. “All right. Finish it.” Mom wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Sweetheart, perhaps we should wait until you’re home.” “I’m apparently not going home.” The words came out sharper than I intended, but I could still hear Daniel telling me I would be staying at the Alpha Estate as though my opinion ranked somewhere beneath the dinner schedule. Dad’s mouth tightened. “I don’t like this arrangement either.” “That makes three of us. Four if we count Daniel, although he seems to enjoy ordering me around far too much for someone who claims he doesn’t want me here.” Mom gave me a tired look. “He is trying to manage his wolf.” “He has been Alpha for years. He should try managing his personality.” Dad almost smiled, but his expression quickly sobered again. I looked between them. “You said Elara wasn’t only a wolf.” Mom reached for Dad’s hand. The gesture was so familiar I had watched it a thousand times without thinking about it, but tonight every glance between them seemed capable of hiding another truth. Dad took a slow breath. “Elara was half wolf and half witch.” For several seconds, I stared at him. Then I laughed because the alternative was asking whether he had suffered a head injury while Daniel was gone. “A witch.” “Yes.” “My biological mother was a witch.” “Half witch,” Mom corrected softly. I looked at her. “I’m glad we’re being precise while my entire identity falls apart.” Her expression crumpled, and guilt struck immediately. “I’m sorry,” I said, dragging a hand through my hair. “I know this isn’t your fault. I just… witches?” Every child in Raven Ridge grew up hearing the stories. Witches cursed infants, poisoned wells, stole wolves’ minds, and used blood magic against entire packs. According to our history lessons, wolves had driven them into extinction centuries ago. Apparently, those lessons had skipped the part where one became my father’s mate and gave birth to me. Dad must have seen the disbelief on my face because his expression hardened. “Most of what Raven Ridge teaches about witches is propaganda.” “Propaganda?” “Yes. Some witches committed terrible acts. So did wolves. That does not make every member of either species evil.” It sounded annoyingly reasonable. I looked down at the crescent moon necklace resting against my collarbone. I had worn it for as long as I could remember. Mom had cleaned it when I was little and always reminded me to keep it tucked beneath my clothes whenever we left home. I had assumed she was afraid I would lose it. Now I wondered what else she had feared. “Did the Stones know?” I asked. Mom’s head snapped up. “No.” “Not Daniel? Not your parents?” “Especially not your mother’s parents,” Dad said. Of course they could not know. Robert and Victoria Stone had treated their own daughter like a family embarrassment because she was born an Omega. If they discovered the child Amelia raised carried witch blood, they probably would have considered my existence an insult to their precious bloodline. “What would they have done?” I asked. Neither answered quickly enough. My stomach turned. “They would have hurt me.” “We don’t know that,” Mom said. “You hid this from everyone for twenty-one years. You knew enough.” Her eyes filled again, but she did not look away. “We knew what their beliefs were, and we knew what could happen if the wrong people learned Elara’s bloodline survived.” “What was so important about her bloodline?” Dad glanced toward the office door. “That will take longer to explain than we have tonight.” “Why?” “Because Daniel could return at any moment, and he cannot hear this.” I laughed without humor. “You mean the Alpha who just moved me into his house because his wolf decided I belong here?” Mom flinched at the word. “He cannot know yet,” Dad said. The firmness in his voice surprised me. Ethan Rivers rarely commanded anyone. Tonight, he sounded afraid. “Why? Daniel already believes I’m his niece and mate. I’m not sure adding secret witch to the list makes this more absurd.” “It makes it more dangerous,” Dad said. “To whom?” “You.” I glanced toward the closed door. Somewhere downstairs, Daniel was probably reassuring Sophia that everything remained under control. That was what men like him did. They wore authority so long they began confusing confidence with competence. I had watched him ignore the way his family treated Mom for years. He had never openly attacked us, but he had allowed every exclusion and insult without interference. Silence still caused damage when it came from the person powerful enough to stop the cruelty. “You think Daniel would hurt me.” Mom shook her head. “I don’t know what Daniel would do.” “That isn’t the same as no.” “He was raised to fear witches,” Dad said. “He is also Alpha. His first loyalty is to Raven Ridge.” “Exactly.” Daniel could call me his responsibility and promise my parents I would be protected. But if protecting the pack required turning against me, I knew which duty he would choose. Rayne stirred inside me. Mate protects. He didn’t protect Mom. My wolf fell silent. Mom leaned forward. “Daniel is not his father.” “He learned from him.” “That doesn’t excuse what he allowed,” she said. “But anger can convince us we already know every choice a person will make.” I stared at her. She had spent her life forgiving people before they earned it. That gentleness was one of the things I loved most about her and one of the things that made me want to shake sense into her. “You’re defending him.” “I’m not defending his failures. I’m saying we cannot predict what he would do with this truth.” “Then we don’t give him the chance.” Dad nodded. “Not yet.” Not yet meant eventually. Eventually, Daniel would learn Amelia was not my biological mother. Eventually, he would discover that we shared no blood. I should have felt relieved. Instead, unease moved through me. As long as he believed he was my uncle, the answer remained simple. Wrong. Impossible. Finished. Once that barrier disappeared, we would still have Sophia, the Stone family, and twenty-one years of resentment, but the cleanest reason to reject him would be gone. Rayne lifted her head. Good. Nothing about this is good. Mate. Arrogant asshole. She considered that. Both. Traitor. I touched the pendant again. “What exactly does the necklace do?” Dad’s attention dropped to my hand. “Elara enchanted it before you were born. She wanted to make certain no one could find you through her bloodline.” “Find me how?” “By scent, magic, or bloodline.” I stared down at the necklace. “You’re saying I’ve spent my life wearing a magical disguise.” “In a way.” “What else does it hide?” He hesitated. Mom answered. “The necklace suppresses most of whatever you inherited from Elara. It disguises your scent and bloodline and keeps your stronger abilities dormant. It may also suppress instincts connected specifically to Elara’s bloodline.” A chill crept down my spine. “My abilities?” “Any stronger magic should remain dormant while you wear it,” she said. “But that does not mean nothing has ever slipped through.” I stood so quickly the chair scraped across the floor. “You suppressed part of me?” “We protected you,” Dad said. “Without telling me.” “You were a child.” “I haven’t been a child for years.” Mom rose too. “We were afraid.” “And that meant I didn’t deserve to know who I was?” The hurt on her face struck hard, but I could not swallow the anger this time. My whole life had been built around missing pieces. I had believed Amelia gave birth to me. Learning she had not did not make her less my mother, but it changed everything I thought I knew about myself. I had believed Daniel was my blood uncle, witches were extinct monsters, and the necklace was only a family keepsake. Every truth had belonged to someone else before it belonged to me. Dad stood between us without blocking either of us. “You have every right to be angry.” “That’s generous.” “But the necklace kept you alive.” The words cut through everything. I looked at him. “Elara believed people would come for you if they discovered what you were,” he said. “She made us promise you would wear it until you were strong enough to protect yourself if anything ever happened to her.” “And am I?” Neither answered. A knock sounded at the office door. All three of us froze. Daniel’s voice came from the other side. “May I come in?” I looked at my parents, then at the necklace clenched in my fist. My biological mother had been half witch. I had spent my entire life hidden. And the Alpha I hated was standing outside the door, still believing I was his niece. Dad lowered his voice. “Whatever happens, do not tell him what you are.” The handle began to turn. Chapter 6 — The Necklace Around My Throat Shayna The door opened before Dad could move away from me. Daniel stepped into the office, his gaze moving from my parents to the necklace clenched in my fist. His expression sharpened immediately. “What happened?” “Nothing.” The answer came too quickly, and his eyes narrowed. Dad cleared his throat. “We were discussing the failed rejection.” “And did you reach any conclusions?” “No,” I said before either of my parents could answer. “We still have no idea why it failed.” Daniel studied all three of us in turn. He knew we were hiding something, but suspicion was not proof, and I had no intention of handing him the truth simply because his wolf had decided Rayne belonged to him. His attention returned to the pendant at my throat. I released it and folded my arms. “How is Sophia?” Mom asked. “She’s confused, but she’s fine.” Rayne gave a low, displeased growl inside me. I ignored her. Sophia had done nothing wrong. She was downstairs at her own engagement party while her fiancé imprisoned another woman in his house because that woman happened to be his mate and supposed niece. Confused seemed like a generous description. Daniel glanced at the clock. “The celebration is nearly over. I’ll arrange a vehicle so you can return home and collect Shayna’s belongings.” “I can collect my own belongings.” “No.” The answer came with the same calm certainty he used for everything, as though his decisions became reasonable merely because he delivered them without raising his voice. “I wasn’t asking permission.” “And I wasn’t offering it.” Mom closed her eyes briefly while Dad released a weary breath. Daniel moved behind his desk, putting solid wood between us. It did nothing to make him less irritating. “You’re remaining here,” he said. “We don’t know how much distance our wolves can tolerate. I’m not risking Onyx taking control while you’re halfway across the territory.” “So instead, you’re locking me inside your house.” “You’ll have access to the estate and its grounds.” “How generous.” “This is temporary.” “That is what every captor says.” Dad stepped between us before Daniel could answer. “We’ll pack what she needs.” I turned toward him. “Dad.” “We can bring enough for a few days, and anything we miss can wait until tomorrow.” “I’m going with you.” Daniel’s eyes flashed. “No.” Alpha authority pressed through the word, filling the office with enough force to make my skin prickle. Rayne rose immediately, her resistance sliding into my bones. I stepped toward him. “Do not do that again.” His brows drew together. “Do what?” “Use your Alpha command on me as though I’m one of your guards.” “I didn’t command you.” “You absolutely did.” For the first time, uncertainty flickered across his face. He might not have realized how much power he had put behind the word, which only made it worse. “I said no because leaving isn’t safe,” he said, more carefully. “You don’t get to decide what is safe for me.” “I do while your wolf is tied to mine.” “No. You manage Onyx, and I manage Rayne.” His mouth tightened. “You seem to be doing an excellent job.” “At least my wolf hasn’t threatened to drag anyone home by the ankle.” A pulse of amusement came through the bond. It did not belong to Daniel. Onyx liked that far too much. Mom touched my arm. “Sweetheart, please let us pack for you.” The exhaustion in her face stopped the next argument before it reached my tongue. She and Dad had spent the entire night being dragged through one disaster after another, and now they still had to gather enough of my life to move me into the home of the family they had spent years avoiding. “Fine,” I muttered. Daniel’s shoulders eased. I pointed at him. “That was not for you.” “I didn’t say it was.” “You looked smug.” “This is my normal face.” “That explains a great deal.” Dad disguised a laugh as a cough. Mom hugged me tightly. Some of my anger loosened the moment her arms closed around me, but it did not disappear. She knew where I hid emergency chocolate, which tea I drank when I could not sleep, and how I folded my sweaters because I claimed it kept them from stretching. She knew every ordinary piece of me. She had also known the truth about my birth and hidden it for twenty-one years. “I’ll pack your blue sweater,” she whispered. “And my journal.” “I know.” “My tea tin too.” “I know, sweetheart.” I held her for another second before letting go. Dad pulled me into his arms next and lowered his voice near my ear. “Keep the necklace on.” I nodded against his chest. Daniel’s gaze flicked toward us. Of course he had heard. Alpha hearing was another advantage he had done nothing to deserve. “What is special about the necklace?” he asked. “Nothing,” I said. “Your father just told you to keep it on.” I forced my expression blank. “It belonged to someone in Dad’s family before Mom gave it to me.” It was a terrible lie. Daniel knew it. I could see that in the way his eyes moved from me to Amelia and then to Dad. I stepped into his line of sight before he could begin questioning either of them. “It is personal.” “That phrase is becoming very convenient.” “And your curiosity is becoming obnoxious.” “I’m trying to understand what is happening.” “You’re trying to control it.” His eyes hardened. “Those are not the same thing.” “They are when you’re involved.” Dad placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. “We should leave before it gets any later.” Daniel continued watching me, but finally nodded. A guard appeared to escort my parents through the estate, and I stood near the door until their footsteps faded down the corridor. The office felt wrong without them. Too quiet. Too small. Too full of Daniel. When I turned, he had not moved. “Stop staring at me.” “I’m watching you lie.” “I am not required to tell you everything.” “You’re living under my roof because our wolves have formed a bond neither of us can control. Anything that might explain that bond is relevant.” A bitter laugh escaped me. “Interesting. You didn’t consider my family relevant for the last nine years.” His expression went still. Good. I wanted the words to land. “Do not use Amelia to avoid answering me,” he said. “I’m not avoiding anything. This is not separate to me.” He moved around the desk, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of stepping back. “You hate me because of what happened between Amelia and our parents.” “I hate all of you for what happened to her. I hate the way your parents treated Dad as though being an Omega made him unworthy of her, and I hate the way they looked at me as though I inherited something shameful from both of them.” “I never ordered anyone to mistreat you.” “No. You just allowed it.” His jaw tightened. “You knew Mom stopped attending family dinners,” I continued. “You knew she was excluded from holidays and pack events unless attendance was mandatory. You knew your parents treated my father like she had dragged home an embarrassment, and you never once asked why.” “I was not involved in every invitation sent from this house.” “You were Alpha.” “I became Alpha at twenty-three.” “And you have been Alpha for seven years.” The answer struck whatever defense he had been preparing. His expression closed, but I pushed on before he could hide behind that polished silence again. “You returned after nine years and immediately started issuing commands as though I should be grateful you remembered I existed. That is how your family has always treated us. The Stones decide, and the Omegas are expected to obey.” “I am not my parents.” “No. You just benefited from never having to challenge them.” The words cut cleanly through the room. Daniel had no answer. Something heavier than anger moved through the bond, and I realized with a jolt that it belonged to him. Guilt. I did not want to feel it. I did not want anything inside him to soften the edges I had spent years sharpening. He looked away first. “I never hated Amelia.” “You didn’t have to hate her to hurt her.” His gaze returned to mine, stripped of the arrogance that usually made me want to throw something at him. For one uncomfortable moment, he looked less like the Alpha and more like a man being forced to examine something he had spent years avoiding. A knock interrupted us before he could respond. Mrs. Morris stepped into the office. “Alpha, the east-wing suite is ready.” Daniel nodded. “Thank you.” She turned to me with a kind smile. “I can show you upstairs whenever you’re ready.” Ready. As though any part of this night had waited for my permission. I reached for the pendant at my throat and rubbed my thumb over the familiar crescent. It had always comforted me. Tonight, it felt heavier, its smooth surface no longer a link to my mother but a lock placed around everything I had never been allowed to know. Daniel’s attention followed the movement. “What does it do?” he asked quietly. “Nothing.” He did not believe me, but he let me leave. I followed Mrs. Morris into the hall and started up the stairs. Rayne remained silent until the office disappeared behind us. What is it? She shifted uneasily beneath my skin. The necklace. My fingers closed around the pendant again. What about it? Her answer carried a thread of fear that stopped me halfway up the staircase. It is weaker than it used to be.
Not enough history yet to show a trend.