Chapter 1

Valeria POV

I am now Alpha Cassian’s stepdaughter not just that, I also have four hot, dangerously sexy step-brothers – the kind of hotness that will make your pulse race just by standing in the same room with name and leave a wet patch in between your legs.

Me… a girl who has been an only child all my life. It has just been me and my mommy and I loved the arrangement. I loved that I could not share her with someone else but my mother fell in love and although I know I have no say in her choices, I just wished she had chosen another species... maybe a human and not a werewolf.

So, here I am, standing on the Private tarmac of the Red Ridge Pack Airport, waiting for a crew to hand us our luggage. Well, my step-father was not only a powerful Alpha, but he was also wealthy and had sent a private jet to pick up me and Mom.

“Thank you!” my mother murmured gratefully to the Porter who finished loading all of our luggage as we turned and followed behind him.

My mother glanced at her phone. “Alpha Cassian said he would meet us at the lounge,” she murmured, her eyes flashing with excitement. Since she fell in love with me, I have seen a part of her that I never knew existed. My mom, whenever she talks about Alpha Cassian, her eyes would sparkle with excitement and you should see her on the phone with him – acting like a high school girl being asked on a date for the first time.

That is one of the reasons why I had agreed to leave our old life behind to come with my mother. I wanted her to be happy.

“Are you alright dear?” she asked me, pulling me from my thoughts.

I nodded, managing a small smile. “It’s just that everything feels so different.”

She placed a reassuring hand on my arm. “Sweetheart, I know this is a big change, but it’s for the best; You’ll like Cassian when you meet him. Besides, you’ll have siblings now… isn’t that wonderful?”

I’ve never had a sibling before, so I didn’t know how it felt like to have one. But I nodded and forced another smile.

“I’ll try my best, Mom. For you.”

“That’s my girl,” she beamed. “Now, remember what I told you about your stepbrothers. There are four of them and you must get along with all of them. We need to blend into this family seamlessly.”

“I know Mom,” I replied with a sigh “I’ll do my best. I want this to work out for you.”

By this time, we’d arrived at the lounge. My mother glanced at her watch. “Alpha Cassian said he would meet us here,” she murmured scanning the faces in the waiting lounge.

My heart raced. Meeting my stepfather for the first time was terrifying enough but knowing that he had four sons – stepbrother who were strangers to me, who I would need to share my space with and also my mother – only added to the pressure. What if they hated me? What if I couldn’t fit in?

As my mother fumbled for her phone in her bag, my gaze wandered across the waiting lounge. That’s when I saw him.

There, standing near the exit was a young man who looked like he’d just stepped off the cover of a fitness magazine. He was tall, tanned skin and impossibly muscular. He stood at least 6’2’, with broad shoulders that stretched the fabric of his t-shirt. He was holding a sign that read ‘Evelyn and Valeria for Alpha Cassian’ and two bouquets of vibrant flowers in one hand.

But it was his smile that caught my attention – it seemed warm and genuine and lit up his entire face as his eyes scanned the airport.

Behind him, stood three other men – well two other men because the last one seemed more my age, I would hardly call him a man.

The three men were all equally striking in their way. The first one, who seemed like their leader was slightly shorter, maybe 6 feet with fiery red hair that curled around his scalp in deep waves. Like the man holding up the sign, he was muscular but he was dressed in a navy blue suit that hugged him like a second skin. His face was set in a scowl, his green eyes narrowing as he surveyed the arrivals. He seemed like he would rather be anywhere than at the airport right now.

The second man beside him was just as tall, slightly taller but leaner. He wore round glasses, that captured his eyes, giving him an intellectual air accentuating his perfect cheekbones that made me wonder if he was this hot with his glasses, then how would he look without them?

He too was dressed in a suit that was tailored to fit his willowy frame. He had dark hair that fell in waves across his forehead. He had a quiet air about him and looked less hostile than the red-haired one. Still, there was a coldness in his gaze that made me uneasy.

The last man, who looked like the younger version of the red-haired man only he had mismatched irises – one blue and the other green. Like the red-haired man, his hair was two shades lighter almost coppery and they were tousled but in a sexy kind of way. He was dressed casually like the man with the sign and was standing quietly behind the other men, a smirk playing on his lips.

There was a dangerous glint in his eyes – unlike the other men who were reserved in their coldness, this one seemed like he would purposely enjoy making whoever came around him uncomfortable.

My heart skipped a beat. Were these my stepbrothers? If so, maybe this move wouldn’t be so bad after all. I nudged at my mother pointing towards the sign.

Her face broke into a relieved smile. “Oh, wonderful. Cassian just texted – he got held up in a meeting and sent his sons instead. Come on, let’s go introduce ourselves.”

As we approached them, the smiling young man’s eyes with the sign lit up even more.

“You must be Evelyn and Valeria,” he said in a friendly tone. “I’m Zane, Alpha Cassian's third son. Sorry, my dad couldn’t make it but he asked me and my brothers…” he paused waving to the three men behind him. “To come to greet you. Welcome to Red Ridge and I brought these flowers, just a little toke to say welcome.”

He gave me and my mom each of the bouquets and I felt myself flushed as I accepted it, smiling at him, grateful for his attempt. However, something about the situation still felt off.

Behind Zane, the red-haired came forward, the scowl on his face had been replaced with a forced smile as he came to stand in front of my mom. “My name is Alerion and I’m the Alpha’s first son. Hope you had a good trip?” he asked.

“Alerion!” my mom beamed “I’ve heard so much about you and we had the best trip. Thank you for asking.” She turned expectantly to the other man with the glasses standing next to Alerion. “I am Caius,” he stepped forward, his voice was smooth and cultured. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.” he extended a hand to my mom which she shook enthusiastically.

“The pleasure is all ours,” my mom gushed “And who’s the last one?” she asked staring at the last boy that seemed my age. He seemed to be more engrossed in his nails than in what was happening in front of him.

“Lysander!” he murmured, pushing himself from the wall he had been leaning against. Then he turned to Alerion. “Can I go now? I’m tired my legs hurt.”

Alerion waved him on and he turned and left without a backward glance leaving five of us.

“My name is Evelyn and this is my daughter Valeria,” she pointed at me. “It’s so kind of you to meet us. I was expecting Cassian – Alpha Cassian, but this is a wonderful surprise.”

Zane scratched the back of his neck, grinning. “Yeah, Dad had an important meeting and asked me and my brothers to come pick you up.”

“He already told me that,” my mom nodded. “

Zane and Caius helped us with our luggage, leading us to a sleek black SUV parked in front of the airport. As we approached, I saw that Lysander was already inside, headphones on his eyes as he stared out of the window, completely ignoring us.

My chest tightened as I climbed into the back seat. I couldn’t believe how rude Lysander was being. No detailed introduction, he threw it at our faces that we weren’t welcomed. Still, for the sake of my mother, I tried to stay positive. Maybe he’d warm up once we got to know each other. After all, this was a new family for all of us. We had to make it work.

The drive to the pack house was filled with an awkward silence with only Zane attempting to make conversation. Alerion, Caius and Lysander remained silent. Although Caius occasionally added polite comments his attention seemed divided.

By the time we arrived at the pack house, it was already evening. We met Alpha Cassian standing in front of the porch, his hands folded behind his back a quiet smile on his face.

When we got out of the car, he came up to my mother immediately, kissing her lightly on both cheeks.

“Evelyn!” he hummed softly. “Did the boys treat you well? I’m sorry, I had a last-minute meeting and couldn’t come. How was the journey?”

“It was fine, Cassian and your boys are lovely. Thank you!” my mom beamed with a smile.

He nodded as his gaze flicked in my direction lingering on me momentarily. “And this must be your daughter, Valeria?” he asked.

“Greet the Alpha, sweetheart,” My mother murmured to me, pushing me forward.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Windsor,” I replied flashing him a polite smile, surprised that my voice was steady.

“You have met your brothers right?” he asked giving me a quiet smile.

“Yes!” I nodded.

“Good, they’ll show you to your room. You must be tired and hungry; I’ll ask the maids to send food up to your room. Tomorrow, we’ll meet properly as a family.” Alpha Cassian said with a smile then he reached for my mother again. “Come Evelyn.”

***

Later that night, after a quiet dinner in my room, I found myself tossing and turning in bed, unable to sleep. The unfamiliar sounds of the pack house kept me on the edge. Occasionally, I would wonder what the boys were doing, if they were in bed too. After tossing and turning for what felt like hours, I decided to risk a trip to the kitchen for water.

Deciding not to turn on the lights, I used the light from my phone and crept down the stairs as quietly as I could.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a metallic scent hit me.

Blood.

My breath caught and I followed the scent, my heart racing. And then I saw him – Alerion, stepping through the front door, his white suit shirt stained with blood, his eyes glowing in the darkness.

A scream bubbled to the back of my throat as I stumbled backwards but before I could scream, Alerion was in front of me, slamming me against the wall, pinning me in place, his face inches from mine. His breath was hot against my skin.

Alerion loomed over me, his towering frame blocking any escape. His emerald eyes burning into my skin…

“What. Are. You. Doing. Downstairs?” He growled, each word dripping from his lips like venom. His face was mere inches from mine.

The metallic scent of blood on his shirt filled my nostrils – stronger than before. I allowed my gaze to drop to the front of his suit splattered with blood. They were fresh and wet making my stomach lurch with fear.

“I…I was just…” my voice came out in a strangled whisper.

He slammed his palm against the wall beside my head. The sudden movement made me flinch as a small whimper escaped my lips.

“Speak up!” he snarled “Why are you downstairs? What did you see?”

Tears welled in my eyes, blurring my vision. “Please,” I managed to choke out. “I didn’t mean to – I was just thirsty. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I swear, I didn’t see anything!”

A cruel smirk settled on his lips. “Thirsty?” he echoed leaning in so close that I could feel his breath on my cheek. “Oh, little sister, you have no idea what thirst truly is.”

His hand moved from the wall, his fingers grazing my throat, forcing out the air in my windpipe. My eyes burned with tears and my whole body started trembling. All I could think of at that moment was: Who’s blood was splattered on his suit? Was he going to kill me too?

“Look at me!” he commanded with a low growl.

Slowly, reluctantly, I let my gaze meet him in the dim light. What I saw made my breath catch, Alerion’s eyes had changed – his pupils had elongated into black slits.

“You’re new here,” he said, his tone cold. “So, I’ll let you off with a warning. There are rules in this house, Valeria. Break them again and there will be … consequences. But I should punish you first…”

He raised his hand, and I closed my eyes, flinching… but it never came. Instead, Alerion released me and took a step backwards, staring at me coldly.

“Next time,” he said coldly “Stay in your room.”

Shaken, I could only nod, unable to find my voice. As Alerion turned away, I caught movement from the corner of my eye. I looked up, my blood running cold.

Lysander stood at the top of the stairs, watching us with a strange, unsettling smile.