Chapter 5

Alerion POV

I and my brothers gathered in the library later that night after I was done with my work for the day.

We all took our usual spots, with me sitting at the chair next to the mahogany table, my back against the high-backed leather chair, my fingers drumming against the armrest rhythmically. Caius was nearby, leaning against a bookshelf with his usual calm demeanour adjusting his glasses now and again with a bored expression on his face.

Zane was sprawled on the couch, his muscular frame taking up more than half of it and Lysander, the youngest, lounged by the window, his eyes gleaming with their usual mischief.

We only gathered in the library whenever we wanted to talk about something that bothered us and tonight’s discussion was about Valera and her mother. Well, mostly Valeria.

Her mother seemed to be pushing the right buttons with my father, making her out of our reach, at least for now.

“She’s just like her mother,” Lysander sneered, crossing his arms over his chest. “She’s looking to worm her way into our hearts and secure her future?”

We’ve lived through my father and his usual mistresses but none of them ever came with a child and none of them charmed my father enough into marrying them. So, this had come as a shock to us.

My eyes flickered to him, fighting the smile that wanted to spread across my face. Lysander has always been more sensitive than the rest of us.

Zane let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Yeah, I thought the same thing when I saw her the first day at the airport. Sweet, innocent face, but it’s always the quiet ones. Just like her mother who clawed her way into dad’s heart and bed. Now the daughter is also looking for someone to take care of her, waiting for the right moment to sink in her claws.”

“Coming from someone who handed them flowers,” Lysander scoffed, glaring at Zane. “Giving them flowers is like asking them to make themselves at home.”

“I was only pretending to be nice, that’s all!” Zane fired back with a shrug.

“Well,” Caius said dryly, adjusting his glasses with disdain on his face. “I can see what she’s trying to do and it’s laughable. Evelyn already manipulated Father into marrying her and now she’s pushing her daughter to follow the same path. To get attached to one of us and get set for life, but she won’t get far.”

“I agree,” Lysander added again. “Her mother’s a parasite and she’ll be no different. She’s probably already planning how to play each of us, trying to figure out who’ll break first. Pathetic.”

“I say we give her a show, show her who’s in charge here,” I finally spoke.

Lysander tilted his head, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “So, we’ll keep playing with her now, right? Does that mean I can keep having a little fun, like today? You had to see her face when I left her at school,” he laughed, clearly enjoying the idea of toying with Valeria more and making her life as uncomfortable as possible. “Poor little thing had to walk all the way home.”

“You shouldn’t be so obvious, Ly!” Caius remarked coming to lean against the mahogany desk. “Her mother might complain to her father.”

“I don’t think making her walk five miles, given she just came to the pack and is not familiar with the place, is fair. Maybe you were too harsh, Ly. Leaving her stranded is not fun. I wonder how you sleep at night,” Zane suddenly said.

“Like a newborn!” Lysander smirked. “It was more than fun, Zane. When she came in, she didn’t have the guts to tell her mother what happened. She was scared and she’ll do anything to keep her mother happy and make her worry less, that makes it easy for us.”

Zane’s face darkened slightly. “That’s the point, isn’t it? We can push her but don’t break her. We’re not supposed to make her life miserable. Just… show her her place. She’s just a girl…”

“Just a girl?” Caius cut him off with a dry laugh. “Like her mother was just an innocent woman who happened to catch father’s eye? Don’t be naïve Zane. We all know what they are and what they always want. Women like them are the same everywhere.”

“She’s a pretty gold digger though,” Lysander laughed cheerfully. “Those big scared eyes when she saw Alerion the other night. Priceless.”

I set down my glass of wine with deliberate care. “She shouldn’t have been wandering around at night. I merely- educated her on house rules.”

“By choking her?” Lysander’s grin widened. “How educational.”

“Watch your mouth, Ly,” I warned, though there was no real heat in my voice. “We’re teaching her a lesson not traumatizing her completely.”

“Exactly my point,” Zane sighed.

Caius paused, giving Zane a side glance. “Don’t tell me you’re feeling sorry for her already. You’re not going soft, are you? Falling for her innocent act? The scared little girl routine?

“Hell no!” Zane’s expression tightened as he clenched his jaw in annoyance. “Someone like me fall for someone like her? Please Caius, I always have the sweet, juicy girls. I’ve been laid several times than any of you would ever be in a year. My specs are supermodels and unsuspecting daughters of Alphas. She’s nothing.”

“Yeah, whatever,” I nodded. “We wouldn’t want to end up like father, see how he always is around her. She had reduced him to playing house with a common wolf.”

“If you can even call her that,” Lysander added. “At least our mothers had proper bloodlines. What does this one bring to the pack? And her daughter…” he made a dismissive gesture. “No wolf, no power, no connections. Just a pretty face and the same scheming nature as her mother.”

“Take it easy guys!” Zane sighed again. “You’re giving her more power than is necessary. I’m not looking to spend my days with some terrified girl skulking around the house.”

“I knew from the moment you offered to give them that house tour that you were up to something,” Caius scoffed. “Open your eyes, Zane…”

“They’re wide open!” Zane snapped “And can you stop making a fuss about me being nice to them.”

“I think what Zane means is that we can play with her all we want but we should still maintain control. She’s wolfless, remember, which means, she’s not a threat and she’s still part of the family. We cannot go too far.”

“Why not?” Lysander rolled his eyes. “Do you like her too?”

“Don’t be silly, Lysander,” I glared at him. “I just don’t want her to die in the process of anything we do to her. I don’t care about her. Let’s not complicate things, guys, we don’t want a human’s blood on our hands.”

“You’re just afraid to get your hands dirty,” Lysander smirked. “But me? I don’t mind a little mess.”

“You’ll mind if you kill her by accident,” Zane scoffed.

Lysander sighed. “You’re both so uptight. I’m not planning on doing anything stupid. I just think we shouldn’t be going easy on her at all. She came here to be part of our lives, didn’t she? Let’s make sure she understands her place.”

“That’s the spirit,” Caius nodded with approval.

“Still guys,” I chirped in. “We’re teaching her a lesson, not destroying her completely. Keep it contained, and controlled. No marks, no evidence. Just enough to make her realize she’s not welcome here.”

“Spoilsport,” Lysander pouted. “But fine. Subtle it is.”

As if on cue, footsteps echoed in the hallways outside and we all fell silent, watching the shadow pass under the door. Light, hesitant steps – Valeria. Probably, heading to the kitchen again.

“Well!” Lysander stood, stretching like a cat. “I believe that’s my cue for another little lesson, Does anyone care to join?”

“She walked five miles today. Let her rest for now,” I said quietly. “Tomorrow, we’ll start bright and early.”