Chapter 6: The Luna Trap

Maya

Stephen's bedroom was three times the size of my entire house.

Dark wood furniture. A fireplace that could fit a grown man. Windows that overlooked the pack lands like a king surveying his kingdom. And that bed, massive and draped in midnight blue silk.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Stephen closed the door behind us with a soft click.

I stayed by the entrance, my back pressed against the wall. "I'm not sleeping in here with you."

"Yes, you are." He walked to the fireplace, pouring himself a drink from a crystal decanter. "Would you like some wine? You look like you need it."

"I need to go home."

"This is your home now, Maya. The sooner you accept that, the easier this will be."

His scent filled the room like smoke. Pine and leather and something purely alpha that made my knees weak. I hated how my body responded to it.

"You saved me from drowning at school," I said, trying to find some angle, some way out of this. "That has to count for something."

He turned, glass in hand, eyebrow raised. "Are you trying to call in a favor?"

"Maybe."

Stephen laughed, low and rich. "Oh, sweetheart. You don't get to cash that chip in to avoid your obligations. If anything, it means you owe me even more."

"How do you figure that?"

"Simple math." He moved closer, and I pressed harder against the wall. "I saved your life. Your life now belongs to me. Therefore, everything about you belongs to me."

"That's twisted logic."

"That's alpha logic." He stopped just out of arm's reach, close enough that his warmth radiated over my skin. "And you're about to learn there's a difference."

The door burst open without a knock.

"Stephen." Karl filled the doorway, his eyes immediately finding me. "I thought I'd check on our mate."

"She's fine." Stephen's voice turned sharp. Warning.

"She looks terrified." Karl stepped into the room uninvited. "Maybe I should keep her company instead. You know, someone with a gentler touch."

The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.

"Get out," Stephen said softly.

"Or what?" Karl's eyes flashed gold. "You'll fight me for her? Tonight?"

"If I have to."

They stared at each other, and I realized I was watching some kind of alpha dominance game. The air grew thick with power, pressing against my skin like a weight.

"Boys." My voice cracked, but it broke the tension. "I'm not a toy you can fight over."

"You're right," Stephen said, not taking his eyes off his brother. "You're much more valuable than a toy."

Karl's jaw tightened. "This isn't over."

"Yes, it is." Stephen's voice carried absolute authority. "Tonight she's mine. Tomorrow we'll discuss the schedule."

"Schedule?" I squeaked.

But Karl was already leaving, the door slamming behind him hard enough to rattle the windows.

"Schedule for what?" I demanded.

Stephen finished his drink in one swallow. "For sharing you, of course. Four mates, one Luna. We'll need to work out a rotation."

My stomach dropped. "A rotation."

"Don't look so horrified. It's very civilized. Much better than the old days when brothers would tear each other apart over a shared mate."

"I'm not sharing myself with anyone!"

"That's not your decision anymore." He set his glass down and finally looked directly at me. "But don't worry. We'll start slow. Give you time to adjust."

The way he said it made my skin crawl.

++++++

School the next day was a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

I sat in English class, trying to focus on Shakespeare while Stephen's scent lingered on my clothes. He'd made me sleep in his room, on a chair by the fire like some kind of pet. Watching me all night with those golden eyes.

"Miss Rodriguez, are you paying attention?"

"Yes, ma'am." I jerked back to reality.

But my eyes drifted to Stephen three rows ahead. He was texting someone, completely ignoring the lesson. The teacher didn't dare call him out.

After class, I tried to slip out quickly, but the hallway was packed. That's when I saw them.

Stephen had Allison pressed against the lockers, his mouth on hers in a kiss that made half the girls in school sigh with envy. But his eyes, his eyes were looking directly at me over her shoulder.

He was kissing her to hurt me. Making sure I saw it. Making sure I knew that mate bond or not, I meant nothing to him.

Allison's hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. She was making little moaning sounds that echoed down the hallway. Everyone was watching, whispering, taking pictures.

But Stephen's gaze never left mine.

The cruel smirk on his lips while he kissed another girl made my wolf howl in pain. Made my human heart crack just a little more.

I could have exposed her. Could have shouted about Marcus, about what I'd heard in the bathroom. But what was the point? Stephen would just find another girlfriend to torment me with.

I turned and walked away, but I felt Allison's eyes on my back. When I glanced over my shoulder, she was smiling. Not at Stephen, but at me.

She knew. Somehow, she knew about the mate bond. And she was enjoying this as much as he was.

+++++++

Walking home alone was stupid. I knew it even as I took the long way, avoiding the main roads where pack members might see me. But I needed air. Space. Time to think about how I was going to survive this.

The forest path was quiet except for birds and rustling leaves. Peaceful, almost. I let myself pretend, just for a moment, that I was free. That I could keep walking until I reached another pack's territory, another state, another life.

The hand that grabbed me from behind was stronger than steel.

I tried to scream, but cloth pressed against my mouth and nose. Sweet, chemical smell that made my head spin. Chloroform, maybe, or something stronger.

"Shh," a voice whispered in my ear. Male, but not one of the brothers. "Just breathe it in, little wolf. This will all be over soon."

My legs gave out, but arms caught me before I could fall. The world tilted sideways, colors bleeding together like watercolors in rain.

"Who.." I managed to gasp before the darkness took me.

The last thing I saw was a pair of boots walking toward us through the trees. Expensive boots. The kind alphas wore.

Then everything went black, and I fell into a dreamless void…