Chapter One

“What?” Jane Winters sat on her bed with her mouth slightly open as she looked at her mother, Sarah, in disbelief.

“I know it seems too quick, but, honey, I love him.”

“But getting married in two weeks?” She hadn’t even met her mother’s boyfriend and now she was getting married! Jane could hardly believe her ears but she wanted her mother to be happy. Her own happiness didn’t matter that much to her.

Her parents had gotten divorced two years ago and Jane had seen her mother cry and mourn like he had died. But he was still alive and less involved in Jane’s life than she would’ve liked.

“Oh sweetie, you’ll love it. He’s the Alpha of his pack and his territory borders on a national forest. They have a great high school in the town where you can finish your senior year.”

Jane regarded her mother. She was a sweet, loving and warm woman. She looked so happy that Jane couldn’t find it in herself to bratty about this move. Marrying an Alpha was a big deal and Sarah’s eyes twinkled when she talked about Kyle, her future husband.

Moving to a new pack meant that she had to leave her current school. Jane smiled because she really had no attachments to her current pack or school. She had no friends anymore and nobody to say goodbye to.

She used to live a peaceful school life until those demon twins ruined it for her. For some reason they found immense pleasure in bullying her every day.

Jane shook her head. No, not for some reason. She knew exactly why they picked on her, but it had been an accident, one she wished she’d never had the unfortunate luck of making.

The two brothers had transferred to her school in the middle of last year. At first Jane was as smitten as every other girl in school. They reminded her of Greek gods with their jet black hair and strikingly clear sea green eyes. They were hot, but the problem was that they knew it.

She had gotten a hall pass right before lunch and hurried to the bathroom as stomach cramps threatened to split her in half. She had pushed open the first stall door in the bathroom and her mouth had gaped open as one of the brothers held Britney against the stall wall, clearly in the middle of sex.

After that she was persona non grata, a nobody, and the few friends she’d had suddenly wanted nothing more to do with her. She was accused of trying to seduce them, which was an utter lie, but that had ended her friendships with everyone.

The pranks started then, the bullying, the bumping in the hallways. They pretended like she didn’t exist and one time a football player actually sat down on her lap, claiming that he hadn’t seen her sitting at the table in the cafeteria.

Jane never told her mother about the bullies. Divorce had brought on so much pain that she hadn’t want to add to her mother’s worries. The nightmare lasted less than two semesters and finally ended when the twins left the pack.

Of course, the girls in school went into mourning, which Jane thought was really ridiculous, but she couldn’t help but be relieved. She shook her head again slightly as she looked at her mother and made a decision.

“I guess a fresh start isn’t so bad.”

Sarah beamed with happiness as she hugged her daughter, talking rapidly about starting to pack and how great their new lives would be in Los Avalos with the Midnight Pack. Jane listened with half an ear as she thought about their new adventure.

One week later Jane stood in the driveway of one of the largest houses she’d ever seen. Even the Alpha in her old pack didn’t live in a house as lavish as this one. Her mother, Sarah, looked at Jane with anxious eyes, wanting her approval.

“Wow.”

“I know, right! You’ll love Kyle! He’s simply the best!”

A man with dark brown hair, broad shoulders and an easy smile opened the front door and hurried down the steps. Sarah’s handbag fell to the ground as the man caught her in a hug and they kissed intensely for a few seconds. Jane cleared her throat as the man broke the kiss off and finally seemed to notice her.

“Ah, you must be Jane! Welcome to Los Avalos and the Midnight Pack. I’m Kyle, the Alpha here.”

Jane bowed her head. “Hello Alpha Kyle.”

Kyle laughed and took her hand. “Call me Kyle please, we’re almost family after all.”

A few maids appeared and took their luggage as Kyle placed an arm around her shoulder and took Sarah’s hand, leading them into the grand house.

Through the double doors, Jane felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. She couldn’t believe her rotten luck. It felt like the air had been sucked from her lungs and for a fleeting moment she thought she was hallucinating.

On the foyer wall were large canvas pictures of none other than Jane’s bullies – Reid and Ryan Heiden. Why were their pictures in her new stepfather’s house? It was a sick joke, right? She was imagining it. But no, the twin demons smiled down at her and for a few seconds she struggled to catch her breath.

“Ah, my sons. You will meet each other later,” Kyle said and Jane was shocked.

Why hadn’t her mother told her that she would have two stepbrothers? Worse than having instant siblings was the fact that they were her bullies! They’d never gotten along even if she’d drooled over them in the beginning.

“Your room’s on the second floor along with Kyle’s boys.”

“What?” She caught her mother’s stern look. “I mean, excuse me?”

“Come on.” Kyle smiled as Sarah took Jane’s hand and led her upstairs to her new bedroom.

Jane stopped short in the bedroom. It was easily three times the size of her old bedroom. There was a large canopy bed with a flatscreen television mounted to the wall. The walls were painted a light green colour with a comforter set a shade darker than the walls. She had a vanity, a desk and she noticed two other doors.

“You have your own bathroom and a dressing room!”

Jane looked at her mother. Her excitement knew no bounds and Jane smiled as she realized that her mother really was happy.

Jane steeled her resolve because she only had to survive for one year, right? One year of living in the same house as the demon twins. She could do it. She would do it! In one year she’d go to college and be free.

She smiled when she saw her luggage and a few of her boxes already in the room. She needed to unpack but she was dazzle by the room and its size. Large French doors led to a private balcony and she couldn’t wait to explore it later.

“Do you like it?”

Jane turned towards her mother and smiled. “I love it.”

“Fantastic! Kyle said you can redecorate however you want it.”

Despite the fact that she loved her room, it would’ve been perfect if the demon twins didn’t have their room across from hers. Jane looked at the closed door across from her open one. Werewolves were strong, the strongest species in fact and if they wanted to, they could break into her room easily enough.

Another lock on her door would help her anxiety and she could sleep more peacefully at night before her big escape in one year. Yes, that’s what she’d do. She’d add another lock on the door and have some inner peace amidst the turmoil.

“Thanks, actually I’d like to add another lock to the door and then we probably have to talk about …”

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation as Kyle appeared in the doorway. “Sorry to intrude. If you don’t like the colours, you can change it. You can change anything you don’t like. Sarah said you liked green, but … it’s too much, isn’t it?”

Jane smiled, genuinely touched by this big Alpha’s flustering words. “It’s perfect, thank you Kyle.”

“The twins are right across from you and we’re on the third floor. Please make yourself at home, Jane.”

‘Great, just great,’ Jane thought to herself as her mother and Kyle stared into each other’s eyes.

“Dinner’s in ten minutes if you want to freshen up quickly.”

Jane nodded her head as they left her room and she closed the door behind them and leaned against it. She really hoped that the twins would leave her alone. She had no intention to be their victim again this year.

She was ordinary looking, with chestnut brown hair and large green eyes that she mainly hid behind her glasses. She didn’t really like contact lenses and she preferred to dress for comfort rather than style. She didn’t show cleavage or skin like the twin’s girlfriends did. 

Her lack of fashion sense and her glasses had earned her the nickname of ‘nerd’. She tried to keep to herself and rarely bothered anyone. She sighed as she realized she couldn’t hide in her room forever and if she was totally honest, she was starving.

She descended the stairs and followed the smell of food to the dining room. Kyle sat at the round table and there was one empty chair, right in between the twins. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and sat down as each twin stared at her.

“Jane, this is Reid and Ryan, my sons. Boys, this is Jane. I hope you’ll all get along.” Kyle smiled as he looked at each of them in turn.

They were dressed in dark wash denims with tight black t-shirts stretching across their shoulders. She wished they weren’t so good-looking. She felt ordinary and plain in comparison to their god-like physiques.

 “It just occurred to me that the twins lived in Brackwater Pack with their mother for a while. Do you all know each other?” Kyle looked expectantly at them.

The twins didn’t look up as their father spoke and Jane caught his gaze. 

“No.” Her hurried lie had the twins smirking but Kyle was already glancing at Sarah with loving eyes as he took her hand.

She looked down hurriedly as both twins looked at her and she could feel her cheeks redden with embarrassment. They ate in relative silence as Kyle and Sarah talked in low voices. Every now and then one of the twins would brush against her arm or leg and she wished she could escape.

Jane took a bite of her spaghetti and resisted the urge to moan as the basil and tomato blended together perfectly. She opened her eyes to find Kyle watching her with a smile. “Sarah told me you like spaghetti so I had the chef prepare this as a welcome dinner for you.”

“It’s the best spaghetti I’ve ever had.” Kyle smiled broadly as everyone ate in silence and Jane averted her gaze from the twins.

“How about we all go for a walk after dinner? I’d love to show you both some of our territory.” Kyle’s sincerity was obvious and Jane thought to herself that she could really like the man despite his two evil demon spawns.

“It’s been a really long day and I still have to unpack my clothes. Maybe another time?”

Kyle nodded his head. “Of course. I didn’t think how tired you must be.”

“Are you alright honey?” Sarah asked.

“Absolutely Mom. Have fun on your walk. I’m going to have a shower and get into bed. I don’t want to be late for my first day at school.”

“Oh that reminds me. Reid and Ryan can take you to school tomorrow and show you around.”

Jane glanced at Reid. He didn’t look too pleased with being tasked to drive her to school. ‘Me neither,’ Jane thought. She could only nod her head since she hadn’t had time to finish her talk with her mother, not about the evil twins or the extra door lock.

Jane hurried up the stairs as her mother and Kyle headed towards the front door with the twins. Back in her room she locked the door behind her and leaned her head against the door. How the hell was she supposed to live in this house with them for a whole year?

She realized with a start that her cellphone was still on the dining room table and she quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open, only to find Reid and Ryan leaning against the wall in front of her door, looking intently at her.