Chapter 4

Xavier led me through campus like he owned the place—which, honestly, he kind of did. His hand was still wrapped around my wrist, not tight enough to hurt but firm enough that I knew running wasn't an option.

"Where are we going?" I asked for the third time, my voice shaky.

"You'll see."

We stopped in front of a building I'd never paid attention to before. It looked old, fancy, with stone columns and windows tinted so dark you couldn't see inside. There was no sign, no indication of what it was, but Xavier pulled out a key card and swiped it against a reader by the door.

The lock clicked open.

"This is a private club," he explained, finally letting go of my wrist as he pushed the door open. "Members only. You should feel honored."

I didn't feel honored. I felt terrified.

The inside was nothing like I expected. Dark wood panels, leather furniture, dim lighting that made everything look expensive and exclusive. Music played softly from hidden speakers, and the air smelled like cigars and whiskey.

And sitting on the couches in the main lounge were the rest of them.

All seven Kane brothers.

My heart dropped straight through the floor.

Ryder was there, leaning back with a drink in his hand. The green-eyed one from this morning sat next to him, still looking annoyed. There were four others I recognized from around campus—all of them tall, muscular, devastatingly handsome, and currently staring at me like I was something they'd dragged in from the street.

"Xavier," one of them said, raising an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

"This," Xavier said, steering me further into the room, "is the girl who saw something she shouldn't have."

My face went red. "I already said I wouldn't tell anyone—"

"And I already said I don't trust you," Xavier interrupted smoothly. He gestured to an empty chair. "Sit."

I didn't move. Every instinct I had was screaming at me to run, to get out of here before something bad happened.

"I should go," I said, taking a step backward. "I have homework and—"

"Sit. Down."

The command in his voice made my knees weak, and I hated myself for it. I sank into the chair, my hands gripping the armrests.

"Well, well, well."

That voice made my blood run cold.

I looked up to see Sienna emerging from a back room, a drink in her hand and that same cruel smile on her face.

"What is she doing here?" Sienna asked, looking at me like I was a piece of trash someone had forgotten to throw out.

"Xavier brought her," Ryder said, sounding bored.

Sienna's eyes lit up with malicious glee. "Oh, this is perfect. Did you finally realize you're in over your head, Meera? Came running to the big strong Alphas for protection?"

"I didn't come running anywhere," I snapped, finding my voice. "I was brought here against my will."

"Same difference." Sienna perched on the arm of the couch, crossing her legs. "God, you really don't belong here. Look at you—you're shaking like a scared little rabbit."

I was shaking, but not just from fear. Anger was building in my chest, hot and fierce.

"Leave her alone, Sienna," one of the other brothers said lazily. I thought his name was Damien—not the one who'd rejected me, different Damien.

"Why? It's funny," Sienna said with a shrug.

Xavier moved to the bar and poured something amber-colored into a glass. "Here's the deal," he said, turning to face me. "I don't trust that you'll keep your mouth shut about what you saw. So you're going to stay here, have a few drinks with us, and prove you're not going to run off and cause problems."

"I don't drink," I said immediately.

"You do now." He held out the glass.

I stared at it, my heart racing. "I just want to leave. Please."

"Not until I'm convinced you're not a threat."

"A threat? I'm nobody!" The words burst out of me, frustration and fear mixing together. "I'm just a wolfless girl who doesn't matter to anyone. Why would I cause problems for you?"

The room went quiet, and I realized what I'd just admitted.

Wolfless.

Sienna started laughing. "Oh my God, I almost forgot! You guys didn't know? Meera here doesn't have a wolf. She's basically human. Completely useless."

The brothers exchanged glances, and I wanted to disappear.

"That's... interesting," the green-eyed one said slowly.

"It's pathetic," Sienna corrected. She slid off the couch and walked over to me, pulling a small flask from her purse. "You know what? I feel bad for you, Meera. Let me buy you a drink. Consider it a peace offering."

I looked at her suspiciously. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I'm feeling generous." She poured something clear into a glass and held it out. "Come on. One drink won't kill you."

Every part of me screamed that this was a bad idea, but I was surrounded by seven powerful Alphas and the girl who'd made my life hell. What choice did I have?

I took the glass.

"That's a good girl," Sienna said sweetly.

I drank it in one swallow, grimacing at the burn.

"There," I said, setting the glass down. "Can I go now?"

Xavier considered for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess."

Relief flooded through me. I stood up quickly, my legs feeling a little unsteady. Probably just from stress.

"Thanks for nothing," I muttered, heading for the door.

But as I walked, something felt wrong. The room was starting to tilt slightly, and my skin felt hot—too hot, like I was standing too close to a fire.

"You okay?" Ryder called after me.

"Fine," I lied, pushing through the door and out into the hallway.

I needed air. I needed to get out of here.

The campus looked different somehow, the lights too bright and the sounds too loud. My body felt strange, tingly and warm in a way that made me uncomfortable.

What was happening to me?

"Meera!"

I turned to see Sienna coming after me, and the smile on her face told me everything I needed to know.

She'd done something. Put something in that drink.

"Stay away from me," I said, my voice slurring slightly.

"Oh, sweetie," Sienna said, her voice dripping with fake concern. "You don't look so good. Maybe you should lie down somewhere. I know a guy who'd love to help you with that."

Terror shot through me, cutting through the fog in my brain.

I ran.

My legs felt like jelly, and the world kept spinning, but I ran anyway. I could hear Sienna laughing behind me, could hear her heels clicking on the pavement as she chased me.

"You can't run forever!" she called out.

I stumbled around a corner, my vision blurring. There was a car parked nearby—a black sedan with tinted windows. The back door was slightly open.

Without thinking, I threw myself inside and slammed the door shut.

"Drive!" I gasped, hoping there was a driver.

The locks clicked.

I tried the door handle. It wouldn't budge.

"No, no, no," I whispered, panic rising in my chest. "Let me out!"

The car started moving.

"Stop!" I banged on the window, but it was useless. The glass was too thick, and we were already pulling away from campus.

My body felt like it was on fire now, every nerve ending screaming. Whatever Sienna had given me was getting stronger, making it hard to think, hard to focus on anything except the heat building inside me.

The drive felt like forever and no time at all. When the car finally stopped, the door unlocked with a click.

I practically fell out onto the driveway, my hands and knees hitting smooth pavement. I looked up and saw a mansion—massive and modern, with huge windows and perfect landscaping.

Where was I?

"This way, miss," a voice said.

The driver—a man in a suit I didn't recognize—was gesturing toward the front door.

"I don't understand," I said, but my words came out thick and confused.

He didn't answer, just gently guided me inside and then disappeared.

I stood in the entrance hall, my head spinning, my body feeling things I didn't understand. The house was beautiful, all clean lines and expensive furniture, but I couldn't focus on any of it.

Then I heard voices. Male voices, getting closer.

The seven brothers walked in from another room, and I could tell immediately that something was different about them. Their movements were loose, uncoordinated. Their eyes were unfocused.

They were drunk.

Really drunk.

"Well, well," Xavier said, spotting me first. "Look who decided to visit."

"How did you—" I started, but Ryder cut me off.

"Doesn't matter," he said, moving closer. "You're here now."

They surrounded me slowly, like wolves circling prey, and I should have been scared. I should have been running.

But I wasn't.

Because as they got closer, that strange pull I'd felt before came back ten times stronger. My body was reacting to them in ways that made no sense, my skin heating up everywhere their eyes touched.

"You smell different," the green-eyed one said, leaning in close enough that I could smell the whiskey on his breath. "Sweet."

"I need to go," I whispered, but I didn't move.

Couldn't move.

Xavier's hand came up to brush my cheek, and I gasped at the contact. "Do you really want to leave?"

No. The answer was no, and that terrified me.

One of the other brothers—I couldn't think straight enough to figure out which one—stepped behind me, his chest pressing against my back.

"She's shaking," he murmured.

"I'm not," I lied, but I was. My whole body was trembling.

"Liar," Ryder said with a lazy smile.

They were so close now, surrounding me completely, and I knew I should push them away. I should scream, should fight, should do something.

But when Xavier leaned down and whispered, "Tell us to stop," I couldn't form the words.

Because even though my brain was screaming that this was wrong, that I needed to get away, my body was telling me something completely different.

And I couldn't push them away. Not even if I wanted to.