Chapter One

Raine POV

I watch as Kal sits back, smirking at me. His dark hair hangs over his eyes slightly, swept slightly to the side. It’s the same smile he always gives me, the one that says he wants more but I don’t.

He’s the best friend of my brothers, and future Alpha of the Blackmoor pack. The thing is, he’s hot, but I don’t know. It’s not even that he’s their best friend, it’s just, we grew up together. I see him as a brother.

“Hey, Venom,” Kal says and I laugh.

“What, Kal?”

“Aren’t you late?” His head tilts and I look at my phone.

“Yeah, she is. Better not be late, Venom, father’s Beta won’t be happy.”

Venom is my nickname, only those closest to me call me it and understand the name. I got it after I got bored of trying to get close to guys and my brothers almost killing them.

Now, the moment a guy tries, I stop him before he even gets a word in, and apparently my words are like venom. Hence the nickname.

The truth is, most of the guys won’t even try because they know my brothers and they are too afraid. The ones who do? They just want me for the title, to be closer to Alpha Julius, my father.

So yeah, when guys try, I destroy them with words. I remind them that they might be willing to fight my brothers for approval, but I could break them just as easily.

“Venom,” Cain says and I glance at him. My three brothers are all one year older than me, triplets and identical, in the flesh anyway. They all have that ash-blonde hair that covers their eyes, bright blue eyes, and an easy smile.

But on the inside? Entirely different. The only thing they have in common is the women they fuck, and protecting me.

Cain is laid back, he likes to party, to play. Axel is more focused on training. Yeah, he parties, but he trains hard. Vane is a mixture of them, he’s wild, but also trains hard.

“Yeah, I’m going,” I say. I should have been at the shop by now. From a young age I drew, I became an artist, but art isn’t good, it’s a piece that hangs on the wall in one person’s house.

Which is why I trained to tattoo. My father has his reservations, my mother... she hates it. I’m still convinced she’s not my mother, even though my father swears down she is.

She’s like an evil stepmother to me. My brothers? She adores them. But me? Yeah, I’ve had a black eye or two. My father says we’re too alike and clash.

Walking out, I climb on the bike and ride to my shop. I stop outside and climb off the bike, unlocking the door and stepping inside. I hang up my coat and walk around setting everything up.

“Hey Venom,” Vane says as he steps in, and behind him is Beta Ashley.

“Vane,” I say and hug him quickly. He looks down at me and sighs.

“Stop annoying Mother, and giving her a reason to raise her hand.”

I scoff. “I walked in the door, should I stand outside and wait for permission to come into our own home?” I ask.

His eyes roll, and Beta Ashley drags his top from his body. For a moment my brain stops working. I’ve seen just about every part of his body, and still to this day, I find myself caught when he does that.

Ashley is forty, way too old for eighteen-year-old me. But... he’s hot, like hotter than Kal hot. He’s not yet found his mate, and I wonder if he ever will?

“Another year,” I say as I drag the stool in front of him, and settle myself between his open thighs.

“It sure is, so let’s add the mark,” he says.

This is a quick and easy tattoo. Every year that he’s the head Beta for my father, he gets another small crest in the larger one. “You’re running out of space,” I say as I dip the needle into the ink.

“You’re not using a stencil?” Axel asks and I look up to see him, Cain and Kal step in.

“I don’t need a stencil, I’m doing this crest too much,” I laugh. Leaning forward, I begin. Beta Ashley flinches.

“Careful,” he growls.

I playfully slap his face. “For a Beta you’re a pussy,” I joke and he laughs.

“Most give a warning,” he says.

I stop tattooing and look at him. “Most? How many other people do you go see to have tattoos done?” I ask.

“None, Raine, just you.”

Humming I nod and get back to work. “That’s what I thought,” I say. Everyone laughs. I’m now the main person a lot of packs come to for tattoos. Humans come as well, but my main clients are wolves.

“All done,” I say, leaning back from Beta Ashley. He stands and throws on his shirt before walking out.

“Are you meeting Sasha later?” Cain asks.

“Don’t, Cain, I swear if you three fuck her, I won’t be happy,” I say with a laugh.

The door opens, and I turn. My jaw practically hits the floor at the guy who steps in. I say steps in, he has to duck to get through the door.

God damn, he’s hot. My mouth goes dry and I just stare at him.