The Stripper Toy for My Hot Stepbrothers

Lyra’s POVFLASHBACK 11 YEARS BACKThe world dissolves into screaming. My screaming. The smell of rain on hot pavement is so sharp it burns my nose. My mother’s arms, Iris, are wrapped around me, a desperate cage. “No, please, no! Let her go!”A different set of arms, brutal and strong, yanks me from her. The world tilts. I’m flying, then crashing into the dark, smelly inside of a van. The doors slam shut, swallowing the light. Swallowing her.The van moved away. I scream until my throat hurts and no sound comes out.Just as the van stopped. The doors open to a different darkness. A basement. It smells of wet dirt, of rotten wood, of something else… something sharp and metallic I don’t have a name for yet.A man with a black mask over his face shoves me inside. “Move.”I stumble forward. Other kids are huddled on a cold concrete floor. Their crying is a low, constant hum, like trapped bees. I count seven. Then six. Then seven again. My eyes won’t focus.A small boy with wide, scared e

Lyra’s POVThe quiet in the club's back hallway felt thick and heavy. My skin still tingled from Jeremy's touch. My head spun with fear and a need I didn't understand. I leaned against the cool wall, trying to breathe, trying to pull myself together.The door flew open and slammed against the wall. A man walked in, and for a second, I thought it was Jeremy. He had the same strong body, the same dark, sharp eyes.But it wasn't him. This man was all hard lines and wild energy, like a storm in a black leather jacket. He didn't even look at me. He just pushed past and threw open Jeremy's office door without knocking.I knew I shouldn't, but I moved closer. The door was open just a crack. I could hear them talking."You're pushing too hard, Jeremy," the man's voice was low and angry. "The North Side won't just give up because you want them to.""I didn't ask what you think, Raphael." Jeremy's voice was cold as ice. "You do what I tell you. That's your job."Raphael. The name stuck in my he

Lyra’s POVThe dining room was ridiculous—a table that could seat twenty, crystal glasses that caught the light like diamonds, plates with gold edges. I sat between Iris and an empty chair, feeling like an imposter in my cheap dress.Marcus sat at the head of the table, looking like a king. Caspian and Orion sat across from us, their hatred burning holes through my skin. They hadn't said a word to me since their outburst, but their eyes said everything.You don't belong here. You're trash. We'll make you pay."The other boys will be joining us shortly," Marcus said, pouring wine like this was normal, like his sons weren't plotting murder with their eyes.Other boys? How many sons did this man have?The door opened and two more men walked in. Identical. Twins. Both tall, both built like they spent their lives in a gym, both looking at me like I was something they'd scraped off their shoe.My stomach dropped to the floor.The first twin was Silas. The CEO. The man who'd rejected me this

JEREMY’S POVI smelled the blood before I even reached the house.My wolf surged forward, clawing at my insides. Something was wrong. Very wrong. I pushed through the front door and the scent hit me full force—death, fear, and underneath it all, her.Lyra.I ran up the stairs three at a time, following the sounds of shouting and her muffled screams. My heart was hammering so hard it hurt.The bedroom door was open. What I saw made my vision go red.Caspian had his hands wrapped around Lyra's throat. Her face was turning purple, eyes wide with terror. Orion and Silas held her arms twisted behind her back. Rowan stood to the side, face cold and watching. Raphael was there too, just staring like he didn't know what to do.And on the floor between them—Dad. Covered in blood. Not moving."Get off her!" I roared, grabbing Caspian by the back of his shirt and throwing him across the room.He crashed into the wall hard. Orion lunged at me but I shoved him back. Silas let go of Lyra's arm and

The door slammed shut behind me. The sound was loud in the quiet, fancy room. My heart was beating so fast it hurt. I had to leave. Now. I couldn't breathe in this house full of beautiful, hateful people. My hands shook as I pulled open the dresser drawers and grabbed my few pieces of clothing. I didn't fold them. Just threw them into the small suitcase I'd found in the closet.Every second, I expected the door to burst open. For one of them—Caspian with his anger, Silas with his cold fury—to come for me. They thought I was a killer. The thought made me feel sick. My mother's betrayal hurt like a fresh cut. She'd thrown me to them. She always threw me away.A floorboard creaked outside my door. I froze, my whole body tense. The doorknob turned slowly. I looked around for a weapon, anything.It was Jeremy.I let out a breath that was half relief, half fresh anger. He slipped inside and leaned against the closed door, blocking my only way out. His dark eyes looked around the room—at the