Fated to my 4 bully Stepbrothers의 모든 챕터: 챕터 81 - 챕터 90

~Valeria~I should have known that finding the perfect missing piece to my father's puzzle would somehow turn into a disaster.The bronze badge sat in my palm like it had been waiting to be owned by me. A wolf's head wrapped around a crown, exactly the right shape to complete the broken piece I'd been carrying around since I was little. When I pressed them together, they clicked into place with a satisfying snap that made my heart race.This was it. This was the proof I'd been looking for that my dad really was connected to something bigger than Mom had ever told me.I was so focused on staring at the completed badge that I didn't notice someone approaching my library table until fingers wrapped around my wrist."Valeria."Caius stood beside me, looking more annoyed than I'd ever seen him in my entire life. "What are you doing here?" "That badge." His eyes were fixed on my palm. "Where did you get it?""I found it." I answered. "In one of the old books. Why?""Because Michael has on

~Alerion~There are moments when you realize your father sees people as chess pieces instead of human beings, and today was apparently going to be one of those days.The blind date agreement hit the desk with a sound that ruined the study's silence. Everything about it screamed transaction rather than romance."Meet the Dark Shadow Pack heir next weekend." Father's voice carried that particular brand of ice that meant he'd already made up his mind and wasn't interested in hearing objections. "Aaron Blackwood. Strong bloodline, powerful connections. He'll strengthen my position considerably."I leaned back in the leather chair across from his desk, fingers drumming against the armrest in a way that probably annoyed him. Good. Because what he was suggesting annoyed the hell out of me."And you want me to convince Valeria to agree to this?""I want you to make sure she understands her obligations to this family."Obligations. Like she owed us something for the privilege of living in a ho

~Valeria~If my stepfather sets me up on one more blind date, I'm literally going to snap and it's going to be his problem, not mine.Like, I'm talking about a full meltdown in the middle of whatever fancy restaurant he picks. Maybe I'll start crying about my "daddy issues" loud enough for the whole place to hear. Or better yet, maybe I'll just tell my date exactly what Cassian told the last guy that I come with "excellent breeding potential". See how fast that kills the mood.The man has absolutely zero chill about this whole thing. I could show up in a literal trash bag with my hair on fire and he'd still be like "oh, Valeria's just going to make a fine bride, don’t you think, babe?" Meanwhile, my mom sits there nodding, too busy enjoying her new Chanel purse to tell him that maybe, just maybe, his teenage stepdaughter isn't ready to be married off to the first guy with a huge trust fund and alpha blood.But why would she stick up for me when sticking up for Cassian gets her a black

~Valeria~Nothing says “dumb” quite like following a guy you barely know to an abandoned warehouse because he claims to have answers about your psycho stepfather's secret murder plans.But here I was, walking through dust and broken glass in my good sneakers because Michael had texted me saying he'd found something about the royal altar. Something that couldn't wait. Something that apparently required meeting in the kind of place where horror movies happen and bodies get discovered three months later."This is it," Michael said, stopping in front of a rusty metal door that looked like it hadn't been opened since the First World War. "The location matches your father's map exactly."I stared at the building, trying to reconcile this dump with the elegant diagrams in Dad's journal. "You're telling me the royal altar that my stepfather wants to use for his evil ritual is hidden under this piece of garbage warehouse?""Not under the warehouse. Under your house. But this is where your fath

~Zane~The rooftop looked perfect, sunflowers everywhere because Valeria had mentioned once that they reminded her of summer days when she was little. String lights I'd hung myself because I'm not paying some decorator to half-ass something this important. And the strawberry cake from that bakery downtown that she always stared at when we drove past but never asked to stop at.This was it. This was the moment I was finally gonna tell her how I felt instead of watching my brothers circle around her like vultures while I sat there like an idiot."Zane, oh my gosh….this is so beautiful," Valeria said, running her fingers along one of the sunflower petals. "You did all this by yourself?""Yeah, well..." I shoved my hands in my pockets because they were shaking and that was embarrassing as hell. "I wanted to talk to you about something."She turned to look at me, and the way the setting sun caught her hair made my chest feel tight. For months I'd been wanting to say this. Months of watchin