725 Days With My Alpha Stepbrothers 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 161 - 챕터 170

Stephanie's POV:It was 10 PM. The day had been long and draining, and I desperately needed to clear my mind. I stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. The sound of the running water filled the small space, drowning out the silence that had been gnawing at me since I left the infirmary earlier. I turned on the shower, letting the water cascade over my skin. The warmth soothed my tense muscles, but it did little to calm the storm brewing in my mind. My thoughts kept circling back to Ares, to the tattoo on his back, to the inscription beneath it. The scorpion was etched so vividly in my memory, its tail poised as though ready to strike. And the letters, the strange characters, they weren’t just a design; they meant something. Something significant.As the water streamed down my face, I closed my eyes, replaying the moment I saw the mark. Aiden had been right about the Argento triplets all along. They weren’t just ordinary students or brothers with a penchant for dr

Aiden's POV:My eyes snapped open, and the first thing I noticed was the unfamiliar ceiling above me. The muted beige color of the surface was nothing like the one in my room. For a moment, confusion clouded my mind. Where was I? I sat up slowly, my body protesting with a dull ache, my head pounding like a drum. My eyes scanned the room, and I realized immediately that this wasn’t just any place, it was Stephanie’s room. The faint, sweet scent lingering in the air was unmistakably hers. The events of the night before came rushing back like a tidal wave. I groaned and held my head in my hands as fragmented memories pieced themselves together. I had beaten Ares to a pulp. Then, in my frustration and guilt, I’d drowned myself in alcohol. Afterward, I found myself at her door, spilling everything I’d buried for so long. I had confessed, every word, every feeling. The weight of those memories pressed against my chest, but one thing stood out with startling clarity: I didn’t regret

Stephanie's POV:My mind kept replaying Lucy’s words about the RDC recall. The consequence of recalling the RDC and not winning is death or banishment from the supernatural realm, whichever punishment the winner chooses. I gulped hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. Who had come up with such a cruel and barbaric system? Lucy had explained that the RDC, or the Ranked Duel Challenge, had been in place for centuries before us. It was designed to maintain order among the hierarchy, to ensure that power stayed in the hands of the strongest and most capable. Those who dared to challenge the system had to face the ultimate test, and if they failed, the punishment was absolute. The concept made me sick to my stomach. The people who lived in those times must have been brutal beyond imagination. I couldn’t fathom surviving in an era where survival depended on such merciless rules. Even now, in a supposedly "modern" era, the RDC was still just as vicious. It wasn’t an option for me, not w

Alex's POV:We had already informed Tyler of our decision to exile him from the pack, an exile that would last forever. To my surprise, he didn’t argue or protest. He simply nodded, his face devoid of expression, as though he had already resigned himself to the punishment. His silence made it worse somehow, like he was carrying a heavy burden he had no fight left to resist.I paced back and forth in the living room, my footsteps echoing against the wooden floor. My chest felt tight, an uncomfortable pressure that I hadn’t been able to shake off all day. My wolf growled restlessly, agitated and uneasy, and pacing was the only thing keeping him from breaking free.“Alex, stop,” Aiden’s voice broke through the tense silence. He was seated on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, watching me with a mix of irritation and concern. “You’re making me dizzy.”I sighed heavily, forcing myself to sit down on the couch across from him. My body stilled, but my mind was still racing a hundr

Stephanie's POV:I tossed and turned in my bed, frustration building with every passing second. Sleep was impossible. My eyes darted to the ceiling, tracing the faint patterns of shadows cast by the moonlight streaming through the curtains. My mind refused to quiet down, spinning relentlessly as thoughts of everything happening in the house filled my head.I mean, how could I sleep, given what was going on?Nicholas was missing.The realization hit me like a wave every time I thought about it. Nobody knew where he was or what had happened to him. According to Alex, Nicholas wouldn’t just disappear, not like this. Someone was behind his disappearance. Someone had taken him, and the uncertainty of who and why gnawed at me relentlessly.There was this tugging feeling in my chest, a weight I couldn’t ignore. My mind kept circling back to endless questions. Who would want to make him disappear? Why?First, it had been the rebels. Then the rogues. And now, this. Every time it felt like we