All Chapters of My Step-Brothers’ Forbidden Addiction: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Vivienne’s POVThe private dining room at Lunar Heights was even more beautiful than I’d imagined. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light over elegantly dressed tables, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city lights twinkling in the distance. Everything was perfect, from the floral arrangements to the soft music playing in the background.I stood beside Ryker with his arm wrapped around my waist, and felt a surge of gratitude so powerful it nearly brought tears to my eyes. This was real. This life, this man, this acceptance I’d never dared to hope for.“You look radiant,” Alpha Luna Whitlock said, approaching with a warm smile. She was an elegant woman in her fifties with silver hair styled impeccably. “Marriage suits you, Vivienne.”“Thank you, Luna,” I said, still getting used to the fact that the Alpha Luna of Nightshade Pack was speaking to me like an equal, treating me like I belonged here instead of like the former rogue who’d spent years being whispered about and judged.

Delilah’s POVI opened my eyes to see him looking at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read. Not anger, exactly. More like he was trying to carefully assess me.“She’s lying,” Mom said, tears in her eyes now. “She’s standing here lying about Dante and Mateo to cover up the fact that she didn’t want to come. That she doesn’t accept you as her step-father.”“I don’t think she is,” Ryker said slowly, still looking at me. “I know my sons, and I know when something doesn’t add up. Delilah has never been anything but respectful and honest since she came to live with us. If she says something happened, then something happened.”Hope flickered in my chest, fragile and desperate.“We need to figure out what actually occurred here,” Ryker continued. He turned to one of the staff members hovering nearby. “Could you please bring the guards from the entrance? I’d like to ask them some questions.”Dante and Mateo exchanged a glance, something passing between them too quickly for me to interpre

Delilah’s POVWe filed into the house in silence. I saw the brothers’ truck already parked, which meant they were inside, probably in their rooms listening to every word and laughing.Ryker led us to his study, a room I’d only been in once before. Dark wood and leather furniture, bookshelves lining the walls, a massive desk in one corner. He gestured for me to sit in one of the chairs facing the desk while he and Mom took the couch.It felt like a trial. Me on one side, them on the other, all the evidence stacked against me.“Delilah,” Ryker began. “I want you to understand something. When your mother and I got married, I didn’t just gain a mate. I gained a daughter. You’re part of this family now, and that means something to me.”I nodded, not trusting my voice.“But family requires trust,” he continued. “It requires honesty and communication and a willingness to work through problems together. What happened tonight broke that trust.”“I was being honest,” I said. “Everything I said

Delilah’s POVI barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that note. Every time I started to drift off, I heard footsteps in the hallway.By the time my alarm went off at five thirty, I’d been awake for hours.I got dressed quickly and quietly, pulling on jeans and a simple sweater. The healing center didn’t require uniforms, just clean, comfortable clothes. I braided my hair back and grabbed my bag, moving as silently as possible through the house.The brothers’ doors were still closed when I crept past, which was exactly what I needed. If I could just get out before they woke up, I could avoid them for one more day. Tomorrow I’d have to give them that apology, but today I could have peace.I made it down the stairs without a sound and slipped out the front door, closing it carefully behind me.The early morning air was cool and fresh. The sun was just starting to lighten the sky, turning it from black to deep blue. I took a breath and started down the driveway towa

Delilah’s POVI sat there crying in the passenger seat while Dante said nothing. The silence stretched between us and I felt exposed and raw, like I’d just stripped myself bare in front of someone who might not deserve to see that vulnerable part of me.But when I finally looked up at him through my tears, his expression was soft and understanding.“I’m sorry you went through that,” he said quietly. “I can’t imagine losing my father like that.”I nodded, wiping at my face with the tissue. “I just miss him so much. Every day I wake up and for a split second I forget he’s gone, and then I remember and it hurts all over again.”“That’s the worst part, isn’t it?” Dante reached over and squeezed my hand gently. “The remembering.”“Yeah.” I took a shaky breath and tried to pull myself together. “I’m sorry for falling apart like this. You probably think I’m a mess.”“I think you’re human,” he said. “And I think you’ve been carrying a lot of pain for a really long time.”Something about the k