EMBER POV
I wake up to three Alphas staring at me through my window.
My scream gets halfway out before Asher covers my mouth with his hand—somehow he's inside my room even though I locked the door.
"Shh," he whispers. "We're not here to hurt you."
Kael and Damon are still outside, pressed against the glass like creepy stalkers. The sun isn't even up yet. My heart hammers so hard it hurts.
"Then why ARE you here?" I shove Asher's hand away and pull my blanket up to my chin. "It's like five in the morning!"
"Four-thirty," Kael corrects through the window. His voice is muffled but I can still hear the coldness in it. "And we need to talk."
"So knock on my door like normal people!"
"This isn't a normal conversation," Damon says. Even through glass, his green eyes are intense. Hungry. "Let us in, Ember."
"No! This is insane. You're insane. All of you." I look at Asher. "How did you even get in here?"
He holds up a key. "Master key. Perks of living here first."
"That's called breaking and entering!"
"Technically it's just entering since we have a key—"
"Get OUT!" I throw my pillow at him.
He catches it easily, that fake smile on his face. But his eyes aren't smiling. They're worried. Maybe even scared.
What could possibly scare an Alpha like Asher?
"We're not leaving until we talk," Kael says. "So you can either let us in, or we can have this conversation with the whole pack watching through your window."
I want to argue. Want to tell them exactly where they can shove their "conversation." But something in Kael's voice stops me.
He sounds... desperate.
"Fine. But you have thirty seconds to explain why you're stalking me before I scream for your father."
Damon and Kael climb through my window like this is totally normal. Now there are three massive Alphas crowding my small bedroom, and I'm sitting on my bed in an old T-shirt and shorts feeling very, very small.
"Talk," I demand, trying to sound brave.
They look at each other. Some silent communication passes between them. Finally, Kael speaks.
"Last night, something happened. When Damon healed your cut."
My hand automatically goes to my arm. The scratch is already almost gone, just a faint pink line. "Yeah. It was weird. So what?"
"So you felt it, didn't you?" Asher sits on my desk chair, leaning forward. "That lightning feeling. Like something inside you recognized something inside him."
My breath catches. Because yes. I felt exactly that.
"It's called a mate bond," Damon says bluntly. "And you're our mate. All three of us."
The words hang in the air like a bomb waiting to explode.
"That's impossible," I whisper. "You're my stepbrothers."
"No blood relation," Asher points out. "Pack law technically allows—"
"I don't care what pack law allows! You've been horrible to me since I got here!" I'm on my feet now, anger replacing fear. "You bullied me. Made me feel worthless. And now you want me to believe we're... we're what? Destined?"
"We didn't want this either," Kael says coldly. But his eyes keep dropping to my neck, my wrists, like he's looking for somewhere to bite. "Trust me. This is the last thing any of us need."
"Gee, thanks. Really feeling the romance here."
"But it's true," Damon moves closer. "Whether we like it or not. Whether YOU like it or not. The bond exists."
"So what? You're here to claim me? Mark me? Make me your property?" My voice shakes with rage. "Because I'd rather die."
"We're here," Asher says carefully, "to figure out what to do about this. Together."
"There's nothing to figure out. The answer is no."
"You don't get to refuse a mate bond," Kael's jaw tightens. "It doesn't work that way."
"Watch me."
Seraphina, my wolf, chooses that moment to speak up in my mind. They're telling the truth, little one. I can feel their wolves calling to us. Three Alphas, one Omega. A complete pack.
I don't want them, I think back furiously.
Your human side doesn't. But your wolf does. She sounds amused. And eventually, you will too. They're ours, Ember. Even if they're idiots about it.
"I can see your wolf talking to you," Damon says. "What's she saying?"
"None of your business." I cross my arms. "Look, even if this mate bond thing is real—and I'm not saying I believe it—you three made your feelings about me very clear. So let's just pretend last night never happened."
"Can't do that," Asher stands. "Other Alphas will sense you're unmated. They'll come for you. Powerful ones. Dangerous ones."
"Like Theron Nightshade," Kael adds, and there's anger in his voice now. "He's already interested. If he finds out you're a True Omega without a mate bond—"
"Then maybe I'll choose him!" I shoot back. "At least he's been nice to me!"
The temperature in the room drops. All three brothers go absolutely still, and suddenly I remember they're not just men. They're predators.
"You're not choosing anyone else," Damon's voice is pure Alpha command. "You're ours."
"You don't own me!"
"Not yet," Kael says quietly. "But we will. One way or another."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a promise," Asher's charm is completely gone now. "We screwed up, Ember. We hurt you when we should have protected you. But that ends now. From this moment forward, you're under our protection whether you want it or not."
"And if I run?"
"We'll find you," all three say at once.
The bond in my chest pulls tight, like invisible strings connecting me to each of them. I hate it. Hate how my body responds to their nearness. Hate how some traitorous part of me wants to lean into Damon's warmth, accept Kael's strength, trust Asher's words.
"This is crazy," I whisper. "You're my stepbrothers."
"We're your mates first," Kael corrects. "Everything else is just... inconvenient."
A knock on my door makes us all freeze.
"Ember?" Mom's voice. "Honey, are you awake? Breakfast is in twenty minutes. It's your first day meeting the pack!"
The brothers move lightning-fast. Damon and Kael are out the window before I can blink. Asher presses a finger to his lips, then slips into my closet just as Mom cracks open the door.
"Oh good, you're up! Did you sleep well?"
"Great," I lie, very aware of Asher breathing in my closet. "I'll be down soon."
"Wonderful! Wear something nice. First impressions matter." She beams and closes the door.
The moment she's gone, Asher emerges.
"First day meeting the pack," he says thoughtfully. "That's going to be... interesting."
"Why?"
"Because every unmated wolf is going to smell that you're a True Omega. And every unmated Alpha is going to try to claim you." His smile is sharp. "Should be fun watching my brothers lose their minds."
"You're enjoying this."
"Someone should." He heads for the window. "See you at breakfast, little sister. Try not to start any wars."
He's gone before I can throw something at him.
I sit on my bed, trying to process everything. Mate bonds. Three Alphas. A pack full of wolves who'll apparently smell what I am.
My first morning in my new home, and I already want to run.
But Seraphina is purring in my mind, content in a way she's never been. Home, she whispers. Finally home.
I'm so focused on my thoughts that I almost miss the note someone slid under my door.
I pick it up with shaking hands. The handwriting is elegant, feminine.
"True Omegas don't last long in Crimson Moon Pack. The last one died screaming. If you're smart, you'll leave before you discover what happened to her. If you're not... well, I've always wanted to see if the legends about True Omega blood are true. See you at breakfast, little mouse. -S"
My blood runs cold.
Someone in this pack knows what I am. Someone who killed before.
And they're planning to kill again.