ASHER POV
I'm burning the death threat when Ember walks into the kitchen.
She freezes. I freeze. The note crumbles to ash in my hand over the sink, and for three seconds, we just stare at each other.
"What are you doing?" Her voice is barely a whisper.
"Dishes," I lie smoothly, turning on the water to wash away the evidence. "Early riser. You?"
"I asked you first." She moves closer, eyes narrowed. "What were you burning?"
My mind races. She can't know about the threat. If she knows, she'll panic. Might do something stupid like actually leave, and then we can't protect her from whoever "S" is.
"Old pack documents. Boring stuff." I smile my most charming smile. "Why? Think I'm destroying evidence of my dark secrets?"
"I think you're lying."
Smart girl. Too smart.
"Breakfast is in ten minutes," I change the subject. "You should probably change. That shirt has a stain."
She looks down at her perfectly clean shirt, then back at me. "You're a terrible liar when you're caught off guard, you know that?"
"And you're paranoid."
"Three Alphas stalked me at four in the morning. I think I've earned some paranoia." She crosses her arms. "What aren't you telling me?"
Everything. I'm not telling her everything.
I'm not telling her that I broke into her room at 3 AM and found the note before she woke up. That I've been standing in this kitchen for an hour trying to figure out who "S" is. That my hands are shaking because someone threatened to murder my mate and I can't even tell her she's in danger without explaining how I know.
"Nothing," I say. "I'm not telling you nothing."
Her eyes search my face. Looking for cracks in my mask.
She won't find any. I've been wearing masks since Mom left. Since I learned that showing people your real feelings just gives them weapons to hurt you with.
"Fine," she says finally. "Keep your secrets. I have my own problems."
She turns to leave.
"Ember." The word comes out before I can stop it. "At breakfast... stay close to us. To me and my brothers."
"Why?"
Because someone wants to kill you. Because every Alpha in that dining hall is going to smell what you are and want to claim you. Because if anyone touches you, I might actually lose control for the first time in my life.
"Because it's your first day," I say instead. "Pack dynamics are complicated. We'll make it easier."
"By bullying me in front of everyone?"
The accusation stings. Mostly because it's accurate.
"By keeping you safe," I correct quietly. "Believe it or not."
She laughs, but there's no humor in it. "You're right. I don't believe it."
She walks out, and I resist the urge to punch the counter.
Kael appears in the doorway. "You burned it?"
"Yeah."
"Should've kept it. Evidence."
"Evidence of what? That someone in our pack wants her dead? That'll make her feel real welcome." I run my hands through my hair. "We need a new plan."
"The plan was to make her leave," Damon joins us, coffee in hand. "Before the mate bond fully forms. Before this gets more complicated."
"It's already complicated," I snap. "Someone threatened to kill her, Damon. The plan's changed."
"To what?" Kael asks.
I look at both my brothers. We've always been a team. Three parts of one whole. But this... this is different.
"We protect her," I say. "By any means necessary."
"Even if she hates us for it?" Damon raises an eyebrow.
"Especially if she hates us for it." I pour myself coffee, hands steady now that I have a strategy. "Think about it. If we're cruel to her publicly, other pack members won't try to get close. If we isolate her, whoever 'S' is can't get to her easily. If we control her social circle, we control who has access."
Kael's eyes narrow. "You want to bully her... to protect her."
"I want to make her so miserable that she stays in her room where we can guard her." I take a sip. "It's not pretty. But it keeps her alive until we figure out who the threat is."
"That's twisted," Damon says.
"You have a better idea?"
Silence.
"Didn't think so." I check my watch. "Breakfast in five. Remember—we're cold, distant, and just protective enough that no one else dares approach her. But not so protective that she gets comfortable."
"This is going to backfire," Kael mutters.
"Probably," I agree. "But she'll be alive to hate us for it."
We walk into the dining hall together. Dad's already at the head table with Lyanna. And Ember...
Ember sits alone at the far end, chin up, shoulders back. Pretending she's not terrified even though I can smell her fear from here.
Every unmated Alpha in the room is staring at her. Hungry. Calculating.
My wolf snarls.
"Easy," Kael murmurs. "Stick to the plan."
We sit at our usual spots—the power table near Dad. Close enough to watch Ember. Far enough to make a statement: she's not one of us.
Sienna slides into the seat next to Kael, all fake smiles. "Morning, boys. Did you hear? There's a rumor going around about your new stepsister."
"What rumor?" Damon's voice could freeze fire.
"That she's actually a True Omega." Sienna's laugh is like breaking glass. "Can you imagine? The wolfless girl being the rarest shifter type? It's absurd."
She's fishing. Trying to confirm what she already suspects.
"Completely absurd," I agree smoothly. "Ember's human. No wolf at all."
"Exactly what I thought." But Sienna's eyes are sharp. "Still, we should probably... discourage other packs from sniffing around. For her own safety."
"Her safety is family business," Kael says coldly. "Not yours."
Sienna's smile tightens. "Of course. I'm just trying to help."
Across the room, a young Alpha named Garrett approaches Ember's table. My entire body tenses.
"Hi," Garrett says, way too friendly. "You're the new girl, right? Ember? Want some company?"
Ember looks up, surprised. "Oh. Sure, I guess—"
I'm moving before I think. My chair scrapes loud enough that everyone looks.
"Ember," I call out, voice carrying. "Mom wants you at the family table."
It's a lie. Lyanna's deep in conversation with Dad, hasn't even looked Ember's direction. But the pack doesn't know that.
Ember's eyes meet mine across the room. Confused. Suspicious.
"Now," I add, letting Alpha authority creep into my tone.
She stands slowly, and I can see the anger in every movement. Good. Let her hate me. Hate is safer than trust.
Garrett backs off immediately. No one challenges a direct Alpha command.
When Ember reaches our table, she leans down close to my ear. To anyone watching, it looks intimate. Like she's whispering something sweet.
"I know what you're doing," she hisses. "And I hate you for it."
"Good," I whisper back. "Hate me all you want. Just stay alive."
She jerks back, confusion flickering across her face. But before she can respond, I turn to the whole table, raising my voice.
"Everyone, this is Ember. Our stepsister. She's wolfless, so she'll need... special accommodation. I trust you'll all make her feel welcome."
The way I say "special accommodation" makes it sound like a burden. Like she's defective.
The pack murmurs. Some sympathetic. Most dismissive.
Ember's face burns red, but she keeps her chin up.
I'm sorry, I think but don't say. This is the only way I know to keep you safe.
Breakfast continues. Ember eats in silence while we talk pack business around her. Excluding her. Making her invisible.
It's working. The other Alphas lose interest. She's clearly under our protection but not valued. Not worth pursuing.
Until Dad makes an announcement.
"Before everyone leaves," he stands, commanding attention. "I want to address the rumors about Ember."
My blood runs cold. No. Dad, don't—
"It's true that she's lived as wolfless her entire life. But last night, her wolf awakened." His voice carries pride. "And she's not just any wolf. She's a True Omega. One of the rarest gifts the Moon Goddess has ever given."
The room explodes into chaos.
Every Alpha in the hall stands. Every eye locks on Ember.
And in the confusion, I see her—Sienna, pulling something from her pocket. Something small and silver.
A syringe.
She's moving toward Ember through the crowd, and I understand everything in one horrible second.
"S" wasn't a signature. It was a name.
Sienna.
And she's been planning this all along.