Chapter 12: The Alpha Wants Me Back

I stared at the ceiling of my bedroom, Alexander's cold words still echoing in my mind. "Stay away from us. Go back to your room and don't try to interact with us."

Night had fallen, and muffled laughter and music drifted up from downstairs. Ethan's friends had arrived, including Noah—the boy who'd once been my childhood friend before he publicly humiliated me at school. I wasn't eager to face him again, especially after discovering Lucas was my mate. The whole situation was becoming more complicated by the hour.

My stomach growled loudly, reminding me I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I'd skipped dinner to avoid another uncomfortable encounter with my stepbrothers, but now hunger made it impossible to sleep.

"They should all be in the game room by now," I whispered to myself, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. I pulled on black leggings and a loose white shirt before quietly opening my door.

The hallway was dark, with only moonlight streaming through the massive windows to guide my way. I tiptoed down the grand staircase, careful to avoid the spots that creaked under pressure.

When I reached the kitchen, I froze in the doorway. Ethan and Noah stood at the counter, making sandwiches and laughing. They hadn't noticed me yet, and I considered retreating before they did.

"Bro, can we—" Noah stopped mid-sentence as he spotted me, his blue-green eyes widening. "Ember!"

Ethan's head snapped up, his expression darkening when he saw me.

"What are you doing here?" Noah asked, shock evident in his voice.

I shifted my weight nervously, all my earlier hunger forgotten under their intense stares. "I live here now," I replied softly.

Noah turned to Ethan, betrayal written across his face. "What? Ethan! What is she talking about? Why is she here?"

Ethan shrugged, focusing on spreading mayo across his bread. "It's a long story."

"We have all night," Noah insisted, his gaze flicking between us. "I want to know why she's here."

"Why are you so interested?" Ethan snapped, clearly annoyed by the interrogation. "It's not like she matters."

Noah's face flushed with anger. "Because she's my mate! The one you convinced me to reject because being with a rogue without a wolf would ruin my reputation. But now she's living in your house?"

I felt my heart race as Noah's words confirmed what I'd suspected—Ethan had been behind my public humiliation.

"Bro! This wasn't my choice," Ethan protested, throwing down his knife. "She was forced on us."

"I want to know why she's here," Noah repeated, his voice rising. "I was her friend, then I had to humiliate her to keep my status, and now she's living here? I feel like a fucking idiot for abusing my mate in public."

I stood silently, watching this exchange with growing understanding. Ethan hadn't even considered that Noah would encounter me here—another reminder of how little these Alpha Kings cared about my existence.

Ethan, backed into a corner, finally admitted, "My father brought her. He's dating her mother."

Noah's jaw dropped. "Wait, is that why you wanted me to reject her? Because she's your stepsister now?"

"No!" Ethan exclaimed. "My father will never have a mating ceremony with her mother. And I only found out yesterday that she was coming to live with us."

"I feel like such an asshole," Noah said, running his hands through his golden-brown hair. "You should have told me."

"Bro, you're my friend. I would never do that to you," Ethan insisted, then suddenly turned his attention to me. "Why the fuck are you still standing here?"

He reached for my arm, but I jerked away.

"Don't touch me," I warned, finding a strength in my voice I didn't know I had.

"You dare talk to me like that?" Ethan growled, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Noah laughed bitterly. "So you're not going to kick her out because your father won't allow it, but you still want me to ignore her? That's fucked up."

"I can't, Noah. You don't understand," Ethan sighed, frustration evident in his tone.

"Well, then I don't want to push her away anymore either," Noah declared, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Noah!" Ethan's voice was a warning.

"What? I'm being honest. She can live here, so I can date her too."

To my surprise, Ethan backed down. "Fine, if that's what you want, then do it."

I looked between them, fury building inside me at being discussed like an object. "But who told you I want to date you?" I challenged Noah directly.

His jaw dropped for the second time that night, completely blindsided by my rejection.

The truth was, I now had an Alpha King as my mate. Why would I settle for an ordinary Alpha who'd thrown me away so easily?

"You don't have a choice. Aren't you happy that an Alpha has accepted you?" Noah's ego clearly took a hit when he heard my response.

"Not really, not anymore. The Alpha is someone who betrayed me and made fun of me in school. I don't want someone like that. You do remember you slapped me, right?" I felt uncomfortable being watched by both of them.

I was afraid most of the time in public, but something changed in me when I was in private. My personality seemed to shift between extremes without warning.

"Go back to your room," Ethan ordered with a threatening tone, and I gave in. I didn't know what these Alphas were capable of, and I wasn't about to provoke them into acting violently. One could expect anything from them.

Nodding my head, I rushed out of the kitchen without sparing a glance at Noah, whose ego I'd just bruised.

Once back in my room, I began to look around in the dark, panic rising in my chest.

"How am I going to sleep alone tonight?" I asked myself, my eyes wandering around the dark room and my body sub- mitting to the fear.

As terror crept over my skin in the form of goosebumps, my eyes focused on a shadow on the wall.

It seemed like a slender creature with long arms. My heart started skipping beats, sweat appeared on my temples, and my breath shortened.

"No! I can't stay here alone," I gasped, turned around, and ran out of the room, only to bump into someone's hard chest.