LOGINAurora.I stood in front of the mirror for what had to be the tenth time. The bed behind me had disappeared under a mountain of clothes—jeans, shorts, sweaters, the soft cream sundress, and a light blue romper.I picked up the dress again and held it against myself. It was pretty. It was also shorter than anything I had ever worn. My eyes drifted down to my thighs. Too much, the old voice in my head whispered.I reached for my familiar old jeans instead, but halfway there I stopped. A memory from the boutique came back to me."Try it on first," Alec had said. "Then decide whether you hate it."I remembered walking out of the fitting room expecting awkward silence. Instead, Maxwell had smiled and told me, "You keep trying to hide yourself." When I blinked at him in surprise, he’d added gently, "We don’t want you to hide. We want you to wear the things that make you smile."I looked back at the mirror. The dress did make me smile. It also terrified me.I let out a slow breath. "If I’m g
Aurora.The cabin was even prettier on the inside. The moment I stepped through the front door, I forgot how to breathe for a second.A huge stone fireplace stretched all the way to the ceiling. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, spilling across the polished wooden floors. A big cream-colored couch faced the lake, and beyond the glass doors, the deck overlooked water so still it looked like a painting."It doesn't even feel real," I whispered."It felt that way for us the first time too," Maxwell said softly.Alec set our bags down by the staircase. "Come on.""Where?""The grand tour."For the next twenty minutes they showed me everything—the kitchen that was bigger than my entire apartment, the games room, the dock stretching out over the water, and the cozy reading nook tucked beside an upstairs window. Every few minutes I caught myself smiling, and eventually I stopped trying to hide it.Maxwell eventually carried our bags upstairs. "I'm going to unpack before she changes
Aurora.Packing for a weekend away should have been simple. But I stood there in the middle of the room, staring at the open backpack on the bed, wondering how someone's entire life could fit into something so small.I opened the wardrobe and smiled despite myself. The clothes Alec had bought me a few days earlier hung neatly inside. I reached out and ran my fingers over one of the sweaters. It still felt strange that someone had walked into a store and picked out things just because they thought I deserved something nice. I folded the sweater carefully and tucked it into the backpack along with a couple of shirts, a pair of jeans, my toiletries, and the only sneakers I owned. Five minutes later, I zipped the bag shut.That was it. Everything I had in the world.A quiet ache settled in my chest. Most people probably spent more time deciding which shoes to bring on vacation than I had just spent packing up my entire life.A knock sounded at the door."You ready?" Maxwell called."I th
Aurora.The first thing I did when I woke up later that morning was touch my lips. Even hours after that ridiculous dream, they still tingled whenever the memory surfaced.I groaned and buried my face in the pillow. How was I supposed to look either of them in the eye now? It had not even happened yet, and here I was, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. Maybe I could stay in this room forever.Unfortunately, hiding under the blankets was not a long-term solution. After a few more minutes of pointless procrastination, I dragged myself out of bed, washed my face, tried to tame my hair, and worked up enough courage to leave the room.The apartment was unusually quiet when I stepped into the living room, Maxwell was sitting on the couch with a mug of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. He looked up the moment he heard me.“Morning.”“Morning,” I replied, hoping I sounded normal.I clearly did not.His eyebrows pulled together. “You okay?”“Yep.”“You sound nervous.”“I do not.”“Yo
Aurora.I lay curled beneath the blankets, my face buried in the pillow, replaying every humiliating word I had spoken in the kitchen.Girls like them belong with guys like you.I groaned softly into the mattress. Why had I said that? Now they knew exactly how insecure I was. Exactly how little I thought of myself. They were probably out there regretting everything. Letting me stay here. Helping me. Listening to me fall apart over something as ridiculous as jealousy.Eventually, exhaustion won. The darkness pulled me under.---I woke to the sound of soft footsteps outside my bedroom. For a second I frowned. The room looked the same. Moonlight spilled through the curtains. The apartment was quiet. A gentle knock sounded against the door.My heart skipped. "...Come in?"The handle turned. Alec stepped inside. He had changed into a black T-shirt and loose sweatpants, his dark hair still slightly damp from a shower.For a long moment, neither of us spoke."I'm sorry," I blurted before h
Aurora.The drive home was silent. Not the comfortable kind. The heavy, awful kind that pressed in from all sides and refused to be ignored.I stared out the window with my arms folded tightly across my chest. Nobody spoke. Not because the twins did not want to, but because I had asked them not to. And they respected it. Alec kept his eyes on the road. Maxwell occasionally glanced at me in the rearview mirror, concern clear on his face. Every time our eyes met, I looked away.I did not want their concern. I did not want questions. Most of all, I did not want to explain why seeing those girls with them had ruined my entire afternoon. The answer was too embarrassing. Too humiliating. And entirely my own fault.The rest of the drive passed without a word. When we finally pulled into the underground garage, relief washed over me. Now I could disappear into the guest room and pretend none of this had happened.The moment the elevator doors opened, I headed straight for the hallway."Auro
Denver.I was halfway down the hall to my room when one of the guards walked up to me.“Alpha, Tiana was here asking for you,” he said. “She’s waiting.”I didn’t think twice. “Give her access.”The door to my room had barely shut behind me when I started pulling off my jacket. My body felt heavy, t
Trigger warnings: This chapter contains physical assault, threats, and parental betrayal.-----Selena.Christopher found me the next morning.I felt it the moment the guards outside my door shifted, their posture changing in that subtle way that meant someone important had arrived. Someone they ans
Denver.Christopher’s hand closes around her wrist before I can stop myself from noticing.It is not gentle. It is not ceremonial. It is the grip of ownership."What is happening here, Selena?" I wondered as I watched them close the distance between us.“Uncle,” Christopher says, drawing her forwar
Selena POV:A quiet laugh left him, low and warm.“Or would you rather I go on my knees?” I asked softly.Before he could answer, I slowly slipped down in front of him, my fingers brushing along his waist as I tugged at his clothes.His breath caught the moment he realized what I was doing, the tea







