CHAPTER 1: LOSE AN EAR

CELINE

"Damn! Your stepsister's got a fat ass!" Doland spanked me hard, tossing me a shameless wink.

I scoffed, disgust curling through me like. This wasn't the first time he had put his hands on me. I spun around, ready to say something he wouldn't forget in a hurry.

I stormed towards him, my face twisted into a deep frown. "Doland, I—"

"Chill, Celine. Everyone in this house knows Doland likes you." Muize, my step-brother, cut in sharply.

Of course. What did I expect from birds of a feather? They were best friends, after all.

My chest heaved as I turned to face my step-brother instead, fighting the urge to smash their heads together.

"I dare him to touch me one more time," I said through my teeth. "He will definitely lose an ear." I turned and walked back toward my room.

"Not like you even have a wolf or a mate. Unattractive yet full of pride." He yelled after me.

His words hit like a blade between my shoulders. I froze on the stairs, fingers curling around the railing. Tears threatened to rise, but I blinked them back hard.

I had long since made peace with not having a wolf or at least I'd tried to. Since I was eighteen, I had carried that absence like a stone in my chest. No wolf. No mate. No explanation from the Moon Goddess.

But I refused to cry over this fool.

Because it wasn't entirely Muize's fault, was it? No. The blame sat squarely on my mother's shoulders. She was the one who had dragged me into this mess. If I had insisted on following my father after their divorce, I wouldn't be living through this particular hell.

But she cried. She had pleaded. Even after everything, after cheating on my father, after choosing to marry Muize's dad, she stood in front of me with wet eyes and begged me to stay.

And like a fool, I listened.

I had let my father go. I hadn't called him since, and he hadn't called me. Not once.

Now I was paying for that choice every single day.

I went back to my room and shut the door behind me. I dropped onto my bed and buried my face in my pillow.

Almost immediately, the door burst open. Muize leaned into the gap.

"Are you asleep?" he asked.

I lifted my head and stared at him. "As you can see."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm organising my end-of-the-year party here tonight."

I sat up instantly. "What?" My eyes went wide. "Daddy specifically told you not to."

He scoffed and shrugged like my words were nothing. "He and your mother are out of the city. This is my perfect opportunity."

I blinked at him. He had already gone to his father with this idea and flatly refused. The last party he threw had ended in disaster — broken furniture, two people hospitalized, his father's fury lasting weeks. The answer had been a hard, final NO.

"Even so, you cannot host a party in this house," I said firmly.

He pushed the door fully open and stepped inside. "I wasn't asking your permission, Celine. Don't forget whose house this is."

"Muize, you—"

"All you have to do is lock yourself in this room and don't step out tonight." He dropped his voice slightly, something shifting behind his eyes. "I won't be able to protect you if something happens." He held my gaze for a second, then turned and walked out.

A short, disbelieving laugh escaped me as I stared at the empty doorway.

Protect me, sounded rich, coming from him.

I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. I wouldn't let him ruin my night.

*

Night fell fast. Before long, the walls were shaking with heavy bass music, relentless, rattling the light fixture above my bed.

This guy never listened.

I squeezed my eyes shut and willed myself to sleep. It didn't work. I grabbed my phone and called my mother. No answer.

I hesitated, then called my stepdad. He always picked up, even when I kept him at arm's length. Tonight, even he didn't answer.

I slammed my phone onto the bed in frustration.

I reached for my water bottle. Empty. I was

suddenly, desperately thirsty.

I climbed out of bed and headed for the door. It was just water. Down the stairs, into the kitchen, I would back up. Two minutes at most.

Still, as my fingers closed around the door handle, Muize's warning whispered across my mind.

"Don't step out tonight."

I pushed it away and opened the door.

The music crashed into me the moment I stepped into the hallway. The bass vibrated up through the soles of my feet.

I gripped the bottle and went downstairs anyway.

The smell hit me before the visuals did. Alcohol, thick and sharp. Cigarette smoke, sweat. And underneath all of that, something muskier — something that made heat rise to my cheeks before I even understood why.

Then the living room came fully into view, and my feet stopped moving.

Holy Goddess! The room was unrecognisable.

Naked and half-naked bodies covered every surface. A girl was bent over the arm of the couch, moaning shamelessly while the man behind her gripped her hips and drove into her without a care for who was watching.

On the floor beside them, another couple moved in a slow grinding rhythm, completely lost in each other.

Against the far wall, a girl had her legs wrapped around a man's waist, her head thrown back, crying out loudly enough to cut through the music. He had both hands on her thighs, holding her up, his hips snapping forward with a force that made the wall shake.

People drank and smoked around them like it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

The moaning, the slapping of skin, the gasps and groans — it all layered underneath the music and wrapped around me from every direction.

My face was on fire. This wasn't a party, this was a full, open sex party.

Muize's warning suddenly landed with terrifying clarity. For the first time all night, genuine fear crawled up my spine. I felt horribly out of place — like something small and soft that had wandered into a very dangerous room.

I kept my eyes low, swept the crowd quickly, and spotted Muize. He was surrounded by girls, completely swallowed by the chaos he had created. Typical.

I scanned for Doland next. I didn't find him anywhere around. Good, the better. I let out a quiet breath and kept moving.

My head down, as I slipped through the crowd, into the kitchen, filled my bottle with shaking hands, and fled back toward the stairs.

I didn't breathe properly until my door was shut behind me, and I finally let it out with my hands on my chest.

I turned off the light, got back into bed, and forced every image from my mind. I closed my eyes and chased sleep like my life depended on it.

I was almost there when the door creaked, and my eyes flew open.

Shit! I hadn't locked it.

I lay completely still. The door clicked shut — from the inside. My heart slammed against my ribs.

I heard the sound of footsteps, coming closer to me, slow and deliberate. I quickly steadied my breathing and kept my eyes shut.

"She's asleep?" the person murmured.

I didn't recognise the voice, but something cold settled in my stomach, twisting badly.

"Fuck." The voice came closer, clearer. "She looks so soft. So tender. I know she'll taste good."

My blood went to ice. Doland. It was fucking Doland. Clear-voiced, sober, and fully intentional.

I didn't move. I needed to know exactly what he thought he was doing.

His fingers brushed the skin of my leg. "This is my chance," he breathed.

I didn’t move, pretending I was fast asleep. Hoping it’s not what it seemed like. He must be joking, right?

He reached for the hem of my nightgown and began pushing it upward. My thigh came into view.

The disgust that rolled through me was fast and absolute. Goddess knew how hard I was holding myself. The audacity of Doland to sneak into my room?

Then his hand smoothed my bare skin, instantly my eye snapped open. I grabbed the bedside lamp and swung it into his skull with everything I had.

“Fuck!” He hissed in pain, reeling backward.

I swung again, harder, catching him across the ear with a crack that split the air.

He stumbled, a wet groan escaping him, blood running freely from his forehead and ear. He dropped to his knees, shaking.

"How dare you—"

I told you," I said, standing over him, my voice dead calm, and shaking. "I told you the next time you touched me, you would lose an ear."

"You'll pay for this." He slumped sideways and went still.

Maybe he'd fainted. I didn't care.

I crossed to my wardrobe, grabbed my bag, and shoved in whatever my hands could reach. Then I walked out of the room without a single glance back.

Downstairs, the party consumed everyone whole. Nobody saw me leave. I walked out the front door and into the night….