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He grins at me, his eyes lighting up, before sighing. “I’m glad you think so, Maia, but in our family, nobody was except her. But being the favourite meant being paraded around men fifteen years your senior, even as a young girl. It meant your achievements being shared across multiple packs in an effort to secure the highest bidder for you. It meant that rather than punishing you for acting out, your brothers would take the beating instead.”
I flinch, dread replacing my embarrassment, and I turn to look at him properly. “I can’t imagine.”
“Ryan was meant to be untouchable since he was the future alpha. Morgan was untouchable because she was the girl. But Ethan and I? It wasn’t good for us.” Oliver shifts slightly in the chair, turning his body so that he can see me just as well as I can see him. “But you were right about Ryan, Maia. He would never, ever sit it out. He’d take the attention to him, beg for the punishments to protect me and Ethan, and even Morgan, in a way.
“My parents would make Morgan watch and bully her so she knew that if she acted out, that this would be her. They’d blame their abuse of us on her and justify it all. But Ryan never once faltered. He protected us all the best he could. He’d pretend to be us where he could and agitate our parents so badly it was him to take the beating.
“Morgan was the oldest, and she tried her hardest to thrive, but they worked so hard to eradicate that from her. They hated her having a brain, they hated her having a life that wasn’t organised by them. They hated us all.”
“I’ve heard she was the best of you all,” I say softly.
“She was. My parents would have you believe it was because she was a wolf… but it was just her. She was kind and sweet, and if given the chance, she would’ve been an amazing luna for our pack, for any pack.”
“But that was taken from her.”
He sighs and nods. “Our parents are fucked in the head. Don’t get me wrong, your in-laws aren’t much better, but they’re all so fucking unhinged. A lot… a lot has gone down that you don’t know, and we’re running out of time to get you up to speed.”
“Are you in danger?” I ask, feeling the urgency of his words, the undercurrent of panic building inside of me once more.
“No. But Ethan is,” he says, and then he sighs deeply. “And on the subject of my older brother, we need to talk.”
“About?”
“You mentioned a visit we had, earlier today, where you said that if you had need of Ethan, he’d come.”
I nod slowly, chills racing down my spine. “You came to me on the twenty-second, nearly two weeks ago.”
He sighs, rubbing his face, and shakes head. “No, Maia, I didn’t.”
Hope builds for a brief second, so brief I hate how much it hurts for it to be shattered so quickly. With Morgan back from the dead… my heart wishes Ryan was, too.
No matter how confusing it would be.
“Ethan,” I whisper.
“Ethan,” he confirms, leaning back in his seat. “We’ve gone about this so wrong.”
“Gone about what? None of this makes sense to me.” I bring my legs up on the chair. “I barely had time to come to terms with the idea of Ethan, and now there’s you. I don’t understand what’s been going on over the last few months or what your plan was. I don’t understand why you have been following me and showing up time after time.
“I don’t understand where you fit into any of this, Oliver, and I want to, but I can’t unless you tell your side of the story. Unless you reveal what you’re working on and what plans are underway. Until you explain exactly what you know.”
“I’ll tell you everything,” Oliver says. “But first?—”
There’s a shift in the air, so minute, as a loud whistle sound echoes through the quiet of the outdoors. Oliver’s eyes seem to sharpen, his body radiating adrenaline as he listens.
“What was that?” I demand.
“Trouble,” he hisses, jumping to his feet.
I freeze and shout for my mates as an identical double of Oliver appears in front of us, a good few feet away. His eyes are bright, his body tense, and whilst I doubt either would hurt me after Oliver’s words… I’m scared.
“Maia, trust me,” Ethan calls, his voice deeper than usual. His wolf is clearly out to play, and that adds to my terror. “Move away from Oliver slowly.”
“Don’t do this, Ethan,” Oliver says, and it almost sounds like he’s pleading with his brother.
I hope my fear is enough to call my guys because I’m scared to move, scared to react. My brain recognises the shift in the atmosphere and won’t let me do anything.
“No, brother, I told you not to do this,” Ethan says. “This isn’t the time. We’re not ready. You are not ready.”
