Chapter 151

Alyx reappeared later that evening, a bundle of clothes in his arms. “Get dressed,” he said, dropping them on the bed.

I crossed my arms. “No.”

He frowned. “Get dressed or I will dress you myself.” A sudden, cruel gleam lit up his eyes. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on you.”

“Turn around,” I snapped.

“Like hell,” he answered. “Get dressed.”

I considered fighting him on it, but I was afraid he really meant what he said. No part of me believed that Alyx ever had a genuine interest in me, but he was still a predator. In more ways than one.

I turned my back to him and quickly changed. He’s brought me a pair of black cargo pants and lace-up boots. The shirt was a form-fitting black tank-top, which was unfortunate considering I didn’t have a bra and he hadn’t thought to provide one. He’d also given me a black army jacket, which I pulled on. The outfit matched his, and what I’d seen his brothers wearing, but I tried not to think about that.

“Is there a reason we’re dressed for war?” I asked, turning back around.

“I don’t remember you being this mouthy,” he shot back.

I shrugged. “The worst has already happened to me.”

He laughed. “Oh Celeste. You don’t know half of what we could do to you.” He opened the door and gestured for me to walk through it.

A shiver crawled down my spine. “Where are we going?”

“My brother wants to meet you.”

“I’ve already met a few of your brothers.”

“Our Alpha, I mean.”

That didn’t exactly make me feel more comfortable. What if he was as cruel as Alyx? He had to be if he was letting this happen, right? Alyx was likely just operating under his orders.

“Now, Celeste.”

I forced myself to walk from the room. Suddenly, all I wanted was to stay put.

They were leaning against the wall outside my room–Jeremy and a boy I didn’t recognize. He was the spitting image of Alyx, but with slightly lighter hair. He gave me a boyish grin, revealing slightly elongated canines. Even in his human form, he seemed wolfish.

“Hi, I’m Beck,” he said in a cheerful voice. He couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen. “Nice to meet you.”

“Hi,” I mumbled. “Celeste.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about you.”

Jeremy looked bored, which I was beginning to realize was just his usual state. He looked me over, then turned and stomped down the hall. Beck grinned at me, then followed him, a slight spring to his step. Alyx shoved my shoulder, and I started walking.

I trailed them down a dim concrete hall, then climbed two flights of stairs. We emerged into a wide foyer. A woman was standing in the corner with her hands behind her back.

She stepped forward as we approached. She was middle-aged, with long blond hair and wide brown eyes. Small freckles stood out across her tan cheeks. She was tall and willowy, and movie-star beautiful. I couldn’t help but stare for a moment.

“Celeste, hi,” she said, reaching out her hand. I gave it a tentative shake when Alyx roughly nudged me. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Eve.”

“Hi.”

She gave me a gentle smile. “Come on, Ronan is waiting.” I guessed that Ronan was the Alpha by the way the other boys stood up straighter.

We followed her across the foyer and up a short flight of stairs. At the top, two boys stood outside a closed door, their arms crossed over their chests. They were identical. Not in the way Alyx and Jeremy were. They were literally the exact same. They even moved the same when they saw us coming, their gray eyes coming to rest on me at the same time.

“You’re late,” they said, they voices melding together.

“She’s stubborn,” Alyx muttered.

“Tell that to Ronan,” one said.

“Better hurry in,” the other added. They even sounded the exact same. It was freaky.

One of them opened the door for us, and Zoe led the way inside. Once we were all inside the large office, the twins stepped in and closed the door behind them. They stood in front of it, arms crossed again.

I forced myself to turn, my eyes sweeping over the room as Zoe led us to the center of the carpet. She motioned for me to stop, and I did as I was told. She rounded a large oak desk and took up a place in the back corner.

Jeremy and Alyx backed away, taking places behind me beside Noah. Beck gave me a wide smile before he joined them.

“Took you a while,” a gruff voice said.

I turned, catching the eye of a tall, bearded man. He stood just next to the office chair, his hands clasped behind his back. He was muscular and, unlike his younger brothers, he was dressed in a suit. His brown hair was cropped close to his head, and he had piercing gray eyes.

“Sorry?” I said when he looked at me expectantly.

He chuckled.

“You’ll learn your manners,” a voice said, speaking slowly. The threat was obvious, and I had to resist the urge to cower.

Sitting in the office chair was one of the most beautiful men I’d ever seen. He was muscular and wearing only a dress shirt, his sleeves rolled up to reveal arms covered in tattoos. A nasty scar ran down his face, just missing his eye and cutting across his cheek. His hair was black and his eyes a deep brown that flashed gold when he looked at me.

He smiled, but it was like a shark looking at his next meal. “You’re a hard person to find, Celeste,” he said. “It took us years to track you down.”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t think I was supposed to.

“No matter, we eventually found you. Your brother tried, but he couldn’t hide you away from the world forever.”

I swallowed hard.

“You’re very special to us,” he went on. “To the pack. I hope you know that.”

He waited expectantly, and I cleared my throat. “I don’t really know what that means…sir?”

He smiled. “You can call me Ronan.”

“Okay, Ronan.”

“I should introduce you to the rest of my family, I guess.” He nodded at the man standing beside his chair. “This is Kai, my second. Zoe in the corner there isn’t related, but she’s an advisor of mine. And I guess you’ve met Jeremy, Beck, and Noah. I know for a fact you’ve met Alyx.”

I nodded.

His eyes flitted over to the door. “The twins are Rocky and Lane. Don’t worry, we don’t expect you to know which is which.”

One of the twins laughed.

“Behind me are my father and mother.” I looked up at the painting behind his head. “And my brother Miles. He died in the war. Killed by a Schreiber.”

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

“And of course, the Peacekeepers killed my dad. Chopped his head right off. Their way of keeping the peace, I guess.” He gave me a hard smile. “Tell me, how is Matt these days?”

“Matt?”

“He was young during the war, but he made quite the impression. Alyx tells me you two are dating, and your brother is a Schreiber. How interesting.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“No, you don’t know much, do you? That’s a shame.”

He leaned back in his seat. “Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to learn.”

“I just want to go home,” I said, my voice breaking a little.

He gave me a pitying smile, but I didn’t believe it for a second. “I’m afraid that’s out of the question, Celeste. You’re not going anywhere.”