The Stripper Toy for My Hot Stepbrothers

Chapter 8

I threw my clothes into the small bag with shaking hands. Everything I owned fit into one worn duffle—that's how pathetic my life was. A few shirts, some jeans, underwear. Nothing else mattered.

I had to get out. Now. Before they changed their minds and decided I was guilty after all.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking. I could still feel Caspian's fingers around my throat, crushing my windpipe. Still see the murder in their eyes. Still feel Marcus's blood drying on my skin.

I needed to wash it off. Needed to run. Needed to disappear.

The door opened behind me.

"Going somewhere?"

Jeremy's voice made me freeze. Slowly, I turned around.

He stood in the doorway, blocking my only exit. His face was unreadable, those dark eyes watching me carefully.

"Move," I said, my voice coming out harder than I felt. "I'm leaving."

"We need to talk."

"No. We don't." I zipped up my bag and grabbed it. "Get out of my way."

He didn't move. Just stood there, tall and solid, like a wall I couldn't break through.

"Lyra, please. Just listen—"

"Listen?" Something inside me snapped. "Listen to what? More lies? You want to explain why you're here? Why you never told me you were Marcus's son?"

His jaw clenched. "I didn't know you'd end up here."

"You didn't know?" I laughed, but it sounded broken even to my own ears. "You're his youngest son. This is your house. Your family. And you just forgot to mention that tiny detail?"

"It's complicated."

"Everything with you is complicated!" I shouted, not caring who heard. The anger felt good. Better than the fear and shame. "You hired me. You claimed me. You said nobody touches me but you. But you never said 'oh, by the way, my dad just married some woman with a daughter.' You let me walk into this blind!"

"I found out the same time you did," he said, his voice rising to match mine. "Dad told me he got married but he didn't say who. I didn't know about you until tonight."

"Liar." The word tasted bitter on my tongue. "Everyone in my life is a liar. My mom. You. Raphael. Every single person."

Pain flashed across his face. "Don't compare me to them."

"Why not?" I stepped closer, my chest heaving. "You're all the same. Using me. Playing games. Keeping secrets."

"That's not fair."

"Fair?" I laughed again, the sound harsh and ugly. "You want to talk about fair? Your brother had his hands around my throat tonight. They all thought I murdered your father. And you—you knew something was wrong but you still let them hurt me."

"I stopped them," he said quietly.

"After they'd already grabbed me. After Caspian nearly crushed my windpipe." My voice cracked. "I could have died, Jeremy. They could have killed me before anyone checked if I was actually guilty."

Guilt crossed his face, real and raw. "I'm sorry. I should have gotten there faster."

"Sorry doesn't fix anything." I hitched the bag higher on my shoulder. "Now move. I'm done with this house. Done with all of you."

"You can't leave."

The words hit me like ice water. "Excuse me?"

"The pack is having an emergency meeting right now. About you. About Iris." He ran a hand through his hair, looking tired. "They're deciding what to do."

"What to do?" Fear crept up my spine. "What does that mean?"

"It means they don't trust either of you. Someone poisoned Dad for months. We don't know who." His eyes met mine. "They're probably going to forbid you from leaving until we figure this out."

"No." The word came out strangled. "No, they can't do that. I had nothing to do with any of this. I didn't even know Marcus existed until yesterday!"

"I know that. You know that. But they don't."

"Then make them believe you!" I grabbed his shirt, desperate. "Tell them I'm innocent. Tell them I would never hurt anyone."

"I tried," he said softly. "But they want to know how I'm so sure. They're asking questions I can't answer without explaining... us."

Us. The word hung heavy between us.

"There is no us," I said, even though it felt like a lie. "You fired me, remember? Told me to get out and never come back."

"Because you slept with Raphael." His voice went hard. "You let my brother touch you."

"I didn't know he was your brother!" The tears came now, hot and angry. "I was hurt. Drunk. Stupid. And he was there and I just—I made a mistake, okay? I made a horrible, terrible mistake."

Jeremy's face softened slightly. "Lyra—"

Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Heavy. Multiple people approaching.

My heart started racing again. They were coming.

The brothers appeared in the doorway behind Jeremy. Silas. Rowan. Caspian. Orion. Raphael. All of them looking at me with cold, hard eyes.

"Step aside, Jeremy," Silas said calmly. Too calmly. "We need to speak with her."

Jeremy didn't move. "Whatever you're going to say, say it with me here."

"Fine." Silas's cold eyes locked on mine. "The pack has reached a decision. You and your mother are forbidden from leaving this estate until we complete our investigation."

"You can't keep me prisoner," I said, even though my voice shook. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"We'll determine that," Rowan said, leaning against the doorframe. "Right now, you're the biggest question mark we have. You show up out of nowhere, Dad dies the same night. Pretty suspicious timing."

"I told you—I came to help him!"

"So you say," Caspian said coldly. "But we only have your word for that. And given that your mother clearly married Dad for his money, we don't trust either of you."

"I don't care about Iris," I said desperately. "I barely even know her. She's never been a real mother to me. Whatever she did or planned, I had no part in it."

"Convenient," Silas said. "Throw your own mother under the bus to save yourself."

"It's not like that—"

"We don't believe you," Orion cut me off. "You're staying here until we know the truth. Both of you."

"This is insane!" I looked at each of them, searching for any sympathy. Found none. Even Raphael's face was blank and closed off. "You can't just lock me up. This isn't legal. I could call the police—"

"And tell them what?" Rowan smiled, but it wasn't friendly. "That your mother married a rich man who conveniently died the night you arrived? That you were found covered in his blood? Go ahead. Call them. See who they believe."

The truth of his words hit me hard. They were right. Nobody would believe me. I looked guilty as hell.

"Please," I whispered, hating how weak I sounded. "I just want to leave. I don't want anything from this family. Not money, not the house, nothing. Just let me go."

"No," Silas said simply. "You're staying. Your room will be locked at night. You'll have guards watching you during the day. You step one foot off this property, we'll drag you back."

"You can't do this," I said again, but the fight was draining out of me.

"We just did," Caspian said. "Welcome to your new prison, stepsister."

They turned and walked away, all except Jeremy and Raphael. Jeremy looked torn, conflicted. Raphael just looked empty.

"I'm sorry," Jeremy said quietly.

"No, you're not." I wiped my eyes angrily. "If you were sorry, you'd help me. But you're just like them. Caring more about your pack and your family than the truth."

"That's not fair—"

"Get out." I turned away from him. "Both of you. Just... get out."

Silence. Then footsteps. The door closing.

I was alone.

Trapped in a house full of men who hated me. With a mother who blamed me for everything. And two stepbrothers who'd both had me in their beds, now looking at me like I was poison.