My Brother's Five Alpha Best Friends Want Me

The first thing my brother ever taught me was simple. "Never trust a wolf that stares too long." I never understood what he meant. Until the day his five best friends came home. --- "Aria!" My best friend, Mia, burst into my bedroom without knocking. "They're back!" I frowned as I lowered the book in my hands. "Who's back?" She stared at me as though I'd lost my mind. "The Five." My stomach tightened. The Five. Noah's best friends. The boys who used to steal cookies from our kitchen, tease me until I cried, then secretly buy me ice cream to make me smile. They had left our pack five years ago to build their own territories. Now... They were legends. Alpha Kings. Feared across the werewolf world. "I thought they weren't returning until next week," I murmured. "They arrived this morning." Mia grabbed my wrist. "The whole pack is at the training grounds. Come on!" I sighed. "I don't think they even remember me." "Oh, trust me." She grinned mischievously. "They'll remember." I wasn't so sure. Five years changes people. The little girl who used to trail after them was gone. Now I was twenty. And they... They ruled kingdoms. --- The training grounds were overflowing with wolves. Warriors lined both sides of the entrance. Children climbed fences. Women whispered excitedly. Even the elders had come to welcome the legendary Alpha Kings. As Mia and I squeezed through the crowd, a black SUV rolled through the massive iron gates. Then another. And another. Five identical vehicles. Every conversation stopped. The first door opened. A tall man stepped out. Black hair. Cold gray eyes. Tailored black suit. Even without releasing his Alpha aura, his presence silenced hundreds of wolves. "Damon Blackridge..." Someone whispered his name with reverence. The second vehicle opened. Ryker Storm. His broad shoulders barely fit through the door. A scar cut across one eyebrow, making his permanent smirk even more dangerous. The third. Lucian Ashcroft. Elegant. Calm. Deadly. The fourth. Kieran Vale. Golden eyes danced with amusement as though he found the entire ceremony boring. The fifth. Zane Thorn. Silent. Expressionless. His icy gaze swept across the crowd without a flicker of emotion. Five Alpha Kings. Five rulers. Five men who had once argued over who got the last slice of my birthday cake. "They've changed," Mia whispered. I nodded. No. They hadn't changed. They had become monsters. The crowd erupted into cheers. Noah walked forward from the pack house. Unlike everyone else, he didn't bow. Instead, he smiled. "Damon." The cold Alpha's expression softened ever so slightly. "Noah." One after another, the five men embraced my brother. They laughed. Shoved each other. For a brief moment... They looked like the boys I remembered. Then Noah glanced toward the crowd. His eyes landed on me. "There you are." He waved. "Aria!" Every head turned. My heart nearly stopped. I wanted to disappear. Instead, I forced my legs to move. Each step toward them felt heavier than the last. When I finally stopped beside Noah, he placed a protective arm around my shoulders. "You remember my sister." Silence. Five pairs of eyes settled on me. Not one of them smiled. Not one of them spoke. Their expressions hardened. Confused, I offered a small smile. "Hi..." The air suddenly grew heavy. A strange ache spread through my chest. It was faint... Like an invisible thread pulling at my heart. Damon's jaw tightened. Ryker's fists clenched. Lucian's calm mask cracked for the first time. Kieran stopped smiling. Even Zane's emotionless face froze. Their wolves... Were growling. Low. Hungry. Possessive. The scent of cedar, rain, smoke, leather, and pine surrounded me all at once. My wolf, who had been silent for years, stirred uneasily. Run. I blinked. Run? Before I could take another breath... Damon inhaled sharply. His gray eyes flashed gold. His lips parted. "...Mate." The word echoed across the silent training grounds. Every Alpha's head snapped toward him. Then Ryker growled. "No..." Lucian whispered. "She's mine." Kieran's eyes darkened. "I found her first." Zane took one slow step toward me. "You will not touch her." The ground trembled beneath the force of five Alpha auras colliding. Around us, every wolf instinctively dropped to one knee. I stared at the men I had once called brothers. Their eyes no longer held familiarity. They held something far more dangerous. Obsession. Noah stepped in front of me, his own Alpha aura exploding across the training grounds. "Enough!" His voice thundered. "She is my sister." No one moved. No one backed down. Then Damon looked Noah straight in the eye. His voice was calm. Terrifyingly calm. "Not anymore."