my step brothers

The Plot

RHIANNON'S POV~

I crawled towards the bag on the ground, feeling like a beaten-down, helpless kid. As I unzipped it, I let out a shaky sigh of relief. The contents were still intact—my stripper costumes. My dark, shameful secret.

For the past year, I'd been stripping to make ends meet, to care for myself and my comatose mother. I hated that this was the new me, but what choice did I have?

Fate had thrown me to the wolves, and I had to do whatever I could to survive.

I knew my father would be ashamed of me, but I wished I could explain. I wished I could tell him about the demons that had taken over my life, about the way I’d been forced to sell my body just to make ends meet. I wish I could tell him that I could have searched for better job opportunities but everyone treated me like a plague, simply because I was different from all of them. Simply because I couldn't morph into a wolf, just like my mother.

But there was no time for that now. I rose to my feet, clutching the bag tightly to my chest. My mood was already dark, but I had to go to school, to try to learn. If my stepbrothers found out I'd skipped class again , they'd report me to their father, the cruel Alpha of our pack. And the golden opportunity to always sneak out under their noses would cease and I couldn't risk that.

The dark circles under my eyes told the story of my sleepless night. But at least I’d been paid this time, unlike the other days when my earnings had been stolen by my employer.

Exhaling a shaky sigh, I dragged my heavy legs towards the lecture hall. As I entered the room, I was hit with a wave of murmurs, laughter, and chirping—but the moment I stepped into view, it all went silent.

I wished the ground could open up and swallow me, or that the ceiling would collapse and bury me in the rubble where no one could see me.

I could see the hate and disgust in their eyes. I’d been called the abomination, daughter of a comatose slut, and the easy prey of the pack for years. But it was true and I was used to it, except that my mother wasn't a slut. That was the shitty story, my stepfather had used to tarnish my poor mother's image so he could trap her down. So I’d learned to ignore their stares, their whispers, their taunts. All of it.

My grip on the straps of my bag tightened, my jaw clenched. I forced my gaze down, unable to meet their eyes. I made my way to where my best friend was sitting, her eyes filled with concern and anger.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, reaching out to touch my arm. “Girl, I called you about a hundred times!" She fumed.

My mind raced for a way to respond to Chloe’s question, but I knew she could see through my lies. She knew me too well, and I didn’t want to fight with her. Chloe was the daughter of a Beta from another Pack, trying to get her degree from this university before she took interest in becoming my friend, which I'm sure would be frowned upon if she was to disclose this to her parents.

"Girl—" she nudged my arm, but I ignored her, my gaze locked on my tormentors. The three assholes were surrounded by girls, their lackeys, vying for their attention.

One of them, Madison, their leader, shot daggers at me from across the room, and I returned her look with one of my own.

I couldn’t understand why she hated me so much. I’d never done anything to her.

I tried to tear my eyes away from them, looking for a familiar face in the crowd. But he wasn’t there.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned back to Chloe.

"Where’s my fiancé?" I whispered.

Chloe's brow shot up. "Liam went searching for you. He'd be back soon though. I tried convincing him that you would find your way back but he wasn't having it, I had to let the madly-in love guy go.” She shook her head and my heart squeezed.

Guilt weighed heavy on my heart, making it hard to breathe. Liam had fallen in love with me, but he didn’t know the truth about me.

He didn’t know I was a stripper, that I was selling my body to make ends meet, and I was just more of a toy to my wealthy Alpha stepfather who treated me like dirt. He didn’t know my mother was almost dead, and that I was doing everything I could to care for her.

I exhaled a heavy sigh, my chest tightening with emotion. I turned away, not wanting Chloe to see the tears welling in my eyes.

Before I could say anything else, I heard footsteps echoing in the hall. I expected it to be the professor, but instead I saw Liam standing in the doorway, his eyes locked on mine, a bouquet of flowers clutched in his hands.

The class erupted in murmurs, but I barely noticed. All I could see was Liam, the man who’d somehow found a way to love me despite everything.

Chloe awed beside me, blushing at the sight of Liam striding towards me. My heart fluttered in my chest as he approached.

He leaned down to press his lips gently against mine. The feel of his touch made my stomach flutter with butterflies.

Liam was one who didn't care about hiding our relationship. As he pulled away, he pressed a bouquet of flowers into my hand, his eyes filled with concern.

"I was worried. You scared me," he murmured before settling into the seat next to me.

I tried to explain, but the weight of my brothers’ glares on the back of my neck made me swallow back my words. Daven, Roman, and Lucien were glaring at me, their dark eyes full of hate and rage as they surveyed the bouquet in my hand and Liam's arms around my neck.

And when I saw Roman shove away the girl who was trying to touch his chest, and slowly rose to his feet…

Shit! I knew trouble was coming.

"Liam? Can we…can we go outside to talk?" I managed to choke out, my heart racing. Liam tensed, sensing my worry.

Before I could move, Roman was standing in front of me, Lucien at his side, blocking me in. My heart sank and warning bells began to ring in my head.

"Well, well, if it isn't Jackson," Roman said, a cruel smile on his face. "Son of Stryker, Alpha of the Green Vine pack." He c****d his head to the side, a habit I couldn't quite figure out.

Liam's eyes darkened as he rose to his feet, the tension in the air thickening by the second.

"...Associating with an abomination, brother," Lucien chimed in, his voice dripping with malice.

Roman's smile grew wider as he hummed. "What a pity. What would his father think?" He asked, a false sympathy in his voice that made my skin crawl.

Liam's hands clenched into fists, his body tensing as he faced off against my brothers. I wished he was taller, but they towered over him by at least a foot each.

"Roman, Lucien, this isn't your business. Stay out of it," Liam growled, his voice low.

Roman laughed, an eerie, hollow sound that sent a shiver down my spine. "Oh, but it is our business, Jackson. It's our duty to protect our family from trash like you."

Lucien cracked his knuckle and took a step forward. "And to protect the pack from abominations like her." He jabbed a finger in my direction.

Liam growled low in his throat, stepping towards Lucien. My hand shot out, grabbing his arm and tugging him back. I knew he was no match for my bloodthirsty brothers.

"Liam—," I started, but he didn’t listen, growling louder as Roman and Lucien smirked at him, amused by his display of anger.

"My woman isn't an abomination. She might be your half-sister, but she's going to be my wife soon. f**k off!" Liam growled, waving his hand dismissively at my brothers.

My brothers’ smiles vanished in an instant, replaced by a cold, murderous rage.

Then the devil stepped forward–Draven, the oldest of the triplets, stood up, his voice cold and low. “You talk too much for a man, Jackson,” he said, and the air in the room seemed to chill.

“I'm out of here,” I announced, but before I could gather my bag, Lucien spoke up.

"But we're not done with you, step sister. We haven't talked about the s*x toy you stole from a toy shop. Bad habit.”

Lucien's smirk was cruel and cold, a wolfish grin that sent a shiver down my spine. "We need to search your bag, don't we?"

Dread pooled in my stomach, a cold, sick feeling that made me want to retch. I knew what they were after. To humiliate me again.

For heaven's sake, don't these sick bastards know when to stop?

"I don't steal," I said, my voice hard but my heart was fluttering like a trapped bird. "I've never stolen and I won't let you search my bag."

Roman held out his hand. "We'll be the judge of that. Give us your bag, sister."

The weight of their gazes was oppressive, like a boulder crushing me. I turned to Liam, his expression steely, protective. My chest heaved as I struggled to breathe.

Lucien cooed at me. "Oh, dirty girl. Go on, give it to us."

I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks. I knew if they found my stripper uniform, it would be disastrous.

I pushed my bag deeper into the chair with my foot, trying to hide it as much as possible.

Then I raised my chin defiantly, tossing him the other bag on the desk. It hit him in the face with a loud smack, gasps erupting in the classroom.

Lucien's smirk widened as he caught the bag, undeterred by the force of the throw. He unzipped it and rummaged through the contents, throwing things out haphazardly.

My breath caught in my throat as the bag's contents tumbled out with a clatter. The sight of various s*x toys in sizes, shapes, and colors was like a punch to the gut. My heart sank into the depths of my stomach, my face drained of color.

How… How was this possible? I didn't… I swear I didn't bring this…

Draven's lips twitched into a wicked smirk, rubbing his lips with a thumb to cover it.

I didn't need anyone to tell me what had happened.

My world shattered like shards of broken glass, my blood turning to ice.