Luna to my Alpha Stepbrother

"Mom, tell me this house has a lock on my bedroom door." Elise didn't answer. She was staring at the iron gates opening in front of the car, and her fingers were tight around her purse. "Mom." "What?" "The lock. On my door. Please tell me it exists." "Of course it exists," Elise said too quickly. "Why wouldn't it?" Nadia turned from the window and looked at her. "Because you're sweating, and the air conditioner is on." "I'm just nervous." "You've been married for six days. You're allowed to stop being nervous." Elise forced a smile. "Come on. Let's not make a bad first impression." "You mean you don't want me to." "Nadia." "I'm just saying. This isn't a house. It's a hotel built by someone who hates neighbors." The car rolled up a long driveway lined with black pines. At the end of it stood a stone mansion with a hundred windows, and every curtain was drawn. A tall man waited on the steps in a grey coat. Silver at his temples, calm face, hands behind his back. "That's him," Elise whispered. "Gideon." "I know. I was at the courthouse." "Be nice." "I'm always nice." "You told the judge his tie looked like a funeral." "It did." The driver opened the door. Nadia stepped out, and the cold mountain air hit her face. She breathed in and frowned. It smelled like pine, rain, wet stone, and something else. Smoke. Something warm and wild. "Nadia," Gideon said, coming down the steps. His voice was deep and even. "Welcome home." "Thank you, Mr. Thorne." "Gideon." "Gideon." She shook his hand. His grip was firm, and he held it half a second too long. His nostrils flared, just slightly. "Is something wrong?" she asked. "No." He let go. "You remind me of someone." Elise stepped between them. "Gideon, can we go inside? It's cold." "Of course." Inside, the entrance hall was bigger than the apartment Nadia had lived in last year. A staircase curved up into shadow. Paintings of wolves hung on every wall. "Wolves," Nadia said. "That's a theme." "Family tradition," Gideon said. "Of owning dogs?" "Of respecting them." A woman in a grey uniform appeared and bowed her head. "Sir. The east wing is sealed as you asked." "Thank you, Mara." "What's in the east wing?" Nadia asked. Silence. "Storage," Gideon said. "A big storage." "A very big storage." Elise touched her arm. "Nadia, let's go see your room." "I'm asking a normal question." "And I'm asking you to drop it." "Why?" "Because I said so." Nadia let out a breath. "Fine." Mara led them upstairs and down a long corridor. The carpet swallowed every footstep. At the very end she opened a cream-colored door. "Your room, miss." It was beautiful. A large bed, a desk by the window, shelves already stacked with art supplies. Someone had bought her good charcoal and expensive sketch paper. "How did you know I draw?" Nadia asked. "Your mother mentioned it," Gideon said from the doorway. "I never told you I use charcoal." Elise coughed. "I might have said something." "Right." Nadia walked to the door and ran her fingers along the frame. There was a latch, but it was on the outside. "Where's the lock?" "We don't lock doors in this house," Gideon said. "Why not?" "We trust each other." "I don't know any of you." "Then you'll learn." Nadia looked at her mother. Elise looked at the carpet. "Okay," Nadia said slowly. "Then I'll sleep with a chair under the handle." Gideon almost smiled. "That's allowed." "Good. Thank you." "Dinner is at seven. My son will join us." "The famous stepbrother." "Famous?" "Mom told me. Playboy, motorcycle, every girl on campus crush." She shrugged. "I'm not interested. I'm going to keep my head down." Gideon's face didn't change, but his eyes did. They were sharp and unreadable. "Kieran has a reputation," he said. "Don't believe all of it." "Does he deserve the reputation?" "Some of it." "Which part?" "The part that makes him difficult." He turned to leave. "Seven o'clock." When the door closed, Nadia dropped her bag and sat on the bed. "Mom. What is going on?" "Nothing." "You asked me to move across the country in two weeks. You married a man you met in the spring. Nobody tells me anything, and there's no room in this house that's sealed." "Nadia, please. Just try. For me." "Try what?" "To be happy here." "Are you happy here?" Elise opened her mouth. Closed it. "I'm safe here." "Safe from what?" Elise kissed her forehead. "Get some rest." She left. Nadia stared at the door. Safe from what? Dinner was long, silent, and cold. The table could seat twenty. Four places were set. One chair stayed empty. "He's late," Elise said. "He's always late," Gideon answered. "Eat." Nadia pushed her fork through rare steak. It was almost raw, and her stomach growled. "You like it that way?" Gideon asked. "I don't usually." "But you do tonight." "I'm hungry." "Of course." Nadia frowned. "Why does everything you say sound like a test?" "Nadia," Elise warned. "It's fine," Gideon said. "I like honesty." The front door slammed. Heavy boots crossed the hall. "And that," Gideon said, "is my son." Laughter drifted in first. A girl's laughter, high and flirty. Then a man's voice, low and lazy. "Don't wait up, Cass. I've got family stuff." "You're so mean," the girl giggled. "I'm busy. Go home." "Call me?" "Sure." "Kieran!" a second girl called from outside. "You promised me Friday!" "I promise everyone Friday, Bella!" he called back, and a burst of laughter chased him in. The dining room doors swung open. Kieran Thorne leaned against the frame like he owned the room. Black hair, messy. A scar through his left eyebrow. A leather jacket and a half-buttoned shirt, and a smirk that probably worked on everyone. Behind him in the hall, the guard at the front door had straightened and dropped his eyes, the way people do when a storm walks in. Even Mara stopped pouring. Nobody said a word, and the whole room still rearranged itself around him. "Dad. You started without me." "You're twenty minutes late." "I was saving the girl from a bad decision." "By being the bad decision?" "By being the best bad decision." He pushed off the frame. His grey eyes slid across the table and landed on Nadia. "And you must be the new stepsister." "Nadia." "Kieran." "I know. Everyone's told me." "Good things?" "Mostly warnings." His smirk widened. "Smart people." He walked toward her chair. Nadia didn't look away. She refused to. Three feet away, he stopped. His face changed. The smirk disappeared. His eyes dropped to her neck, and his chest rose like he was breathing in something for the very first time. "Kieran," Gideon said sharply. Kieran didn't move. "Kieran." "I heard you." "Sit down." "I don't want to sit." "Do it anyway." Kieran took one step back, then another. His jaw was tight. A muscle ticked in his cheek. "Is there a problem?" Nadia asked. "No." "You're staring at me." "I'm not." "You are." "I'm not." His voice cracked on the last word, and he looked furious about it. Elise had gone completely white. "Maybe I should go," Nadia said, standing. "Sit," Gideon said. "I'm not a dog." "Please sit." She sat, slowly. "Is this normal? Because if this is normal, I need a new family." Kieran laughed, short and humorless. He dropped into the chair farthest from her and grabbed a glass of water. His hand shook. "What's wrong with you?" Nadia asked. "Nothing." "You look like you've seen a ghost." "I haven't." "Then why—" "Drop it," he said. His voice was low, almost a growl. "Please." The word please sounded strange coming from him. Like it cost something. Nobody spoke. The clock ticked. Wind pressed against the windows. "So," Nadia said, because she couldn't stand it. "What do you study?" "Business." "Do you like it?" "No." "Then why do it?" "Because my father said so." "You always do what he says?" "No." He finally looked at her. "Just the important things." "Such as?" "Staying away from people who don't belong here." Nadia's fork stopped. "Excuse me?" "Kieran," Gideon snapped. "What? She asked." "I belong wherever my mother lives," Nadia said coldly. "She married your father. That makes this my home too." "It's a house." "Wow. Great talk." "I'm not trying to be cruel." "You're succeeding." His hand tightened on the glass. A c***k ran up the side. Kieran stared at it. Everyone did. "I need air," he said, and left the room. The doors swung shut behind him. Silence. "Well," Nadia said. "That went great." "He's under stress," Gideon said. "From what? Dinner?""Finals." "It's October." "Early finals." "That's not a thing." Gideon set his napkin down. "It's late. You should rest. Classes start tomorrow, and I've arranged for you to attend Ravenmoor University." "Ravenmoor? I already enrolled at Dunmere." "Not anymore." "Excuse me?" "I took care of the transfer." Nadia stood. "You transferred me without asking?" "It's safer there." "There it is again. Safe." She turned to her mother. "Did you know about this?" Elise didn't answer fast enough. "Unbelievable," Nadia whispered. "Nadia, listen—" "No. I'm tired. I'm going to bed." She walked out. Behind her, Gideon spoke in a low voice she wasn't supposed to hear. "He smelled her at the table." "I know," Elise said. "Then he knows." "Not yet. Not all of it." Nadia's steps slowed. She pretended to tie her shoe. "We should have waited until after the moon," Elise said. "We had no choice. The council was getting close." "Gideon, if he finds out before—" "Then we'll deal with it." "And if she finds out?" "She won't." Nadia straightened and kept walking. Her heart was pounding. Smelled her. After the moon. The council. What was any of that supposed to mean? Her room was dark. She jammed a chair under the door handle and sat on the bed, hugging her knees. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay. They're rich. They're weird. That's all." But she didn't believe it. Something scraped outside her window. She froze. Scratch. Scratch. Slow and deliberate. Then a heavy thump against the glass, like something large had leaned against it. "Hello?" Her voice came out tiny. Silence. Then, from just outside her door, a low voice. Rough. Strained. "Lock your door." Nadia stopped breathing. "Kieran?" "Lock it." "There's no lock." A long pause. She heard him breathing hard, like he'd been running. "Then stay in bed," he said. "And whatever you hear tonight, don't come out." "What's happening?" "Nothing." "You're lying." "I know." His voice dropped to something raw. "I'm sorry." "For what?" He didn't answer. His footsteps moved away, fast, then stopped. A door slammed somewhere far off. Then silence, and then a howl. It rolled across the mountains, long and wild and heartbreakingly lonely. It was close. Too close. Nadia stumbled to the window and yanked the curtain back. The forest was black. A full moon hung over the trees, huge and silver. And something stood at the edge of the lawn. A wolf. Enormous. Black as ink. Its eyes glowed gold, and it was looking directly at her window. "No," she breathed. "That's not real." The wolf took one step forward. Her heart slammed. Heat rushed up her spine. She grabbed the glass to steady herself, and her reflection caught her eye. She stared. Her eyes were glowing amber.