MY STEPBROTHERS, MY MATES

IT'S SO EASY FOR THEM TO MAKE ME FEEL SMALL

CHAPTER 15

VIOLETTA

The whole family sat around the dinner table. Rafael at the head, my mother beside him, Jace on my right, and Jason across from me. It was strange seeing all of us together like this.

Jason usually ate fast and left, but tonight he stayed in his seat, shoulders relaxed against the chair like he had nowhere else to be.

My mother and Rafael talked about his work. Something about pack borders and a meeting next week.

Their voices went back and forth while I sat there pushing rice around my plate with my fork.

The food smelled good but it felt heavy in my mouth.

My phone kept vibrating beside my plate. Short, insistent buzzes that cut through every pause in the conversation.

I ignored it at first, but the vibrations kept coming.

Jace leaned forward. “Are you going to check that or have me silence it?”

I picked up the phone. The screen lit up with PackLink notifications. I opened the app and the post sat at the top.

*Some humans adapt to wolf society FAST.*

Below it was a blurry photo of me stepping out of Jace’s car this morning, his hand pulling me forward. Another screenshot showed him defending me in the gym.

My stomach dropped. I scrolled down slowly, reading the words again and again. They didn’t change. They just sat there, public, permanent.

Jason noticed immediately from across the table. His eyes narrowed on my face. Jace turned toward me.

“Are you okay?” Jace asked, his voice low.

I kept staring at the screen. The comments were already piling up underneath. My thumb moved without me telling it to. There were more words and accusations.

My chest started to feel tight, like someone had wrapped something around my ribs and was slowly pulling it closed.

Dinner became unbearable after that. I couldn’t eat. All I could think about was the post.

I unconsciously played with my food, pushing pieces around the plate, watching the rice separate into small piles that I immediately destroyed again.

My mother’s voice cut through. “Violetta, is something wrong? You’ve been behaving strangely since you checked your phone.”

I forced my shoulders to relax and looked up at her.

She had that worried crease between her eyebrows, the one she got when she thought I was hiding something important.

I hated that look. It always made me feel guilty even when I hadn’t done anything.

“It’s just school stuff,” I shrugged and forced a smile to my lips.

She watched me for a second longer. I could see her deciding whether to push or let it go.

Rafael glanced between us but didn’t say anything.

The rest of dinner passed with barely any speaking. Forks scraped plates.

The moment I finished, I excused myself and went upstairs.

In my room I closed the door and sat on the edge of my bed.

I opened the phone again and clicked on the comments. That became the real damage. Strangers were crueler than direct enemies.

*Who's she even?*

*Jace Calloway?? Really??*

*She’s clearly using Jace to climb up. Pathetic.*

*Classic social behavior*

*Humans think sleeping with the Alpha’s sons makes her one of us now.*

*Classic manipulator. Rafael should kick her out before she ruins the family.*

*Bet she’s spreading her legs for both twins. Disgusting.*

*Social climber alert. Next she’ll be calling herself Calloway.*

*Why is Jace even entertaining this? She’s beneath him.*

*Watch her try to get pregnant next for pack status. Typical human move.*

I read them over and over. Each one landed somewhere deep in my chest and stayed there. My eyes burned.

I kept swallowing but the lump in my throat wouldn’t go away.

By evening I felt sick from it.

My stomach turned in slow, nauseating waves.

My hands shook slightly when I held the phone.

I hated how much it affected me. I hated that they had this power after just one post.

I left my room for water because I couldn’t breathe properly anymore.

The air in my room felt too thick, like it was pressing down on me from all sides.

The house was a little bit dark but not that dark. And it was silent.

I wondered if my mom and Rafael were home but I didn’t care.

What’s going through my mind right now is more than caring about where my mother was since she’s the one who brought me into this.

I suddenly felt like I’d been in this situation before. A different kind.

FLASHBACK

A man was towering over me with a screwdriver in his hand. The metal caught the dim light and glinted sharp.

He stared at me like I was the most perfect thing that could ever happen.

I was weeping, hot tears running down my face, snot mixing with them as I stepped back on shaky legs.

My voice came out small and broken. “Uncle, please don’t do it.”

The man grinned widely, teeth showing, and asked, “What did you think I’m trying to do?”

My voice broke completely and more tears slipped down.

I begged him, my words tumbling over each other. “Please don’t use the screwdriver on me.”

My hands shook so badly I could barely keep them in front of me.

The air smelled like sweat and old wood and something metallic that made my stomach twist.

Every step he took forward made my legs feel weaker, like they might give out.

My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt.

I could hear my own breathing, fast and ragged, echoing in my ears.

He stepped forward and I stepped backwards. My back hit the cold wall hard.

The impact jarred through my spine.

I looked back, realizing I was trapped, then turned to my uncle who was still grinning widely, eyes bright with something that made my skin crawl.

He looked so terrifying.

Without thinking I voiced out he could put me in the closet instead.

My uncle stopped and said, “That’s a good idea and fair enough.”

His hand clamped around my arm, fingers digging in hard enough to bruise. He dragged me across the floor.

My feet scraped against the rough wood, trying to find purchase but failing.

I twisted and pulled but he was too strong. He threw me into the special closet and the door slammed shut.

The lock clicked loud, final. Everywhere was dark. Pitch black. I couldn’t even see my hand when I held it right in front of my face.

The air was stale and thick, pressing against my skin. It felt like the walls were closing in, inch by inch, squeezing the breath out of me.

The darkness felt alive, crawling over my arms and into my throat, feeding on every shaky breath I took.

My heart kept racing faster, pounding in my ears like it wanted to escape. I pressed my head into my knees, curling into the smallest ball I could make.

The floor was cold and hard against my skin.

I cried hard, loud sobs that echoed back at me in the tiny space. “Mum… Dad… please… I’m scared… don’t leave me here… Mum!”

Nobody answered. The darkness swallowed my voice. It swallowed everything.

END OF FLASHBACK

I snapped right out of it to find myself sweating. My shirt stuck to my back. My hands were damp.

I took a deep breath and told myself Victor was not here and he wouldn’t hurt me at all.

I took another deep breath and walked into the kitchen.

I froze.

Jason leaned against the counter drinking water straight from the bottle. His tattoo was peeking out visible near his wrist from the shirt he was putting on.

The kitchen light caught the sharpness of his face when he glanced at me.

There was an immediate tension between us. I expected him to bite out his usual insult at me.

Instead Jason said, “You look terrible.”

I laughed once tiredly. “Nicest thing you’ve said to me. And thank you.”

He watched me quietly while I searched cabinets pretending I was okay but I was visibly upset: my eyes were red, my shoulders were tense, I was sweating terribly on my forehead and hands, my legs were vibrating from the memory lane I’d walked down into and I was avoiding eye contact with him.

Jason noticed all of it immediately and said casually, “School finally chewed you up?”

I hesitated. My first instinct was to lie, to tell him to mind his business like I always did.

But the words came out anyway.

I told him about the rumor post. I explained everything and how exhausted I was.

Jason listened without interrupting which alone felt strange. He didn’t smirk. He didn’t look away. He just stood there drinking his water and listening.

Then I mumbled quietly, “I hate how easy it is for them to make me feel small.”

Jason’s expression shifted slightly at that. I thought it was because he recognized the feeling or it was more than I knew.

I finally asked, “Why do you hate humans so much?”

There was silence for a beat and I thought he was going to ignore me.

Jason looked away first, his jaw tightening and then he sighed, “Because humans ruin everything they touch.”

The answer felt too personal to be random.

Before I could ask more, he grabbed his bike keys but paused near the doorway.

Without looking at me he said, “And whoever made you cry tonight better hope I don’t figure out who it was.”

And then he left.

I stared after him completely thrown off because that didn’t sound like cruelty but sounded protective.

I walked toward the kitchen window after hearing his motorcycle start. Headlights cut through the dark as he rode off.

Footsteps came down the stairs. Jace appeared dressed to go out.

He saw me in the kitchen and asked, “What are you doing here?”

I shook my head. “I can’t sleep because I can’t take my mind off the post and comments.”

I looked at him to see him fully dressed. “Where are you going?”

"I'm going to a party." He replied slowly.

I pointed at the window, at the smoke pulling in a cloud outside, “Jason just left on his bike.”

Jace nodded. “He’s always like that.” He paused, watching me carefully. “Do you want to come?”

I hesitated. “Won’t that add more salt to the injury? Everyone in school would have seen the post by now.”

Jace stepped closer. “No one would hurt you. I will always be by your side.” His voice was steady, calm in a way that made something tight in my chest loosen just a little.

"Besides, are you coming to the party to have fun and take things off your mind… or to go see what people think of you?”