In love with my StepSon

Chapter Five

Melissa

I was finishing the last bite of toast when Draven's phone rang and shattered the tense silence at the breakfast table. He pulled the device from his pocket and his expression darkened as he looked at the screen.

"What is it?" he answered sharply.

I couldn't hear the voice on the other end but I watched Draven's jaw clench tighter with each passing second.

"Hold them off till I arrive," he commanded before ending the call.

He stood abruptly and pushed his chair back with enough force to make it scrape loudly against the floor. I remained perfectly still and unsure of what was expected of me as he walked around the table toward where I sat.

Before I could process what was happening Draven leaned down. "I have pack business to attend to," he stated. "Behave yourself while I'm gone."

Then he was out the door with Beta Luther trailing behind him. The sound of their footsteps faded down the hallway and I finally allowed myself to breathe.

"So tell me something Melissa," Briston began with venom dripping from every word.

I looked up and found him staring at me with cold eyes that reminded me too much of his father's.

"How does it feel?" he questioned as he leaned back in his chair. "Being bought like cattle and dragged to a stranger's bed?"

My throat went dry and I couldn't form words to respond.

"Did you enjoy it?" Briston pressed as he tilted his head. "Being ravaged by an old man who's probably older than your father? Do you fancy that weird fetish or are you just so low moraled and stupid that you thought this household would be your salvation?"

I choked on my own spit and coughed violently while pressing my napkin to my mouth. The cruelty in his words was worse than anything Draven had done to my body because at least Draven's brutality was expected. But this, coming from someone who had seemed disgusted by his father's actions yesterday, felt like a fresh betrayal.

"I..." I tried to speak but the words wouldn't come.

"You what?" Briston demanded as he sat forward. "Cat got your tongue? Or maybe you're just too ashamed to admit what you really are?"

I opened my mouth again but nothing came out except a strangled sound that made me hate myself even more.

Briston's expression shifted from cold mockery to pure rage. He slammed his fist on the table with enough force to make the dishes jump.

"Answer me when I'm talking to you!" he shouted.

I flinched backward in my chair and my heart hammered against my ribs. His anger was so sudden and so volatile that I couldn't tell if he was going to hit me or just keep yelling.

When I still didn't respond because my voice had completely abandoned me, Briston stood and grabbed the edge of the table. With one violent motion he flipped it over and sent plates and glasses and silverware crashing to the floor in an explosion of noise.

I screamed and jumped up from my chair as food splattered across the floor and broken glass scattered in every direction.

Briston didn't even look at the mess he had created. He just turned and stormed out of the dining room, leaving me standing there trembling among the ruins of breakfast.

I knelt down carefully and began picking up pieces of broken plate while trying to avoid the shards of glass. My hands shook as I worked and I barely registered the pain when a sharp edge sliced into my finger.

Blood welled up immediately and dripped onto the white tile.

"Luna Melissa, please stop," a voice said urgently.

I looked up and saw three maids rushing into the room with cleaning supplies. The lead maid gently took the broken plate from my hands.

"This is not your job Luna," she insisted. "Please let us handle this."

I wanted to argue but I was too exhausted. I stood and stepped back while they immediately began cleaning the mess with practiced efficiency. One of them wrapped a clean cloth around my bleeding finger without being asked.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Of course Luna," she replied softly.

I left them to their work and walked out into the hallway with no destination in mind. I just needed to move. Needed to escape the dining room and the memory of Briston's rage and the humiliation of everything that had happened since I arrived at this cursed place.

I wandered through corridors lined with portraits of stern-faced wolves who all seemed to judge me as I passed. I climbed a staircase I hadn't noticed before and found myself in a wing of the fortress that felt older and less maintained than the rest.

At the end of a long hallway I spotted a door that was slightly ajar. Curiosity pulled me forward and I pushed it open to reveal a library that took my breath away.

Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined every wall and filled the space with the musty smell of old paper and leather.

I stepped inside and let my fingers trail along the spines of books as I walked deeper into the room. Most of the titles were about pack law and werewolf history but tucked into one corner I found a section on curses and dark magic.

One book in particular caught my eye. The leather cover was worn smooth and the title was embossed in faded gold letters. "Breaking the Unbreakable: A Study of Ancient Curses."

I pulled it from the shelf and the moment I did I heard a soft click. The bookshelf beside me swung inward slightly to reveal a narrow opening leading into darkness.

A hidden room.

My heart rate picked up as I stared into the shadows. This was none of my business. I should put the book back and leave before I got caught somewhere I wasn't supposed to be.

But curiosity won out over caution. I certainly needed to know what Draven's curse entails or how to escape.

I set the book down on a nearby table and moved toward the opening. I pushed the shelf a little wider and stepped through into a small chamber lit only by the light filtering in from the library.

"What in the world," I muttered as my eyes adjusted to the dimness.

The room was barely bigger than a closet and the walls were lined with more books. But these weren't normal texts. They were journals and grimoires and documents that looked ancient and forbidden.

I took another step inside to get a better look when a voice thundered behind me.

"What are you doing here?"

I spun around and found Briston standing in the library doorway with fury blazing in his eyes.

I was doomed.