*The Alpha’s Step Sister*

Chapter Three: The Bait

I didn’t cry.

I wanted to. My eyes burned with unshed tears, and my hands were shaking so badly I could barely grip my textbooks, but I refused to let a single drop fall in front of these vultures.

I gathered my books, my face burning with humiliation as the laughter echoed down the hallway. I didn't look back at Klaus. I didn't want to see the smug satisfaction on his face. I didn't want to see him standing there like a marble statue while his girlfriend and her friends treated me like garbage.

"He's a monster," I reminded myself, shoving my books into my bag. A gorgeous, terrifying, sociopathic monster.

I made it to my first-period English class just as the bell rang. I slid into the back row, keeping my head down. But the humiliation wasn't over.

All day, the whispers followed me.

"That's the new girl living with the Blackwoods."

"Did you see her clothes? So cheap."

"Victoria is going to eat her alive."

By lunchtime, I was starving, but I couldn't stomach the idea of walking into that cafeteria. The sheer weight of everyone's stares was suffocating. Instead, I grabbed a granola bar from my bag and headed out to the courtyard behind the science building. It was secluded, hidden by a large oak tree.

I leaned against the brick wall, letting out a heavy breath. For the first time all day, the tightness in my chest eased just a fraction. But as I closed my eyes, the memory of last night flashed behind my eyelids. The heat of Klaus’s body. The impossible gold of his eyes. That one, damning word: mate.

I rubbed my chest, right over my heart. It physically ached. It was a dull, throbbing pain that had started the moment Klaus walked away from me in the hallway last night, and it was getting worse. I felt like I was missing a piece of myself.

"Get a grip, Christabel," I scolded myself. He’s a bully. He made his choice.

"Rough day?"

I gasped, my eyes flying open. A guy was standing a few feet away, leaning against the opposite wall. He had sandy blonde hair, warm brown eyes, and a kind smile that looked entirely out of place in this hellhole of a school.

"I'm Dorian," he said, pushing off the wall and walking over. He offered me a bottle of water. "You looked like you needed this. And a hiding spot."

I hesitated for a second, then took the water. "Christabel. And you're not wrong."

Dorian chuckled, sitting down on the grass a respectful distance away. "Everyone knows who you are now. The new step-sister. You're the talk of the school." He looked at me, his eyes softening. "Don't let Victoria get to you. She's a venomous snake, but she's all bark and no bite."

"She has a pack of girls who follow her every command," I muttered.

Dorian smirked, and for a second, a flash of something dark and dangerous crossed his face. "A pack of high school girls doesn't scare me. Besides, I'm a transfer student too. We outsiders have to stick together."

For the first time since I moved here, I felt a genuine smile tug at my lips. It felt nice to have someone—anyone—not looking at me like I was a stain on their shoe.

We spent the rest of the lunch period talking. Dorian was funny and easygoing, and he didn't ask a single question about Klaus. It was exactly the breath of fresh air I needed.

But as we stood up to head back inside, a cold wind swept through the courtyard. I shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. I felt eyes on me.

I turned my head toward the second-floor windows. There, standing in the shadows of the library, was Klaus.

He was staring down at us. His hands were braced on the window frame, and even from this distance, I could see the rigid tension in his shoulders. He looked furious. But it wasn't the cold, mocking anger from this morning. He looked like he was barely restraining himself from putting his fist through the glass.

"Uh oh," Dorian murmured beside me, looking up at the window. "Looks like the big bad Alpha doesn't like you talking to other guys."

"He doesn't own me," I said loudly, making sure my voice carried. I grabbed my bag, turned my back on the window, and walked inside.

I could feel Klaus’s gaze on the back of my neck, burning like a brand.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of uncomfortable stares and quiet whispers. By the time the final bell rang, I was exhausted. My body ached, and the pain in my chest had morphed into a heavy, suffocating pressure.

I grabbed my bag and headed out the back doors, deciding to take the long way home through the woods that bordered the school property. I needed the fresh air. I needed to clear my head.

The trees were thick, the autumn leaves crunching under my boots. The deeper I went, the quieter it got. But my peace was short-lived.

I heard the footsteps behind me.

I stopped. The footsteps stopped. I started walking faster. The footsteps matched my pace.

A prickle of icy fear shot down my spine. I turned around, my heart lurching into my throat.

Victoria was standing ten feet behind me, flanked by her two loyal minions. They had shed their perfect high school personas. Their smiles were cruel, their eyes flashing with something that looked oddly animalistic.

"You didn't really think you could ignore me, did you, trash?" Victoria sneered, crossing her arms over her designer sweater.

"I'm not looking for trouble," I said, my voice surprisingly steady. I took a step back, my hand tightening on the strap of my bag.

"Too bad," Victoria purred. "You brought trouble the moment you stepped foot in our town. You think you can just swoop in, live in the Alpha's house, and talk to Dorian like you're one of us?"

She took a step forward, and her eyes seemed to glow for a second. "You're a human. You're weak. And it's time you learned your place."

Before I could scream, before I could run, Victoria lunged. But she didn't just tackle me.

In mid-air, her skin rippled. Her bones cracked, reshaping with a sickening sound. Her clothes tore as her body morphed, dropping to all fours. Where a blonde teenage girl had been a second ago, there was now a massive, snarling beast.

A wolf.

I froze, absolute terror rooting me to the spot. Victoria wasn't just a mean girl. She was a monster.

The massive black wolf snarled, baring razor-sharp teeth, its yellow eyes fixed on my throat. I backed up, tripping over a tree root, and slammed onto the ground.

This is it, I thought, my hands flying up to protect my head. I'm going to die in these woods.

But Victoria didn't pounce. The wolf took a step forward, then stopped. Its ears flattened against its head, and a low whimper escaped its throat. It took a step back, its eyes darting nervously toward the shadows of the trees.

The woods had gone completely silent. No birds. No wind.

Then, a scent hit me. Thick, intoxicating, and familiar. Pine and rain.

A dark, hulking shape stepped out from between the trees behind me. It was huge—easily twice the size of Victoria's wolf. Its fur was pitch black, its eyes burning like molten gold.

Klaus.

He was magnificent and terrifying. A vicious growl rumbled from his chest, a sound of pure, unadulterated fury. The vibration of it shook the ground beneath my trembling hands.

Victoria’s wolf lowered its head, tucking its tail between its legs in absolute submission, whining as she backed away. Her two friends, frozen in human form, stared in horror.