Chapter 1

Ollie's POV

"How dare you steal our birthday present for Sylvia!" The quadruplet Alphas glared at me as if I were something filthy. "Give it back to her! Now!"

Three years ago, they found Sylvia, their "real sister". While I, their once-spoilt sister, quickly became nothing more than a servant to their family.

"I swear I didn't steal it! I have no reason to—"

"Strip now and prove it," the quadruplets said. "Or we can't trust you."

Their ruthless gazes pierced through me, shattering my heart. They were no longer my dear brothers, but my enemies—the ones I most wanted to escape from...

**

Conrad, Declan, Hugh, and Wes.

The quadruplets are the Alpha heirs of the pack.

They once treated me like their darling princess sister. They had all once been as precious to me as I had been to them.

Sylvia, their true sister, is the one who changed everything.

Now, I am less than dirt to them, worthy of such cruel words and the looks of disgust that match them.

Three years ago, the brothers rescued Sylvia as she ran crying from an orphanage. I wasn't there, but from what I was told, they knew right away that she was familiar in a strange way. They immediately brought the injured Sylvia to the hospital and ran through some blood tests.

Then overnight, the family I believed to be mine became hers.

Clearly, Sylvia was abused at the orphanage, so the quadruplets immediately took her in, and their parents were pleased at the discovery.

After this, I was adopted back into the Duskmoon family as a nice gesture. As I had been raised as a dear family member until the age of 16, it seemed natural for me to stay at the pack house. I wasn't their relation anymore, but the family still treated me kindly.

For a while.

Sylvia gradually took everything from me, turning the whole family against me.

She consistently played the victim, with me as the aggressor. It had all been for show, though I was never believed. They couldn't understand why their precious returned family member would lie.

Slowly, I was pushed from the family's good graces.

Conrad, the oldest of the brothers, is the strong, well-muscled captain of the hockey team. Capable and a good leader, he's always been forthright with his decisions, never truly doubting himself. Now I lost his trust and his protection.

Declan, the next oldest, never spoke much, not even to me, but his steady presence had ever been a comfort. However, now, the glare he previously used on others seems almost exclusively reserved for me. He now turned icy towards me and never has thawed again.

Hugh has always been easy-going with a smile and a laugh. His devil-may-care attitude adds a sense of adventure to every occasion. In the past, he was eager to deal me in on some of his whirlwind adventures. Now, I'm more like a nail in the tire of his sports car.

Wesley, or Wes for short, is the youngest and is the most kind and gentle. He, I thought, would have been the most likely to take my side when Sylvia came, to understand that I had nothing to do with the misunderstanding and that I never meant to deceive them in anyway. Instead, Sylvia batted her eyelashes and I was forgotten.

Now Syliva was given my room, my clothes, my entire life, while I was moved to a new smaller room in the basement of the estate, far out of the way of the rest of the family.

I've lost everything, but clearly it wasn't good enough for Sylvia yet. She still play the victim just to get me tortured by the quadruplets from time to time.

Like today, she accused me of stealing her birthday present.

"It's alright," Sylvia says, her voice soft and delicate. It trembles as do the hands she clasps together in front of her. Though her tears have stopped falling, they still cling to her eyelashes. "I'm sure Ollie didn't mean to take my present."

"It is Sylvia's birthday," Wes says, giving me his most disappointed frown.

"We should have known better than to allow our dear ex-sister to come to the party," Hugh says with a huffy, impatient breath. "She will always find a way to take advantage of things."

"But I didn't –" I try to say. They do not let me get a word in edgewise.

"Don't," Declan snaps, cutting me off.

Conrad shakes his head. "We will not allow you to ruin Sylvia's day. Give her back her present. Now."

"She probably already hid it," one of the other girls in the room says. The brothers have brought their girlfriends of the moment to this birthday party with them.

I haven't bothered learning their names, as I know they won't be around long. Hugh, especially, is a known playboy, but none of the brothers have ever maintained consistent romantic relationships.

"You should check her room," says one of the other girls.

At once, the four brothers start to move. Declan grabs me by the arm and drags me along with them. Sylvia hurries to follow, as the girlfriends stay behind, giggling.

"Ollie, just tell them where it is," she says, her voice wavering. "I don't want anyone to go to any trouble, but I can't bear to lose a gift from my brothers."

"I don't have –" I try to say.

"You should stay here, Sylvia," Wes says, intercepting their sister. "Stay at your party. We'll take care of this unpleasantness."

In my small basement bedroom, the brothers tear my room apart, pulling open and dumping the drawers from my dresser. They even flip the bed. They rip my closet door off its hinges, throwing whatever they find on the floor.

In the end, my room is trashed, but they are no closer to finding the birthday gift I've been falsely accused of stealing.

Standing amidst the chaos, Declan glances at me. "She must have it on her."

All the brothers look now, their eyes trailing down the length of my body. Even though I'm still wearing my dress, I feel exposed in ways I've never been before and shiver.

In our youth, these quadruplets were simply family, but as my first shift day neared, things gradually changed.

I've even had dreams where…

"Ollie," Conrad says sharply, frowning.

Immediately I snap back into the present.

"Strip," Conrad demands.

Chapter 2

Ollie's POV

I lift my shaky hands to the straps of my sundress and ever so slowly push one off my shoulder. I'm wearing a strapless lacy bra beneath, so now my clavicle and the bare curve of my shoulder is revealed for them.

Then, with a small tug, the top of the dress slinks down to my waist, catching on my hips.

My lacy bra hides very little. The brothers' eyes zero in on the swell of my breasts, the hard peaks of my nipples poking through…

Wesley swallows hard. Voice rough, he says, "Enough."

I scramble to pull the top part of my dress back, yanking the straps up over my shoulders. With the heat of the moment cooling, and the brothers all looking away now, humiliation begins to stir within me over this situation and what I allowed myself to do. To feel.

From the hallway, I hear Sylvia gasp. She rushes into the room, going straight for Wes. She clutches at his arms and dips down so that her face is in his line of sight.

"Wes, are you angry?" she asks, her voice shaky. Tears well in her eyes. "Did I go too far? You must be so furious with me."

"No, Sylvia," Wes says quickly and gently. "None of this is your fault. I'm not angry with you at all."

"Are you sure?"

All of the brothers look at Sylvia with concern, even Declan. Though his expression is the most reserved, even showing a hint of it through his cold exterior is a rare sight reserved only for Sylvia.

Declan steps closer to the pair and places his hand on Sylvia's shoulder. "Pay no mind to Ollie." As he says my name, he shoots me an ice cold glare. The contrast makes me ache – his thumb tracing soft circles on Sylvia's shoulder while he looks at me so icily. "If Ollie hadn't stolen your present and then denied it, none of this would have happened."

As Declan scolds me, the brothers' girlfriends sheepishly creep into the room.

All of my underclothes are scattered on the floor, including a thong that I bought in secret when I'd felt daring, and when my wet dreams about the brothers started. I hadn't the gall to wear it, the tag was still intact, stuck on the waistband.

A blush rises in my cheeks as the girls see it and laugh. One of them even starts to reach for it.

"Don't --!" I say, stepping forward.

"What's this?" Conrad's girlfriend says.

"What doesn't she want us to see?" says Declan's girlfriend, scowling at me. To the first girl, she says, "Show us, Christie."

"You won't believe it, Vikki." As Christie stands, holding her hand out and forward, a diamond necklace dangles from her fingers.

The third girl, Hugh's girlfriend of the moment, gasps. "Isn't that Sylvia's present?"

The brothers all look at the necklace, and then four very cold, very angry pairs of eyes turn onto me.

"I didn't put it there," I say at once. "I swear, I'm being set up. You have to believe me…"

Conrad strides closer to me and grips me roughly by the arm. Despite the trouble and the ache in my heart, my body reacts to his touch. I sway towards him without even meaning to.

If he notices, he doesn't comment on it. Instead, his lips curl down as he says, "You will be punished for this."

"Wait," Sylvia says.

She moves to my side as if coming to my defense, but I know better than to trust her. Whatever she has in mind for me will not be kind, no matter how she frames it to the brothers.

"Perhaps instead, Ollie could arrange my flowers for me. The ones that decorate the living room? They are so beautiful, I hate to dispose of them. If Ollie could arrange them into bouquets, then I could keep them for longer…"

All of the brothers' hard outer edges soften at Sylvia's suggestion, even Conrad – though he continues to dig his fingers into my arm.

"Come back to the living room. You'll see."

The brothers and their girlfriends follow Sylvia out of my room and back down the hallway to the living room, where bunches of roses seem to line every wall. Conrad drags me along with his vice-like grip.

There, Sylvia plucks one of the roses from the wall but immediately winces and drops the rose to the ground. A drop of blood beads on her fingertip. "Ouch."

"Sylvia!" Hugh says, rushing forward. "What happened?" The other brothers move as well. Conrad drops his hold on me to assist her.

"The thorns…" she says.

Christie, Vikki, and Hugh's girlfriend all share a look, which has dread pooling in my stomach.

"Wouldn't a better punishment be for Ollie to remove all the thorns from the roses?" Vikki suggests. "Then Sylvia won't risk getting hurt as she handles them."

"Won't I get hurt instead?" I look at my brothers, hoping they will understand. "If Sylvia would just be more careful –"

"Remove the thorns, Ollie," Conrad says firmly. "And do not expect any pay for this. Remember this is punishment."

Pay? What pay? For three years, I've hardly received any money from the family. I've had to take on menial work within the pack to earn any savings at all.

"I want to take Sylvia to the doctor, just to be safe," Hugh says.

Everyone agrees.

"All of thorns better be removed by the time we return," Conrad says to me.

"But there are thousands of…" I start, but they all lead Sylvia out of the room, not listening to me.

**

Two hours later, I've only made a small dent in the vast number of roses that need their thorns removed. I look at the rest of the room and sigh, as my one friend Ella enters the room.

Ella is the Beta's daughter and the only one to have stuck beside me after Sylvia's return. She stays at the estate with us, but was sent away to buy supplies earlier. I'm relieved to see her return.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"Removing the thorns from the roses so Sylvia will not prick herself again."

Ella sets aside the bags she brought and comes over to me. With one look at my scratched and bleeding hands, her fury shows.

"The brothers allowed this…?"

Chapter 3

Ollie's POV

I nod. I can't keep my own face from falling. This isn't the first time I've been punished in the last three years, but this time still feels different.

I think… I'm tired of trying. I tell Ella, "I've let the brothers disappoint me for the last time."

"What are you planning?" Ella asks.

"We graduate high school in a month, right? After that, I won't attend the pack university. I'll apply to other universities in other packs."

The only reason I can't leave right now is I'm not given adult privileges in the pack until my 19th birthday.

"I hate to see you go, but maybe it is for the best." She looks down at my hands. After a moment, she startles. "Oh! I just remembered."

Standing she goes to one of the bags she set aside and returns with a dress and some new makeup.

"What's this?" I ask.

"The Mating Gala is a week away," Ella says. "And it's your birthday too. Since you'll be able to shift then, you should attend." She smiles. "I got these for you as birthday gifts."

She is talking about my real birthday.

My heart feels suddenly lighter with the kindness of my dear friend. As long as I have a friend, I can survive everything else that comes my way.

In the morning, Ella and I walk to the high school. Along the way, we are passed by Sylvia riding in Hugh's convertible with the top down.

I push down on my jealousy, though I remember the days the brothers would drive me around in their luxury cars.

"Ignore her," Ella says. "Sylvia would love to know she's getting under your skin."

"I'm trying," I reply.

The pack's high school sits in the shadow of the university. The two facilities share five cafeterias and all sports fields, courts, and training grounds.

For the pack, this makes sense, as almost every pack member will transition straight from the high school to the university. Only those whose mate is of a different pack or those who wish to pursue a very specific major will venture outside their own pack for university.

Sylvia, Ella, and I are seniors, almost finished with our high school days. The quadruplets are soon to finish their sophomore year at university. Because of the closeness of the campuses, I still see them more than I want.

Ella and I are in separate homerooms, so I say goodbye to her just inside the high school lobby.

As I walk into my homeroom, I find Sylvia, sitting on her desk, talking to the quadruplet's girlfriends, who fan around her like she is their idol. They hang on every word she says.

"You really need to do your best to hang onto my brothers while you can," Sylvia tells them. "I know how difficult it can be. I've seen so many other girls come and go before you. But if you follow my advice, maybe you can mean as much to them as… well, not me. But someone, surely."

She smiles brightly as she continues, "My brothers chase away my suitors. They are adamant that I should wait to find my fated mate before I even think about dating. It's cute how much they care about me."

She says that like she has the whole world chasing after her, wanting to date. In truth, I've only ever seen one or two people pursuing Sylvia with any romantic intent.

Without meaning to, hearing her words, I laugh.

At once, Sylvia and her minions all turn their sharp gazes to me. Whatever good humor Sylvia had been faking vanishes at once.

"You have something to say?" Sylvia snaps.

I shrug. "I'm just wondering who all these suitors are. I've never seen them."

Sylvia glowers at me.

"What do you know?" Christie mocks. "Someone with an unknown lineage will never be worth much in the pack. No one will ever care about you, or even like you, no matter how many years you stay here."

"You'll be an old maid," Vikki adds.

"Sad and alone," adds the third, Hugh's girlfriend. I still don't know her name.

Before Sylvia came into our lives, I had many suitors, all of whom were actually driven away by the quadruplets. They told me too to wait until I found my fated mate to begin dating.

Now, with how far I've fallen in status, no one wants to acknowledge me, let alone pursue me.

Suddenly, nothing feels quite as funny anymore. Hitching my backpack further up onto my shoulder, I try to move around the group toward my desk.

Sylvia and her minions follow me.

"Where's our homework?" Hugh's girlfriend asks.

"Kimber, don't be crass," Sylvia says with a haughty tone. "I'm sure she's just getting ready to give it to us."

Because of my excellent grades and my lowly position, Sylvia started asking me to do her homework some time ago. Knowing she could make my life more miserable, I agreed. Slowly, that request included also doing the homework of her friends.

With my hands still sore and covered in bloody cuts, I haven't managed to do anyone's homework but my own.

"I didn't finish yours," I say as I sit down. I pull my backpack into my lap and gingerly open the zipper. My hands are so sore, I'm not sure how I'm even going to hold a pencil today.

"What do you mean, didn't finish?" Sylvia says, frowning. The demure, sweet, innocent act entirely disappears when the brothers aren't around. With me alone, she has only ever been cruel and impatient.

I hold up my hands, showing her my cuts, though she sneers, unsympathetic.

"I only finished my own," I say.

"Well, show us, and quickly," Sylvia snaps. "We can copy it before class."

On any other day, I would have complied. Then, I'd still been trying to make the most out of my situation. But now, any hope I had of things going back to normal has dissipated. With my plans to leave the pack as soon as possible, I really don't see the point in playing pretend anymore.

My hands hurt. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted. I just can't be asked to care anymore, not about Sylvia, and not about the quadruplets who have come to hate me through no fault of my own.

So, I do something I wouldn't have even thought of doing the past three years…

"No," I tell her.

She leans back as if I've physically struck her. "You can't say no to me."

"I just did," I say.

Christie, Vikki, and Kimber all look at each other with wide eyes. Sylvia notices and it makes her grimace worse.

To me, she says, "Aren't you afraid that the brothers will hate you even more when they find out about this?"

The words hurt like a knife between my ribs. I remember how much I wanted to make them change their minds about me throughout the past three years.

But no more. Now, I have decided to leave.

"I don't care," I say, trying to make my voice sounds steadily.

Chapter 4

Ollie's POV

Sylvia's glare turns a bit wild, like she can't believe what's happening.

It is the first time she has failed to manipulate me by using my feelings for the quadruplets.

Then the bell sounds, signaling homeroom is about to start. Sylvia and her minions are forced to return to their seats.

Later, in calculus, as everyone else produces their homework, the teacher walks by Sylvia's desk and sees that her notebook is empty.

"Where is your homework, Sylvia?" the teacher asks.

Sylvia pales. "I… uh…"

"Did you do your homework?" the teacher prompts, frowning.

Sylvia has no choice but to say, "No. I didn't."

The teacher snaps her textbook closed. "I find this very disappointing. Usually you are prepared." Shaking her head, she says, "I cannot allow this. Go stand in the hallway for the rest of class. You may return tomorrow, with both last night and tonight's homework completed. Am I understood?"

"Yes, teacher," Sylvia says, slumping slightly. As she packs up her things, she shoots me a glare.

Behind me, I hear some of my classmates whisper to one another.

"That was brutal," one whispers to the other.

"Ollie is cold-blooded," says another. "Do you think she's going back to how she was before Sylvia came around?"

I focus on my own textbook and pretend not to hear.

At lunch, I sit in one of the round tables in the corner of the room. As I can't afford the school lunch, I've brought a bagged lunch from home. I only start pulling out my sandwich when Ella spots me and hurries toward me.

She takes the open seat beside mine. The rest of our table is empty.

"I heard what happened with Sylvia," she says, grinning. "I'm so proud of you."

"I didn't do anything," I say.

"That's just it. Everyone knows you usually do Sylvia, Christie, Vikki, and Kimber's homework. There's no way the four of them would get the grades they do otherwise." Ella laughs. "They got what they deserved. I'm just so happy you finally stood up and told them no."

As my hands are still sore, I gingerly unwrap my sandwich. It was satisfying to watch Sylvia be punished, but I don't want to admit that out loud. "I just want to leave the pack."

"Whatever it takes to keep you from trying to win back those four dog brothers."

No sooner do the words leave Ella's mouth, then the door to the cafeteria is shoved open with such force that it clanks against the wall, silencing the entire room.

Conrad enters first, with Declan close behind him. Then, Hugh, and finally Wes.

Their sharp gazes search the room and then zero in on me.

I hold my breath as they approach. Three of them stop on the other side of the table, but Declan doesn't. Coming near me, he grabs me by the back of the collar and yanks me out of my chair.

"I can walk!" I say, but he doesn't listen. None of them do, as I'm dragged out of the cafeteria.

As I'm dragged out of the cafeteria and into the courtyard, I can see Ella try to approach. Hugh immediately steps in and blocks her. I can't hear what they are saying, but soon, Ella turns and leaves. I wish I knew where she is going. She wouldn't just leave me…

Hugh shrugs as he faces us. "That was surprisingly easy."

I'm led further into the courtyard to where Sylvia and her minions are standing. Declan pushes me to the ground at Sylvia's feet. Fortunately, I fall on the grass and not the sidewalk so only my pride is injured.

"Apologize," Conrad demands. The brothers move around me, standing in a circle with Sylvia at the head. There's no way for me to escape.

"I didn't do anything," I say. Looking around, I try not to let my body react to the thought of me on my knees with the quadruplets towering over me.

"It's your fault I was punished by the teacher in Calc," Sylvia says, drawing me back to the moment.

This is no time to be thinking about sex!

"It wasn't," I say. " "If you did your own homework –"

"Why are you lying?" she asks, her bottom lip trembling. "Why do you hate me so much, Ollie?"

Hugh starts to growl. Declan's eyes ice over.

"Apologize," Conrad says again, more forcefully.

No. I refuse, so I press my lips hard together.

Anger flaring in his eyes, Conrad rushes toward me. Grabbing the front of my shirt, he start to roughly pull me upright, when a new voice calls out.

"Stop this, right this moment."

We all look over and see Ella approaching with the same teacher who had punished Sylvia during calculus class.

Conrad chuffs in annoyance but still releases me. I collapse back onto the ground. I try to catch myself with my hands, but they are still covered in cuts and it stings, making me wince and my arms buckle.

"Sylvia was punished today because she did not complete her homework," the teacher says. "And for no other reason."

At once, tears fill Sylvia's eyes. "She's right! Oh, gods… I'm such a disgrace."

"No!" Hugh says. He and the other brothers move closer to Sylvia, stepping around me. They form a close circle around her, as if protecting her from the rest of the world, the teacher included.

The teacher closes her eyes and shakes her head.

With the brothers distracted, Ella hurries to me and helps me up to my feet. Together we back up a few steps.

"I've been having trouble keeping up with classes," Sylvia says through her sobs. "So I went to Ollie for help. I had to depend on her. She was supposed to help with my homework last night, but she was so angry with me about the necklace and the roses…"

That's not true, but I don't say so, knowing nothing I could say would make a difference. My heart feels like it's cracking down the middle. I didn't think it was possible that I could continue to be disappointed by the quadruplets. Yet, here I am.

Conrad leaves Sylvia in the care of the other brothers, then breaks away to approach me.

"Do not embarrass my sister ever again, Ollie," Conrad says. "Or you will receive ten times her punishment."

My sister, he said. The title that used to be mine.

I'm too stunned to speak. Conrad wouldn't listen anyway. He too quickly returns to Sylvia's side.

Ella, her arm still wrapped under one of mine leads me away.

"None of this matters," Ella says. "At the Mating Gala, you'll find your fated mate, I'm sure of it. And he'll protect you."

"Get back to lunch now," the teacher says to Ella and me, and escorts us there.

**

Just as we return to the estate that evening, Sylvia's dress and jewelry arrives. They were custom-made specifically for her first Mating Gala.

Diana, the matriarch of the family and the woman I once considered my mother, calls for everyone to file into one of the sitting rooms so we can all marvel at Sylvia trying on her new dress and jewels.

"I traveled overnight to speak with a designer," Diana says to Sylvia, as everyone, including the brothers, the staff, Ella and I, as well as Ella's parents stand in the sitting room. "Every square inch of this dress has been specially designed to suit you and only you, my darling daughter."

The gown is beautiful, a glittery silver with diamonds stitched into nearly every inch. Teal ribbons laced over the bodice, giving Sylvia the appearance of curves she doesn't otherwise have.

Nearly everyone coos over her as Sylvia, smiling, twists and turns, showing off the dress.

While I stand in the corner of the room, totally forgotten by Diana.

Beside me, Ella crosses her arms and taps her feet with impatience. "Your birthday is the same day as the Mating Gala. Has Diana forgotten that?"

"It's fine. I've already had the best dress," I blinked to her.

The dress Ella purchased for me might not be covered in diamonds, but it is more thoughtful and special than anything I could have asked for.

"During my travels," Diana's gaze falls onto her sons. "I've heard of a set of quadruplets that found their mate, a sole woman. As you have no found yours yet, I wonder if the same fate awaits you. I'm hoping such a union will be harmonious."

Hugh smirks, while Wes, blushing slightly, looks down. Conrad and Declan seem entirely unaffected.

"The Moon Goddess has a plan for us all," Diana says. "Her plans for you four remain to be seen."

Deep within me, a sharp jolt of feeling strikes through, like a shock of lightning. I press my hand to my chest, as my breath is stolen from me.

No one else is acting differently. Only I must have felt this.

What in the world?

My fingers tingle and my heartbeat quickens.

I never felt anything like this before, yet something within me reacted so strongly…

Because Diana is talking about the quadruplets' mate?

What can that mean?

Before I have time to reflect and consider what these feelings could possibly mean, Sylvia sighs dramatically, reclaiming the attention of the rest of the room.

"What's the matter, Sylvia?" Wes asks kindly. "You should be feeling nothing but joy right now."

She pouts her bottom lip. "I'm happy for my brothers. Truly. And I like your current girlfriends. I just fear… No, forget it. It's silly."

"Tell us," Conrad prompts.

She worries her bottom lip with her teeth. "I'm scared that when you find your fate, you will no longer have time to spend with your sister…"

"Never," Hugh says quickly.

The others agree. Even Declan nods.

Conrad, approaching her, places his hands on her shoulders. "You will always be the most important person to us."

Chapter 5

Ollie's POV

The day of the Mating Gala, my birthday, quickly approaches.

I awake that morning with a mix of trepidation and anticipation making knots twist in my stomach. My wolf should manifest today, though I have no idea when. It could happen at any time.

All day I wait, but my wolf does not reveal itself.

Eventually, it's time to head toward the gala. Sylvia, Diana, and the quadruplets all leave without me, forcing me to ride with Ella and her family. They are kind about it, making room in their trunk for my dress and makeup, alongside all of their own things.

This is Ella's first Mating Gala as well, so her parents' are extra delighted for her and insist on bringing far more than she should possibly need.

"I don't need three different pairs of shoes, Mom," Ella says. "And four dresses?"

"You never know. Trust me, you want to be prepared for everything," her mom replies.

With the car loaded, we start the trek to the banquet hall venue in the capital.

Once we arrive, Ella and I check-in at a desk for attendees. Ella is given her own changing room. I'm told to find room in the communal area.

"Come with me to mine," Ella tells me. "We can share."

I don't need more reasons to appreciate Ella, but she keeps giving them to me regardless.

I use Ella's room to change into my dress. It's a deep purple satin that hugs my curves tighter than anything I've ever worn before. Ella helps me pull my hair up, exposing my long neck. Then she helps me with my makeup, too, accentuating my eyes and lips in ways I never would have considered doing on my own.

Looking in the mirror, I feel beautiful. I may not be covered in diamonds but I still feel like a princess.

Ella's dress is similar to mine but green and with a different collar. While the top of my gown scoops low, showing the upper swell of my breasts, Ella's comes up all the way to her neck. After Ella finishes her own hair and makeup, we stand side by side looking in the mirror.

"We look great!" Ella says, grinning.

I agree, though I do feel somewhat self-conscious standing beside Ella. She's taller and leaner than me, with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. With my curves, I know I'm a bit heavier than her, and though I like my brown hair and eyes, I don't stand out as much as her.

"Let's make a deal," Ella says, turning to me. "We stay here for an hour, but if we don't find our mates by then, or if we get bored sooner, we just go home and watch a movie instead."

I exhale in relief, only realizing now how nervous I feel. "I'd like that," I say.

"Good. Then it's a deal."

Leaving the safety of the changing rooms, we enter the massive banquet hall together. The ballroom is enormous, with one end littered with tables, the other end open for dancing, and all the space in between, an area for mingling.

"I want to avoid Sylvia and the quadruplets," I say.

"Got it," Ella says and sets out to assist me. I follow her toward the food table. Unfortunately, a crowd passes by at just that moment and I lose Ella in the shuffle.

Some of the crowd gapes at me as they pass by.

"Is that Ollie?"

"Gods, how can she look so beautiful?"

"She looks even better than Sylvia!"

Their words leave me with a slight blush. It vanishes a minute later though, when Christie bumps into me and somehow manages to upend an entire glass of red wine all over my bodice.

"Oops," Christie says, but she's grinning. "I've heard red wine is really difficult to get out. My bad."

I turn to get away from her, only to walk into Vikki, who dumps another glass on my dress. She's even less subtle than Christie, making it clear she meant only to ruin my outfit.

"You should know better than to try to outdo Sylvia," Vikki says.

"Get away from me," I tell them both and scurry away. I can feel everyone's eyes on me now. Any compliments I previously received were now mockery instead.

Remembering that Ella's mom packed her an extra gown, I immediately make my way to the changing rooms. Somewhere along the way, however, perhaps because of my rising anxiety, I get turned around.

I enter a room I'm sure is Ella's, only to realize it's not after I've closed the door behind me.

Yet, just as I'm about to go for the door again, I hear a wolf howl in my mind. My body convulses, and I bend over, clutching my chest as my heartrate picks up. My pupils dilate, and I'm suddenly able to see so much more than I ever have before. It's like all of my senses expand.

I lift my head, see myself in the mirror. My eyes are red.

This is it. My wolf is manifesting.

I know what comes next. I will shift and I will run, overwhelmed by the call of the wild.

As my wolf takes shape inside of me, her feelings start to align with my own. I feel her compulsion to run. These first few minutes are crucial to help ease the development of our new partnership.

"Not yet," my wolf says in my mind, though if she's talking to me or her own instincts, I can't tell. "There's something more important."

"More important than building our bond?" I ask, incredulous. What could possibly be more important than –?

"Your mates are approaching," my wolf says.

My mates?

My heart hammers wildly against my chest as my excitement starts to soar. "Where are they?" I ask. "Are they close?"

"They are here," my wolf says.

Listening, I hear voices just outside of the door.

"Christie is acting very clumsy tonight," Conrad says. "I brought her a glass of wine, turned my back for a minute, and she spilled it somewhere."

"Vikki did the same," Declan replies.

"Are you sure they didn't just down the drinks?" Hugh asks. "This party is so boring, I wouldn't blame them."

"The party is fine," Wes replies. "Not everything has to be like the club, Hugh."

"That makes it boring, Wes."

I freeze. Looking around the room, I see some familiar items. Hugh's leather jacket. Conrad's lucky comb. One of Wes's sweaters.

Oh, no. Is this their exclusive room?

But wait… no…

"Your mates," my wolf says.

My stomach drops so quickly I think I might be sick.

The quadruplets are my mates?!

"Hold on," Declan says, silencing the others. "Do you smell that?"

"I do," Conrad says. "Our mate?"

"She's here?" Hugh adds excitedly.

"How is this possible?" Wes asks.

"Who cares? Open the damn door," Hugh says.

One of them grips the knob of the door. I watch it turn.

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The knob turns.

My breath hitches. Wine stains drip down my chest like blood. My reflection stares back—eyes blazing crimson, pupils slit with wild instinct. This is supposed to be my moment of transformation, my first shift, my rebirth. Instead, I’m trapped in the brothers’ private dressing room, seconds from facing the four Alphas who shattered me.

"She’s close," Conrad growls outside. "I can smell her."

"Our mate," Declan murmurs, voice rough with disbelief.

Hugh laughs, low and stunned. "All this time… it was *her*?"

Wes hesitates. "But we treated her like—"

"Doesn’t matter now," Conrad cuts in. "Fate chose her. We claim her tonight."

The door creaks open. A sliver of light spills in. I press back against the mirror, heart pounding—not with fear, but with something hotter, deeper. Recognition. Need.

They don’t know it yet. But I do.

If they want their mate… they’ll have to earn me.