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&quot;How dare you harm our mate?&quot; bellowed another.<br /> &quot;Mate?&quot; My father sneered. &quot;This pathetic runt? She&#039;s a worthless wolf. Take my advice, boys. Reject her quick and take a chosen mate.&quot;<br /> It wasn&#039;t a long fight, and it ended with the loud snap of a broken neck.<br /> &quot;You don&#039;t need to follow your father&#039;s stupid rules anymore; you are our mate!&quot;<br /> Five alphas? And I&#039;m their mate? Oh, Moon Goddess, what were you thinking?<br /> ***<br /> I turned eighteen years old alone in a dark room, whimpering from the pain that racked my whole body.<br /> I&#039;d displeased my father again, and his punishment had been brutal.<br /> They always were.<br /> While Mom was still alive, it hadn&#039;t been so bad. Father and I didn&#039;t have much interaction. He kept his distance, and Mom cautioned me not to let him. I remembered being jealous of watching him play with my two older brothers and always wondering why he disliked me more and more day by day.<br /> Six years ago, a disease swept through shifter communities around the world. It attacked indiscriminately—young and old, alpha and omega, male and female. Almost a year passed before our doctors developed a cure. By then, thousands had died, my mother among them.<br /> With her gone, there was no barrier between my father and me, and his dislike turned to outright hatred.<br /> I asked myself over and over what was so wrong with me. Had I done something as a child that I couldn&#039;t remember? What could have set him against me so much?<br /> I tried to make things right. I was on my best behavior at all times and followed his rules, yet nothing was ever enough. There was something about me that infuriated him.<br /> Same with my brothers.<br /> I missed James and Aiden so much, it made my heart hurt. We&#039;d had nothing but fun together growing up. Then, one day out of the blue, they turned against me, and all those happy memories became ashes. They even convinced Father that I didn&#039;t need to go to school, trapping me in this house with him.<br /> Most of the time, I was locked in a small, dark room that didn&#039;t even have a window or a closet. The only positive was the tiny attached bathroom, with just a sink and a toilet, but enough to make do. Once a week, Father permitted me to take a shower in the guest bedroom. I wasn&#039;t allowed warm water or more than ten minutes, but it was still heavenly to wash the grime and blood away.<br /> When he&#039;d first ordered me into this dark hole, he&#039;d watched as I moved in my clothes, shoes, and pillow, then said that was all I needed. Over time, I snuck in a few comforts. Mr. Nibbles, my stuffed bunny, whom I managed to keep hidden from him by some miracle A blanket. A yoga mat to sleep on Once, I tried to smuggle in a small lamp, but he caught me. That punishment took two full weeks for my wolf to heal.<br /> Each day, Father lets me out for a few hours to clean, cook, and do the laundry. Despite the chores, I savored that time away from my room. At least I had the chance to look out the windows. No matter what the weather was doing, I found the view perfect. It was one of the few joys in my life.<br /> I couldn&#039;t remember the last time I went outside. The last time I breathed fresh air or ran through the forest and smelled the goodness of dirt and growing things, I felt the breeze on my face. Laid in the grass. Enjoyed the sun&#039;s warmth.<br /> Simple things were all denied to me for a reason I couldn&#039;t guess. Simple things I yearned for with all my heart.<br /> especially whenever my wolf slept.<br /> I hadn&#039;t felt Lark stir in weeks, not since the last dose of wolfsbane Father had administered. The aconite puts a shifter&#039;s inner wolf to sleep, although too much could be lethal. I&#039;d built up a tolerance to it, and Father had to constantly adjust how much to give Lark to keep her docile but still able to heal me.<br /> The last dose, though, had been part of a punishment after we&#039;d tried to escape. He hadn&#039;t killed my wolf, but he&#039;d come close. Very close. I&#039;d tried to find some nightshade or foxglove to counter the wolfsbane, but I hadn&#039;t been that lucky. Weeks later, she was still in a coma.<br /> Poor Lark. I pitied her for being stuck with me. She was so strong and had hung in there long after most wolves would have gone insane or died. She kept herself going with two hopes: being free of her father and finding our mate.<br /> I didn&#039;t crush her optimism, even though I knew neither would ever happen. Father would never let us out from under his thumb, and, even if we did meet our mate, he would reject me in a heartbeat. Father had guaranteed that.<br /> I had scars on scars and bruises on bruises. My hands shook all the time. Having been denied food for weeks at a stretch, I was skeletal and weak. So very weak. The world spun with every step I took, and my vision was narrow and dark around the edges.<br /> The plain truth was that I doubted I&#039;d make it to see another birthday, let alone gain my freedom or find my mate.<br /> But what did it matter? Who would care? I had no pack. No family. No mate. Not even my wolf at the moment.<br /> I was alone in the dark, and death was the only escape I could hope for.<br /> The click of the lock opening woke me. Instantly, my eyes darted toward the widening sliver of light that came from the swinging door.<br /> Is it Father? His beta? Or one of my brothers?<br /> I hadn&#039;t seen the boys in months. After they&#039;d moved out three years ago, they rarely came around, and certainly never to see me.<br /> &quot;Get up, Posy.&quot;<br /> Beta Roy.<br /> Father has only ever called me a runt.<br /> Beta Roy wasn&#039;t as bad as Father, but he could be unpredictable. Kind one moment and cruel the next.<br /> I scrambled to my feet, careful to keep my head down and my bruised, swollen face hidden in the curtains of my grimy hair.<br /> &quot;Guests are coming. Alpha wants brunch ready in an hour. There will be three guests—me, Gamma Alex, and Alpha—but make enough for ten in case your brothers come. I&#039;ll set the table. You just worry about the food.&quot;<br /> His offer was a godsend. Even if it was only for the moment, I&#039;d take it. I needed all the help I could get after yesterday&#039;s beating.<br /> The ribs on my right side were badly bruised, and I suspected at least one was broken. Something was wrong with my head, too. It ached badly, and the sunlight streaming in from the windows stabbed my eyes like toothpicks. On top of that, my shirt stuck to the raw wounds on my back. I hoped that none of them would open too much as I worked.<br /> There was nothing worse than a blood-soaked waistband to gall your skin.<br /> I followed Beta Roy into the kitchen, washed my hands, and got right to work. Since it was brunch, I knew Father would want both sweet and savory items. I decided to start with fruit and cheese plates. I could get everything cut up and plated, then into the fridge while I worked on the rest.<br /> A glance at the clock showed I was down to thirty minutes.<br /> Now, frantic, I rummaged in the fridge and found three packs of bacon. I could bake it in the ovens, which would free me up to make other dishes. Running over, I flipped two ovens on and then laid parchment paper out on four big pans. It took a few minutes to open the bacon and arrange all those strips, but the ovens were still preheating when I finished.<br /> Thinking as quickly as I could, I organized some jellies, jams, and butters into little dishes and popped some ready-made rolls and scones into bread baskets, then covered them with a cloth. By then, the ovens were ready for the bacon.<br /> &quot;Table&#039;s set.&quot; Beta Roy came into the kitchen. &quot;Are these ready to go out?&quot;<br /> He gestured to the bread baskets and other things, and I nodded. He started carrying them into the dining room, which made me feel both guilty and grateful. It wasn&#039;t his job, and Father wouldn&#039;t like to know he&#039;d helped me. I would do something nice for him the next time I had a chance.<br /> Behind Father&#039;s back, of course.<br /> &quot;Hurry, Posy!&quot; Beta Roy hissed. &quot;Alpha&#039;s almost here! Give me those!&quot;<br /> Nodding, I handed him the platters of eggs and bacon, then whirled to the fridge one last time to grab the fruit and cheese trays. I hustled them out to the dining room, then ran back to the kitchen to finish up the coffee tray and fix some pitchers of orange and apple juice.<br /> I&#039;d just finished filling the sugar bowl when several delightful scents filtered into the room. They worked in harmony, yet each one was a distinct note in the bouquet: campfire, pine, maple syrup, roses, and vanilla. All my favorites<br /> The smells were addictive, and I inhaled as much as my lungs could hold, ignoring my ribs as they screamed in protest.<br /> Where is that coming from?<br /> Then my father stalked into the kitchen, and all my attention was diverted to him. Glancing at his face to gauge his mood, my heart sank. He was fuming.<br /> He twisted his hand in my hair and yanked my head back hard, hurting my neck. Whimpering, I dropped to my knees to try and relieve the pressure.<br /> &quot;Where are the waffles?&quot; he shouted. &quot;Can&#039;t you do anything right, runt?&quot;<br /> I didn&#039;t answer. I&#039;d be punished if I spoke, and I&#039;d be punished if I didn&#039;t. Either way, I was done for.<br /> Beta Roy didn&#039;t say anything about waffles. Did he set me up to fail? But why? Especially with guests here?<br /> With one hand still tangled in my hair, Father punched me full force in the face, and a loud crack! echoed through the room. Blood and saliva splattered on the floor as I screamed in agony, knowing my jaw was broken.<br /> &quot;What&#039;s going on here?!&quot; roared a powerful voice.<br /> &quot;How dare you harm our mate?&quot; bellowed another.<br /> &quot;Mate?&quot; my father sneered. &quot;This pathetic runt? She&#039;s a worthless wolf. Take my advice, boys. Reject her quick and take a chosen mate.&quot;<br /> Everything rattled as several thunderous growls shook the room. Alpha power flared in rich waves, stronger than I&#039;d ever felt from anyone, and Father released his hold on my hair. I slumped to the floor and curled into a protective ball, my arms covering my head.<br /> Telltale electricity raised the hair on my arms as people shifted into their wolves. Fierce snarls soon erupted all around me. Beta Roy scooped me up and carried me to the far corner of the kitchen. He set me on the floor, then crouched in front of me in a defensive pose.<br /> &quot;Don&#039;t watch, Posy,&quot; he muttered.<br /> I couldn&#039;t have done it even if I&#039;d wanted to. I was too hurt to keep my eyes open any longer. The vicious sounds of wolves fighting kept me conscious, though, and questions whirled through my mind. Were the guests attacking my father? Was I next? And why was Beta Roy guarding me instead of helping my father?<br /> It wasn&#039;t a long fight, and it ended with the loud snap! of a broken neck. I couldn&#039;t bring myself to care who had won. If my father had, nothing would change; if someone else had, everything would. Either way, I would have to deal with the aftermath.<br /> But not right now, I thought weakly. Right now I am going to lie here and melt into the pain, and the world will have to spin on without me for a while.<br /> Loud, upset voices surrounded me, startling me from my daze.<br /> &quot;Are you okay?&quot;<br /> &quot;She&#039;s obviously not an idiot!&quot;<br /> &quot;Why isn&#039;t her wolf healing her?&quot;<br /> &quot;I can&#039;t even feel her wolf.&quot; &quot;Can any of you?&quot;<br /> &quot;What do we do?&quot;<br /> &quot;Let&#039;s get her off the floor to start with.&quot; Beta, get the pack doctor.<br /> Hands slid under me and scooped me against a hard chest. The smell of pine engulfed me, and I felt myself being lifted up just as a door slammed open.<br /> &quot;What&#039;s going on here?&quot;<br /> I recognized that voice. It was my oldest brother, James.<br /> &quot;Posy!&quot; And that was my other brother, Aiden.<br /> &quot;Posy? &quot;Is that her name?&quot; asked the one holding me.<br /> &quot;What does it matter to you?&quot; James barked. &quot;Give her here! How dare you touch her?&quot;<br /> &quot;I dare because she&#039;s ours!&quot; Our mate!&quot;<br /> &quot;Mate!&quot; James yelped.<br /> Mate?<br /> The word bloomed in my heart like a flower.<br /> &quot;To whom? Not... not all five of you?&quot; Aiden faltered.<br /> I forced my eyelids up halfway and stared blearily at the faces surrounding me. There were seven, and five were unfamiliar.<br /> I have... mates?<br /> That&#039;s when I gave up and faded into the darkness.<br /> I woke up in bed. A real one, not a yoga mat with a thin blanket.<br /> Sunlight streamed through the curtains, and I turned my face toward it, loving the feel of it on my skin.<br /> I didn&#039;t know where I was or how I&#039;d gotten there, but I was going to enjoy the sun for as long as I was allowed to.<br /> I wish I could bottle it, I thought wistfully, and take it with me when I&#039;m forced back into the dark room.<br /> &quot;Posy? Are you awake, little girl?&quot;<br /> Beta Roy? What was he doing here, wherever here was?<br /> I nodded, despite my confusion, and turned my head to see him getting up from the chair in the corner.<br /> &quot;Thank the Goddess,&quot; he muttered. &quot;I linked your brothers to the fact that you&#039;re up. They&#039;re so worried about you. We&#039;ve been walking on eggshells around here. Dealing with so many agitated alphas hasn&#039;t been fun.&quot;<br /> I nodded again. I wondered what he meant by alphas, plural, but couldn&#039;t ask since he didn&#039;t give me permission to speak.<br /> And, truthfully, I was in too much pain to care. My aching jaw had a deep thrumming solo in the symphony of aches, and my ribs hit all the high notes anytime I moved. If only Lark would wake up, she could help. Without her, I healed as slowly as a human.<br /> Lost in my thoughts, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the door burst open and people poured into the room. I scrambled to sit up against the headboard and bared my neck in submission, being very careful to keep my eyes down.<br /> I recognized two of the scents as my brothers. The other five were the same scents as the delectable ones I&#039;d smelled earlier in the kitchen.<br /> Mates? My heart whispered. We have mates?<br /> As with the sunshine, I knew it wouldn&#039;t last. All I could do was savor the gift for as long as possible.<br /> My brother, James, came over and sat on the edge of the bed. I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, making myself small.<br /> &quot;How are you feeling, Posy? You&#039;ve been asleep for a long time. Are you in pain?&quot;<br /> Scared of him and all his questions, I curled up in a tighter ball to hide how I was shaking.<br /> I know this trick. My father does it all the time. If I say no, he&#039;ll punish me for lying. If I say yes, he&#039;ll punish me for being weak.<br /> Staying silent was always my best option. Sometimes, Father would still punish me for being insolent, but other times he saw it as submission and let me go with only a few slaps or kicks.<br /> &quot;Hey, it&#039;s okay. We won&#039;t hurt you. You can talk to us,&quot; James sounded like he was pleading. &quot;You don&#039;t need to follow Father&#039;s stupid rules anymore. He&#039;s gone.&quot;<br /> My head flew up, and my eyes went right to James&#039; dark blue ones.<br /> &quot;He&#039;s dead, Posy,&quot; James said, waving a hand at the five men standing behind him. &quot;These alphas put him down yesterday morning.&quot;<br /> Five alphas? And I&#039;m their mate? Oh, Moon Goddess, what were you thinking? <br /> &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br /> Wanna listen more? download our App and check more! Novel ID: 101893!

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