After My Family Chose My Wolfless Stepsister, I Found the Alpha They Could Never Touch

The dashboard screen lit up, breaking the quiet hum of the Maybach’s engine. I tapped the answer button on the center console, leaning back into the plush leather seat.

"Did your idiotic family swarm you already, Aurora?"

Lucien Nightshade’s voice filled the cabin. His low baritone carried a dangerous, lethal edge that used to terrify his enemies, but to me, it was simply grounding.

"My guards reported a disturbance," Lucien continued, the sound of rustling paper echoing through the speakers. "Give me the word, and I will come over there right now."

"Stand down, Alpha," I replied, running my thumb over the smooth velvet ring box resting in my lap. "I handled it. They aren't worth your time, and they certainly aren't worth the jet fuel."

Lucien let out a low rumble of disapproval. "They touched you."

"They tried," I corrected him. "Your men stepped in perfectly. I'm fine."

"I should have come with you."

"We agreed on this," I reminded him, watching the city lights blur past the tinted windows. "I will attend Grandmother Evelyn's birthday banquet tonight, drop off her gift, and then I am getting on the first flight back tomorrow morning. After all, we made a promise."

"Luna's opening ceremony," Lucien said, his tone softening instantly at the mention of our daughter.

"Exactly."

A high-pitched, entirely too awake voice piped up in the background, entirely drowning out her father's commanding presence.

"Yes, Mommy!" Luna shouted into the receiver. "You have to come back to be with me. I am your most important person!"

"Correction," Lucien countered. His voice shifted from deadly pack leader to petulant husband in a fraction of a second. "I am Mom's most important person. You are second."

"Dad, you're lying! Mommy loves me more!"

"She married me, little wolf. That makes me first."

A genuine laugh escaped my throat, completely erasing the lingering disgust Adrian and Damian had left behind. I pictured the two of them in Lucien’s massive office, the terrifying Alpha of the Nightshade pack arguing with a four-year-old over who held the top spot in my heart.

"Alright, Luna," I said, keeping the smile in my voice. "It is way past your bedtime over there. You need to go to sleep and let your father coax you into bed. You are both equally important, okay?"

Luna let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine. But I get the first hug when you land. Dad has to wait in the car."

"Deal," I promised.

A soft rustle suggested Lucien had scooped her up. When he spoke again, the playful warmth vanished, replaced by an intense, unwavering devotion that anchored me to my new life.

"If you need anything, use the mind-link," Lucien told me, his voice dropping an octave. "I am always listening, Aurora. Always."

"I know," I said softly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

The call disconnected just as the Maybach tires crunched over the gravel driveway of the Blackwood estate. Towering iron gates loomed ahead, heavily guarded and glowing under the harsh amber security lights. I stared at the sprawling mansion I used to call home. It looked exactly the same, yet it felt entirely foreign.

The vehicle rolled to a smooth stop near the grand entrance. The bodyguard in the passenger seat turned around, his expression completely rigid and professional.

"Madam, I will remain out here," he stated, adjusting the earpiece coiled around his neck. "Mr. Nightshade gave strict orders. Call for me the second you require assistance, and we will extract you immediately."

"Thank you," I said, grabbing my small clutch. "Just keep the engine warm. I don't plan on staying long."

I pushed the heavy car door open and stepped into the crisp evening air. The grand double doors of the mansion stood partially open, spilling golden light and the faint sound of a string quartet onto the marble steps.

I didn't even make it across the threshold.

A petite figure stepped out from behind a massive stone pillar, directly blocking my path to the entrance.

Serena Hale.

She wore a pale pink gown, the expensive fabric clinging to her fragile frame. She looked exactly as she had three years ago—small, innocent, and completely harmless. But the ugly jealousy twisting her features ruined the carefully crafted illusion.

"I thought you were going to stay in Europe forever," Serena whispered. Her voice carried a harsh hiss meant only for my ears.

I paused on the step below her, forcing her to look down at me. I kept my face blank, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction. "You thought wrong."

Serena’s hands balled into tight fists at her sides. "Since you dragged yourself back here, don't think you can just waltz in and leave. What happened back then must be settled tonight."

I tilted my head, inspecting the girl who had single-handedly orchestrated my exile. I searched my chest for the blinding fury that used to burn inside me whenever I saw her face. There was nothing. Just a hollow, echoing pity for the pathetic creature standing before me.

"Settled?" I let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "Are we going to settle how you framed me for attacking you?"

Serena’s eyes narrowed. The corners of her mouth twitched upward into a sickly sweet smile. "Does the truth even matter, Aurora?"

She stepped down, closing the distance between us. The cloying scent of her floral perfume invaded my space, thick and suffocating.

"What matters is that all I have to do is cry," Serena sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "I shed a single tear, and the entire world rushes to stand by my side. Adrian. Damian. Chloe. They all chose me. And you? You will always be the abandoned one. You will always be the outcast they threw away."

I stared into her wide, manic eyes. Once, those words would have cut me to the bone. I would have screamed, defended myself, and begged for someone to listen to the truth.

I adjusted the strap of my clutch, my pulse completely steady.

"People who can be stolen away were never my whole world to begin with," I told her, my voice deadpan.

Serena blinked, her triumphant smirk faltering. She clearly expected me to break down. She wanted a screaming match.

"Move," I commanded, stepping up to her level. "You're blocking my path."

I didn't wait for her to step aside. I pushed past her, my shoulder knocking hard against hers.

Serena stumbled backward, her stiletto catching on the sharp edge of the marble stair, and as her hands flailed to catch her balance, her fingers hooked the silver latch of my coat pocket, yanking the velvet box out and sending it clattering onto the stone floor where it popped wide open.