Chapter 1 This Is Going To Be Interesting

• Seren’s POV
• “I just don’t understand why we have to move in with them, Mom,” I say, letting out a frustrated sigh as I slouch back on my bed.
• Mom gives me that look, the one with the raised brow that makes me feel like a petulant child. But I press on anyway.
• “I mean, I get why you have to move in with them, but I can stay here. I don’t mind living alone. Really.”
• She doesn’t answer right away. Instead, she walks over and sits beside me, then lies down like she used to when I was younger. She turns to face me, her eyes soft as she tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
• “This is important, sweetheart,” she says gently. “It’s an opportunity for us to start over. To leave the past behind. For years, we haven’t belonged to any pack, and that’s not how werewolves are supposed to live. We are supposed to be with our own kind, in a pack. Alpha Thorne is an amazing man. This is my chance to give you the life you deserve as a true werewolf… so please, let me.”
• Her words land like stones in my chest. I hate how much they make sense, but all I can think about is my father.
• The man who left us. The man who chose chaos over us. Who went rogue and did awful things to packs all over the world. Due to my father’s violence towards other werewolves, my mother and I were shunned from our pack many years ago. We had to move to a new country and my mother changed her name and mine, so that no one would ever be able to link us back to our father.
• We haven’t heard news about my father in years. My mother believes he is dead, that all his wrongdoings finally caught up to him, but she has always asked me to keep our true identity to myself, just to be safe. She always says some secrets are meant to be taken to the grave.
• I try not to let thoughts of my father bother me, but they’re still there, lurking in the shadows of my mind. And no matter how much my mom wants a fresh start I have always had a feeling that we will never be able to truly outrun where we come from.
• My mother turned her life around though. She started a business for herself and built her company from the ground up. She is wealthy and has more money that we would ever need. She doesn’t need a man to take care of her, but after everything my father put her through, there is a part of me that knows she deserves to feel love again. To be with someone who respects her.
• “Do you really think this pack is just going to accept you as their new Luna? I mean we’re outsiders, mom. I have a bad feeling.” I press on.
• “We already talked about this part Seren. The Alpha’s Luna died a long time ago. What he does with his life or who he chooses to remarry is none of the pack’s business because he has already fulfilled his responsibility by having an heir to take after him. His son is 18. Once he turns 20, he will be named the new Alpha and Thorne and I will be free to do as we please.”
• “You really love him, don’t you?” I ask my mom seriously making her smile brighten in a way I rarely see. My father used to be abusive towards my mom. She endured so much and the last thing I want is so see her end up with another psychopath.
• “I do, and once you get to know him, I’m sure you’ll find him very pleasant.” She replies with a smile.
• “I just wish I didn’t have to switch schools, mom. I’ll have to make new friends and socialize and you know how awkward I am. What if everyone hates me? What if they bully me? I mean what if they plan an attack and attempt to murder me because they don’t want a weirdo from nowhere in their shiny school?”
• My mother lets out a loud laugh, but I just glare at her. “You’ve always had a wild imagination sweetheart. Now pack your things. We cannot miss our flight in the morning, okay?”
• With that, she presses a kiss to my temple, stands, and walks to the door. She pauses for a moment, as if wanting to say more, then gently closes it behind her.
• I let out a loud sigh and fall to my face in my bed.
• “There is absolutely no way. This is where we’ll be staying?? It’s a freaking castle from a fantasy book!”
• “Seren!” my mother scolds me gently from beside me in the limousine. “Behave.”
• I barely hear her. I’m too busy pressing my face against the tinted window like a child seeing snow for the first time. My heart skips a beat when I realize the building in front of us isn’t a resort or a museum. It’s home. Or it’s supposed to be.
• I step out of the car and the sheer size of it nearly makes me stumble. Grand doesn’t even begin to cover it. This place is opulent. Marble columns twist high into the sky like they're trying to touch the clouds. The gates are wrought iron with a crest I don’t recognize, and the grounds are sculpted like something out of a royal botanical garden. The mansion itself, or castle, is straight out of a high-budget fantasy film, complete with ivy crawling up the sides, endless balconies, and enormous arched windows that gleam in the sun like polished obsidian.
• I’ve always lived comfortably with Mom, but this? This is another universe.
• Maids and guards flood the courtyard the second we step onto the cobblestones. They move quickly, efficiently, like they were already given orders. Our luggage is swept away before I can even lift a bag. I watch them vanish into the massive front doors, my throat dry.
• Then the doors open again.
• And he steps out.
• The man standing on the top of the stone steps looks like he belongs on a throne, not just any throne, a war throne. He has the kind of presence that makes you straighten your spine without realizing it. Broad shoulders, graying temples that somehow make him look even more powerful, and an aura so thick I feel it wrap around me like invisible silk.
• That must be Alpha Thorne.
• There’s no mistaking it. He walks toward us, smiling like we’re the most precious things he’s ever seen.
• “Wow mom.” I whisper to my mother with a low chuckle, nudging her side teasingly as her the giant walks towards us. She shoots me a playful glare.
• Beside him walks another man. Almost as tall. Just as commanding. But... so different.
• He’s younger, just a year older than I am, but there’s nothing soft or approachable about him. His face is carved from stone. Jaw clenched. Expression locked in this permanent look of “don’t even try it.” His black hair is tousled like he just ran a hand through it in frustration, and his eyes are as cold as a snowstorm. Sharp cheekbones. Broad chest. Veins curling down his forearms like living tattoos and he’s in all black.
• That has to be Kael.
• My new... stepbrother?
• No. Nope. Absolutely not. I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but he seems…rude and not as welcoming as his father. He has danger written all over his face.
• I tear my gaze away just as Alpha Thorne approaches my mother, and they embrace like two pieces of a puzzle finally falling into place. My heart softens despite myself. I’ve never seen my mother smile like that. She looks ten years younger in his arms.
• “This must be Seren,” the Alpha says, turning to me.
• His voice is deep and warm, like honey drizzled over thunder. There’s no judgment in his gaze—only kindness.
• “I’ve heard so much about you.”
• I nod, trying not to fidget under his gaze. “Thank you for... welcoming us.”
• He smiles, and it’s genuine. “It’s not just a welcome, Seren. This is your home now. And nothing less than the best is what you’ll get here.”
• He turns to the statue next to him. “Kael,” he says with a nod, “this is Seren. She is to be your sister and I expect you to treat her as such.”
• Kael's gaze flicks to me briefly. One second. Two. Then he looks away, like I’m a mild inconvenience.
• “Charming.” I say under my breath sarcastically.
• “And this is Mia,” the Alpha adds, gesturing to a woman in a crisp black uniform who steps forward and bows slightly. “She’ll be your personal maid. If you need anything, she’s here for you.”
• “Oh, no, that’s really not necessary—” I start, panicking a little. I’ve never had a personal maid. I certainly do not need one.
• But Mia is already beside me, her expression unreadable. “It’s my honor, miss.”
• Alpha Thorne raises a hand. “It’s not up for debate. You’re family now. And family is taken care of.”
• I want to argue again, but my mother shoots me a look. I sigh, defeated.
• Mia gestures for me to follow her. “I’ll show you to your room Miss. And the rest of the estate.”
• As I trail behind her, I glance back one last time.
• Kael is still standing there, arms folded, jaw tight, watching me like I’m a problem that hasn’t been solved yet.
• This is going to be interesting.