ALEJANDRA.Everything in the closet is my size, down to the shoes. And it’s all adorable—things I would actually buy and wear myself. I’ll have to figure out who Forrest got to buy all the clothes and thank them.I don’t like the idea that Forrest bought all these clothes for me. I have plenty at home.At least I don’t have to worry about my sisters borrowing my clothes. Mine are all too small for them. I’ve always been envious of the fact that my mom and sisters all share clothes with each other.I wonder if there is anything specific we have to wear to school.Nope. Wear whatever you want.Puma is the one who answers.I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them being in my head. It’s like the universe is paying me back for always being in other people’s heads my whole life. It’s not like I’ve wanted to listen though. I just can’t stop it.It’s hot outside, so I just put on a white sundress. It has spaghetti straps and flares out a Little Aast my waist. It fits perfectly too and isn’t t
ALEJANDRA.Inhaling a calming breath, I stare at the doors of the castle. I’m about to walk in for my first day of classes and I’m nervous.So nervous.Puma holds my hand on one side and Phoenix on the other. Forrest is in the front and Desmond in the back. I probably shouldn’t hold their hands knowing that all the girls are going to be glaring at me when they see me.What Phoenix’s sister said has really freaked me out.Nobody is going to like me.“They will all love you,” Puma says, and he squeezes my hand. “They’re just jealous you have such awesome mates.” I laugh and give him a tentative smile.“Let’s just get this over with.”Forrest opens the doors and we walk inside. I’m mostly hidden behind Forrest, but I can still feel everybody’s eyes on us. And since I’m touching Puma and Phoenix, I can feel their anger. They don’t want people staring at me because they know it makes me uncomfortable.I love that they want to defend my honor, but there really isn’t anything they can do. Pe
ALEJANDRA.That Bridget girl isn’t the only one giving me dirty looks.A lot of girls are. Guys too.I wonder what they’re thinking. Probably the same as Bridget—that I don’t belong here. That I’m not worthy of having four wolf shifter mates. And I know that. More than anything I do. But I want it. There is a rightness to this that I feel deep in my soul, and I can’t even begin to understand what it means. All I know is that I do belong here, even if nobody else thinks I do.The guys are careful to keep anybody from touching me, like they promised. I’m grateful for this. It’s one thing to be glared at, but it’s another to know what somebody is thinking about you. But even the guys can’t protect me from everything. Not in high school.Forrest, Phoenix, and Desmond go to grab us all some food while Puma and I go to sit down at a table in the lunchroom.This lunchroom is unlike any I’ve ever seen before. The room is massive and has a lot of different tables—some big, some small. Al
ALEJANDRA.Dean Westwood tried to separate me from the guys. They vetoed that before she could even get the words out of her mouth, which relieves me.I need them. I’m pretty sure holding Puma and Desmond’s hands is the only thing keeping me from having a panic attack. It’s the only thing that is keeping me from overthinking about what that boy thought.Slut.Of course this looks bad.I have four mates.Four.It’s not normal.Not that turning into a wolf is all that normal either.I guess I thought it would be different here. I thought I wouldn’t be the weird pale girl who doesn’t like to be touched. I thought I would fit in and maybe make friends.Instead, people think I’m weird. They think I’m… A slut.Desmond grips my hand tighter.I know he can hear me. They all can. But it’s not like I can control my thoughts.Margot looks between me and the four guys around me, then she looks at the boy on the other side of the room who appears terrified.He’s also got a very dark
DESMOND. When we got home, Alejandra said she wanted some time alone and she went up to her room. But her thoughts are loud. I can feel every bit of her pain. She’s hurting. And it kills me. A shifter usually can’t feel the emotions of their mate until they are bonded. I don’t know why it’s different with Alejandra, but I’m glad it is. I’m glad she can’t block me out. And even though I said I would teach her, I’m not going to until she can be fully honest with us about what she’s feeling. Forrest paces back and forth. “Somebody needs to go up there.” All four of us are on edge. “Desmond should go.” Puma turns towards me. “We should all go,” Phoenix says. “No, I don’t want to overwhelm her.” Forrest stops pacing and focuses on me. “Puma is right. Desmond, you should go talk to her. You’re the best at talking. You can calm her down. Because I can’t take much more of this. I’m about ready to get on a boat and leave this island. I want to run away and hide with her.” Which wou
PHOENIX. “I told you she wouldn’t care.” Desmond crosses his arms and smirks at me. In theory I knew that Alejandra wouldn’t care that she wouldn’t be meeting my parents, but I still worried. She comes from such a big family, and my family is literally just me and Hannah. Hannah is ten years older than me, so after our parents died, she continued to raise me. I’m eighteen, only two years younger than her when she took me in. I can’t even imagine how hard it must’ve been for her. I wasn’t exactly an easy kid to deal with. But Hannah is a rock star. I love that I got to introduce Alejandra to Hannah already. I also love that they get along so well. Alejandra actually looks up to my sister and considers her a friend. Alejandra is my family now too. And the guys, they always have been. Forrest, Desmond, Puma, and I all grew up together. We knew from a young age what our place in the pack would be. Alpha Romano moved us all to be closer to Forrest. We all pretty much became instant fr
ALEJANDRA.Forrest holds my right hand while Puma holds my left. Phoenix is in the back and Desmond in the front.I’ve grown used to this system. They like to make a circle around me. Maybe I should be annoyed, but I’m not. I think it’s sweet that they want to protect me. Tonight, I feel like I need protection.I’m meeting their families.And…My family.It’s weird to think that, but tonight I am meeting my grandfather for the first time. Or maybe it’s not the first time. Maybe I met him when I was a baby and just don’t remember it.I have so many questions. Questions for Margot Westwood, who is apparently my aunt, questions for this grandfather of mine, and questions for my mom and dad. Even my older sister. She was eight when I was born. Certainly she remembers me being adopted. I don’t understand why my parents would lie to me.But all of that is for another day, because tonight I’m meeting my boyfriends’ families.That’s definitely not something I thought I’d ever say.I
ALEJANDRA.Desmond’s parents are so nice.But they look young. So young.Desmond assures me that his parents are in their seventies, which is so freaky to me. They don’t look older than their mid-twenties. I know shifters live a long time, but geez.After that, Forrest explains that once wolf shifters reach their twenties, they age very slowly. Since my dad is a doctor, I do wonder about the biology of it all, but it’s not really science. It’s supernatural. Maybe everything isn’t meant to be explained.I’m sad that I didn’t get to meet Desmond’s younger brother, but I know I’ll get to meet him soon.After meeting Desmond’s parents, I’m introduced to Puma’s family.Puma has a large family. He is one of ten children. He is the oldest. I only get to meet two of his siblings because the other ones are too young to come tonight. His mom is also pregnant again—with twins. And I thought my family was big.To my surprise, everybody is nice. They all seem genuinely happy for their sons