Chapter 1

⚠️ Trigger Warning ⚠️

Aurora

Age 11

"But daddy I don't want to go to the Gravin house." My older sister, Kara, whines. I agreed silently from behind her, but she had made me swear that I wouldn't say why. I'm only eleven to her twelve, but she had told me her secret. My heart hurts for what we are hiding from our daddy. But Mr. Wolfe is daddy's best friend and Kara’s worst nightmare. Kara said we couldn't say anything.

Kara sat in the front in an oversized hoodie hiding the big bump only myself and our housekeeper, Lena knew about. It scares me that Kara won't say anything to daddy. She is getting so big. And from what I've read she'll be having the baby soon. I’m terrified that I’m going to have to deliver the baby myself at this rate. I know she’s scared because he hurt her, but daddy needs to know. For her sake and the baby. She refused to go to an actual doctor so there wasn’t any care other than the housekeeper encouraging her to take special vitamins.

Dad is gone a lot, so he never hears her screaming at night from the nightmares she has opened up to me about. I don’t think I could ever let a guy near me after all that she has told me he did to her.

"Baby, we are almost there. Nothing is going to happen. You and Aurora will play with the boys and then we will head home in time for our movie night. I promise." Daddy says laughing, knocking me out of my thoughts.

"The boys are mean to me." I say from the back seat.

"The boys aren't mean." Daddy replies laughing.

"Yes, they are daddy. They make fun of me and won't play with me. They only like Kara." I say, huffing, exaggerating the minor irritation I actually felt. I honestly don't care if the three Wolfe boys never paid attention to me. It meant I could spend more time reading Harry Potter or the Mortal Instruments. Things worthy of my time. Boys aren't worthy. Especially if they do things like Mr. Wolfe did to Kara. No. Just no. I shudder at just the thought. No one will ever be allowed to do to me what was done to Kara. I had started carrying a pocketknife I found in daddy’s office to make sure no one would catch me unprotected. I know it wasn’t her fault that he attacked her, but that doesn’t stop me from not wanting to be a victim like her. She didn’t ask for a man to hurt her and doesn’t deserve to be blamed, but this world is fucked up and always blames the women instead of the guys.

"Daddy, do you think we could get ice cream after?" Kara asked from the front seat.

Our dad smiled and nodded as he drove the car up the mountain road to the Gravin house. I never understood why it was called Gravin when the people who lived there were the Wolfe's, daddy said it doesn't matter. And to keep my nose out of it. He also says I'm too smart for my own good. I don't take that as a bad thing though. I'm eleven and already in the same grade as my sister. The teachers want to skip me ahead again, but daddy said no. Which is ridiculous, because I’m bored in the classes, I’m in now. Nothing intrigues me, and my mind is always on the college books I’ve been reading at home that I borrowed from the library.

Daddy pulls outside of the big house, puts the car and parks as he waves at the three boys playing in the field and tells us to go play while he goes inside. I ignore the request and the boys as Kara makes her way over to them. I sit on the front porch and pull out my newest book and get lost in the pages. I know no one noticed me curl into the corner of the porch, they never do. Being invisible has become useful when I’m so much smaller than everyone else.

I heard daddy arguing inside. Something about initiating the boys, they are too young or something. That doing this now would hurt the Gravin. Doesn't make sense. I close my book and see another man I don't recognize talking to daddy. I turn away and pull my book back out. I hear Mr. Wolfe come outside and I watch quietly from my corner, unseen. My book was left open on my lap.

"Boys come here." He says loud enough for them to hear. I watch as Kara walks to the boys swing set. I know why she won't come near him now. He broke her. My favorite person changed seven months ago because of this monster. No one pays attention to me sitting there. It's like I'm invisible. Just the way I like it.

The three walk up to their dad and focus on them. They aren't really blood brothers, but from what daddy said Mr. Wolfe adopted them as babies. Well other than Knight. Knight is Mr. Wolfe's biological son. Knight has the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen and at thirteen he was tall and lanky with dirty blonde hair that hung in his eyes. Lucian was beside him; he had these hazel brown eyes that studied everything around him, shaggy brown hair that needed a cut, he was tanner and bulkier, he wasn't short but wasn't tall like Knight either. Then there was Nash. He was honestly the cutest of them all to me. Bright green eyes and red hair that was cut close to his head because he hates the natural curl from what he told Kara. He was easily as tall as Knight but was kinder. Some days.

"We have your job." I heard Mr. Wolfe say and I focused on him. I hated him. Even before I knew what he did to Kara, he made me uncomfortable but knowing what he did. I wanted to kill him. I held my breath and pulled my phone from my pocket that daddy had just got me this morning. I hit the camera button and turned video mode on and discreetly as I could start recording.

"What do we need to do?" Knight asked, his arms crossed over his thin chest.

"Take Mr. Anderson's car to the garage. Cut the brake line. Then put it back in that spot."

Lucian spoke up, "I can do it without moving it."

Mr. Wolfe grinned as Nash asked, "You making them stay for a while? Don’t want them to leave?"

"Sure son, you know I'd never hurt him or Kara."

They didn't remember or realize I was there. I wanted to run to daddy and tell him but last time Kara and I had run inside Mr. Wolfe had grabbed Kara and hurt her again.

"Make sure to cut the brakes, now. I'm going to call Mr. Anderson down. Bring Kara inside soon. Did you see if he brought the other one with him?"

"No sir," Nash answers, "we’ll ask Kara and look for her."

"Do that." Mr. Anderson walks away as Knight turns to his brothers.

"I don't like this." He says to them.

"He said he's going to keep them here." Nash says and I try to not scoff he sounds so naive even to my ears.

Mr. Wolfe was trying to hurt us, and I had proof.