4. THE SIBLINGS

~DAHLIA

I stirred awake and my surroundings looked unfamiliar to me.

The room was larger than our entire house back home and the walls were painted a mild lavender purple. The bed I was laying upon was large, a luxury my mother and I could have never afforded.

Light flooded in from the window and balcony by my left. The sun seemed to be setting and I wondered just how long I had slept.

"Where am I?" I breathed as I slowly sat up.

That was when flashes of what happened before I blacked out started coming back to me and I gasped as my eyes grew wide with shock.

"Oh fuck! No!" I cried as my predicament dawned on me. "This can't be happening. My luck cannot be this bad!"

My body started trembling as I paced my room. I knew that I could not stay here forever. This was the monsters' fucking home!

I was in their lair and they could barge in here any moment.

I started biting my fingernails as I thought of what to do. I had almost started biting my skin away when it finally clicked in my head.

"I need to see my mother."

I swallowed hard and shut my eyes as I mentally prepared myself for what awaited me on the other side of that door. When I was sure that I was ready, I barged out— almost yanking the door off, only if I had been strong enough.

But that was a mistake. . . because I collided with a strong warm wall.

I gasped as I looked up and was met with forest green eyes. An involuntary shiver seized me at that moment and I backed away.

"I— I'm sorry— I didn't mean to—"

"I'm beginning to think that you enjoy running into me," he whispered and his voice threatened to cripple my knees to the ground.

He was clad in black clothes. A long coat, a shirt underneath and loose pants. His dark hair was parted in the middle, allowing some to fall over his forehead.

His entire presence demanded dominance and I could no longer bring myself to say a word. I could not even defend myself anymore.

"Vladimir. . . Cut the girl some slack. She's our little sister now," a playful voice called from my left side and I turned to see golden eyes, just like the desert sand.

His dark hair was longer and he tied it into a low ponytail. Like Vladimir, he allowed some to fall over his face and I was suddenly filled with the urge to reach out and touch them.

He was wearing a white shirt and a pair of loose dark pants underneath and he grinned, showing off a perfect set of teeth.

Vladimir chuckled. "I have not done a thing to her, Cassius, at least, not yet."

I turned my eyes back to Vladimir immediately and was in time to see him smirk.

"When you two are done with your little show, bring Dahlia downstairs," another voice called from my left side and we all turned in that direction.

It was the last brother, I recognised his ocean blue eyes from last night as he stood by the stairs. He looked calm and unbothered by what his brothers were into.

His dark hair was a mess on his head, his clothes— a baggy combination of a loose white shirt, unbuttoned brown vest and loose brown pants.

He had an arrogant look in his eyes as if he cared less and had more important things to do. Asides that, there was something else in his eyes that piqued my interest.

There was mystery— a mystery I suddenly wanted to uncover.

He turned away before his brothers could say a word and I heard Cassius chuckle. "Classic of Orion to just show up like that."

"You heard him," Vladimir said to me instead. "Let's go downstairs."

I swallowed hard, unable to say a word. I had no idea how I was supposed to treat them. There was no way that I was going to accept these murderers as my brothers— especially when their intentions for me were not yet clear.

Vladimir pointed at the way forward and Cassius took the lead, stopping only for a split second to flash me his charming smile before descending the stairs.

I followed him, knowing fully well that Vladimir was behind me. I felt like a caged animal and I knew that this was how I was always going to feel if I became trapped here forever. These boys were always going to bully me forever.

We reached the bottom and walked into a large hall where Lycan King Viktor and my mother were already waiting. Orion was standing by the side as if even his father bored him.

"There you are, I told Viktor that you were only exhausted, that's why you fainted earlier but he was insisting we take you to the hospital," Mother began before she turned to Viktor again. "There's no cause for alarm. She's fine. She's been working too hard to fend for us and she hardly slept last night."

The king nodded slowly before gesturing at me to come over. I hesitated at first before doing as he wanted.

It still felt surreal that I was standing before a Lycan King. Once again, I wondered how Mom had done it.

Viktor took my hand and stared down at me with genuine concern. His obsidian eyes almost seemed to see into my soul and I became too overwhelmed to speak.

"Camilla has told me about how hard you work everyday. I want you to know that you are now under my protection. You can have whatever you wish, anything you want, I'll give it to you. You are now my child and a sister to my sons."

I blinked multiple times at the sense of protection that instantly filled my heart with his sweet words— until of course, Orion scoffed.

This made Viktor glare at him disapprovingly before turning to the rest of his sons. "Promise me that you'll all protect her."

Vladimir moved his piercing gaze at me. "Consider yourself now under our protection, little sister. . ."

There was something about the way he said it that did not sound promising. It scared the shit out of me and another involuntary shiver ran down my spine.

I could not take it anymore. I turned to my mother abruptly. "Mom, we need to leave, now!"

Panic scattered across my mother's face as she glared at me as if I had lost my mind. "Dahlia!”