"I also brought a few gifts for you, little sister, in celebration of your return."
Victoria turned her head sharply to the right. The sound of polished shoes on tiles echoed through the living room as a tall young man approached with smooth, confident strides. His presence drew the eye effortlessly. Fiery long curly red hair framed his chiseled features and his athletic frame was emphasized beneath the tailored fit of a sleek black jacket.
Lucian Ashford.
The second son of the Ashford family. Twenty-six years old. A public figure. A silver-tongued diplomat. A rising politician often seen in court circles. Suave and clever...always smiling, always disarming. But beneath that charm, Victoria knew the truth.
He was dangerous.
Ruthless, when provoked. Calculating, even when kind.
He carried two rectangular boxes in his arms, which he held out to her with no hesitation.
Victoria, her hands still tingling faintly from Callum's earlier gift, accepted the boxes. There was no choice. Her fingers curled around the ribbons, undoing them slowly, cautiously.
The first box opened and inside, nestled in ivory satin, were rows of glittering diamond necklaces and matching earrings...delicate, each piece a masterwork.
Victoria proceeded and opened the second second box which held something entirely different....books. Leather-bound volumes in rich, aged covers. Titles embossed in gold: Noble Etiquette and Protocol, The History of Eastern Pack Diplomacy, Courtship Traditions of Royal Omegas, The Voice of the Beta Courts.
Everything a "proper lady of status and a pack member" was expected to study and know.
"Do you like them?" Lucian asked, tilting his head slightly, his piercing amber eyes fixed on hers. His tone was smooth as silk, laced with a quiet charisma.
"If you don't, I'll have the servants return them and fetch something better. Honestly, if the store couldn't satisfy you, then perhaps it shouldn't remain in business at all."
Victoria blinked, startled by the casual cruelty beneath his elegance.
What?
She knew Lucian. She knew what he was truly capable of.
Victoria had seen it before.....especially with Mirabel.
She had watched, more than once, as Lucian's "kindness" to Mirabel turned violent when she so much as wrinkled her nose at his gifts. If Mirabel had complained that she didn't like the color of a gown or the cut of a necklace, Lucian would have had the designer dismissed or worse. She'd heard rumors. Servants gone missing. Business owners closing shop overnight.
They were all like this. Her family, their smiles and affection are a deadly poison.
And now, all that "love" was being redirected to her.
"Even you, Lucian?!" Mirabel's voice exploded from across the room, shrill and trembling with fury. Her eyes were wide, unblinking. "You're showing her brotherly affection too?!" she shrieked, voice cracking. "What is wrong with you all?!"
"No, no. I can't take this anymore," she snapped, and without waiting for a response, Mirabel stormed out of the living room.
"Mirabel!" Victoria's stepmother called out, her hand clutching at the edge of her shawl. She made a move to follow, but her husband's hand reached out calmly, resting over hers to stop her.
"Let her go," Victoria's father said gently, his voice composed. He offered his wife a smile. "She's just not used to sharing her siblings' affection. That's all. She'll come around soon. You'll see. She's sweeter than she lets on."
Victoria remained quiet, her spine stiff, eyes cast downward.
"I do," she finally managed to say, her voice soft, forced into a carefully polite tone. "I love them. All of the gifts... Brother."
A smile curved Lucian's lips. "I'm glad."
Then, with the familiarity of someone who had known her since childhood....which he hadn't....he leaned forward and tugged lightly at her cheek with two fingers, as if she were a little girl.
Victoria flinched.
Her body tensed instantly.
A jolt of confusion and terror surged through her veins. She could feel the burn of humiliation across her skin, but Lucian only chuckled lightly, unaffected.
Just then, another voice chimed in.
"There are still more gifts waiting for you, you know," said Theo, his voice calm and smooth, laced with charm that made Victoria's skin crawl. "Your room's been redecorated. The servants said your behavior toward the previous design was... less than enthusiastic, so I took the liberty of changing it. The rest of your presents have already been arranged there."
Victoria turned slowly. There he was...Theo.
Blond-haired, soft-featured, always with that polished smile. He leaned casually against the doorframe, his posture relaxed.
"Come with me," he said, pushing off from the frame and walking toward her. "Afterward, we can explore the city together. Get anything else you might want. And if you still hate the room, you can tell me and I'll have the servants redo everything before we get back from our little city stroll."
Victoria's throat tightened. Her heart thudded in her chest.
She turned her gaze to the three brothers now standing before her. Lucian, Callum, and now Theo offering a warm smile.
They looked at her with such pride, such affection... like she was the long-lost piece of their perfect family puzzle.
It was a picture-perfect moment.
And yet, it was all wrong.
"You're home now, sweetheart," came her stepmother's voice from behind. It was laced with affection, so thick it made Victoria's skin itch. "You should relax and let us show you the parental love you missed. And your siblings....don't they deserve the chance to treat you like the sister you are?"
Victoria wanted to scream.
She didn't want their affection. She wanted their scorn. That, at least, was honest. This love...this sudden, gleaming affection.....they were showing her.
It was dangerous.
There was still one brother missing, though. The eldest. The first son who is brutal, ruthless and unforgiving.
Would the family wait for him before dropping the act? Did they want him present for the unveiling of their cruelty? Perhaps they didn't want him to miss the fun of punishing her together.
Victoria swallowed hard, the thought chilling her blood.