Ashlyn's POV
By morning, I convinced myself meeting Walter's son had been a dream. It had to be; the way he looked at me, the things he said to me. Because when I sat at the long breakfast table, he didn't even look at me. We sat across from each other like we were strangers. Ouch!
But I told myself not to care. The breakfast table was set for four, and we ate in silence, until Walter broke it.
"Noah," he said, turning to him, "I don't know if you've had the pleasure of meeting my girlfriend's daughter, Ashlyn."
Noah. So that was his name. He didn't even hesitate. "No, Dad, I haven't."
Liar. It was in that same throaty voice he'd spoken to me. Told me the truth my mother hadn't. But now he sat there, lying.
Walter gestured between us, smiling. "Well, Noah, meet Ashlyn. Ashlyn, meet Noah."
The awkwardness intensified as we exchanged tight smiles at each other. Mom leaned forward, plastering on a sugary smile. "Umm, Noah, I was talking to your dad about your school," she said. "Are there any opening for seniors this term?"
"Yeah. Senior year doesn't start until Monday."
Mom clapped her hands together with delight. "Wonderful! That means Ash won't have to catch up on anything."
She turned towards me, smiling as if she'd done me a favor. I didn't return the smile.
Walter cleared his throat, cutting in. "This morning I'll be taking your mom, and you, Ashlyn to the council hall. As Beta, it's my responsibility to register you as part of the pack."
I read about this town, so I knew the rules. Registration wasn't that simple. I tilted my head, feigning confusion. "I'm sorry, but I thought permanent residency requires us to have lived here for 12 months?"
Walter's eyes shifted to my mom. "Well, yes, but—"
"But we just got here," I cut in. "Or are you trying to bypass that law by marrying my mom? You're not, are you?"
Walter's mouth opened, but Mom was faster. "Walter is the Beta," she snapped. "He can make exceptions."
I scoffed, standing up from the table. "Have fun at the council, both of you." I said, then I left.
I ran upstairs, slammed my bedroom door shut, and let my tears fall uncontrollably. Why was she marrying him? Dad was supposed to be irreplacable.
Just then, a soft knock came at the door. I sniffled and wiped furiously at my face. "Go away, Mom!"
The knock came again.
"I said go away!"
But it didn't stop. It was persistent and annoying. So, I stormed towards the door with fury and yanked it open, ready to scream. "I said—"
But then I froze. It wasn't Mom. It was Noah.
"Can I?" He asked gently.
I stepped aside, stunned to see him here. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaving plenty of space between us. As I sat, I fixed my gaze to the floor, avoiding his eyes. We sat in uncomfortable silence for a beat, then I broke it.
"Why are you in my bedroom?" I asked softly.
He leaned back against one of the pillars of my bed. "Walter asked me to come talk to you."
"So you're here out of pity?" I asked curtly. "Because if that's the case, please you can leave."
His expression softened. "I don't pity you."
"Then why are you here?"
Our eyes met then, and there was something guarded in his gaze. "Listen, I want you to understand something," he said calmly. "What's done is done. You can't change it."
I scoffed. "Right," I muttered. "So, becasue you accepted it, I should?"
For a split second, I saw something crack in his face. Then he stood abruptly. "I should go."
He was leaving, evading my question. As soon as he reached for the doorknob, I called out quietly, "Noah."
He paused with his back to me.
I swallowed hard. "Why did you lie when your dad asked if you'd met me?"
His back stayed to me for a minute before he spoke. "You should learn to ask less questions."
And then, he left. That instant, I threw myself against my bed, groaning with annoyance. Why did he have to be so goddamn infuriating! I felt stupid for thinking I could ask him that and he would answer honestly.
Hours passed and I finally got over it. By then, Mom and Walter had gone off to the council hall. Now, it was just me and Noah left in this suffocating mansion, at least that was what I thought. But then, I started hearing sounds from across the hall; it was a muffled laughter, a door closing, and a presence that wasn't mine to question. I told myself it didn't matter. Told myself I didn't care.
Until I started hearing moans, "Oh, my goodness!" "Ahh! Oh.. Oh!... Aghh! AAAH! Fuck!" "Oh fuck! Noah, don't stop!"
My heart sank. Noah had a girl in his room, and they were fucking. I was burning with jealousy. I shouldn't have cared. We weren't lovers; we weren't even friends. We were strangers forced into an awkward orbit because of our parents. But still, the sex sounds filled me with something ugly.
I pressed my palms over my ears, but it didn't help. Her moans slipped through no matter how hard I pressed. Why was I jealous? He was about to become my stepbrother. It made no sense, yet the jealous feeling still remained.
I sat up and paced the room, running both hands through my hair. The moans continued, and I had to make it stop. So, I yanked my door open, ready to confront them, only to slam straight into them.
Her hair was a wreck, her lips were swollen, and her shirt slid off one shoulder. She looked like she'd been ruined with the best sex of her life. While Noah, of course, still looked infuriatingly perfect.
The girl's gaze shifted towards me. "Who's that?"
"No one to worry about, Natalie," Noah said flatly, without even glancing at me.
I forced a tight smile in Natalie's direction. She didn't bother to return it. She purred at him instead. "Okay, Noah, I'll see you in school Monday."
She slid her hands down his chest seductively, biting her lips and then turning to leave. She was gone, and now it was just the two of us. He turned fully to face me.
"It's unfortunate you had to hear all that," he said.
"Hear what?" I lied. I wasn't even sure why I lied, but I needed to build a wall between us, a way to protect myself from whatever emotional chaos he was capable of causing.
He fixed me a stare like he didn't believe me. I didn't even believe me. But I wasn't about to admit that my stomach had been in knots listening to every moan.
"Good for you then," he said simply.
He went back into his room and shut the door. While I stood frozen in the hallway, staring at his door with a thousand thoughts in my mind.
What did the inside of his room look like? What did it feel like to be Natalie, to be the one his hands were on, to be the one he was fucking.
I shoved the thought away. They were wrong. He was about to become my stepbrother. Living in this mansion was already purgatory; I didn't need to make it worse by entertaining thoughts that were dangerous, even to myself.
I prayed for Monday to come quickly. At least then I'd have new people around me and a new distraction to face.