After My Family Chose My Wolfless Stepsister, I Found the Alpha They Could Never Touch

"Put the car in front of terminal three," I said into the phone, dragging my heavy suitcase past the sliding glass doors of the arrivals hall.

"Miss Blackwood, the driver is—"

Before the dispatcher could finish the sentence, a hand clamped over my wrist, yanking me to a violent halt.

I spun around, the phone slipping from my grip and clattering onto the concrete. I found myself staring at the three people I had spent three years in Europe trying to forget.

Adrian Blackwood, my older brother, stood with his jaw set tight, his eyes burning with disgust. Beside him loomed Damian Ashford, the man I was supposed to marry. Hovering just behind Damian's shoulder was Chloe Bennett, the girl I once called my absolute best friend.

"We finally found you," Damian snapped. His fingers dug into my skin, his grip bruising. "You thought hiding in Europe for three years would get you out of apologizing to Serena Hale? Did you really believe we would just let this go?"

I stared at his hand on my arm, my heart steady and completely devoid of the flutter it used to have for him. "Let go of me."

"Not until you agree to come back right now to compensate her," Damian insisted, his voice rising over the noise of the passing cars. "You must repent, Aurora. It's the only way to fix this."

I ripped my arm out of his grasp, rubbing the red marks forming on my wrist. "I told you to let go."

Adrian stepped forward, his broad shoulders blocking my path to the taxi lane. He looked at me not like a sister, but like a stain on his shoes. "Stop causing a scene, Aurora. Our family will never accept or cover up your vicious behavior. You embarrassed the Blackwood name enough by running away like a coward."

I tilted my head, studying the brother who shared my blood but clearly possessed none of my loyalty. "Accept and cover up?"

A harsh, dry laugh ripped from my throat. I locked eyes with Adrian, refusing to shrink back. "You mean Serena framing me for hurting her wolf? Tell me, brother, how exactly do you injure something that doesn't exist? The girl is a monster born without a wolf to begin with."

"Shut your mouth!" Chloe pushed past Damian, her eyes wide with manufactured disappointment. She pointed a manicured finger at my chest. "Aurora, how did you become so vicious? Listen to yourself!"

I shifted my gaze to Chloe. This was the girl who used to hold my hair back when I was sick, the girl who shared my secrets late into the night. Now, she played the loyal lapdog to my brother and my fiancé, parroting their lies.

"Serena is weak," Chloe continued, her voice trembling with fake tears. "She never stood a chance against you, and you attacked her without mercy. You ruined her life! How can you stand there and insult her condition?"

"Say whatever you want," I told them, my voice dropping to a dead calm. I kicked my dropped phone closer to my boot. "I won't apologize for something that never happened. Serena Hale played all of you for fools, and you lined up to take the bait."

"You are delusional," Damian said. He squared his shoulders, his Alpha aura pushing into the space between us, heavy and suffocating. He leaned in, trying to intimidate me the way he always used to.

"If you continue this stubbornness, I will break our engagement," Damian declared, his tone laced with finality. "I will sever the Mate Bond entirely."

He stared down at me, expecting me to crumble. He waited for the tears. He waited for the desperate plea to keep the bond intact. For years, I had begged for his scraps of affection, bending over backward to prove I was worthy of the Ashford name.

I looked at him. Really looked at him. The man I loved since childhood now just looked like a stranger in a cheap, overly tailored suit. The mate bond connecting us felt like a rotten thread, ready to snap.

"The Ashford family won't take a vicious, unrepentant wolf as a future wife," he added, crossing his arms.

"Oh," I said, a cold smile stretching my lips. "Then do it."

Damian flinched. His eyes darted to Adrian, completely thrown by my lack of panic. His mouth opened, but no words came out. He clearly hadn't prepared a script for my agreement.

"You're calling my bluff?" Damian asked, his voice losing its confident edge.

"It's not a bluff if I don't care," I replied. "Break the bond. I'll sign the papers today."

"You've lost your mind," Adrian growled, stepping into my personal space. He lunged toward me, his fingers curling into claws. "You're coming with me right now. I'll have the Wolf Federal Court try you. Let's see how arrogant you are after rotting in a prison cell until you thoroughly repent."

I didn't back away. I held my ground, staring straight into my brother's furious eyes. "Try me for an imaginary crime? Go ahead. Let the Federation see who the real joke is. Let them investigate Serena's medical records. I dare you."

"You arrogant bitch," Adrian spat. He reached for my neck, his patience completely gone.

He never made it.

A massive hand wrapped around my brother's forearm, twisting it backward until Adrian let out a sharp yelp of pain. Two men in sharp, midnight-blue suits materialized from the bustling airport crowd. They shoved Adrian back with brutal efficiency, forming a solid wall of muscle between me and the three of them.

"Do not touch Miss Blackwood," the taller guard warned, his voice a low, terrifying rumble.

Damian stared at the guards, his face flushing dark red. "Who the hell are you? Get out of the way! I am her Alpha!"

"You are nothing to her," the guard replied evenly, not moving an inch.

I adjusted the collar of my coat, brushing off the invisible dirt of their presence. I looked at the stunned, angry faces of my former family and friends. The fear I used to feel around them was completely gone, replaced by a cold, sharp clarity.

"I'm actually grateful for this little reunion," I said, my voice carrying over the noise of the traffic. "It let me see who really matters in this world. And it certainly isn't you three idiots."

A stretched, armored black Maybach glided to a stop against the curb, right behind my luggage. The second bodyguard grabbed my suitcase and opened the heavy rear door for me.

I stepped inside the leather-scented interior, leaving them standing uselessly on the pavement.

The door slammed shut, instantly cutting off Adrian's furious shouting and Damian's demands. The engine purred as the car pulled away from the curb.

I settled into the plush seat and pulled a heavy, velvet box from my purse, flipping it open to reveal the silver crest of the Nightshade pack—Lucien's official seal, resting right beside my freshly signed marriage certificate.