Chapter 4 -Too Thirsty For His Hard Dick.

That night was torture. I didn''t say a single word to those gorgeous jerks and bolted from the dining room like my life depended on it. Thank God I ran into my mom in the hallway—she took me upstairs to show me my room.

I couldn''t bring myself to tell her about my stepbrothers. They''d probably tell Mom about the whole mate bond drama at school, and then she''d be furious with me.

"You''ve got your own room now, Beatrice." She smiled, flicking on the light switch to show me how spacious it was. "I''ll have one of your stepbrothers help set it up however you like."

I nearly jumped out of my skin when Lord Vasquez''s voice came from behind me. He''d followed us up to see my reaction to the new bedroom. Right now there was just one bed sitting in the middle of the room.

"I never sleep alone," I whispered, looking at my mother desperately.

"I told you about her," Mom explained to Lord Vasquez. "She''s one of those unfortunate she-wolves whose wolf is just... evil. So my poor daughter never gets any mates or strength from her wolf." Mom walked over and gently patted my shoulder.

"Well, that''s unfortunate. I''m sure Helel will know how to help her develop her human strength," Lord Vasquez said, once again bringing up his son. I couldn''t tell if he was just bragging about his boys or if he genuinely thought they were the best alphas on the planet. "And don''t worry about tonight. If she gets scared, she can call my name and I''ll be right there to—"

"Fetch you for her," Maddox interrupted from across the room. Shivers ran down my spine at the way he looked me up and down. He was leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, tossing a ball in his hands.

Mom and I were the only ones who didn''t like that idea, but obviously Lord Vasquez was thrilled.

"Attaboy! Scarlet, honey, don''t worry about her anymore. Her stepbrother will take good care of her. Come on, let''s head to bed."

Vasquez was way too eager to whisk my mom away from me. After giving him a smile, Mom gently hugged me and whispered in my ear, "Don''t let him touch you, no matter what. Remember, your wolf is hungry for trouble." Her words echoed in my head along with all the other warnings she''d given me about my wolf.

I watched Mom walk away with Lord Vasquez, then looked back at Maddox, who was still staring at me in silence. That''s when I noticed my room was sandwiched right between Zane and Helel''s bedrooms. A small hallway separated Maddox and Akin''s rooms from mine.

"So, you liked watching me jerk off, didn''t you?" He grinned, clearly remembering how I''d walked in on him and frozen like a deer in headlights.

Now that he was looking me in the eye, it was beyond awkward. The only escape I could think of was to lock the door and shut out his stare.

The moment I stepped back, I guess he figured out what I was planning because he rushed over and slammed his hand against the door. I was a petite 18-year-old—there was no way I could fight him off.

I let go of the door and stepped aside, my back hitting the wall as I watched him enter the room and stand in front of me. He placed one hand on the wall to block my escape and locked eyes with me.

"I didn''t see you jerk off. You were just... rubbing it," I swallowed, trying not to look intimidated. The more vulnerable you seem, the more they take advantage of you. I loved how much attention he was giving me. Does that make me desperate?

"What?" He closed his eyes for a moment and laughed at me. "That''s called masturbating," he said, leaving me even more confused. "Wait, you don''t know what that is?" The shock on his face made me feel guilty for being so clueless. "Holy Moon Goddess! You really have no idea, huh?" His eyes lit up like he''d found buried treasure.

"So you''ve never touched yourself before?" he asked, and I froze. Now I realized he wasn''t talking about normal stuff like putting lotion on my arms and legs.

"Don''t worry. I can teach you all that stuff. I mean, what else are big brothers for?" That smile seemed dangerous.

"I wasn''t just rubbing it. I was enjoying myself. You can do that too, and don''t worry about not having a dick. You''ve got something way more precious and useful." His voice was getting lower. I couldn''t tell if my ears were playing tricks on me or if he was.

"I don''t want to learn it from you. You''re my stepbrother," I said, obviously embarrassed about a guy talking about my private parts, let alone my own stepbrother.

"Your mother isn''t married to my father. She''s just dating him, and there''s no way they''ll ever get married," he said with startling confidence. "So, do you hate us for living here?" I asked, trying to keep him from getting sidetracked. I didn''t mind him talking to me—I just didn''t want to make it too obvious that I wasn''t as shy as I seemed. I was shy, don''t get me wrong, but part of me liked the attention.

"Aw, there''s no need to be shy. If I don''t teach you, the boys at school will, and that''s something you don''t want happening." Maddox brought his face way too close to mine.

I could feel our blue eyes almost touching. I was so exhausted that I hadn''t even tied up my long blonde hair, and here he was trying to teach me some dirty stuff.

But there was also this weird sensation I kept feeling in my body whenever he talked about... my body. It was like my mother was right about me being sexually charged all the time. Otherwise, why would I be feeling this way toward my stepbrother?

"How about we start by touching—" he said suddenly as a shadow fell across him. His expression changed completely, and he stepped back from me.

Should I admit I was disappointed by the interruption? I''d been resisting talking openly with Maddox, but that was just because I was shy.

"What''s going on here?" Akin, still in his suit, stepped inside and questioned us.

"I was trying to help her with some stuff," Maddox said, biting his lip while sneaking glances at my body.

"Okay! If you''re done, go back to your room. I''m pretty sure it''s way past her bedtime." Akin''s voice was deep and husky, but it also lacked any emotion. He looked at me like my existence meant nothing to him.

"Okay. By the way," Maddox cleared his throat, turning his attention back to me, "I''ll be waiting for you to scream my name." He whispered, pulling back and winking at me. "Don''t worry, there''s no monster under your bed," he added as he walked away.

"Good night," I said. I don''t know why my desperate self thought I should try talking to Akin, but I did.

"Whatever!" He was so rude, walking out and slamming my door shut.

"I was just being nice," I pouted sadly, standing alone in my new room and dreading what might happen. I was curious about Akin''s attitude. He constantly ignored me, while Zane and Maddox were ready to give me attention. And I was definitely someone who craved attention—loads and loads of it.

Pushing away all the scary thoughts, I crawled into bed and pulled the blanket over my nose. I was exhausted, so I fell asleep quickly, but that didn''t stop me from hearing the same whispers calling my name that I heard every night.

"Beatrice!"

"Beatrice! I''m coming for you."

I jolted awake in a panic, gasping for air.

"No! I don''t want to go with you," I said, shivering and sobbing. "MOM! MOM! HE''S COMING TO GET ME!"

The nightmares never left me alone. I''d wake up screaming every other night and then stay awake until morning. I was a mess. Mom never stopped reminding me that if I didn''t take my pills, he would come get me. Who was he? I had no idea. Just someone who wanted to enslave me.

While I was crying into my hands and whimpering my mom''s name, I heard the door being opened and slammed shut.

"No! Please don''t take me away!" Seeing a male silhouette when I uncovered my eyes terrified me into thinking he''d finally come for me.

"I''m not here to take you. I promised your mother I''d take care of you, didn''t I?" That''s when Maddox sat down on the bed and studied my face with his bright eyes. "A nightmare?" he asked, and I nodded miserably. He was shirtless, wearing only black shorts, but I was too scared at the moment to count his perfectly toned abs.

"Stepbrother! I can''t sleep," my lips trembled as I explained my pathetic situation to him.

"Lie down in the bed. I''ll cuddle with you." His demand made my body shake. I felt goosebumps rise on my skin.

"I said, lie down," he repeated, his voice stronger and more commanding this time. I should have said no, but he was my stepbrother. He was here to take care of me.

I turned around and lay down, feeling him lie behind me. He took a few seconds to adjust his position and cover us with the blanket before sliding his hand under my body. The touch of a man was new to me, but I tried not to focus on it since it was my stepbrother. Then he wrapped his other arm over my chest, and his hand landed directly on my D-cups.

I shuddered but stayed silent and still. Little did I know, it wasn''t the only thing I was going to feel that night.

"You sleep with your bra on?" he complained, placing his hand on my breast again and pressing it gently. It was such an awkward feeling that I instantly pulled away from him and turned to look at him.

He was staring back at me with a strange look on his face. I knew he wasn''t really my stepbrother, but my mother wanted me to think of them that way so I could control my urges around such gorgeous guys by considering them forbidden.

"What?" he frowned like it wasn''t a big deal.

"You can''t touch someone''s boobs," I whispered, my eyes traveling to his muscular hands.

"Why? It''s not like they''ll explode if I touch them." He scoffed, adjusting his arm under his head to stare at me more comfortably. The way he said those things sent an incredible wave through my veins.

"Besides, you have big boobs for your tiny frame. Try to loosen up at nighttime. Take off your bra so you can sleep peacefully," he said while looking me straight in the eyes.

It made my heart skip a beat.

"Go on, I''m not going to stay awake for you." He had prominent lines between his eyebrows as he waited for me to make a decision.

I got out of bed and went to the bathroom, taking off my bra and slipping my shirt back on. It felt relaxing, but I also felt exposed.

I came back to the bedroom and found him lying there as if he hadn''t just told me to take off my bra. I crawled into bed and lay with my back facing him. I started worrying about why he wasn''t touching me anymore.

After a few minutes of no movement from his side, he wrapped his arm around my body, but this time it felt different.

His palm touched my nipple, and for a moment, my mind went blank. He wasn''t moving or anything, but my stupid body shuddered and my breast rubbed against his palm.

He shifted slightly.