They didn't speak at first.
Instead, the four of them hovered near the door like wolves testing the scent of foreign soil. They were arguing in whispers.
"She saw us," Jace was saying, eyes flicking toward the window. "The girl in the Lakers at the corner. She turned her head."
"No one saw shit," Dimitri replied in a calm and bored tone like this was a conversation about tea rather than life-or-death secrecy. "I would've smelled fear."
"You're not a bloodhound. You missed a tail last time, too." Arlo muttered, leaning against the peeling wall, arms crossed.
"Yeah, and I handled it," Dimitri snapped back.
"Handled it," Radek said dryly, "is code for 'left a body in a ditch.' Again."
Their voices buzzed in Wren's ears. All too sharp and too close. They weren't yelling, but the air still sizzled like a live wire. Every syllable they uttered scraped against her nerves. Her fingers twitched in her lap.
They were here to turn her into a werewolf, she thought. How on earth was she supposed to look at her Father and Mother again after becoming… A beast?
How dare these arrogant bastards thrust her into a whole new world without her permission?
Her fear and grief were budding until a string had been pulled and the arguing stopped. Four pairs of eyes turned toward her all at once.
Her breath snagged in her throat. Oh god. They were looking at her now. They were doing it so intensely too.
The room shrank. Not literally, but it sure felt that way. She could feel her skin heat, her heart picking up a panicked rhythm.
Lulu had warned her this might happen—something about the mate bond getting a little spicy when the heirs were near. But she hadn't expected it to feel like her insides were melting and reforming in slow motion.
Their eyes devoured her, every pair different but equally invasive
She knew these weren't normal men. Lulu had said it, and now her body was saying it too; every cell, every nerve, was screaming from something electric rather than terror.
Her thighs clenched involuntarily. Her cheeks flamed. What the hell? Why was her body interested in being dinner?
And they—God, they could smell it. She could tell. Their noses twitched, and it was Dimitri who tilted his head, eyes darkening as if he heard the thud of her pulse from across the room.
Control yourself, Wren chanted inwardly. You're not going to purr like a damn cat in heat because some overgrown golden retrievers gave you a look.
Radek cleared his throat, being the first to break the trance.
"This place is disgusting," he announced, eyes sweeping the small, cluttered apartment with disdain. "Cramped. Smells like rot. Let's get this over with—I never want to step foot in here again."
Arlo pushed off the wall and addressed Wren. "After the turning, you'll be given instructions. We'll help until you get a hang of things, but don't expect hand-holding forever. Once you're steady on your own four paws, we can all have our freedom again. Unless, of course…" he gave a lopsided smirk "…our wolves go into heat and start howling for their mate. Then we'll have no choice."
"Absolutely not," Radek growled, almost spitting out in disdain. "No wolf of mine is taking a whore for a mate. Not when we won't even bother marking her."
Wren's jaw dropped. Did that arrogant motherfucker just call her a whore again?!
It took her a full two seconds to process the word—and then the rest of her body caught up in a rush of outrage and humiliation.
Her brows knitted. "Excuse me?"
Radek totally ignored her.
She stood up. "Wow. Really? That's your move? Call me a prostitute in my own damn prison cell?"
He arched an eyebrow. "I call it as I see it."
Wren stepped forward, her hands shaking with the need to slap the arrogant expression off his face. She kept her voice level. "Well, you know what? I'd rather be a prostitute than a murderer."
That hit something.
Arlo couldn't hold back his laughter, and even Jace's brows lifted slightly in surprise. Radek's nostrils flared.
"I haven't changed my mind about calling the police on you," Wren added quickly, trying to keep her tone firm even as her pulse screamed bad idea, bad idea. "I'm just saying. You don't get to insult me."
There. That sounded human. Like a dumb, normal girl still clinging to human laws.
She had said it because she had to. Because pretending she still believed in human rules was the only card she had left. Inside, her lungs felt like paper.
Arlo gave a full laugh now, running a hand through his thick hair. "Read the room, cupcake. You think the police will march in here and slap us with silver handcuffs? We're above the law. The second you step into Lupin House, you're in our world."
Jace shifted forward. "And you stepped into it the second your scent hit our noses."
Dimitri yawned like a cat and glanced at the others. "So are we doing this or not? We've wasted enough time."
He stepped toward her. Wren flinched back. She could remember the end result of the last time he moved closer to her. This was the douchebag who snapped her neck.
His eyes flicked to her neck, lips parting slightly to reveal gleaming teeth that stole three heavy gasps from Wren. Something inside her dropped like a stone. A thrum rippled through her chest, and she felt Lulu stir faintly inside, still silent but no longer fully asleep.
"What… what are those?!" She shrieked, stumbling back in fear.
Hell, Lulu already told her what they were, but was she prepared for this? FANGS! Actual freaking fangs!
Hell no!
As if her horrified shriek was nothing? Jace moved between them, hand raised.
"Wait. What are you doing?"
"Turning her," Dimitri said simply, one brow raised like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What does it look like?"
"No. You're not biting her."
Dimitri stared at him. "Why the hell not?"
"Because your wolf is too violent. It's all bloodlust and mayhem. If you turn her, she'll inherit that rage. We don't need another lunatic on the estate."
Wren blinked. "Wait, what do you mean 'inherit'…"
"Don't talk," Radek snapped.
Jace continued. "If anyone should turn her, it's me. My wolf's the calmest. She'll need that balance."
Radek laughed bitterly. "Calm doesn't win in Lupin House. Strength does. If she gets my blood, she'll have a fighting chance. She'll survive. I should do it, not you losers."
"Please," Arlo scoffed. "We all know your wolf only wins because it's too dumb to stay down. She needs strategy. She needs intelligence. I'm the obvious choice."
All three turned to Arlo.
Radek blinked. "Aren't you still dating what's-her-face? Maria? Maya?"
"Mona," Jace supplied dryly.
"Mona," Radek repeated, rolling his eyes. "Thought you were committed, lover boy."
Again, was this the mate bond's doing? Wren wondered. Lulu had told her about how powerful it was. Was it so powerful that it was even making the committed lover boy crave a taste of her?