Sister-in-law.
PENELOPE.
Everything in the closet is my size, down to the shoes. And it’s all adorable—things I would actually buy and wear myself. I’ll have to figure out who Liam got to buy all the clothes and thank them.
I don’t like the idea that Liam bought all these clothes for me. I have plenty at home.
At least I don’t have to worry about my sisters borrowing my clothes. Mine are all too small for them. I’ve always been envious of the fact that my mom and sisters all share clothes with each other.
I wonder if there is anything specific we have to wear to school.
Nope. Wear whatever you want.
Parker is the one who answers.
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to them being in my head. It’s like the universe is paying me back for always being in other people’s heads my whole life. It’s not like I’ve wanted to listen though. I just can’t stop it.
It’s hot outside, so I just put on a white sundress. It has spaghetti straps and flares out a little past my waist. It fits perfectly too and isn’t too long. Sometimes, even petite clothes are too tall for me.
I look through the shoes and consider wearing a pair of heels just so I can be a little taller, but I don’t know how much I’ll be on my feet today, so I just grab some sandals.
I have no idea what to expect today and I’m nervous. I thought my senior year was going to be the same as every other year—the same school, the same kids, the same teachers. Maybe we would’ve gained a new student or two, but for the most part, I’ve gone to school with the same kids since kindergarten. But this… this is going to be different. And scary.
I’m anxious.
What if nobody likes me?
I’ve never been great at making friends. The only “friends” I have aren’t even really my friends. They’re Andrew’s friends. Or Paige’s friends. I’m just their weird, pale sister that tags along.
I’ve got this.
I can be strong.
I decide to leave the massive room—the room Liam was apparently supposed to share with his mate. I must be a big disappointment for all the guys. They’ve been waiting their whole lives for something epic, and now they’re stuck with me.
There are voices coming from the kitchen, so I walk in to find a girl cooking at the stove. Cole is standing in there, chatting with her. He laughs at something she says, and I feel a burning sensation in my chest and stomach.
Oh. My. Gosh.
Am I jealous?
Clearly there is nothing going on here. Cole is just talking to another girl. And laughing. He’s definitely laughing at something she’s saying.
Still, there is no cause for concern. He’s not cheating on me. He’s just talking to another girl.
Cole turns to me and his dark brown eyes light up when he sees me.
See… nothing to be jealous over. He definitely didn’t look at her like that.
He waves me over, so I walk up to him. He puts his arm around me.
“This is Penelope,” Cole says, introducing me to the girl. “Penelope, this is my older sister, Hannah.”
Sister?
I was jealous of his sister.
My jealousy quickly turns to guilt.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Hannah nods, smiling at me.
Hannah is beautiful and now that I am looking at her, I realize she looks a lot like Cole. She has the same dark brown eyes and hair, the same high cheek bones and perfect jawline, and the same smile. She is also tall like him. I doubt I’ll be as tall as anybody in this school.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” I tell her.
“Oh, wow. You are so pretty,” she gushes. “Your eyes… purple… wait… they change colors? That’s so cool.”
I look down, not sure what to say. My whole life, people have always gawked at my eyes, and it’s always made me super uncomfortable. Now I find out that I’m not human, but even in the supernatural world having eyes that change colors isn’t normal.
Actually, everybody I’ve met has normal eyes here. I mean, they change colors in the moonlight, but other than that, they look completely normal.
Of course I’m a freak, even here.
Cole tightens his grip around me to comfort me.
“She is beautiful,” he rumbles.
“All your admirers are going to be so jealous,” Hannah sings to her brother.
Admirers?
Cole rolls his eyes.
“What admirers?” I ask.
“My sister is delusional, don’t listen to her.”
“You should at least warn her.”
“Warn me about what?” I narrow my eyes, looking between the two of them.
Cole sighs and looks at me.
“Everybody is taken aback by the fact that you don’t have just one but four mates,” Hannah says. “It’s unheard of. But your four mates in particular are the four strongest members of the pack. Soon, Liam will take over as alpha, Cole as beta, but Parker is third, and Aiden is fourth in the pack hierarchy. Some people are going to be mad and feel like you stole the best the pack has to offer. People might even call you a witch.”
My mouth falls open.
I didn’t even think of that. That the other girl shifters would feel cheated. I didn’t mean to steal their men. It’s not like I went out looking for these guys. They kind of just showed up and have taken over my life.
Now I’m even more nervous about today.
“I won’t let them.” Cole nearly growls his response.
I know he thinks that, but the four of them can’t always be around to protect me. And how are they going to protect me from the mean words of a teenage girl?
Now I miss Paige. Paige would know what to do. She always dealt with my bullies for me.
When I look up, Cole is glaring at his sister.
“You could’ve broken it a little gentler you know.”
“Like you would’ve told her at all,” Hannah snarks, rolling her eyes. “At least now she’ll be prepared.”
I am thankful she told me, but now I’m just super nervous. I was already worried about what people were going to think about me anyway. To know I was right… They’re going to think I’m horrible.
I already know that having four mates isn’t normal. It’s not normal in the human world and it’s not normal in the shifter world. I guess I just hoped people would be more accepting here because they know it’s not something I chose for myself. Fate chose.
Liam’s dad didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.
“Do you think I’m a witch?” I ask Hannah, then look at Cole. “Oh, my gosh. Are witches real?”
Cole laughs. “Yes, witches are real. But you are not a witch.”
“I don’t think you’re a witch.” Hannah sniffs the air. “You don’t smell like a witch at all. Or act like one.” She rolls her eyes.
“How do witches act?”
“Arrogant,” Cole says.
“Stuck up,” she adds. “They have this superiority complex and think they’re better than everybody else.”
“I have to ask… do witches have wands?”
“No.” Hannah turns her attention to whatever she’s cooking on the stove. “They’re nothing like on human TV. They’re have elemental controls, but even that is limited.”
“So, like, air, water, earth and fire?” I ask.
Obviously, those are the elements, but I am curious how it works.
“It’s not important.” Cole waves his hand dismissively. “Lots of supernaturals have element controls. Witches are pretty weak as far as supernaturals go.”
“Oh,” I say. “I am pretty weak. I don’t have any cool powers. So what if my eyes change colors and I can read people’s minds. Big deal.”
“You can read minds?” Hannah asks, her eyes widening.
I nod. “Only when I touch people. But you guys can read each other’s minds anyway, right? Isn’t it a shifter thing?”
“We can only read what somebody opens to us.” She adds salt into the pan, looking over her shoulder at me. Her lips are pressed together as she studies me.
“She can also feel emotions.” Cole grins as he says it. “And she can see into people’s past and know everything they’ve ever felt or thought.”
“Oh,” she gasps. “I’ll be sure not to accidentally touch you then.”
I shake my head at Cole.
He’s obviously proud of what I can do, which makes me grin.
“I don’t think it works on supernaturals.” I play with the ends of my hair. “When I shook Alpha Mutatio’s hand I could only hear his immediate thoughts and feel only what he was feeling at that exact moment.”
Her mouth falls open and she looks at Cole. “That’s…”
“Incredible,” Cole finishes for her.
“Yeah,” she breathes out.
I raise an eyebrow, trying to figure out what they mean.
“Alpha Mutatio has a strong mind. He doesn’t share his thoughts with anybody,” Cole explains. “The fact that you could read him even though he was blocking you means you’re powerful. Very powerful.”
“More powerful than an alpha,” Hannah adds.
The thought of me being “powerful” is almost laughable. Most twelve-year-olds are bigger than me. Actually, I’m pretty sure my little sister was taller than me when she was nine years old. There is nothing fierce or powerful about me.
“Power isn’t about physical strength all of the time.” My focus shifts back to Cole as he speaks after reading my thoughts. “I have a feeling that your mind reading ability isn’t the only thing you can do.”
I had never thought about that before. Probably because I thought I was a normal human until a little over a day ago when the guys told me I wasn’t. And even then… even now… I’m having a hard time believing it. Seeing Cole change into a wolf made it so I couldn’t doubt them anymore.
My face grows warm as I think about him turning into a wolf because I also saw him naked that day. And the fact that he knows what I’m thinking about makes it worse.
“Your face is red. Are you okay?” Hannah asks, concern written on her face.
Cole snickers and my face grows even warmer.
This is so awkward.
“Whenever we touched for the first time, it opened up her mind link to us,” Cole tells his sister. “So, I know everything she’s thinking. And she’s thinking about when she watched me shift into a wolf for the first time.”
“You haven’t taught her to block you out?”
“No.” He crosses his arms and leans against the counter. “Not yet. We will. It’s just other things have been more important.”
Blocking the guys from my thoughts is important to me, but he’s right. We do have a lot of other things to worry about. For example, me being the target of every teen girl who has a crush on my guys.
My guys.
That’s so weird to even think.
But they are mine. And my inner voice agrees. In fact, she shouts it.
I don’t know why I didn’t think about it before, but Hannah is right. Girls will hate me.
Liam, Cole, Parker, and Aiden are all very attractive guys—the most attractive guys I’ve ever met. And I thought maybe it was just a shifter thing, but I should’ve known better.
“Are there any crazy ex-girlfriends I should know about?” I ask.
“Dating isn’t allowed,” Cole answers. “We can’t date anybody until we meet out mate. It’s forbidden.”
“But that rule doesn’t stop people from flirting,” Hannah says.
I look at Cole.
“Not Cole,” Hannah is quick to add. “Parker is the flirt. A lot of girls are going to be heartbroken that he’s taken.”
Ah, I can see that.
I feel jealous thinking about him flirting with other girls, but that doesn’t matter. That all happened before we met. It only matters what happens from now on.
“I’m sure you’ve dated plenty of guys, though.” Hannah shoots me a smile and grabs a plate, piling bacon and eggs on top.
“Nope,” I reply, then laugh. “I have two older brothers and a fear of touching. Plus, I’m pale and short. My sister was the one with all the attention from guys, not me.”
“Boys are crazy wherever you’re from.” Hannah holds out a plate toward me. “Want some food?”
“Thanks,” I say, taking the plate from her.
I feel too nervous to eat much, but maybe a little breakfast will help me feel better.
“Where’s mine?” Cole asks, looking at his sister.
She rolls her eyes. “You can cook your own. I just came here to meet my future sister in law.”
My face grows warm at the future sister-in-law comment.
She leaves after that and I share most of my food with Cole because Hannah made me way too much.