Screw My Childhood Sweetheart His Alpha Brother Marked Me First novel Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Everyone knows the Thornwolfes are werewolves. Once they hit twenty, the full moon drags out this… need. This heat. And the first person they mark? That’s it. Done deal. Bonded for life.

I used to think–stupidly, hopefully–that Grayson would pick me.

We grew up together. Best friends since we were kids. I thought maybe… maybe I meant something to him.

Tonight, his buddy called me. Said Grayson’s wolf just woke up and he needed help getting through his first heat.

I should’ve been nervous. Excited, even.

Instead, I’m standing outside this lounge, hand frozen on the doorknob, listening to Grayson’s voice slice through the door like a knife.

“Honestly? I really don’t want to waste this on Freya.”

My stomach drops.

“Aurora’s different, you know? She’s not just gonna throw herself at me. She’s got some self–respect. I’ve been working on her for months.”

His voice is so casual. Like he’s talking about the weather.

“Freya, though? That girl’s like a puppy. I snap my fingers and she comes running. Every single time.”

I can barely breathe.

“So yeah, even if she shows up here tonight all ready to ‘help me,‘ I’m just gonna–I don’t know–tough it out. Because the second I mark her, I’m stuck. Forever. And I’m not letting her lock me down like that.”

Tyler laughs–loud and ugly. “Dude, so she’s basically just your backup?”

“Pretty much,” Grayson says, and I can hear the shrug in his voice.

Evan jumps in, all smug and mocking. “You want me to call her? Tell her to stay home? Save you the trouble of fighting her off when she tries to climb into your bed. Desperate girls like that… man, they’re exhausting.”

There’s a pause.

Then Grayson sighs. “Nah. Don’t call her.”

For half a second, I feel this tiny flicker of hope.

“I mean, if I tell her not to come, she’ll get all hurt and dramatic. And yeah, she’s annoying, but… I don’t know. I’ve known her forever. I can’t just be a total dick.”

The hope dies.

“Let her come. I’ll handle it. Maybe she’ll finally get the hint and back off.”

I’m still standing there.

Frozen.

My brain won’t work. My body won’t move.

11:40

Screw My Childhood Sweetheart–His Alpha Brother Marked Me First!

Chapter 1

A thing.

A puppy.

That’s what I am to him.

Not a person. Not a friend. Just… convenient.

My chest hurts. Like someone reached inside and twisted until something broke.

I gave him everything. Years of my life. Late nights when he needed help studying. Driving an hour across town when he texted me he was sick. Laughing at jokes that weren’t even funny because I just wanted to see him smile.

And the whole time, he was calling me a dog behind my back.

Letting his friends laugh at me.

Treating me like I was pathetic.

I want to kick that door open. I want to scream at him:

You think you’re being nice by not “hurting” me? You just called me a desperate puppy in front of your friends! You think I’m some joke? You think I’m lucky you even look at me?

But I don’t.

Because what’s the point?

He’s never going to see me the way I see him. He never did.

So I turn around. Walk away. My legs feel like they’re not even mine.

My vision blurred, and I realized–fuck–I was crying.

I swipe at my face, furious with myself.

No. I’m done crying over him. Done.

My phone’s still in my hand, shaking. I pull up Knox’s number and call him back.

Half an hour ago, he’d called me out of nowhere. His voice was tight, urgent.

“Miss Wolfhart, I need to tell you something. Something Grayson’s been hiding from you for five years.”

I didn’t understand. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you remember that ski trip? The one to Frostclaw Peak? When you fell?”

My heart clenched. “Yeah. I remember.”

“Ryder led the search team. We looked for three days. When we finally found you, you were buried in the snow. No heartbeat. No breath. You were gone.”

I stopped walking. “What?”

“Ryder told Grayson there was a way to bring you back. A blood ritual. Werewolves can do it on a full moon–they split half their life with someone and bind themselves to that person. Forever. It’s a kind of mark. Once it’s done, that person becomes their mate. No going back.”

11-40

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