Feral Bonds: Claimed By Rogue Alpha Brothers

Evaline:

The silence settled like a heavy blanket in the living room. And I wasn't the only one staring at the entrance, the brothers too had their eyes fixed on the entrance as we all waited for a certain person to stepped in.

Seconds ticked by, but in that moment time felt endless. I could feel the tension humming in the air, vibrating against my skin. My each heartbeat was echoing louder than the last. I quickly glanced between the men, and found each of them frozen in their own hope and uncertainty.

And then, after what felt like forever but were merely a couple of moments, River finally stepped inside.

He paced in with a confident stride, intent on his phone call. He was talking about some important business project. He barely cast a glance our way as he gave his brothers a quick nod, still engrossed in conversation. A servant approached to take his coat and disappeared with it just as quickly and quietly.

Seconds later, he ended the call, pocketed his phone, and looked up.

His gaze swept across the group and froze when it registered me. Surprise flitted on his face, then doubt, then an inscrutable calm. His eyes darted to his brothers, and I held my breath.

Though he didn't voice the question out loud, Kieran still provided the explanation. "River... Miss Evaline is staying with us for the holidays," he announced casually, though each word felt drenched in significance.

My heart was thundering against my ribs as I anticipated his objection. After all, he had always told me clearly to stay away from his brothers. He made it perfectly known. I knew he wouldn't be happy about my presence in his house. But, as the seconds stretched, he simply nodded. "Okay."

Just that single word.

All I could feel was the slick of shock in my brain. Disbelief. He didn't push back. He didn't glare. He didn't ask why. No anger... just acceptance, or even approval.

A hush descended, broken only by the quiet shuffle as Sera materialized from the shadows. River instructed her crisply, "Dinner in five minutes." Then he turned to us. "I'll be down shortly," he said, before taking that brief, lingering look at me - it was like an acknowledgment, and then he walked away.

I stared after him in shock, and the brothers were mirroring my bewilderment, their eyes flickering between each other. But then Oscar exhaled and all three of them relaxed. The important thing was - River wasn't against my stay here.

In the dining hall, we found our places easily. The table was set grandly - eight chairs, flickering candlelight, the scent of roasting meats and spiced wine draped across the atmosphere. I slipped into the chair between Draven and Oscar, and they both fell into position as though this had been planned forever.

Kieran sat opposite Draven. River returned in five and settled down on the head seat, as though nothing unusual had happened.

But everything was unusual.

At one point, I felt his gaze on me, but when I looked up, I found him talking with Kieran.

My attention then shifted to the maid who appeared next to me with a bowl of warm chicken soup. But as she lifted it, something went wrong... or so I thought. The bowl tipped and spilled down my thigh and knee, hot liquid soaking through the wool of my trousers.

A flash of agony seized me. Hot pain bloomed through my leg. I gasped and jerked... suddenly aware of every eye on me.

Draven reached out as though to steady me, Oscar's hand locked on the armrest. Kieran stood up so fast the chair screeched back. Only River remained sitting steady as the storm broke.

"Get ice-at once!" he barked.

Within seconds, other servants rushed to obey. Kieran strode to my side, now fully present as his calm demeanor vanished, replaced by steel. He took the ice packs and pulled my chair away from the mess on the floor.

Then he was kneeling in front of me and raising my trouser to place the ice packs against my burnt skin that had already turned bright red.

I felt Oscar and Draven's presence around me and then the former placed his hand on my shoulder. Without thinking, I reached out to grab it, whimpering as pain made the back of my eyes burn.

"It's alright. Just breathe." Draven whispered, the worry clear in his voice.

"Draven, come here and hold these packs. I'll grab a burn healing ointment from my lab." Kieran let Draven replace him and disappeared somewhere, only to appear moments later.

He handed me a small crystal vial of potion that was for relieving pain, and then once again kneeled to apply the cold and soothing gel balm on my burnt skin.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked once he was done carefully applying the ointment.

I nodded my head, already feeling much better than I was moments ago. "I think it's working. Thank you."

He released a small sigh and stood up, turning to face River. But before he could have spoken, River spoke. His voice was ice-cold, dripping with his Alpha aura that had me shivering and clutching on Oscar's hand tightly.

"Did you spill this by accident?" He asked the maid who had spilled the soup. His tone was quiet but lethal, and there was a clear warning that he wouldn't accept a lie.

A hush fell over the dining hall. I would have considered the maid innocent if not for how badly she was trembling while standing next to Sera.

Sera swallowed. "M-my lord, I'm… I'm sorry. She didn't mean to-"

"Are you saying it was an accident?" River's eyes narrowed on her. "She were steady until this moment. She was handling the bowl... and then, it fell." He took a breath and spoke to the entire staff present. "This is Miss Evaline, our special guest over the holidays." His voice lifted, strong and commanding. "I want every single one of you on your best behavior around her. And if anyone makes her stay uncomfortable - no slip-ups, no apologies - if I have even the faintest suspicion, you will all regret it."