Their Secret Obsession (A Reverse Harem)

Lottie POV

Waking to the cacophony of raised voices and the sharp sting of tension hanging heavy in the air, I could barely orient myself amidst the muffled arguing that punctuated the strained silence. Disoriented, I slowly recognized the sounds-male voices bickering heatedly over my safety. A sigh escaped my lips as I braced myself to face the storm awaiting me. If my brothers couldn't understand that I would sacrifice myself for anyone I loved, then that was their burden to bear, not mine. I felt no remorse; if the situation arose again, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same for any of them, knowing full well they would do the same for me, or for my babies.novelbin

"She needs rest. One night here will not hurt her," someone insisted gently.

"Really? You sure because years of being here sure as shit fucked her up," Adam's voice growled back, sharp and laden with barely restrained anger. As usual, his words cut deep, but I kept silent, wanting to get more information before I opened my eyes.

"Those are my grandbabies. She will come to no harm," a familiar feminine voice interjected, slicing through the tension. My heart skipped a beat at the sound-Luna Laura's voice. It had been months since I last heard it. Since I'd left to stay with my brothers, she had made no attempt to contact me, so I took the hint and didn't bother either.

Despite everything the lies she told Knox and the twins-she had always shown me kindness. My body tensed, anticipation and a twinge of fear mingled as I prepared myself to face her again. Slowly, I opened my eyes and found myself staring into the frantic, worried eyes of Alpha Leigh.

"You sure none of that blood is hers?" he demanded, his expression softening as he saw me stir.

"You think we would let her get hurt? We are not your sons," Adam retorted sharply, as a protective grip on me tightened instinctively. The sudden warmth of his embrace flooded me with a comforting yet bewildering sense of safety. "Careful Alpha Adam. This is my home, and you will not insult my family." Alpha Leigh warned, and I couldn't help but scoff.

Looking up, I was startled to find Adam not just beside me but holding me close as if I were the most precious thing in his world. This was a side of him I'd never seen-Adam was always distant, often rude, and permanently wreathed in a cold anger. His touch was a shock, his closeness unsettling yet oddly reassuring.

"Hey, pumpkin. You okay?" he murmured, smiling down at me.

"Pumpkin?" I laughed; the softness in his eyes was a stark contrast to the fierce, guarded man I knew. In those eyes, I could see his wolf peering out, the same ferocious creature that had fought so desperately earlier. But now, all I sensed from him was pure, unguarded love.

The realisation that Adam cared-truly cared-was overwhelming. As the significance of his gaze and the tenderness of his hold enveloped me, I felt a cascade of emotions rush through me. Relief, confusion, and a burgeoning sense of hope mingled together, painting a complex tapestry of feelings I was only just beginning to unravel. Here, in the heart of my old pack, surrounded by the familiar and the forgotten, I was unexpectedly home.

"Lottie, are you okay?" Luna Laura's voice pierced the tense silence, frantic and unsteady. As my gaze shifted from Adam to her, the transformation was startling. Gone was the usual pristine elegance, replaced by a look of disarray that was almost disorienting. She wore what appeared to be Alpha Leigh's oversized jumper thrown hastily over a nightgown, her usually perfect hair resembling a bird's nest. Her eyes, wide and haunted, darted around the driveway in panic-a clear sign of being rudely awakened and thrust into chaos in the middle of the night.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I replied, my confusion reflected on my face as I struggled to grasp the situation fully.

"The blood?" Alpha Leigh interjected

sharply, his gaze dropping to the

stains on my clothes. I followed his gaze, equally baffled. My mind

scrambled to piece together the fragmented memories of the night the fight, my instinctive rush to shield Adam from Havoc. My heart raced as I scanned the room, seeking Knox but finding only the anxious faces of his parents and my brothers, one of whom was as

bloodied as I was.

A surge of fear gripped me, nearly choking my words as one hand instinctively touched my babies and the other reached out to tenderly touch Adam's chest, half-expecting him to flinch away. But he didn't. Looking up into his dark eyes, I managed to ask, "Are you hurt? Is Knox?" The possibility that Adam was here, and Knox wasn't, all while we were both drenched in blood, filled me with dread for the answer that might come.

"The shithead is out cold but alive," Chase muttered as he stepped into my line of sight, his voice carrying a mix of relief and weariness. "The blood isn't yours or his," he added, his face etched with an emotion I struggled to identify. Could it be sadness? "It certainly smells like it." Sage whispered meekly.

"Then whose?" I pressed, my eyes flicking to Leigh and Laura, the two people I had trusted most in my younger and more naive years.

"We would like to know the same thing," Alpha Leigh responded gravely. "I can smell wolf, although none of ours, and other... contaminants." His casual dismissal of those who had died startled me back to the reasons I had left in the first place.

"There was a fight, one that your

drunken son started," I found myself

saying, the words bitter as they spilt out. "His wolf tried to kill Adam, then charged at me." As I spoke, the weight of returning to the place had once called home settled heavily on me Mixed emotions of dread and a strange, reluctant excitement stirred within. This was where I had grown up, where every corner held a memory, every scent a story.

"You must be wrong. He would never hurt his pups." Leigh snapped defensively.

"No? You sure?" Adam growled, no doubt not liking the fact he was being challenged by an alpha he felt was below him. Shaking my head, I motioned for Adam to let me down, but in his usual stubborn style, he didn't. He held me closer instead.

"We will get to the bottom of it tomorrow; for now, let's get you all in bed, Alphas; you know the way to the guest wing, and Lottie, your old room is still available." Luna Laura smiled, her lips tense with something I couldn't place. I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by Liam, who had been remarkably quiet up until now.

"We will stay with Lottie." He announced his voice, leaving no room for negotiation.

"There is only one bed." Luna Laura chuckled nervously.

"The floor is fine." All three announced simultaneously. Smiling, I looked back at the car longingly as the hurt of old betrayals and the shadows of past pains were ever-present, reminding me of why I had needed to leave.

"One night." I sighed, knowing that

this wasn't going to be as straightforward as Alpha Leigh and Luna Laura would like to believe. Surrounded by familiar faces marred by the night's events, I felt the full complexity of my return as fear, nostalgia, and unresolved tension formed in my stomach. Knowing I was about to navigate a web of lies that I had hoped to escape forever.