Fated To The Lycan Brothers

Chapter 5: Welcome Home

Suri Nightingale

The second we were out of Keith’s private jet, I was already missing the unlimited food and dessert. I managed to sneak some chocolates and gummies into my bag when nobody else was looking, though I think Bella saw me but she just gave me a friendly wink.

It makes me want to just stay here and work at Keith’s private jet, and though I was tempted to really ask him, I'm sure his answer would be a hard no.

I sucked it up and got out of the jet as I closely followed Keith.

A few minutes later, we were out of the airport and walking into another fancy-looking car and a new driver at the front. Does he have a new car and driver for each destination he goes to? I won’t even be surprised if so.

I’m holding on to my bag tightly like I’m anticipating it to get taken away from me if I don’t. Or worse, it disappears, just like everything else around me does then I would realize that this really would have just been a very weird dream and I’d be back in my twenty square feet rat infested room, lying down on the stinky mattress.

But none of that happens.

Instead, there’s soft instrumental music playing from the car radio as we ride through lots and lots of nature. Wherever you looked, there were trees of various sizes and kinds – small, medium, and large. That was how I was going to distinguish it because it was too dark to know what type they were.

There’s a sense of peace, serenity, and whatnot as we drive through tree-lined streets. There is an almost rural-feeling to the place, but I like it. Compared to the chaos and squalor I’ve been used to wherever I went, this is definitely a good change of pace.

Wait, what the hell am I saying? Am I really enjoying being here? Wake up, Suri! You don’t belong here and you never will! Don’t let yourself be blinded by the pretty things around you!

I closed my eyes and let out a shuddery breath as my grip on my bag tightened.

“Are you nervous?” I heard Keith ask and I shook my head quickly, before taking it back right after.

“A little…” I confessed with a mumble.

Keith must have appreciated my honesty because I could sense he got less tense next to me.

“I know I can’t and would never be able to understand even a sliver of what you’re feeling and going through right now, but like I said earlier, if you need anything at all, don’t be afraid to come to me. My boys–” He takes a pause like he’s trying to find the right words to describe them.

“They can get a little rowdy from time to time, but they’ll warm up to you eventually. They lost their mother at a young age and right after I officially took them in.”

Wait a second. His sons aren’t actually biologically his? Well, this is completely new information.

“Where’s their dad?” I accidentally asked out loud what was in my head and I put my hand over my mouth.

“It’s okay,” Keith reassures me. “Their dads, um, well it’s a little bit complicated. The thing is, I met their mom on the streets and I took her in and cared for her and her boys. There was no fatherly figure ever since the beginning.”

“Took her in? So, like… what my mom did to you when you were a kid?”

Keith looked at me with a warm smile before nodding. “Exactly. What your mother did really impacted me, you see?”

I break into a smile. Hearing anything nice about my mom makes me do that. God, I miss her. I wish she was still here. I wish Keith would have found us long ago, before she got cancer, and before that shitty ex of hers got her killed.

Then again, we had been running and hiding for so long that it makes sense why Keith had a hard time looking for us. My mother was so good at escaping and covering our tracks that I learned it from her.

“Welcome home,” Keith says as he rests his back against his seat so that I could have a better view from his side of the car.

Holy… s**t…

I blinked once, twice, and thought that if I was going to wake up from this unrealistic dream, it would be right now because there was no freaking way this was all real. There was just no way.

I feel like I’ve been brought to meet the Queen of England or join the cast of Bridgerton. Literally. It’s a mix between an estate mansion, a palace, and a château.

The closer we get, the faster and louder my heart beats.

I am curious as to what it would be like living with people I do not know and in a place that is obviously far from what I’m used to, but of course, I can’t deny that I am even more scared of it.

No, scratch that. I’m terrified.

When the steel gates with the initials ‘WW’ made out of gold open and the car continues into the driveway, my jaw was practically on the floor.

I don’t even have time to process what ‘WW’ stands for because I’m too speechless.

Beautiful bushes of all kinds of flowers and tall trees greet us. My mother would be freaking out at this very moment if she was here. She always had a green thumb and one time, she dated this guy who had a small backyard and she made it look like paradise. I would never forget that beautiful place before her asshole of a boyfriend got too drunk and destroyed everything.

A curved limestone balustrade wall delivers me to a cobblestone entrance. Everywhere you look, you see money. The French doors surrounding the ground floor, the granite stone that looked too expensive to touch, and the mini glasshouses scattered around the area.

The whole place gleamed even in the moonlight, so welcoming yet so intimidating all at the same time. Surrounded by beautiful flora and fauna is a mansion that seemed to grow out of nowhere, towering over the entire Los Altos.

This isn’t a house. It’s a display of a perfect and pretty illusion and I am not going to let myself get sucked into all this glamor that I do not belong to.

I tell myself many of those things, but I can’t keep my eyes away from it all.

I am thoroughly and woefully hypnotized, and I’m afraid of what will happen if I let myself slip into all of this wonderland. If I turn into Alice and drink the potion. Will I ever get out? Or will I be trapped here forever… with them?

My eyes turn to where Keith is and I realized he’s been looking at me this whole time. My cheeks flushed instantaneously knowing he must have seen how ridiculous I looked fawning over a house that he probably doesn’t even bother to take time and admire.

I cleared my throat and quickly recomposed myself. “So, there are only the four of you here?”

Keith shakes his head. “There are helpers and cooks. They stay at the back of the house. Your room is on the right side, by the pool. The sun faces that area so I figured you would prefer that.”

He figured? Does he think I have some kind of vitamin D deficiency and I desperately need the sun? I was going to be bitter about it when one of his other words processed in my head.

“You have a pool? Like, an actual swimming pool?” I ask like I have been trapped in a cave and I had just been let out to the modern world, but I’ve only swam in one once in my life and to have one seemed like a luxury impossible to reach.

Until now, I guess.

“Yes. All the boys are fond of swimming. Although Devon, the youngest by a few minutes, is the only one who actually competes in the Academy.”

I nodded my head and took note of that.

Devon. Swimmer. Got it.

My heart was beating like a drum inside my chest with every step I took and though I tried my best not to look as shocked as earlier, I couldn’t help it when we entered the mansion/palace/château, which I am strongly debating on just calling the rich people’s lair.

The inside is even more breathtaking, if that was even possible. I felt like a tiny ant inside such a grand and humongous room filled with every possible expensive piece imaginable. Colors ranged from silver, gold, white, all of those bright and relaxing colors to the eyes.

And of course, just like every expensive house, there is the chandelier that you can’t even begin to imagine the price of. Heck, I’m dizzy just by looking at it, partly because of the many crystals shining and how much it likely costs.

“Damn,” was all I managed to mumble, but it wasn’t like I needed to say anything else for Keith to know I was the definition of overwhelmed. My face said it all for him.

“Yeah, it’s a lot to take in, I know, but this is our home now, Suri. I want you to be as comfortable as possible. Please don’t feel like you don’t belong here.”

“I don’t belong here,” I tell him a little too harshly and I feel guilty the second his expression turns hurt.

“Sorry,” I shake my head before letting out a sigh. “I’m just… I’m having a really hard time processing all of this.”

“It’s okay, I understand. Take all the time you need, but for now…” Keith turned to his side and just then a woman in a white and black uniform appeared.

I thought my eyes had made it up, but it was really there. She was wearing a freaking uniform. I really have been transported to a Bridgerton episode.

“This is Lucy. She’s the head help around here and she’ll bring you to your room. You should get some rest. I’m sure the day has been quite tiring for you.” Keith smiled.

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you get kidnapped.” For the first time since I arrived here, I made a joke and this made Keith chuckle, as well as I.

I guess being less uptight would be a good idea.

“Good night, Suri. I’ll see you in the morning.” He nods his head once at me before turning around and walking to what I assumed was the direction to his office. Hardworking man, it seems.

“Do you want me to take your bags, Ms. Nightingale?” Lucy asked as her arms stretched out to take my stuff, but I quickly turned away from her.

“No, it’s mine.” I said a little too possessively and confusion flashed her face.

“Um, I mean, it’s fine. It’s just… I can carry it by myself.” I added before internally slapping myself for being so aggressive.

Note to self: The helpers are not the enemy.

Well, nobody is. Yet.

Lucy proceeded to give me a small tour of the house as we walked to my room and it just fully cemented the fact that this place was unreal. It was like the place of royalty, and I had a fleeting thought – were they royalty?

“Here is your room. This was just a guest room before, but Sir Keith had it renovated for you. This area, only you and one other are staying. The other occupied rooms are on the other wing.” She explained.

“Who is the other one?” I asked, but was afraid of the answer.

Please be Keith, I thought.

“Sir Atlas,” she said.

Who the frick is Atlas? Then I realized it must be one of the brothers and suddenly I felt awkward sleeping so close to one of them, but then again, what was I expecting?

“Oh… uh, speaking of…” I bit my lip as I contemplated on whether or not I was going to ask, but decided, f**k it.

“Where are they? I mean, Keith’s… sons?” I hoped she wouldn’t find it weird that I was asking, but her face didn’t seem to entail such so that made me feel less worried.

Lucy looked like she needed a second to think about it first before responding. “I am not entirely sure, but since it is a Friday, likely at a party.”

Oh. Right. They were teenagers. Of course they’d be out having fun on a weekend. I almost forgot that was what teenagers the same age as me did because I never was a normal one. Never went to parties, or prom, or went on a date. It was always work and slave myself for money.

I can’t believe this time around, I might actually end up doing that. Emphasis on might.

“Well, thanks for the tour and for bringing me to my room, Lucy. I’m sorry about, uh, earlier.” I rubbed my neck sheepishly as I stood in front of my door.

Lucy looked impressively surprised like she couldn’t believe someone was apologizing to her. I have a feeling she doesn’t get that a lot around here.

She waved her hand in front of her face vehemently. “No problem at all, Ms. Nightingale. Please don’t apologize. Have a good night.” She smiled and bowed.

“Good night, Lucy, and uh, just call me Suri. Please. Thanks.” I told her and her smile widened.

I don’t really have time to take in my room because after everyone had left and I was finally to myself, I could feel my body seconds from crashing.

My energy was close to negative and the second I felt the soft cushions on my body, I closed my eyes and let the cottony goodness take me into slumber.

–

I awoke with the sound of water splashing. It’s a perfectly timed type of sound, though, like a millisecond sloshing of a body of water and though I want to stay wrapped up in my silk sheets and vanilla-scented pillows, my curiosity gets the best of me.

The sound was coming from the outside and when I walked closer, I noticed I didn’t just have a window that was overlooking the great outdoors, I had a whole freaking balcony to myself complete with a table and two chairs.

Though I don’t really get to admire all of that because my eyes are focused on one thing and one thing only – the man in the pool doing backstrokes like he was raised in water.

His movements were so precise and so calculated that I wouldn’t even be surprised if he’s won medals for it.

I then remembered what Keith said last night about one of the boys – Devon. This must be him. The swimmer.

But it’s not just his obvious talent in swimming that has me in awe.

It’s the fact that though I already have a good distance from him, I can still feel his magnetic presence. Or maybe that’s just my hormones talking because wow, God really took his time on this one.

Jet black hair, golden tanned skin, and don’t even get me started on his body. Every part of it was chiseled to perfection.

I gulped when my eyes landed on what was further down. The swim shorts clung tightly to his tree trunk of thighs, and just between them is something else entirely… something that has my tongue tied, and my mouth close to drooling.

I stand there, infatuated by a man I don’t even know, but my eyes can’t seem to look away from.

Broad shoulders and chest. Six-pack abs, obviously. I know I sound like every other hormonal teenager on the planet, but God, I can’t stop staring.

And thinking…

Thinking of what it would be like if I touched him. If he touched me.

I was so lost in my own thoughts and fantasies that I didn’t even realize I had been staring far too long when it happened.

It happened so fast, like a split second, I didn’t even have time to react.

Suddenly, his head turned to my direction and his eyes landed on mine, and though I couldn’t really see them because of the dark-tinted goggles he was wearing, I still felt his gaze almost burn a hole through me.

Oh, f**k!

I ducked as fast as I could, hoping I was quick enough that he didn’t see me, but something tells me…

He already knew I was watching him.