*Stephan*
I realize it's a mistake to come to this damned ball almost immediately. No steward announces the arrivals, yet a silence permeates the crowd when my brothers and I step through the open doorway into the gilded ballroom. Mothers scurry to their daughters; fathers take steps forward as though to form some sort of protective wall around them.
Our host and hostess, Alpha and Luna Weathers, approach cautiously. Slightly behind them, a blond-haired beauty glows with anticipation, her gaze directed at Raphael. I despise myself for considering that at one time I would have garnered as much attention. More in fact. Besides astonishingly good looks, I possess a title. I would have been the sought-after brother rather than the one who wishes he were at sea instead of here. But I have com
