Mated To My Obsessive Foster Brother

OLIVIA --- I was born on a moonless night—or so my adopted parents always said. They claimed my real parents had dumped me in a basket like unwanted trash, making me lucky to have been taken in by them. But luck had a cruel edge in the Starfield pack. "Who would want a wolfless girl like you?" my adopted mother, Nancy George, had taunted me more times than I could count. "You have no wolf. You shouldn't dream of becoming anything important here." She'd bullied me every day of my life, forbidding me from chasing any dreams, treating me like a shadow in their grand mansion. But I'd clawed my way through high school despite it all. Now, at seventeen, I was determined to apply to the pack's university. Medicine called to me—too many of our pack members and their wolves had fallen sick in recent years, their howls echoing through the nights like pleas I couldn't ignore. If I could study there, maybe I could help. It was a bright Saturday morning when I woke in my cramped room on the mansion's second wing. Sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, warming the white nightdress clinging to my skin. I exhaled shakily, steeling myself. Nancy could be vicious, especially when it came to pampering her real daughter, Emily. But this was my only shot—the university's tuition was steep, and without her approval, I'd have no way to afford it. Nancy worked as a nurse at the pack's hospital, and her mate, Wren—a delta wolf like her—earned well as a lawyer. Together, they'd built a comfortable life, spoiling their two biological children rotten. Mark, their twenty-four-year-old son, was hardly ever home anymore. A star basketball player with his own money, he still came back occasionally, often with a different girlfriend on his arm. Nancy never scolded him for it; instead, she'd coo that he shouldn't take any of those girls seriously, that he should wait for his fated mate. I couldn't blame him for the attention—the young she-wolves in the pack fawned over his wealth and charm, amplified by his parents' fortune. No wolf meant no place for me in their world. Born under that cursed moonless sky, I was a half-breed at best, a stain on the pack's pride. But I had to try. Past eight a.m. already, the corridor hummed with the mansion's quiet luxury as I padded toward the living room. The sunny day mocked my nerves. I paused at the door, hand on the knob, when Emily's excited voice spilled out. "Mom, I still can't believe it—Daniel Ryan, the Beta's son, asked me to be his girlfriend!" My heart twisted like a knife. Daniel. He'd cornered me months ago at school, right before my graduation, demanding I be his girlfriend. I'd said no—how could I tie myself to someone who saw me as a pity date? He hadn't let me explain. Instead, he'd spat in my face and shoved me to the ground in front of my friends. "Who would want to date a worthless wolf like you?" he'd snarled. "I was doing you a favor." Humiliation burned fresh as I remembered Emily rushing over, grabbing his hand with a triumphant smile. "Daniel, you can be *my* boyfriend. Don't waste your time on this bìtch." They deserved each other—both cruel, both entitled. Daniel had glared at me like I'd wounded his pride, especially since he was the Beta's son. I'd avoided him ever since, even though he'd only shown up at school for his sister's ceremony. Shutting my eyes against the memory, I clenched my fists and pushed the door open. The air thickened as I stepped into the living room. The family froze at the dining table, their breakfast half-eaten, eyes narrowing at my intrusion. "Good morning," I said, forcing a smile. "Mmm. Morning," Nancy replied coolly, sipping from a glass of water. She sat beside Wren, while Mark and Emily faced them across the polished oak. "What do you want?" Their stares pinned me like prey. I swallowed, stammering at first, then plunging ahead. "Um, Aunt Nancy... I want to further my education. And apply to the pack's university." "Haha!" Nancy's laugh was sharp, echoing off the high ceilings. She peered at me, her fair skin glowing in the morning light, beautiful even in her blue nightdress. "Why on earth would you go to university? You're wolfless, Olivia. No point pretending otherwise. You should stay here, serve as our maid—repay us for all the food we've wasted keeping you fed. Isn't that right, honey?" Wren nodded, his voice flat. "My mate's right. Quit dreaming of ambitions you can't afford. Clean the house, earn your keep." "No!" The word burst out before I could stop it. I dropped to my knees before them, gratitude warring with desperation. They'd adopted me, fed me— but this was my future. "It's my dream to study medicine, to create treatments that could help the pack. Our wolves are getting sick. Please, I have to go." Emily shot up from her chair, her white nightdress swirling as she stormed over. "You bìtch! Didn't you hear Mom? No university for you. You're our servant now—clean, cook, stay out of sight. Got it?" Her palm cracked across my left cheek, the sting sending me sprawling to the floor. Pain bloomed hot and immediate. "That's enough, Emily!" Mark's voice sliced through the room like ice, making his sister flinch. She whirled on him, eyes wide. "Mark, are you taking *her* side over me? Your own sister? Mom, Dad—Mark's favoring Olivia!" The atmosphere turned suffocating as Nancy and Wren eyed Mark suspiciously. "What's come over you, son?" Wren demanded. "How can you defend that worthless girl? We only adopted her to give Emily a playmate sister. Emily doesn't want her anymore, so neither do you. Apologize to your sister—now." Mark's jaw tightened as he rose, towering over the table. His gaze flicked to his parents, hard and unyielding. "Mom, Dad, this is unjust. I won't sit here watching you bully her just because she has no wolf. If you don't want her here, send her back to the orphanage. I'm done." Mark strode out without a backward glance at me, jaw set. My mouth fell open at his raw defense—Mark, who barely acknowledged me most days. "Mark! Come back!" Nancy and Wren called, but the front door slammed, followed by the roar of his car engine in the garage as he peeled away. "You slut!" Nancy shrieked, lunging at me. "What have you done to possess my son?!" Her fists rained down—connecting with my face, my arms, anywhere she could reach. Pain exploded in bursts, the world blurring as blows landed relentlessly. I curled into myself, tasting blood, until darkness swallowed me whole.