Their Secret Obsession by Pippa Moon

Chapter 0264

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.

"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.

pumpkin. You okay?" he

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.

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

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

confusion reflected on my face as

Alpha Leigh

his gaze dropping

on my clothes. I followed his gaze, equally baffled.

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

bloodied as I was.

But he didn't. Looking up into his dark eyes, I managed to ask, "Are you hurt? Is Knox?" The possibility that

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

eyes flicking to Leigh and Laura, the two people I had trusted most in my younger and

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

fight, one

started," I

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