Chapter 1

Then

WITH A SMILE THAT STRETCHESfrom ear to ear, I race down the hallway that"s now starting to fill with students.

The bell rang, marking the end of the school day. Everyone rushes toward the parking lot, eager to get away from this place until they're forced to wake up and come back again tomorrow.

Not me. This place has become a safe haven of sorts for me. A place to get away from where I sleep every night. A place to escape the nightmare of a house where I am practically forced to be a slave to the people who are legally responsible for me.

I weave through the crowd of people, my heart thundering like a bass drum as my lungs scream for air. I don't stop, not until I'm in front of the music room.

Allowing myself to catch my breath, I fix my shirt, pat down my wild red hair, and take a deep breath.

I'm not sure why butterflies wage war in my belly. It's not like the people who lay beyond this door are strangers. I see them every day.

Yet, as I open the door and see my three best friends, the only people in this world who matter to me, my whole body thrums with nervous energy.

"Ah, there's Trouble." A chuckle that has my knees weakening echoes through the music room. That nickname... it shouldn't affect me like it does, yet every time he calls me that, something inside me hums with delight.

He gave it to me the first day we met. I was ten, and he was twelve. He just arrived at the house, the newest foster child Karen and Charles—a married beta couple—had taken in.

With my bad experiences with the children they've brought into their home in the past, I wanted to avoid him as long as I could. At least, that was the plan, but it failed right away.

When I stepped out of my bedroom window and onto the rooftop, like I always did when I wanted alone time, I found him sitting there, too, right outside the window that led to the room next to mine.

He looked up at me and gave me a smile that quickly became one of my favorite sights and shook his head, inviting me to sit next to him. We didn't speak, only watched the setting sun. As the cool air started to seep into my bones, I turned to leave, which is when he told me he knew I'd be trouble.

I give him a deadpan look and reply with, "The bell literally rang less than two minutes ago."

A gorgeous grin forms on his lips. "And yet here I am, waiting on you. How could you be so cruel and make me wait, dear Jade?"

Zane is painfully good looking with his dark chocolate hair and hazel eyes. And that smile has the power to turn any girl he tosses it their way into a puddle at his feet. He's hot, and he knows it.

"And here I thought Griffin was the drama king." I laugh, pulling my backpack off my shoulder and tossing it down next to his by the window.

"What about me?" Griffin asks, acting faux-offended. But he clearly heard me, which is obvious with his next comment. "A king? Why, Jade, I'm touched." He puts a hand over his heart. Everett rolls his eyes, smirking, and slaps Griffin upside the back of his head as he walks past.

"More like the court jester," Everett snickers as he takes one of the chairs next to Zane.

"Fuck you, dickwad. I'm a mother fucking king!" he boasts, making us all laugh.

"Whatever you say." I shake my head.

"Don't be jelly, Jelly Bean. You can be my pretty little princess." He winks, and I try to ignore the way my pulse quickens.

Griffin and Everett are just as sinfully good looking as Zane is. Everett has black hair and dark brown eyes, while Griffin has light brown hair and light brown eyes.

Zane was the first to come to the foster home, next was Everett, followed by Griffin. All three of them came into my life in the same year and forever changed it. I couldn't imagine my life without them.

"Alright, enough bullshitting. We only have an hour, so let's make the best of it, shall we?" Zane says.

Griffin gets up, going over to the electric guitar. As he spends a few seconds tuning it, Everett heads over to the drums while Zane grabs another guitar and stands in front of the mic.

I take one of the chairs and eagerly wait for them to begin.

While our lives aren"t the best at home, we have each other and music. Sometimes it feels like that fact is the only thing we can depend on.

There's no way Karen and Charles would ever waste their money on anything for us. They only provide us with what is required, paid with the monthly government-issued checks. Even then, they give us the bare minimum and the cheapest of everything, pocketing the rest.

The guys are all seventeen and have jobs, but they don't make enough money for this kind of equipment. And me? Well, our foster parents won"t let me get a job. They said the place for a woman is to be at home, caring for the house.

If that's true, then tell me why the fuck Karen gets to sit on her lazy ass all day while I'm forced to do her ‘job'?

Anyway, because the guys can't afford their instruments, they've worked out a deal with the school. At the end of every day, the guys are allowed to come in to practice, and in return, all they have to do is clean the room and all the equipment.

I come and watch, cheering them on and occasionally singing too. The only reason I'm not in their band is because of the type of music they play. They're a bit punk rock, and I'm more of an electro-pop kind of girl. But I do like the music they make, or maybe it's just the guys who make it that I like.

Zane starts to sing, his voice lowering a few octaves as it fills the room. It's husky and smooth, making all the hairs on my body stand. I have to suppress a shiver, but it's hard because not even a few seconds later, Everett and Griffin join in, and the result is pure magic.

The whole hour they practice, I sit and listen, hanging onto every word, every note. I could do this for hours on end, just listening to them play, seeing the pure love for what they"re doing on their faces.

It's only the beeping of Zane's cell that pops our little bubble.

"Fuck," he grunts, staring at his phone, that's sitting on the chair a few down from me. "It's been an hour already?"

"Time goes by fast when you're having fun," Griffin sighs, pulling the strap to the guitar over his head and placing it back where it belongs.

We all work together to clean the classroom. It's not much, just organizing a few things and sanitizing the instruments, stuff like that.

"Alright, Trouble, you ready to go home?" Zane asks, handing me my backpack.

"No," I grumble, taking it reluctantly.

"We can take the long way." Griffin wraps his arm around my shoulder as we head out of the room. I hate how much I enjoy his touch. How much I enjoy any of their touches.

It's wrong, they are my foster brothers, I shouldn't have these kinds of feelings for them... but I do. Because how can I not? It's not just because they're good looking guys. They're also the best people I've ever met.

All of them are there for me no matter what. Whether I need a shoulder to cry on or someone to help deal with the odd bully or two. They're even there when I need to vent about anything; they sit and listen, and when the time is right, they get angry with me, trashing whoever needs to be talked shit about. They're the best hype squad a girl can ask for.

When I was twelve and got my period for the first time, I needed a pad. Karen told me to use toilet paper and ignored me.

I did my best, but it didn't do shit. I still bled through my panties and ruined my pants. The guys found me crying. I was so embarrassed when they finally got the truth out of me.

But instead of laughing or making me feel bad about it, they waited until Charles wasn't looking and snatched a twenty from his wallet.

These fourteen-year-old boys went to the store and came back with a pack of pads, candy, and pop. I cried like a baby because, God, they were so sweet. And when I had cramps, they cuddled me until I fell asleep.

I think that was the first of a million times I've fallen in love with them.

They will never know how I feel about them. It would ruin everything. Because the reality is, they see me as a little sister, a best friend, nothing more.

They won't find out their designations for another year, but none of us are stupid. The signs are there. They're only seventeen but they're already six-feet-tall, muscled, and just their overall presence screams future alphas. They're going to want and need an omega. I can't be that for them.

Both of my parents were betas, who were the only children of a pair of beta parents. My mom and dad died of an overdose when I was seven, and both sets of my grandparents died way before that.

All in all, I come from a long line of betas, and that"s what I know, deep in my bones, I'll present as too. There's not an ounce of omega instinct in me. Other than the fact that I enjoy cuddling with them and love sugar.

That's it. I'm loud and out there. I curse like a sailor, and I can hold my own in a fight. I've been called one of the boys on more than one occasion.

As we head out of the school and into the parking lot, I'm quickly reminded of the fact that I'm their sister. Foster sister, at least.

There's a group of girls waiting by the picnic tables. They all look our way, eyes eating up every inch of the guys.

Jealousy thrums through my veins. I hate them all, and they hate me. Because I'm the only thing that"s standing between them and snagging one of the guys as their boyfriends.

The guys prefer me over any of them. A fact I can't help but be smug about.

"Hey, Zane!" Zoey, one of the cheerleaders, calls out, waving at him.

Zane, Griffin, and Everett aren"t on any of the sports teams, and we sure as hell don't come from money, yet all of them are popular in their own way.

"Hey." Zane nods, giving her a cocky smirk. I hate it.

She grins, giving him ‘fuck me' eyes, and I feel like I'm going to be sick. "Come on," I laugh, taking off running. "Last one to the tree house has to wash Charles' clothes."

Was that my way of getting the guys out of here before one of them could sink their claws into my friends? Hell yes, and it works, too. Because they all start to laugh, the sound of them running through the gravel echoes behind me.

I laugh with them as they chase me, adrenaline rushing through my veins. I take a sharp right, leaving the school"s boundaries, and end up on a back road with a trail that leads to our treehouse.

I'm quick and careful not to trip up over any falling branches or rocks, knowing this path like the back of my hand.

My pulse spikes as I hear them getting closer. "Run, run, as fast as you can, Jelly Bean!" Griffin taunts.

I squeal in excitement when I look back, seeing them right on my heels. It causes me to pump my legs harder, my backpack slapping against my ass with each step.

When I get to the clearing, I see the tree on the other side just a few yards ahead. I'm so close when I feel arms wrap around me. "Not so fast, Troublemaker," Zane chuckles.

I shout, taken by surprise. "That"s cheating!" We tumble to the ground, Zane taking the brunt of the impact.

"Not if the rules weren"t stated beforehand," he counters, rolling on top of me.

"It's implied," I growl, making his lips twitch with a smile.

"Still. There's no way in hell I'm washing that man"s crusty old underwear."

"Oh really?" I smirk. "Then you should have thought about that before you tackled me to the ground. You see, while we've been doing this fun little dance, Everett and Griffin have already touched the tree. They"re safe. Meaning it's down to me or you on laundry duties."

"Fucking hell," he curses, realizing his mistake. He was too caught up in the fun; I can't blame him. Also, not complaining about the fact that he's on top of me. If I wasn't determined to win, I might revel in it.

"Have fun with those tightie whities." I grin just as Griffin tackles Zane off me. The two of them go rolling to the side with a grunt.

With a beaming smile, Everett holds out his hand for me. I take it, letting him quickly pull me to my feet.

I run the last few steps to the tree and touch it. "Fuck yeah, bitches!" I cheer, earning my rightful win.

Zane and Griffin stop fighting, their attention turns to me. "Damn it!" Zane growls. They get to their feet, dusting themselves off. "You little Troublemaker." He narrows his eyes at me. "I'll be getting you back for this."

"Looking forward to it, Casanova." I wink.

He grins, chuckling as he shakes his head. He's all bark, no bite, because there's no way he would have let me take the punishment of losing, even if he managed to get to the tree before me.

None of them would.

They all hate how our foster parents treat me. When we were younger, the guys did their best to keep in line, to make them happy. But they also would do their best to help me, making my workload easier.

As they got older, bigger, they've become more vocal about their displeasure with how I'm treated. Charles does his best to hide it, but he's afraid of the guys. When Karen or Charles demand I do something, the guys always say they will do it instead.

When the parentals argue that they asked me, all my guys have to do is give them an intimidating look, then Karen and Charles back off and let them.

That"s another reason why I'm so convinced they're going to be alphas. It just comes naturally to them.

I tell them they don't have to, that I'm fine with doing what I'm told to do myself, but they won't listen.

It's not everything, I'm still forced to do stupid shit when the guys are at work on the weekends.

When we get to the house, the TV is blaring. "Hey!" Charles shouts to be heard. "Are you guys back yet?"

I look at Everett, raising a brow. Who the hell else would just walk into the house?

"Yup," Zane shouts back.

"Good. I need some clean clothes for work tomorrow. Jade, be a doll and do that for me."

"I'll do it," Zane practically snarls back.

Zane stops in the living room entrance. I can't see Charles, but I know he's probably sitting in his boxers and a white T-shirt, watching the football game.

"Fine, whatever," Charles answers, turning the TV down. "As long as someone does it. Hey, Jade, I need you to—"

"Sorry, we got homework," Everett cuts in, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the stairs.

"What do you need, Charles?" Griffin asks.

"Thank you," I sigh as we reach the top of the steps. "You guys really don't have to keep on doing this, you know?"

"Yes, we do. Because it's fucking messed up how they treat you, how they treat all of us."

I give him a small smile and head to my room. I toss my bag on my plain bed with a used, worn blanket and head into the guys' room.

We're the only kids Karen Charles have taken into their home in a long time, and I'm glad. All three guys share a room next to mine. It's so damn cramped in there. Zane and Everett share a queen-size bed on one side of the room, while Griffin sleeps on a twin on the other.

I find Everett lying on his back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling when I get in there. I smile, joining him.

"I can't wait until we're all out of here," Everett says, turning his head to look at me. I lie down next to him, doing the same. "It kills us knowing we have to leave you here for two years." He looks utterly gutted.

The guys will age out of the system a good while before me. We've talked about it, and the guys say they're going to work hard, make good money, and when it's time for me to age out, we will all leave Las Vegas and head to Los Angeles.

There are high hopes that they'll get signed to a record label. And from the way they sound, I honestly don't think it will be all that hard.

The fact that the guys want me to go with them, to be a part of their future, means the world to me. But it also terrifies me.

Because someday they're going to want an omega. They're going to want something more with someone who isn't me.

Sure, I could be the beta of their pack, maybe even fall for the omega they choose because I swing both ways. Actually, we all do. But the fact that I'd have to see them be with an omega, see that omega living the life I've been dreaming about... it would be too much.

Seeing them love someone else who isn't me would destroy me.

So, do I take what I can get and learn to live with it?

As I look deep into Everett's eyes, I know the answer to that question.

No matter what, I know deep in my heart I'd follow these guys to the ends of the earth because even if they can't love me the way I love them, they're still my family, my people. And I don't see a way of living my life without them in it.