Ashlyn’s POV

Mom and Walter had gone off to the council hall, and it was just me and Noah left in this suffocating mansion, at least that’s what I thought. I’d spent the better part of the day in my room, lying on my bed.

I was on the verge of calling Kaylor for an emotional lifeline, when a sound from across the hall made me freeze.

It was a low groan, followed by a breathy, "Oh, my goodness!"

At first, I thought my brain was playing tricks on me. But then, it came again in sweet cries. Louder and clearer this time.

“Ahh! O.. Oh!... Aghh! AAAH! Fuck!”

My brows shot up. Wait. Was that… moaning? Before I could even fully process it, another needy voice followed.

“Oh fuck! Noah, don’t stop!”

Noah.

My heart sank. He had a girl in his room, and they were fucking. I was burning with jealousy. I shouldn’t have cared. He wasn’t anything to me, and I wasn’t anything to him. We weren’t lovers; we weren’t even friends.

At best, we were strangers forced into an awkward orbit because of our parents’ terrible choices. But still, the sex sounds filled me with something ugly.

I pressed my palms over my ears, but it didn’t help. Her moans slipped through no matter how hard I pressed.

Why was I jealous? He was about to become my stepbrother. It made no sense, yet the jealous feeling still remained.

I sat up and paced the room, running both hands through my hair. The moans continued, and I had to make it stop. Options flew through my head, but they all sounded ridiculous to me.

I could barge in there and tell them to keep it down. I could knock and politely ask them to be a little quieter. Hell, I could even slide a note under his door like some passive-aggressive neighbor complaining about noise in an apartment complex.

The moaning escalated. “Fuck, Noah, yeah! Just how I’ve always liked it!”

I stopped pacing. Just how she’d always liked it?

So she wasn’t new. This wasn’t a one-time fling. Either this was his girlfriend or a very frequent visitor. The thought tormented me until I couldn't take it anymore. I had to see. I had to know.

I swung my door open, ready to confront them, only to slam straight into them— Noah and the girl.

Her hair was a wreck, her lips were swollen, and her shirt slid off one shoulder. She looked like she’d been ruined with the best sex of her life. While Noah, of course, still looked infuriatingly perfect.

The girl’s gaze shifted towards me. “Who’s that?”

“No one to worry about,” Noah said flatly, without even glancing at me.

No one to worry about? The words stung more than I wanted to admit. What happened to him just saying I was his new stepsister?

I forced a tight smile in the girl’s direction. She didn’t bother to return it. She purred at him instead. “Okay, Noah, I’ll see you in school on Monday, right?”

“Sure,” he said.

“You’re not going to drive me home?” She whined.

“I didn’t drive you here, Natalie.”

Her jaw tightened and she rolled her eyes. “You don’t always have to be a dick, Calloway. Bye.”

She stomped off down the hall, tossing her tangled hair over her shoulder, but not before I caught a bit of embarrassment in her eyes.

She was gone, and now it was just the two of us. There was an awkward silence between us. But Noah finally broke it.

“It’s unfortunate you had to hear all that.”

“Hear what?” I lied. I wasn't even sure why I lied, but I needed to build a wall between us, a way to protect myself from whatever emotional chaos he was capable of causing.

He fixed me a stare like he didn’t believe me. I didn’t even believe me. But I wasn’t about to admit that my stomach had been in knots listening to every moan.

“Good for you then,” he said simply.

He went back into his room and shut the door. While I stood frozen in the hallway, staring at his door with a thousand thoughts in my mind.

What did the inside of his room look like? What did it feel like to be Natalie, to be the one his hands were on, to be the one he was fucking.

I shoved the thought away. They were wrong. He was about to become my stepbrother. Living in this mansion was already purgatory; I didn’t need to make it worse by entertaining thoughts that were dangerous, even to myself.

I prayed for Monday to come quickly. At least then I’d have new people around me and a new distraction to face.

The weekend came, and Mom and I hadn’t spoken since that awful breakfast with Walter. There was still tension between us and honestly, I preferred it that way. If she wasn’t going to come clean about the marriage, about all the lies she’d stacked up, then I wasn’t going to waste my breath.

She had asked about my school prep, but I had aired her. As much as I wanted her help, I knew I had to do this alone. No mom, no Walter, no Noah. Just me. I’d navigate this new school on my own.

I spent the weekend holed up in my room, picking out outfits and reading everything I could about Les Hurleurs Noirs High online.

I found out it was just like my old school, with no uniforms, a bus system, clubs, and sports teams. But what really caught my eye were the profiles of the student leaders.

The football captain, Kayden Shaw, had a highlighted quote beneath his name: We howl at the moon not because it answers, but because it is what we crave. Let that be your guide. Find your own moon, and in the silence of the night, howl for it with everything you have.

I had read it three times, because it was beautiful.

Beneath Kayden’s was Noah's highlighted quote. He was the vice captain. His words: There is a difference between wanting and needing. The first is a wish; the second is a command. Your instincts will tell you what you need. Trust them. Follow them. And take it.

I’d scoffed. Noah didn’t seem like the type to string together something like that. Surely, he must’ve copied it from somewhere.

Finally, Monday came and I was ready. I walked off the school bus and stared at the building before me with my books clutched to my chest.

Les Hurleurs Noirs High. I took a deep breath as I squared my shoulders. Time to survive this.

Inside, scanty students filled the hallways. People laughed, people chattered, people slammed lockers. I kept my eyes on the floor until I bumped into someone, sending my books clattering to the ground.

“Oh my goodness, I am so sorry,” I blurted, picking my books up. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

"It's okay, it's fine," he said with an English accent.

I looked up, and my breath hitched. It was Kayden Shaw. He was even better in person. Hazelnut-brown hair, sharp jawline, amber eyes that one can get lost in. Pictures online hadn’t done him justice.

“Hi,” he said. “Are you new here?”

“Yeah," I said, a little flustered. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and extended a hand. “I’m Ashlyn. Ashlyn Haymitch. Senior. And you’re…?” I pretended not to know.

He took my hand. “Kayden Shaw. Senior.”

I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Kayden.”

“Likewise.” His lips quirked into a smile.

I had prayed for a distraction, and my goodness I got exactly what I wanted. I was shocked by how humble Kayden seemed for a guy of his status. I had expected a haughty, arrogant brat.

He let go of my hand and we walked together. “Usually there’s a tour guide for new students. But something tells me I shouldn’t leave you in their hands.”

“Oh?" I said. "You don't think they're capable?" Shit, Ashlyn, what are you doing?

He chuckled. "It's not that I don't think they're capable. It's just..." His eyes shifted to me. “I don’t want to entrust some random tour guide with something so precious.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” I laughed, trying to shake it off. “Kayden!”

He smirked. “Wait. Don’t tell me you thought I was talking about you?”

I raised a brow. “Oh, please enlighten me. Who else could you possibly mean?”

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “She’s right behind us.”

I spun around only to see a handful of passing students, all throwing us curious or downright hostile glances. My lips twitched as I turned back. “Low blow, Kayden.”

“I’m even surprised you looked back,” Kayden teased.

I laughed so hard and forgot myself, until I saw him. Out of the corner of my eye, standing by his locker was Noah.

Our eyes met, and the world seemed to slow down. My laughter, Kayden’s voice, the noise, all of it faded. I blinked as he stared at me, and I stared at him.

And then she appeared; Natalie. She slid into his side smiling, claiming his space and drawing his attention all away from me.

And just like that, I couldn’t see him anymore.