Oliver's life turns upside down when he learns that werewolves exist and one of them is his mate, but things get dangerous when he starts to learn more about himself.
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"It's a gift...
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-Oliver-
I couldn't sleep that night. Jack and his threat was keeping me awake. So, when the morning came, I was so tired I felt physically sick, but I still got out of bed before everyone else, so I could use the only shower our room had.
I tried to be quiet, so I wouldn't wake up the other boys, since they still had almost an hour left before they would need to wake up for breakfast. Gecko, the small boy I was closest to. Ron, a ten-year-old with a loud, demanding nature. Tim, a nine-year-old who was the exact opposite of Ron. Keegan, also nine years old, who had the wildest fantasies. Huck, eleven, who was like me in a way that he could remember his parents, but instead of being abandoned, he lost his entire family, his parents and two older brothers, in a car crash.
Could Jack hurt them if I didn't obey him?
The way Tilly and Arch spoke about Jaden's parents... It sounded a lot like mafia or something. Jack spoke about war between their two gangs, so was his family just like Jaden's?
What on earth had I gotten myself into? These two gangs, mafias or whatever, had a thick aura of secrecy about them, and yes, I wasn't too interested in the things going on outside our orphanage, but I had never heard much about them, nor did I know anyone who knew more about them.
And I was now in the middle of their sons' quarrels. During the night I had decided to proceed with caution. If I managed to keep Jack happy, I could buy some time and decide what to do. There was also a slim chance Jack would forget about me. Anything could happen now, so I needed to keep my cool and wait to see what the day would bring. That was basically all I could do really. I couldn't afford making the wrong decision, because I had no idea about the consequences. If it was just me who would get beat up, even badly, it would be fine, but if something happened to the kids I shared my home with...
I was, after all, the oldest. These kids considered me their big brother. My job was to keep an eye on them, and the staff didn't even need to ask me to do it. This was the closest thing I had to a family.
I felt a bit braver after that. I washed myself, got dressed in my worn-down black hoodie and blue jeans, grabbed my school bag and sneaked out of the room. The hallway was dimly lit, but I could see my way towards the stairs. I passed by four doors, all of them leading to shared rooms just like mine, but I couldn't hear anything. Everyone was still asleep.
But when I arrived at first floor, I was immediately greeted by two staff members, Mrs. Hudson and Miss Washington.
"Happy birthday, Oliver!" Miss Washington said with a wide smile, giving me a hug the moment I was within her arm's reach. "Do you feel older?"
"Yes," I said, meaning every letter of it. I did feel older. Much, much older.
"Why are you up so early on your birthday?" Mrs. Hudson asked with a motherly tone.
