"Hey, Ed!" said Alison happily as soon as she walked into the balcony and leaned on the railing.

"Hello, Al." Ed's deep but soothing voice welcomed her and washed her anxiety away. her eyes lit up when she heard her other two friends as well. "Hi, Alie." chirped Ashley. "Hey, cutie pie." said Logan.

"Hi guys." she said as she felt her heart clenched. "I've missed you a lot." she said quietly.

"We too, Alie." sighed Ashley. "you don't know how much it's hard to put up with these two sources of testosterone alone."

Alison chuckled as she heard the boys' groans. "You didn't make any trouble today, did you?" asked Ed firmly.

"Ah well..." said Alison hesitantly. The four of them had sworn years ago to never lie to each other and they had never broken that promise.

"Alison Harris, you better tell us everything." warned Logan.

"Well, I might have caught the attention of the bad boy of the school and gone to the bad side of the barbie of the school who said I would regret it."

"Bad boy of school?" shouted the boys together.

"How very typical of you." sighed Ashley.

"Hey, it was not my fault." Alison defended herself.

"Alison, you will stay away from that boy." said Ed firmly and Logan approved him with a firm yes. "You have not forgotten Fred, have you?"

"Stay out of trouble when I'm not there to protect you, Al." said Logan. Anyone would think that he is joking, but Alison knew he was dead serious now.

"I will, L." she assured him.

"have you found friends yet?" asked Ashley eagerly. "Please don't love them more than us."

"I have." chuckled Alison. "But they never going to be you guys for me. You are family."

"Of course we are." said Logan proudly. "Where on earth are you going to find jewels like us?"

"How are your brothers treating you?" asked Ed.

"Yes. Should we snap some necks?" asked Logan.

"You should tell us if they treat you bad, Al. We will take you out of there somehow. You are always welcome to stay in our house." said Ashley.

Alison smiled. She could easily imagine them, her best friends, the people she trusted the most, the people she had grown up with who knew her better than anyone, now sitting in school's yard, snuggled close to each other with the phone on speaker between them. How much she wished to be there with them, back to her school in the low-level parts of the city. Suddenly her frustration and the stress of that day formed like tears in her eyes and she took a shaky breath.

"Al, Are you crying?" asked Ashley alert.

"No. No." said Alison. "It was just a hard day."

"it's those fucking boys, aren't they?" asked Ed through gritted teeth.

"Not all of them." she said and sighed. "It's Xander. I don't know why, but he hates me to the core." she paused for a second before continuing bitterly. "He threw me out of the car this morning a few blocks away from the school and told me to not tell anyone that we are related."

"Okay, guys, just remember you can't kill him." said Ashley surely trying to calm down the two beasts beside her. Ed and Logan could be quite scary if they wanted.

"I will pick you up after school." Ed said after a few moments. "I will drop you at the pet shop."

"Really?" asked Alison hopefully. "Your way will become a little bit farther."

"Don't be worried. The pet shop is on the restaurant's way." said Ed nonchalantly. "You will pay for the next tank though."

"Sure!" squealed Alison. The thought of seeing him in a few hours, lift her soul and covered all of her stress.

"Okay see you soon, Al." said Ed.

"See you soon guys. love you all." said Alison and ended the call feeling refreshed. She walked back into the cafeteria happily.

"Who's Ed? Your boyfriend?" asked Jess with a raised eyebrow. "You are grinning like a fool by the way."

"No, Ed is one of my best friends, totally a brother." said Alison proudly. "He told me that he will pick me up after school and drop me at work."

"you are working as well?" asked Ayda and Alison looked at her confused.

"Girl, you are proving yourself worthy more and more." said Jess and fist-bumped still confused Alison.

"Jess works in a cafe shop as well." explained Ayda.

"Oh!" said Alison. "I work in a pet shop."

Just then the bell rang and the three stood. "okay. You should tell us about your friends." said Ayda as they walked towards the door. Alison slowly turned her head and saw Alex staring at her again but there was something odd in his eyes that was not there the last time. Something like a promise. She looked away and shrugged off the feeling she felt in the pit of her stomach.

Time flew by and soon the final bell rang. Ed had texted her a minute ago, saying that he was waiting in the parking lot. Alison walked into the parking lot with Ayda and Jess. She scanned the lot, full of expensive cars, and saw Ed sitting on his motorbike scrolling through his phone. He had put on blue jeans and a black t-shirt with a plaid red and white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, looking handsome as ever.

Alison looked at her side and saw Ayda and Jess looking at him wide-eyed and their mouthes slightly agape. "Okay girls, you are going to catch a fly." she chuckled.

"If I were you, I would never call that hottie, brother." said Ayda.

Just then Ed looked up and saw Alison and give her his million-dollar smile. Alison grinned widely. "See you later, guys." she said to her friends as she ran towards Ed. Suddenly all the stress she had taken on the past few days, became tears and blurred her vision as she ran to Ed who came down his bike and opened his arms for her.

His arms strongly circled her petite body as she hugged him tightly and hid her face in his chest and let her tears finally fall. She sobbed and her tears soaked his shirt as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear and kissed her head multiple times. It felt nice to be in his warm and loving arms.

She calmed down after a few minutes and looked up at him who smiled down at her softly and wiped her face with his thumbs.

"You knew that I didn't feel fine." said Alison.

Ed kissed her forehead fondly. "You are not hard to understand for us. We have grown together, remember?" he said and Alison smiled.

Ed looked up and his smile turned to a frown. She turned her head and saw four figures standing in front of the school's doors. Hunter and Xander and behind them, West and Mansfield all glaring at Ed. Alison felt Ed's body tense. "Are they your brothers?" he asked bitterly with his fists clenched.

Alison grabbed his hand and guided her towards his bike. "Can we leave now, please?" she begged desperately not being able to take any more bullshits today.

Ed looked back at her and his eyes softened at her broken self. He nodded and tossed her a helmet while putting on his own and mounting his bike again. Alison jumped behind him and hold him tightly as he revived the engine and rode towards the school gates. Alison could hear Hunter shouting her name but she didn't turn back and soon they were out of school.

Alex watched the scene with clenched jaw and fists. He had seen the way his girl, whom he now knew her name thanks to Hunter King, ran to that tall boy with his stupid bike. He had seen her crying in his arms while he kissed her repeatedly and stabbing Alex's heart repeatedly with his action. He had seen her puffy eyes the moment she had turned to them and the way she pulled the angry boy towards his bike and the way she had clutched to him tightly.

How he wished it was him instead of that boy. Who the fuck was he? Her boyfriend? And what was her relationship with the Kings who were so angry and desperate?

"Simon!" he said in his alpha tone as he walked toward his car. "I want every information about that girl by tonight, who is she, what is her connection to the Kings and who the hell was the boy she left with."

"Yes, boss." said Simon and followed Alex, knowing not to argue with him when he was that angry.

****

It was around 9 when Alison opened the front doors and walked inside the house. She was tired, more than ever. Her new house was farther from the pet shop. Much to Alison's relief as she had walked through the gates, one of the drivers had driven in and had released her from the torture of walking to the mansion.

"Fucking, finally." growled a voice as she stepped into the house. "Where the fuck were you?"

"Oh God, not again." she whispered under her breath and massaged her temple tiredly and looked up at angry Xander who had stood on the foyer with emotionless Damien and worried Hunter behind him.

"I'm talking to you." hissed Xander when Alison didn't respond to him.

"And I have no interest to talk back." answered Alison coldly and walked toward the stairs, but Xander gripped her arm tightly and turned her to him. Alison hissed as he hold her other arm as well. His stone grip would certainly leave a bruise tomorrow. She quickly put her hands on his arms and with one movement that she had learned from her Kung Fu classes released herself.

"Don't touch me, you jerk." hissed Alison.

"I asked where the fuck were you, Alison Harris." growled Xander dangerously. If looks could kill, Alison was six feet under from the venom in his eyes.

"Xander!" warned Damien and stepped forward warily.

"Alie we were so worried for you. You didn't tell us where you were going." said Hunter with concern trying hard to ease the heavy tension in the room.

"What's going on here?" asked Marisa as she walked into the foyer and stood next to Hunter. She had heard the commotion and now could easily feel the thick tension in the air that could be cut with a knife.

"Can anyone tell me what's the problem?" asked Marisa again louder this time.

"After this morning, I didn't think that you will be worried for me and my whereabouts." said Alison coldly not taking her eyes off of Xander's burning eyes. "Now if you excuse me, I'm really tired." she said and turned around to leave but what Xander said next, froze her in her place.

"Of course you will be tired after fucking West and that boy you met after school." snorted Xander bitterly. "I'm sure you were busy with others as well that you were out till now."

Marisa gasped and put a hand on her mouth with wide eyes. Alison turned so fast that she could get whiplash. "What did you say?" she hissed venomously. Her fists were clenched so hard that her nails were pricking her skin. She was trembling with anger.

"Now I know where to find you next time." laughed Xander. "I'm sure you were so busy in on one of the brothels downtown."

"Xander King, you better stop before I slap you hard," yelled Marisa angrily.

Before Alison could punch Xander so hard to break his nose, the front doors opened again and James and Jordan ran inside. Their faces were painted like a bee.

"Alie!" they yelled together as they ran to her happily and hugged her waist while looking up at her with happiness shining in their eyes.

"We were at the wonder park. It was amazing. We touched a camel." squealed James.

Not wanting to ruin their happiness, Alison hardly smiled down at them and kindly patted their heads. "Wow, it must have been great." she said trying hard to control her anger for the sake of the twins.

"Mum said that you are working at a pet shop." said Jordan while tugging at Alison's hand. "Can you bring home a baby tiger?"

Alison laughed at his innocence, ignoring the slightly shocked faces of three older brothers. Her anger vanished a bit. "Honey we don't sell baby tigers in the pet shop." she said as she ran her hand through his curly hair. "They do not belong in cages. They should be free in nature." She said as her heart clenched, remembering herself. Xander's words had hurt more than being stabbed with a hot blade.

Just then her mother walked in too and looked around and frowned a bit. She too could feel the tension. She looked at Alison and saw hurt in her eyes and her heart ached.

"Hello everyone." she said, masking her worry. "Oh Alie, you are home. How was work?" she said as she walked to Alison and hugged her.

"Work?" asked Marisa shocked.

Alison forced another smile. "Good, Thanks." she replied tightly wanting nothing more than to run into her room and throw up.

"How did you get there? I was worried about how you would go there." said Eva.

"Ed came and picked me up after school and I used the public transport to come back. There is a bus stop near the gates." explained Alison.

"Uh that was very kind of Ed." said Eva with a warm smile. "It makes me calm to know you are with Ed or Logan who can protect you."

Alison nodded shortly. "I will go to my room. I won't come down for dinner. I'm tired." she said.

"Okay, sweetheart." said Eva as she looked at Alison with concern. Alison walked quickly towards the stairs and practically ran up.

"Why was she so sad?" asked James sadly as he took Eva's hand.

Eva took a deep breath guessing what had happened. "Come on, boys." she said as she ushered James and Jordan towards the stairs. "let's clean your face before your father comes back."

"Well, Xander." hissed Marisa angrily. "I wish you have had your answer now. You hurt her the way I'm sure no one has done before." She then turned on her heels and left the three.

"I wish you are happy now." said Damien and walked to his room with Hunter on his tail. Xander clenched his fists tightly when he was alone and punched the wall hard before leaving the house. The look of disappointment in everyone's eyes was killing him but more than that was the flash of hurt in Alison's eyes that was killing him.