Oops, Wrong Girl to Bully Chapter 6

Angelina’s POV

I tossed the apple again. Caught it.

Bella Morrison.

The name sat in my mouth like poison.

In my old life, I would've handled this simply. Quickly.

People who hurt what was mine didn't get second chances.

But this wasn't my old life.

And I needed to be smart.

A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Mom came in first, carrying a plastic bag that smelled like Chinese food. Behind her: two guys I recognized from Aria's memories.

My brothers.

Ethan was tall—about 6'1"—mid-twenties, wearing a work uniform covered in grease stains. Sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Handsome face, strong jaw, eyes that looked tired but kind.

He'd come straight from the auto shop.

Leo was shorter, maybe 5'11", seventeen or eighteen. Oversized hoodie, ripped jeans, light brown hair that looked freshly dyed. Multiple ear piercings. The classic rebellious American high school look.

Behind them both: Nathan Sterling.

My father.

Middle-aged. Graying hair. Stooped shoulders. Faded work clothes. Dirt still under his fingernails.

He'd come straight from whatever manual labor the Pack made him do.

Omega. The lowest rank.

Looking at him hurt.

Not because of what he was.

Because of what he should've been.

In Aria's memories, Nathan had been kind. Gentle. He worked brutal hours doing the Pack's worst jobs—digging ditches, hauling trash, cleaning up after events. Came home every night exhausted. Never complained.

Took every insult the Pack threw at him with quiet dignity.

And he loved his family.

That's what mattered.

I felt something warm spread through my chest.

In my old life, family was a luxury I couldn't afford. Parents who abandoned me. No siblings. No one I could trust completely.

Just power. And fear. And loneliness.

Now I had all of this.

A mother who'd dropped everything to rush me to the hospital.

Two brothers who'd left work the second they heard I was hurt.

A father who stood in the back, silent, but whose eyes were full of guilt and pain.

I don't know how to do this, I thought. I don't know how to be someone's daughter. Someone's sister.

But I wanted to try.

"Hey," I said. My voice came out softer than I meant it to. "You didn't have to come."

"Of course we did." Mom set the plastic bag on the rolling table. "Hospital food is terrible. I brought leftovers from work."

She started unpacking containers. Fried rice. Orange chicken. Egg rolls.

"You need to eat something. Keep your strength up."

Ethan walked over to my bed. Reached out and ruffled my hair.

"Hey, troublemaker." His voice was gentle. "You know you scared the hell out of us, right?"

"Sorry."

"Mom called me at the shop. I dropped everything and ran."

Leo stayed by the door, hands shoved in his hoodie pockets. Trying to look casual. But his eyes gave him away.

"So like, seriously, what happened? Mom said you jumped out a window? That's insane."

"Leo. Language." Mom didn't look up from unpacking food.

"Sorry. But still. A window? Third floor?"

I bit into the apple. "It was an accident."

"An accident." Ethan sat on the edge of the bed. "You accidentally jumped out a window."

"I didn't jump. I fell."

"That's not what the school said."

"The school is wrong."

Nathan hadn't moved from his spot by the door. Just watched me with those tired, guilty eyes.

He thinks this is his fault, I realized. He thinks because he's an Omega, because he's weak, that's why I got hurt.

I wanted to tell him it wasn't. That none of this was his fault.

But I didn't know how.

Mom handed me a container of congee. "Here. It's good for your stomach."

"Thanks."

"Are you in pain? Any headaches? Dizziness?"

"I'm fine, Mom. Really."

She looked like she didn't believe me.

The hospital intercom crackled: "Family of Aria Sterling, room C1103, please come to the nurse's station."

Mom stood. "They probably need me to sign more paperwork."

She looked at Nathan. He nodded.

"We'll be right back." She touched my hand. "Don't go anywhere."

"Kind of hard to leave when you're in a hospital bed."

She almost smiled. Then she and Nathan left.

The door closed.

Ethan and Leo looked at each other. Then at me.

"Okay." Ethan leaned forward. "Now tell us what really happened."

"I already did."

"That whole 'fell out a window' story sounds like bullshit."

"Ethan—"

"I'm serious, Aria." His voice dropped. "Three floors. You should be dead. Or at least broken. But you don't have a scratch on you."

I took another bite of apple. "Lucky, I guess."

"Nobody's that lucky."

Leo pushed off from the wall. "Dude, now's not the time—"

"When is the time?" Ethan shot back. "Something's wrong. I can feel it."

"She just got out of the hospital—"

"She's still IN the hospital—"

"You guys," I interrupted. "I'm fine. Stop worrying."

Ethan stared at me. Like he was trying to see through me.

Leo sighed. Reached into his hoodie pocket.

"Here." He tossed something onto the bed. "Brought you these."

A big bag of gummy bears.

"Your favorite. The good kind, not the cheap shit."

Despite everything, I smiled. "Thanks."

"Yeah, well." He shrugged, trying to look casual. "Can't have my sister stuck in a hospital without snacks."

I looked at both of them.

These were my brothers.

Ethan, who'd dropped everything at work to be here.

Leo, who brought me candy and tried to pretend he wasn't worried.

In my old life, I'd commanded armies. Conquered packs. Built an empire.

But I'd never had this.

Family.

"Hey." I set down the apple. "Can I borrow someone's phone?"

Leo frowned. "Why? You need to text someone?"

Ethan didn't say anything. Just pulled out his iPhone and handed it over.

"Thanks."

I unlocked it. Started scrolling.

Leo moved closer, curious. "What are you doing?"

I didn't hide the screen.

My fingers moved fast, typing what looked like random characters into the browser.

"Uh, that's gibberish," Leo said.

I ignored him. Tapped the address bar. Entered a specific sequence.

The screen went black.

"What the—" Leo leaned in. "Did you break it?"

Then the image appeared.

Center of the screen. Slowly materializing.

A silver raven. Wings spread wide. Eyes glowing deep red.

Beneath it, text in an ornate font:

The Raven Court

"Whoa." Leo's eyes went wide. "What the fuck is that?"

"Language," I said absently.

"Is that like... some goth website? Why does it have a creepy bird?"

Ethan moved closer. Squinted at the screen.

"Aria." His voice went serious. "Those letters. That's not English."

"No," I said. "It's not."

"Is that... German?"

Smart. He was smart.

I'd already switched the interface to German.

The text on screen read: "Willkommen zurück, Angelina. Die dreizehn warten."

Welcome back, Angelina. The thirteen are waiting.

Leo stared. "You know German?"

I didn't answer.

My thumb hovered over the screen.

The Raven Court. The thirteen-member shadow council that had controlled Riverbend Pack from the shadows. The real power behind the throne.

I'd managed them. Coordinated them. Used them to keep my empire running.

And now I needed to know: what had they done when I died?

Ethan's hand closed over mine. Stopped me from tapping the screen.

"Aria." His voice was quiet. Careful. "Seriously. What is this?"

I looked up at him.

His eyes were worried. But not scared.

He wants to understand, I thought. He's not running. He's asking.

Leo crossed his arms. "Yeah, because that raven is seriously creepy. Like, horror movie level creepy. And why is everything in German? Do you speak German?"