My throat is parched from all the talking by the time my appointment finishes. Usually, I bring a water bottle—I have a collection—but they’re still packed up. When I told Dr. Cooper we had just moved here to Montana, I meant that we literally got in yesterday.

“My intern should already be here,” Dr. Cooper says, her tone polite but definitely attempting to end our session. “You can schedule with her for our next session, okay? And for now, I want you to stay on the meds you’ve been taking. Any treatment you do with me will be down the road once I better understand you and your hallucinations. Sound good?”

“Sure. Thanks.”

Dr. Cooper opens the door for me, gently ushering me back into the waiting room. There isn’t anyone else waiting, but I can hear a group of people making their way up the stairs. It sounds like a group of boys which immediately makes me nervous.

Social interactions are not something I’m good at. Besides my mom and Dr. James, I barely spoke to anyone growing up. Not even my aide at school talked to me besides asking me how the voices were on a daily basis. Students either made fun of me or spoke to me like I was the finest porcelain about to fall off a ledge. I didn’t drive because my doctors worried about what would happen if the voices distracted me while I was behind the wheel, which meant I didn’t go to the grocery store or the mall without my mom or ordering a rideshare app.

“That will be Mai. Her brothers always insist on dropping her off. Have a good rest of your day, Leo.”

“You, too.”

Since Dr. Cooper smiles and heads back into her office, I’m left standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. The door to the stairwell bangs open, the first male cringing at the loud bang before his gaze locks onto mine. He’s tall, just like the other men with him. They’re all obviously brothers with the same blond hair, although with varying lengths.

The man closest to me lifts his top lip, and I swear he growls at me like a dog.

And as if that isn’t enough to freak me out, he has my eyes. I mean, he has the same light green color I’ve seen daily in the mirror. Freaky.

“What are you doing here?” the first male demands. I know he’s talking to me, but I can’t help turning around to see if I somehow missed someone more deserving of his ire.

Nope. Just me.

“Um, I had an appointment with Dr. Cooper.” I point at the door as if he doesn’t know who I’m talking about.

Somehow, that seems to make him angrier.

A feminine voice, presumably hidden behind the three male bodies, says, “Nix, just calm down before you create a scene.”

“This is Hollowell pack territory. You’re trespassing,” a different voice says. This male’s hair is down to his shoulders, but what catches my attention is the lady on his shirt with her legs spread and a clear—and very explicit—closeup of her vagina while her fingers spread her labia.

“I think you’re confusing me with someone else.” I’m unsure who to look at, so my gaze is going around and around, meeting the gazes of all three males. The last male that hasn’t spoken is silently guarding the woman behind him like he’s ready to bolt with her if I try to attack him.

“Were you waiting for me?” the female voice asks.

“Mai, shut up,” the one named Nix hisses.

At the same time, I ask, “Are you Mai?”

Saying her name apparently wasn’t the way to go. This time, the growls come from all three of them. My heart is frantically pounding. I want to go back into Dr. Cooper’s room and hide away, but I can’t get my feet to move. It’s like my body knows these men will lunge for me if I so much as twitch.

“Dr. Cooper told me to wait for you so I could schedule another session, but I’ll just call another time.”

“You’re not coming back,” long hair says.

This is why I hate boys. I can’t fight the tears burning my eyes, threatening to fall from a mix of fear and frustration. The sight seems to shock the males, but they quickly wipe that expression from their faces.

“Who sent you?” Nix asks. Or maybe demands. “Which pack are you from?”

When he takes a step forward, I instinctively take a step backward. My body is running on autopilot, and I am thankful because if I could get my thoughts together, I’m pretty sure I’d have been a puddle on the floor.

“Mai, what time is my next appointment? Oh, what’s going on out here?” Finally, Dr. Cooper leaves her room, noticing the weird tension, before coming up beside me. Like a wimp, I try to hide behind her, and she lets me. Screw being brave. These men are larger than me, and if I have to hide or run, I’ll do it.

“Nix, Tracer, Art. Does one of you want to explain why you’re harassing one of my patients?” Dr. Cooper’s tone is strict, something I didn’t think her gentle voice was capable of. But it’s enough to draw the attention of the males away from me.

When no one says anything, Dr. Cooper continues, “Mai, if your brothers cannot control themselves around my patients, I will expect them to drop you off outside from now on. Now move away from the door and let my patient through.”

To my surprise, all three brothers move with Mai to the little reception desk, still guarding her like a security team.