Chapter 4

Eira

“Is this some kind of joke?” Soren finally shattered the silence. “Are you messing with us because of what we did to you earlier?”

He grabbed me by the waist and yanked me closer. I expected to pull away, but the contact sent a jolt through me instead, something unexpected, or an intense attraction.

“Say something, you little witch!” he snapped. “How is this even possible?”

I stood there, speechless. My heart hammered so hard I thought my ribs might crack. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying this was some twisted nightmare, but when I opened them the triplets were still right in front of me. Real. Solid. Mine.

“Answer me, Eira!” Soren shouted.

I could hear the edge of panic in his voice, and honestly, I didn’t blame him. Being mated to me meant giving up Elara …easily one of the most stunning girls at school and settling for a nerdy Omega with thick glasses and zero fashion sense. In his eyes, it was a massive step down.

“Yelling won’t fix this,” Kael said at last. His voice was quieter than Soren’s, but colder. “Look at her. She’s just as surprised as we are.”

“I’m not buying that,” Soren shot back. “She’s playing us.” He fixed his glare on me. “Admit it, Eira. You’re messing with us.”

God, I wished I could. If he had any idea how much I hated them more than they hated me…he’d understand. Being a lone wolf for the rest of my life sounded better than being stuck with any of them.

Kael’s eyes narrowed. “Whether she’s playing us or not, the bond is real. I can feel it. So can both of you.”

Thorne had been silent the entire time. He just stood there, staring at me like I was something filthy that had crawled onto their lawn. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and sharp.

“You’re playing with the wrong family, Eira.”

That was all he said. Then he turned and walked back toward the pack house without another glance.

Soren shoved me away from him like I’d burned him. “Stay the hell away from us.”

Kael lingered a second longer. His expression was unreadable, but the disgust was still there. “Go inside,” he said quietly. “We’ll… deal with this later.”

They left me standing alone in the cold night, feeling hollow.

This was worse than a rejection. They were sickened by the very idea of me as their mate.

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I walked back toward the pack house. Just minutes ago I’d thought my worst troubles were behind me. I had no idea how much darker things were about to get.

Why did everything always fall on me? Who cursed me with this kind of fate? Was I supposed to spend the rest of my life as some unwanted slave to mates who couldn’t stand the sight of me?

I clenched my fists as something hard and clear settled inside me. No…. Hell no…. I was eighteen now. Pack law said I could leave if I chose to. Alpha Ronan had always been fair with me surely he wouldn’t make this harder than it already was.

By first light, I decided, I would be gone. Away from the pack. Away from them. I’d head for the neighboring Stone Creek Pack, where some distant relatives lived, and start over.

Sleep never came. I tossed and turned all night, turning the plan over in my head. For a second I thought about leaving a note for Mira, my best friend, but I stopped myself. She would only try to talk me out of it, and I couldn’t afford that right now. My mind was set.

Before the first gray light touched my window the next morning, I was already up. My bag was packed from the night before. I’d left a short note on the bed for Alpha Ronan he was the only one who’d ever treated me like a person, and he deserved at least that much.

I washed my face, pulled my hair back, and slipped quietly down the stairs. It was Saturday. Everyone should still be asleep. I could vanish without a scene.

At the bottom of the stairs I felt around for the light switch. The second the lights flicked on, I froze.

Alpha Ronan was sitting in the living room, arms crossed, waiting for me.