Chapter 7

Lena was lying motionless on the floor, and there was a strange glowing mark on her neck that was shining faintly, making her look almost magical. The glow appears like it’s about to go out.

Everyone present there panicked. Some people were gasping, whispering nervously.

“Could she be dead?” 

“Can't she walk again?”

“The Alphas are dangerous.”

“Why would they do such a thing?” 

Some backed away because they’re scared of the glowing mark. A few even ran away, while others were too shocked to move.

Two campus guards rushed through the crowd to see what was going on but were shocked seeing Lena lying motionless on the floor and the triplet over her. The guards, still trying to control the situation, Kieran became furious and suddenly grabbed Ronan, slamming him against the wall. As he was screaming, he didn't stop. “ What the hell have you done! Are you out of your mind? I need an explanation for the stupidity you displayed just now!” Kieran burst out in an uncontrollable anger. 

Soren started panicking; he also jumped in. ”Ronan, this is not what we agreed on. This is not the plan. We planned to win her back, not by marking her forcefully to become our mate!” 

The guards stepped in and pulled them apart to prevent a fight from breaking out .

Ronan was upset and shaking. “I….” his voice cracked. “I couldn’t stop it. I couldn't control my wolf”, trembling. The pull was too strong. In desperation, I marked her without her permission because I was afraid we might lose her.”

He became emotional. He wondered how things have gone so wrong just within few minutes of conversation between him and Aurora. Shouldn't I have listened to my wolf?

What have I done so wrong? So many thoughts drifted through his mind. He regretted his action but it was too late. 

Kieran became more furious. Voice blazing with anger, “You just did what?” Kieran rotorted, releasing him with a shove. “You think marking her without her consent would fix things? That it would make her love us again? No! we might lose her for good, this mark may have bound her, but it won't make her forgive us and we might still run mad.”

Ronan looked over at Lena, his face burning with regret as he saw her lying unconscious on the ground. ” I didn’t want to lose her,” he whispered. “I couldn't resist my wolf.”

“Well, congratulations,” Kieran spat. “You might think you've done exactly that. You didn’t save us, Ronan. You may have damned us.”

Silence.

Hours later, Lena wakes up in the infirmary of the academy after being marked. She’s disoriented, her body aching from the burn of the mark.

She tries to claw the mark off, sobbing and screaming at the nurses. 

Her fingers shot to her neck, trying to scratch the mark off her skin until warm blood gushed out of them. She continued scratching it angrily as the blood was coming out and then let out a loud scream, ”Ahhhhhhhhh!" tears flowing down her cheeks as nurses rushed in.

"Get it off!" she snapped. "Take it off! He had no right!"

She cried so hard till her body started vibrating, kicking and fighting against the bedsheet. The nurses tried to calm her and comfort her, but none was working for her.

Her wolf was restless and angry inside of her, torn between wanting the bond and rejecting it, but Lena is mentally and emotionally shattered.

Memories of her parents’ tragic death haunted her, and she feels like her freedom has been taken away again. She cried out to the Moon Goddess internally, “Why bind me to those who destroyed my life? What have I done wrong, and why did you choose to punish me this way?” Tears escaped her eyes. 

She remembered her parent's screams.

Again, Lena was suddenly overwhelmed by painful memories of her parent's death. She remembered her mother's screaming in a weak voice, telling her to run while being murdered in cold blood, and how their pack was destroyed with menacing fire. 

She started breathing heavily, feeling like everything was falling apart all over again. Just like before, someone had taken away her control and ruined her life.

“Why!”

She screamed to the goddess once again, “Why would you bind me to them? After everything they took from me?”

The Moon Goddess failed to give her response. 

Meanwhile, in the grand hall, the triplet Alphas are being summoned by the pack elders as news of the marking has reached the academy’s top ranks.

The mood in the grand hall was cold and tense. The Elders sat at a long table, their faces serious and stern. ” What insolence! How could you mark a girl with an unknown background? You don't even know her lineage, her pack, or her true nature. It's reckless and highly unexpected of you. Elder Milton expressed his great disappointment.

The triplets didn’t say a word. Kieran looked tense, Soren tapped his fingers nervously on his thighs, and Ronan just sat quietly staring blankly at nothing. 

“I demand some explanation from you, so why did you all choose to remain silent? You could lose your right to lead if you refuse to give reasons for your actions.” But despite the threat, they remain quiet.

They can't reveal the truth that they’re slowly going insane without Lena because of the bond. “You can choose to….” The second elder, Snowden, had not finished speaking when their mentor, Damian, stepped in to calm the situation.

“I think we need to calm down about this situation and handle it more critically. Let the girl heal first before passing judgement or arriving at a conclusion since we all know that the Moon Goddess has the final say.” Damian said thoughtfully.

The elders agreed with Damian and assured him that proper steps would be taken as regards the situation and no stone would be left unturned. 

—-----------------

At the infirmary, Lena’s reaction to the bond intensifies.

She became weak and refused to eat. Her wolf was rejecting everything. Suddenly, through the bond, Lena starts feeling the triplets' emotions—Ronan’s guilt, Soren’s worry, and Kieran’s anger. She could feel what was going on in their minds.

Totally disorganised, she screamed again, “No. No, no, no.” She was feeling them, hearing them. 

“Lena?” she suddenly heard a voice in her head, “Are you okay?” Terrified, she screamed and rushed at the caretaker, “ Remove this mark! Now! Do it, or I’ll rip it out myself!”

The woman stepped back in fear. “It doesn’t work like that,” she whispered.

Lena fell to the ground, trembling against the wall, shaking, “I’m not theirs. I don't belong to them, and I’ll never be. I would rather die; even if the mark is not removed, I will reject them over and over again.” 

Lena gasped and held her chest. Just as she buried her face in her hands, a new voice entered her mind. It was calm but deep and controlling.

“You’re not going anywhere, Lena. You are our mate, and we won't let you go.”