CHAPTER ONE : Fate can go to hell for all I care

“Run Little Wolf….If you stop we'll catch you, and you know what happens then.”

Their voices echoed through the forest,  followed by soft yet sinister chuckles from afar.

I ran, and ran like a kid being chased by clowns.

Or in this unfortunate case, a girl being chased by love zombies.

Branches scratched my arms, and my breath came in short, sharp gasps. My legs burned, but I couldn’t stop. Not now.

Low growls echoed through the trees, surrounding me.

"Run all you want, little wolf," a voice called out again, calm and amused.

Kayden. One of the triplet Alphas.

Panic tightened my chest, but I pushed forward, my bare feet hitting the damp earth. I had to keep going. I had to get away.

How did this happen?

Just hours ago, I was nothing more than a rogue, living quietly at the forest’s edge. Now, I was being hunted—chased like prey.

It all started with the Blood Moon Ceremony.

A cursed night, that I shouldn't have walked into with an empty head.

The full moon was red, casting an eerie glow over the clearing. I hadn’t meant to be there. Rogues weren’t allowed, and if they found me, I was as good as dead.

But something—someone—pulled me forward.

The clearing was larger than I expected, the ground marked with strange glowing runes. Three packs stood in tight groups, warriors alert. And at the center, three Alphas sat on stone thrones, their presence impossible to ignore.

I stayed hidden in the shadows, but then—it happened.

Pain.

Sharp and sudden, it knocked the air from my lungs. My body trembled, burning with heat. My vision blurred.

Then came the whispers.

“Mate.”

No. That couldn’t be right.

I wanted to fight it, but my body had other plans. An invisible force pulled me forward, dragging me into the open.

Silence fell.

Hundreds of eyes turned to me.

Wolves shifted uneasily. Low growls rumbled through the crowd.

"Who is she?" someone muttered.

"She’s not from any pack."

"Rogue."

The word cut through me like a blade.

A voice broke through the tension—strong, commanding.

“Stop.”

The wolves moved aside as a tall figure stepped forward. I didn’t need to see his face to know who he was.

Alpha Kayden.

He was built like a warrior, his dark eyes unreadable as they locked onto me.

"You are her," he said, voice steady.

I swallowed hard. "I am no one," I forced out.

He took another step closer. "You are my mate."

A murmur spread through the clearing. Wolves whispered, shifting in shock. But before anyone could say more, another figure stepped forward.

Jace.

He was nothing like Kayden. His smirk was lazy, his golden hair falling into sharp amber eyes.

"Looks like we’ve got a problem," he said, sounding almost amused. "Because she’s my mate too."

My stomach twisted.

No. No. No.

The crowd erupted.

The two Alphas glared at each other, tension thick between them. But then, a third voice cut through the chaos.

Ronan.

His silver eyes gleamed in the moonlight as he stepped forward.

"You both can't keep her to yourselves," he said, tilting his head. "She’s mine too."

He looked right at me.

"You belong to all of us."

Silence.

My breath hitched. My heart pounded so hard I swore they could hear it.

Three rival Alphas. Three mates.

And they all wanted me.

Panic surged through me. My instincts screamed at me to run, so I did—bolting into the thick forest, away from them, away from this nightmare.

And I was still running. My lungs burned, my legs ached, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.

“Stop running, Lyra!”

Kayden’s voice yanked me back to the present. His tone was sharp, commanding. I twisted through the trees, ducking under branches, sprinting as fast as I could. But the forest felt darker now, like it was closing in on me, forcing me back to them.

This wasn’t normal. This couldn’t be real.

I couldn't have three mates. That wasn’t possible.

The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake.

A shadow shifted ahead. My breath caught in my throat.

Ronan.

He stepped out of the mist, silver eyes glowing. “Going somewhere?”

I skidded to a halt, chest heaving. “Stay away from me.”

He took a slow step forward. “You are ours now, Lyra. Running won’t change that.”

I turned—only to find Jace leaning against a tree, arms crossed, smirking like this was all some big joke.

“You’re feisty, mate. I like that.”

No way. This wasn’t happening.

The Moon Goddess had lost her damn mind.

Wait—was that disrespectful? Whatever, I didn’t care. She couldn’t just throw me to three Alphas like I was some kind of prize.

“You’re ours now.”

They all said it, their voices overlapping. The certainty in their tone sent a chill down my spine. I was scared—scared to the bone. If that was even a thing.

I was trapped.

Trapped, I tell you. TRAPPED.

My pulse roared in my ears as Kayden emerged from the shadows, his presence pressing down on me like a storm. “Enough, mate. This ends here.”

“No.” I spun to face him, my whole body shaking, but my voice steady. “I am not yours. I am not anyone’s.”

Kayden’s jaw tightened. “You are ours. It is fate.”

“Fate can go to hell.”

And before they could grab me, I did the only thing I could.

I shifted.

Pain tore through me, my bones snapping, my body burning as fur replaced skin. And then I was on four legs, instincts kicking in—

I ran.

For a second, I thought I had escaped.

Then I felt it.

The mate bond.

It yanked at my soul, pulling me back to them. Not physically, but something inside me knew—no matter how far I ran, they would find me.

I wasn’t free. I was leashed.

But I made a promise to myself right then and there.

I would never be controlled again.

No matter what it took, I would break these bonds.

Because no matter what fate said—

I would never be theirs.

And they would soon learn that a caged wolf is the most dangerous of all.

For real though, I hate being treated like some caged dog. I’m not a damn object they can just claim.