Ella
The hallway felt endless. I paused, glanced around, and continued walking, though each step felt heavier than the last. The silence was deafening, punctuated only by the echo of my footsteps. I had grown used to it—the stares, the whispers, the cold indifference.
In the beginning, it was new and different in ways I couldn’t explain, but now it was a familiar feeling. I could almost taste it every time I experienced it. When you’re ostracized long enough, it becomes easier to live with the isolation that comes with it.
I had learned to stay in the shadows, to avoid being noticed. It was better for me, and for them. You might wonder why I chose to fade into the background, but in my world, it was a kind of salvation.
I was an omega, the lowest of the low in our pack. Invisible, unappreciated, ignored, except when someone wanted to remind me of my place. They didn’t need a reason; my mere existence was enough. They would find me wherever I was, just to drill the harsh truth of my reality into my mind.
And no one did it more often than the Blackthorn twins. Alphas-in-training. Arrogant. Ruthless. Beautiful. It was hard to admit the last part, given their sour temperaments and cruel nature, but it was true. They were striking in a way that left an imprint on anyone who spared them even the slightest glance.
My heart clenched as I approached my locker, already sensing their presence. I didn’t need to look to know they were there; I could feel their energy from afar as they casually leaned against the wall, their identical smirks stretching across their perfect faces.
Lucian and Kade Blackthorn. They were the future leaders of the pack and my worst nightmares, wrapped in golden skin and dark, piercing eyes.
“Look who it is,” Lucian drawled, pushing himself off the wall with effortless grace. His voice was smooth, like silk laced with venom. His gaze swept the hallway before settling on me, dripping with disdain.
Kade chuckled from the other side; it wasn’t one borne of humor. Instead, it sounded like he was excited to see me squirm at the sight of them. His gaze was sharp and predatory. “I thought we told you to stay out of our way, mutt,” he sneered.
I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes on the ground. I had an answer ready, because technically, I wasn’t in their way. But I knew better than to respond. Engaging with them would be the ultimate offense in their eyes.
Silence was my best defense, a way to make them lose interest faster. At least, that was what I hoped. But as the seconds ticked by, I realized my silence only seemed to amuse them further.
“You’re not going to talk to us now?” Kade’s voice was closer, his breath hot against my ear. I flinched but didn’t dare move. My feet felt cemented to the ground. “Guess the omega thinks she’s too good for us.”
They had always been like this—taunting and bullying me, ensuring I never forgot my place. As if I needed the constant reminders. My lowly status was a reality they and everyone else drilled into me every chance they got.
I inhaled slowly, trying to make sure they didn’t hear it and use it as a reason to be annoying. And knowing them, they’d find a reason to be angry no matter what I did.
But then, something shifted. It was subtle at first—an odd sensation in the air. I couldn’t quite place it, but it was there, hanging thickly around me. My wolf stirred inside, restless and confused. I exhaled, trying to shake the feeling, but then it hit me all at once. A scent. Earthy, rich, intoxicating, and something distinctly powerful.
Mate.
The word struck me like a blow, freezing me in place as the realization crashed over me. No. No, this couldn’t be happening.
Life couldn’t be that cruel, could it? To play such a wicked game, this would be beyond evil. It would be downright heartless.
But when I looked up, I saw it. The flicker of shock in their eyes. They had caught the scent too.
That unmistakable bond, the one thing that tied wolves together beyond any hierarchy, beyond any cruelty.
Lucian and Kade were my mates.
I stumbled back, my breath coming in shallow gasps. This had to be a mistake. They hated me. They made my life a living hell. How could they be—?
“No,” Lucian’s voice was sharp, cold, as though he had read my thoughts. His smirk was gone, replaced by a hard, furious expression. “There’s no way.”
Kade shook his head, running a hand through his dark hair. “We can’t be mated to her. It’s impossible. Anyone but her!” His voice was filled with disbelief, and I swallowed hard.
Their words shattered my heart. Of course, they couldn’t accept it. Even I couldn’t fully accept it. Why would they? I was nothing to them.
Just an omega, the girl they tormented for fun. But the bond; the bond was real. It was undeniable.
Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wouldn’t give them that satisfaction.
“If you’re waiting for me to be happy about this, you’ll be waiting forever,” I muttered, my voice trembling but fierce. “I don’t want this any more than you do.”
Lucian’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. “Good. Then we’re on the same page.”
I turned on my heel, walking as fast as I could, my heart racing. But even as I fled, the bond pulled at me, a tether I couldn’t escape.
I could feel their eyes burning into my back, could sense their confusion, their frustration and their anger.
We were bound now. Whether they liked it or not. Whether I liked it or not.
But they didn’t want me. That much was clear. And deep down, I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive them for that.
PAST & PRESENTThe room hummed with tension and the low buzz of machines plugged into Ella’s arm. Her thoughts bounced all over the place. There was a lot more she could say to explain the severity of the matter to Claire, but there wasn’t enough time for conversation.“I think that’s a dangerous thing to do right now,” Claire said and pouted. “You need time to recuperate before continuing the process.”“I don’t have that luxury. Lucian wouldn’t sit around waiting for me to regain my energy—he might be on his way here right now. I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink. I really need to fast-track this…”“I understand your concern, Ella,” Claire interrupted and shook her head slowly. “But this is more important than anything this Lucian can ever do. If we—”“What’s the worst that could happen?” Ella interrupted, and Claire arched an eyebrow.“What?” Claire asked, still trying to find a way to convince her that taking a break was the best bet at this point.“If we go ahead with the procedure
ELLAMy eyes flew open, and I instantly sat up. I looked around and heaved a sigh of relief when I realized I was finally back in the warehouse. I turned to look at Claire, who was watching me with keen interest, and for a split second, I felt like one of the pets she attended to in her office—a lab rat of sorts.Her eyes held different emotions, excitement and dread being the primary ones.“Your heart rate spiked. I kept trying to get you to calm down, but I don’t think you were hearing my voice anymore. What happened?” she asked, and I swallowed.“Lucian’s coming,” I said, as the memory of him realizing I was in his head flashed in my mind, filling me with dread.“Your heart rate’s spiking again,” she replied, and one of the machines started beeping loudly. I looked at the machine and frowned.Had it always been here, or did she have it brought in midway through the process? I couldn’t think clearly, and the machine only beeped louder by the second, which was beginning to aggravate
KADEThe meeting with the council hadn’t gone as expected, except for the fact that I met Lucian yelling at the elders. That was bound to happen at some point; he hated their guts as much as I did and never missed an opportunity to express his contempt. I, on the other hand, had bigger fish to fry.They could bicker all they wanted, but I was connecting dots I would’ve never considered possible in this lifetime. Then again, I wasn’t surprised things were going the way they were.Nothing about our lives as werewolves had ever been simple or a walk in the park. I’d give anything for that to happen, but if wishes were horses, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would ride.The image of the box underneath my bed flashed through my mind as we took a left turn. That was another problem I had to deal with, and it wasn’t one of those things I could talk about.How would I explain to my brother that I knew about the murder weapons and leave out the possibility that I had a direct link to the murder?I
LucianEverything seemed frustrating, and it annoyed me to no bounds. The council knew the source of our problem, and rather than point us in the right direction, they clammed up.If I had known that our enemies had a better skillset than envisioned, our patrol evenings would’ve been spent learning more about them and getting ready.“I’m not sure I believe all of this,” I muttered and kicked a rock as the air blew gently against my face.“I think you should,” Kade’s voice rang from behind me. I hadn’t heard him step out of the building, and to be fair, I had left to find time to cool off, so I wasn’t really paying attention to anything else.“I can’t believe you think anything they said in there made any damn sense! It’s…” I began, and he waved dismissively, then walked to the car in slow strides.“I’ve had time to think about it and do some research. If I’m on the right path with this, then we’re in for a ride. I didn’t want to believe it when the seer brought it up, I still have my
ELLAOne by one, the members of the council recounted the details of the pact they knew. Each person’s statement left me more stunned than the last.Every time Lucian glanced in Kade’s direction, I saw his expression alternate between annoyance, disappointment, and something else, an emotion I couldn’t quite label, but one that clearly wasn’t the rage pulsing through him.As the council members spoke, I recalled the vision I had earlier, my ancestors making an agreement with the Blackthorns.I hadn’t fully understood what I’d seen at the time, but now, hearing them recount the events in various ways that all led to the same conclusion, everything started making more sense.We had made an agreement with them, and they had failed to uphold their end of the bargain. They had a reason, of course, but to me, it was flimsy, based on emotion, not truth. They hadn’t even verified the source.“So you’ve known what we were dealing with this entire time and said nothing?” Lucian demanded, angril
KADESomeone had put in effort to find these, and they didn’t send them to the police, they sent them here, with a note. It could only mean one thing: they knew about my involvement in the matter and were probably going to the police or gearing up for blackmail. I fished out the note tucked in the corner and read what was written on it:Don’t lose them again – M.C“Is it what you wanted?” my mom asked. I placed the note inside, backed away from the box again, then instantly faked a calm expression before turning around to meet her gaze. I didn’t hear her walk into the living room, which added to the initial shock of seeing the items.“Ye... yes,” I stammered. “Where’s Lucian?”“I don’t know. He didn’t come home last night. I thought you knew,” she replied and arched an eyebrow.“He went patrolling last night. If he’s not back yet… he’s probably at… a meeting with the council. Please, Mom, can you drop me off?”“Definitely. Let me pack the picnic baskets,” she said and went back into t