Chapter Two: Saved by my tormentors.

   Pain.

   That was the first thing I felt. A dull, throbbing ache in my head, spreading down my body like an uninvited guest. My limbs were heavy, like they didn’t belong to me. The scent of antiseptic filled my nose, sharp and sterile, mixing with the faint smell of sweat from my own body, leaving me feeling disoriented.

   Where was I?

   I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh white light that seemed to mock my fragile state. The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, so were the soft beeping sounds and the soft sheets wrapped around me.

   It was the sterile, indifferent environment of a hospital room, yet something about it felt…wrong.

   A hospital.

   The last thing I remembered was…

   Jason. Noah. The party. The Heartbreak.

   Then the car. The bright headlights. The impact—

   My chest tightened.

   I was supposed to be dead.

   Yet, here I was. Alive.

   A shadow moved beside me, and I stiffened instinctively, my heart pounding in my chest.

   “She’s awake.”

   That voice. It was unmistakable.

   I froze. My heart stopped.

   I knew that voice.

   I turned my head slowly, dread pooling in my stomach, unwilling to believe what I feared would be there.

   And there they were.

   The last people I ever wanted to see.

   The quadruplets.

   Damon. Dante. Darius. Dominic.

   My tormentors.

   The boys who had made my life hell. The ones who taunted me, bullied me, and somehow managed to stay in my life like a dark cloud that never went away.

   I swallowed hard, my throat dry, panic bubbling in my chest. “What…What are you doing here?” My voice came out raspy, weak, as if the very act of speaking made my body ache more.

   Damon leaned forward, arms crossed. His eyes glinted, amused. “Saving your ass, apparently.”

   Darius scoffed, the corners of his lips curling into a smirk. “Almost got yourself killed, idiot.”

   Dante rolled his eyes, as if I was the biggest inconvenience to him. “Should’ve looked both ways before walking into traffic.”

   Dominic didn’t say anything. He just watched me, his silver eyes blank. Those eyes had always unnerved me. Cold. Harsh. I shivered involuntarily.

   My fingers curled into the blanket. Of all people…why them?

   “I don’t—” My voice cracked as I struggled to sit up, but a wave of dizziness forced me back against the pillow. “I don’t understand.”

   “You were bleeding out on the road,” Damon said flatly. “We pulled you out before the car crushed you completely.”

   I stared at him, disbelief washing over me. “You…saved me?”

   Darius smirked, a dark glint in his eye. “Would you rather we left you there?”

   “Yes.” The word slipped out before I could stop it, and the room went deathly quiet.

   For the first time, none of them had a comeback. The usual sharp retorts, the biting sarcasm, were absent. It was as if they were genuinely taken aback.

   Dante clicked his tongue, the sound sharp and filled with annoyance. “You’re ungrateful.”

   “Why would I be grateful?” My voice wavered, and I could feel the weight of the emotions pressing down on me. “You’ve made my life miserable for years. Why do you care now?”

   Damon’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. “You almost died, Ava. Whether you like it or not, we weren’t just going to stand by and let that happen.”

   I looked away, my head spinning. It wasn’t just from the accident. Something felt…off. Wrong.

   A strange warmth spread through my chest, and suddenly, I felt it. That pull. A rope, like a string attached to my heart. It connected me to them. A bond.

   Then I heard it.

   Ava.

   My breath hitched.

   It was faint, almost like a whisper in the back of my mind. But I recognized it instantly. The call of my wolf, the very essence of who I was. She had been quiet for so long. Too long.

   But now, she was awake.

   And she was saying something I wasn’t ready to hear.

   They are ours.

   No.

   No, no, no.

   Fated mates.

   The room seemed to close in on me, the air became cold, my heart pounding in my chest. This wasn’t happening. Not with them. Not with the quadruplets, not with the boys who had made my life hell.

   “Are you okay?” Dominic’s voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. I flinched. His voice was always harsh, mocking. But this? This softness—this was unfamiliar. I stared at him, unable to form a coherent response.

   I shook my head, panic clawing at my chest. “No. I—I need to get out of here.”

   “You just woke up,” Damon said, his voice soft. “You’re not going anywhere.”

   I struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain I felt in my body. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

   Darius sighed, sounding tired. “Of course, she’s being difficult.”

   Dante smirked. “Wouldn’t be Ava if she wasn’t.”

   “I mean it,” I snapped, my hands trembling as I pushed myself into a sitting position. “Stay away from me.”

   Dominic exhaled sharply, his frustration clear. “Ava, listen—”

   “No!” My hands shook with the force of my words. “I don’t need your help. I don’t need you.”

   The warmth inside me burned. My wolf growled in protest, demanding my attention. I clenched my fists, trying to suppress the feelings that were slowly taking over.

   “I, Ava Carter, reject—”

   Before I could finish, Damon was on me in an instant. His hand clamped over my mouth, stopping me cold.

   “Don’t,” he warned, his voice low, filled with something I couldn’t name. His eyes were intense, fiery. “Don’t say it.”

   I tried to jerk away, but his grip was firm, unyielding. My heart pounded, fear mixing with something else. Something dangerous.

   Rejection.

   I needed to reject them before this bond grew any stronger. Before it ruined me, before it changed everything.

   But the look in Damon’s eyes stopped me. There was something raw in them. Something terrifying.

   He slowly pulled his hand away, his expression softening. “Don’t say it,” he repeated, his voice gentler this time, almost pleading.

   I swallowed hard.

   The others were watching me too, tense and blank.

   Darius sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “This isn’t exactly how we wanted you to find out.”

   I glared at him, my throat tight. “Find out what? That the Moon Goddess has a sick sense of humor?”

   Dante chuckled, but it wasn’t a kind sound. “She’s feisty.”

   “This isn’t funny,” I hissed, my voice trembling with frustration and anger. “I don’t want this. I don’t want you.”

   Damon’s expression darkened, his jaw clenched. “Too bad.”

   I sucked in a breath. The words hit me like a punch, sending a shiver down my spine.

   Too bad?

   What did that mean?

   Dominic stood, his gaze hardening. “We’ll give you time.”

   Darius frowned, clearly annoyed. “What? Just like that?”

   “She needs to process this,” Dominic said, his tone calm but firm. “Pushing her won’t help.”

   Dante groaned. “Fine. But she’s not running.”

   I stiffened. “I can do whatever I want.”

   Damon leaned in close, his voice low and filled with authority. “Try.”

   It wasn’t a threat.

   It was a challenge.

   I narrowed my eyes, refusing to back down.

   They thought they could control me?

   That I’d just accept this?

   Never.

   I’d escape. I had to. But before that…

   I took a shaky breath, still trying to make sense of everything. “I need to go home.”

   Darius raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. “Why?”

   I swallowed the lump in my throat. “My mom…She’s getting married.”

   The room fell silent.

   Once again, none of them had a snarky remark.

   Damon ran a hand through his hair, his voice softer. “We’ll take you home.”

   I hesitated. I didn’t want to owe them anything, didn’t want to be indebted to them in any way.

   But I needed to see my mom. I needed to be there, to make sure everything was okay.

   “Fine,” I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

   Darius smirked. “Look at that. She can be reasonable.”

   I shot him a glare, but it was weak, the fire in me slowly dying down. Damon stepped closer, his eyes locked on mine, serious now.

   “We’ll take you home. But Ava…” He paused, his voice steady, certain.

   I swallowed. “What?”

   His voice dropped, like a quiet warning.

   “You’re not getting rid of us that easily.”