Five

Snow

Every cell in my body was on high alert.

I could only watch him.

Lucas.

He had always been beautiful—the charming one. The one with the brightest smile and the strongest heart. And right now, standing there in a white suit, hair styled to perfection, those ice-blue eyes catching every glint of light—he looked like sin wrapped in something holy.

Perfect. Untouchable.

This was what any girl would want.

But I couldn't afford to want it.

Because I was the one they hated.

My worst nightmare had come true. One of the triplets was my mate.

I froze, breath trapped somewhere between disbelief and panic. So did he. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if fate itself had just spat in his face. And before I could even think, another scent—stronger, deeper—hit me.

Alex.

He emerged from behind his brother, dressed in a grey suit that clung to him like shadow. He'd always been the quiet one, the unreadable one, the calm before every storm. But now, his silence was terrifying.

Because the same word rang inside my head again, echoing through me like thunder.

"Mate."

No.

No, no, no.

This couldn't be happening.

I couldn't be mated to two of them.

I felt my wolf shrink back, retreating deep inside me—trying to hide from the pain that was already coming.

The rejection.

It would come soon.

"What a fucking joke." Alex's voice sliced through the silence. He let out a bitter laugh before hurling his glass across the hall. It shattered, silencing the music, the whispers, everything.

He strode toward me—long, furious steps. His hand caught mine, and the contact burned. The bond surged between us, wild and undeniable. His jaw tightened as if he could physically suppress the pull.

Then he dragged me away, through the murmuring crowd, into a dim corner where the world felt smaller and crueler. The music was now just a hum behind my pounding heartbeat.

"God really knows how to play the cruelest fucking games, huh?" he scoffed, pressing me against the wall. His body was close—too close—and the bond was doing terrible, beautiful things to me. My heart ached just looking at him.

"You?" he hissed. "Our mate? Fuck, Snow." His voice broke, anger trembling through it. "I would never—over my dead body—accept a murderer like you as my mate. You're a fucking abomination."

His words had always hurt.

But not like this.

This time, every syllable burned through me, deep and raw, amplified by the bond that was supposed to bring love, not agony.

"So if you think you can use this bond to manipulate me or my brother," he snarled, his fingers digging into my arms until I felt his nails break skin, "you're fucking wrong. I don't give a shit about this mate bond. I don't give a shit about you—your feelings, your fake tears, or the twisted games you've been playing for years."

Each word came harsher, his control slipping.

"I'll kill you if I have to. But I won't fall weak. I won't bow to this cursed bond and—"

"Reject me," I whispered.

He stopped.

Tears slid down my cheeks before I even realized I was crying. "Just reject me and end this. I'll leave this pack and never come back."

My voice trembled, but my resolve didn't.

Maybe this was the only mercy left—for both of us.

Maybe I'd never get to bring Rosie justice.

Maybe I was meant to lose—like she did.

So before I ended up dead too... I had to leave.

"What?" Alex breathed, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

I didn't know what shocked him more—

That fate had tied us together,

or that I was begging him to cut the string.

"You heard me, Alex." My voice cracked as I met his eyes, tears clouding my vision. "Just reject me. That's the only way to end this—this suffering on both sides."

"And make it easier for you?"

The voice came from behind him. Lucas.

He stepped forward, slow and deliberate, hands tucked into his pockets, calm and cold as ever. The golden boy of the pack. The one who always wore control like armor.

But when his eyes met mine, there was nothing human left in them. Only hatred.

"Why do you think we should do that, snowflake?" he murmured, his breath ghosting the side of my forehead.

I was trapped. Between both of them—my tormentors. My mates.

"Because you hate me," I managed. "So it's best that you reject me and end this torment."

"Speaking of torment..." Lucas hummed, his fingers brushing my shoulder before trailing slowly down my arm. He played with my fingers, soft but deliberate, his touch making my pulse stutter. "We can put you through plenty of it... without actually rejecting you."

His words froze the air in my lungs.

I looked from him to Alex—searching for mercy—but Alex's expression was unreadable. Lucas's, however, was pure menace.

He wanted me to suffer.

He was going to use the mate bond to make sure I did.

And before I could react, another voice broke through the tension.

"Why are you excluding me from the fun, brother?"

Michael.

My eyes snapped toward the sound just as he stepped into the light. When our gazes met, the air shifted again—another spark, another bond snapping tight inside my chest.

No.

No, no, no.

It couldn't be.

But my wolf already knew.

And then I heard it again. That cursed word.

"Mate."

Rosie's voice echoed faintly in my head—her voice from years ago. "I wish you were mated to my stupid brothers. Only you can fix them."

No, Rosie.

They're beyond fixing.

Michael's lip curled. "Can't believe the three of us are cursed with the same inconvenience." He took a lazy sip of his drink. "Guess the Moon Goddess has a fucked-up sense of humor."

An inconvenience. That's all I was to them.

Lucas stood silent now, Alex unmoving.

But Michael—he was the embodiment of cruelty in human form. He moved closer, until his breath brushed my face.

"You thought you were living a nightmare before?" His voice was smooth, dangerous. "Guess what, Flakes? It's just starting."

He smiled—a beautiful, genuine smile—and that made it worse.

He lifted a finger, tracing it down my cheek to my throat. His touch burned, like fire licking over open wounds.

I caught his wrist before he could go lower. "Don't."

"Why not?" he laughed softly. "Aren't you our sweet little mate? We're meant to share you—every day, every night..." His gaze dragged over me, his words thick with mockery. "Every breath you take."

"Besides," Lucas added casually, "you're not too bad for a breeding machine. We could make you ours. You'd bear strong pups."

I went still.

Their voices filled me with disgust and shame.

And Alex—he said nothing. Didn't move. Didn't stop them.

The mate bond—something sacred—had turned into a weapon.

And they were going to use it against me.

"Do you—" my voice broke, a sob catching in my throat, "do you not feel even a shred of shame talking about the bond like this?"

Lucas smiled—a cruel, empty curve of his lips. "Shame? Oh, sweetheart, we don't give a fuck about the bond. We'll make a circus out of it—and you'll be the main act."

Michael's laughter was sharp, echoing. "Be ready, mate," he said, mockery dripping from the word. "The show's just about to start."

He turned away, drink in hand. Lucas gave me one last look—cold, detached—then followed him out.

Only Alex stayed.

For a moment, silence fell.

Something in his eyes flickered—something that almost looked like conflict.

"Alex," I whispered, voice trembling, "don't do this. Please. I can't take it anymore."

His jaw clenched, muscles ticking as he stepped closer. His hand caught my chin, tilting my face up. His grip tightened.

"The real punishment for your sins," he murmured, "has just started. So you'd better buckle up for the ride, snowflake."

He let go, turned, and walked away.

And I broke.

Sobs tore through me, muffled by my own hand as I tried to keep them silent.

This was my fate now—to endure this, until my last breath left my body.

Before I could think, I ran—tears blurring my vision. I barely reached the stairs before someone caught my arm.

I froze.

The stench of sweat and alcohol hit me first.

The perverted soldier. The one who had tried to touch me before.

"Found you, Snowy," he said, his lips curling into a sick grin. "How about you come to my room this time? We'll have some fun."

Oh no.