003

๑♡๑DIANA๑♡๑

Mate. Mate. Mate!

My wolf chanted the word like a mantra in my head, prancing restlessly beneath my skin but my body recoiled with goosebumps.

Their scent hit me—potent and devastatingly intoxicating, yet distinctively different—a perfect blend of smoke and wood, with a rich, sweet, and spicy undertone.

A ragged breath escaped me, my chest tightening with horror, and I stumbled backwards, my legs nearly giving out.

No.

Goddess, no. This can’t be happening.

How is this possible?

This… has to be a nightmare.

But I knew the truth. Every instinct buried within my wolf screamed it.

A bond had awakened between us. They felt it too.

For a second, they looked stunned. I had expected them to be furious. After all, they hated me too. They wouldn't want this bond either.

Instead, their piercing golden eyes flickered with something I couldn’t put a name to. Something that looked awfully akin to awe.

Then they growled the word that already confirmed my worst nightmare.

“Mate.”

The room erupted with gasps of disbelief.

“No,” I whispered, my head shaking incessantly, as though verbalizing the word would erase the truth I didn’t want.

I hadn’t expected to get mated, and I wouldn't have complained either if my mates had been someone else.

But my mates… they weren’t strangers.

They were my tormentors.

Not just one, but both of them.

Nero and Noel.

My blood ran cold. This wasn’t a blessing. It was a cold, and wicked curse.

My eyes burned with tears. Why would the moon goddess do this to me?

Of every unmatched male wolf in the territory… Why did it have to be them?

Why would she mate me to the ones who made my life miserable?

My chest tightened, threatening to cave in. My mind was an endless muddled loop beneath my wolf’s joyful whining. I ignored her, forcing her back into the back of my mind.

Then their whispers swept across the room like a conflagration.

“Oh, my goodness…” someone whispered. “The moon goddess mated her to the twin Alphas?”

“That's impossible… the goddess must have made a mistake.”

“Yeah… She’s nothing but a low-born Omega maid.”

Each criticism felt sharper and hit harder than the last. But I barely heard them over the numbness and hollowness of my mind.

The sound of footsteps snapped me out of my haze. My breath caught when I noticed the twins coming towards me. My body stiffened and I barely backed away before they reached me.

“S-Stay away,” I said, breathless.

They stopped in front of me.

“It's you.” They said at once. I might have imagined it, but their voices sounded soft.

Not the cold, commanding tone Nero usually used. Not the arrogantly smooth tone Noel spoke with.

My brain rattled with confusion.

They should be rejecting this bond. Instead, they were looking at me differently. My heart lurched.

What in the goddess’s name was that look on their faces? Why were they looking at me like they wanted me?

I stepped back, needing to leave, to run, to disappear. But before I could do that, they both reached for me and grabbed my arms.

A wave of intense sparks shot through my body without warning, almost turning me to mush.

Nero and Noel’s eyes glowed with something intense and far more dangerous than I've ever seen.

They pulled me closer, their hands firm around my arms, those golden eyes burning intensely at me. Heat burned beneath my skin.

I struggled against their grip. “Let go of me.”

Nero’s grip tightened subtly. “We need to talk.” He said quietly.

I frowned and shook my head, sneering. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Something soft flickered in Nero’s eyes and his grip faltered slightly. I used the chance to step back a little.

“Please.” He muttered.

My breath stuttered in my throat. I’ve never heard him say ‘please.’ Not to anyone, not even to Noel.

I blinked but before I could respond, they both dragged me away.

Before I realized it, we were behind closed doors. It sealed behind us with a click that sounded final.

I flinched. Then suddenly, my body settled onto a long couch by the fireplace. My gaze swiftly swept around the room. Cold, dark wood with gold and grey panels, and even darker furnishings.

The room was dark, lit warmly by softly flowing wall lamps and the hearth. The scent of dark cedarwood mixed with smoked amber, black pepper, and cool mineral, filled the air.

It was Nero’s scent. One I hadn’t noticed until the mate bond snapped into place.

And now, we were in his study. I know because I’ve been here more times than I could count over the past ten years. Serving him coffee, cleaning his bookshelves, making sure the fireplace was always at the right temperature during the cold weather and through winter, and whatnot.

The air felt slightly warmer but no less tense than the grand hall. Nero and Noel sat across from me, their expressions mirroring a look of pure tension and something else beneath.

It’s an expression I’ve never seen before. I don’t know how to deal with that.

My fingers clenched and unclenched around my dress, one foot trembling lightly.

“Relax, Diana. No one’s going to hurt you.” Nero said calmly, but I felt the agitation wafting off him.

His words made me pause. Did he just… say my name?

I’ve served them for ten years and not once had they ever called me by my first name.

Noel always called me pipsqueak. Well because I was smaller than they were. But they didn’t seem to understand that an Alpha male’s growth rate was faster than an ordinary omega. So it stuck, but no one else was allowed to call me that.

Nero on the other hand, simply called me by my last name, Ashford. The reason eludes me. But I stopped caring at some point.

Until now.

I was still reeling from the suddenness of it. Yet I couldn’t deny how good my name sounded on his lips.

“Yeah, we just want to talk,” Noel concurred. “I promise we won’t bite.” His smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes which usually held mischief watched me with uncertainty.

He was nervous. They both were. I’ve never seen this happen before. So why now?

I couldn’t focus on the thought. All I wanted was to leave. But I also wanted to hear what they had to say.

I let out a breath. “Fine. What do you want?” My voice came out brittlely.

They sat quietly for a while, then shared a glance.

Nero spoke up first. He cleared his throat and looked everywhere but at me. I could swear he was red with embarrassment.

Once… I would have given anything to get him to make such an expression. But he was always stone cold and barely regarded me. Now, he’s struggling to even look at me.

“Well… I know this is sudden,” he started, stating the obvious.

Yeah, no shit Sherlock. I pressed my lips together to keep my thoughts from slipping out.

“But we can’t deny the fact that it’s already happened. The moon goddess has destined us,” he paused, his gaze fixed on me with a look I couldn’t decipher.

My heart raced, my wolf prowling beneath my skin. I held my breath without meaning to.

“As you already know, Noel and I are bonded to you. We are your fated mates.”

And there it was, the accursed word.

It hit me harder than the first time my wolf had practically howled the word.

But it was his next words that had me tumbling downhill.