Chapter 1 : the omega's heat

 Sage's pov

The academy’s annual Moonlit Gala was in full swing under the starry sky, lanterns glowing like captured fireflies along the paths leading to the grand courtyard. Music floated through the night air, mixed with laughter and the rustle of expensive dresses.

I moved between the tables with my tray of drinks, my simple servant’s uniform making me feel like a shadow among all the glittering gowns and tailored suits. At eighteen, I should have been dancing with the other students, but a disgraced omega like me didn’t get invited to dance. I served instead.

Especially for them.

Kael Ashford, Vex Thorne, and Cass Rivera. The three nineteen-year-old princes everyone worshipped. My heart fluttered every time I looked at them. I was stupidly, hopelessly in love with all three. Kael with his strong jaw and warm golden eyes that made my knees weak. Vex, so smart and mysterious, with those piercing eyes that seemed to read my soul. And Cass, quiet and intense, who made me want to wrap him in hugs and never let go. I knew it was pathetic—me, the traitor’s daughter, dreaming about them—but I couldn’t help it. They were my secret light in this cruel world.

I approached their table carefully, balancing the heavy tray. Kael was laughing at something one of his friends said, his broad shoulders relaxed for once. As I refilled his goblet, my fingers brushed his. A tiny spark jumped between us, and he glanced down at me.

“Watch it, Sage,” he muttered, but there was a flicker of something almost soft in his voice. “You’re spilling.”

“Sorry, my lord,” I whispered, cheeks burning. He didn’t smile, but he didn’t snap either. That was something, right? Last week when I’d brought him extra blankets after training, he’d nodded and said “Good thinking.” Small kindnesses like that kept my stupid heart hoping.

Vex barely looked up from the book he’d sneaked to the gala. “The usual tea blend later, in our quarters,” he said flatly. “Don’t make it weak this time.” But then he added, almost like an afterthought, “You got the temperature right yesterday. Keep doing that.”

My heart skipped. Praise from Vex was rare. He was always so cold and distant, but those tiny moments made me think maybe he noticed me too. I was such a gullible fool for clinging to that.

Cass was quieter, staring into his drink. When I set his glass down, he caught my wrist for a second, steadying the tray. His touch was warm, and his brown eyes met mine briefly. “Thanks,” he mumbled. Not much, but coming from Cass it felt huge. 

I was still smiling to myself like an idiot when Mara Thorne appeared, her blonde hair perfect and her smile sharp as claws. Vex’s cousin and the worst bully at Lunar Academy. She hated me with a passion that never faded.

“Look who it is,” Mara sneered loudly, drawing eyes from nearby tables. “The Blackwood traitor’s spawn playing servant again. How fitting.”

Before I could step back, her hand cracked across my face in a stinging slap. Pain bloomed on my cheek. I gasped, nearly dropping the tray.

“You think you can flutter around my princes like some desperate slut?” she hissed, shoving me hard enough that I stumbled into a table. Wine spilled over my uniform. “Your father sold out the pack, and you’re just as worthless. Traitor blood. I should have you whipped for even looking at them.”

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them back. “I’m sorry, Lady Thorne. I was just serving—”

Another slap, harder this time. My lip split. Laughter rippled from her friends. “Serving? You’re breathing their air, you pathetic omega whore. Stay in your place or I’ll make sure that scholarship gets revoked. No one wants traitor scum here.”

I kept my head down, humiliation burning hotter than the pain. The princes were right there. Kael’s jaw tightened slightly, but he turned back to his conversation. Vex didn’t even glance up. Cass looked away. Their small kindnesses from before felt so far away now. Still, in my heart I made excuses—they couldn’t defend me publicly, not without causing drama. They were princes. I understood. I loved them anyway.

The bullying continued through the night. Mara “accidentally” tripped me twice more, spilling drinks on me and calling me names that made my stomach twist—traitor’s bitch, pack disgrace, easy meat. By the time the gala started winding down, I was exhausted, aching, and fighting back tears. I slipped away from the courtyard as soon as my duties ended, heading toward the edge of the academy grounds to catch my breath.

That’s when the heat hit.

It came without warning—a sudden, overwhelming wave of fire racing through my veins. My skin flushed hot, my core clenched with sharp, needy pain, and slick soaked through my underwear. I whimpered, doubling over behind a tree. No, not now. Not my first heat. Please.

Panic surged. I couldn’t let anyone scent this. Especially not at the academy. I ran, stumbling blindly toward the forest that bordered the school grounds. Branches whipped at my face as I pushed deeper, heart pounding, body burning. I needed to hide, to ride this out alone. But the heat grew stronger with every step, making my legs tremble and my thoughts fuzzy.

I didn’t get far.

Heavy footsteps crashed through the underbrush behind me. I turned, terrified, and there they were—Kael, Vex, and Cass, emerging from the trees like they’d been pulled straight to me. Their eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight, nostrils flaring as they caught my scent.

“Sage?” Kael’s voice was rough, deeper than usual. He stepped closer, his thermokinesis flaring unconsciously and wrapping me in a blanket of warmth that only intensified the ache. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

I backed up against a tree, breathing hard, trying to cover myself even though my uniform was already a mess. “I—I’m sorry. My heat… it started. I didn’t want anyone to know. Please, just let me go hide—”

Vex’s sharp eyes narrowed, but his usual coldness cracked. He inhaled deeply, body tensing. “That scent… it’s not just heat.”

Cass moved first, reaching out but stopping short, his hands clenched like he was fighting himself. “Fuck. It’s us. All three of us. The bond.”

The words hit me like lightning. The secret pull I’d always felt toward them—the way my wolf sang near them—suddenly roared awake. The rare triple mate bond. Legends made real.

Kael’s golden eyes widened. “Mate. She’s our mate. All three of us.”

I shook my head, tears mixing with sweat on my face. Even in the haze of heat, my gullible heart soared with foolish hope. “That can’t be true. I’m nobody. Traitor’s daughter. Mara’s right, I’m worthless. You guys are princes, and I’m just—”

“Quiet,” Vex cut in, but his voice wasn’t entirely cruel. He stepped closer, his hand hovering near my arm like he wanted to touch but was holding back. “The moon goddess doesn’t care about bloodlines when she chooses. This pull… it’s been there for months. I ignored it. We all did.”

Cass looked almost pained, his brown eyes soft in a way I’d rarely seen. “You’ve always been kind to us, Sage. Even when we weren’t.” He swallowed hard. “This changes everything.”

The heat surged again, making me gasp and slide down the tree trunk. My body trembled with need, the new bond amplifying everything. They surrounded me, not touching fully yet, but close enough that their scents wrapped around me like a promise. The bond teased at something deeper, stronger, pulling us together.

Kael crouched in front of me, his expression a mix of restraint and want. “We’ve got you, Sage. Breathe through it. We’re not leaving you like this.”

For the first time in years, surrounded by the three boys I secretly loved, I let myself believe that maybe the moon goddess had finally given me something good. Even if it was terrifying. Even if it was impossible.