Chapter three

KYLIE as KADEN

I was seated on a couch inside Irene's house, a cup of tea in my hand as we conversed. I had accepted her offer and Irene had invited me inside her home to stay the night. I had accepted because I had nowhere else to go, and somehow, my gut told me I could trust her. From the conversation we had been having, I learned that Irene was a widow. Her husband had died a few years earlier.

"So, what really happened? Why were those men chasing after you?" She asked, looking concerned.

I fiddled with the cup in my hands, wondering if I should come clean about it. I also reasoned that right now I had no one else to turn to in my life aside from her. And perhaps she might be able to help me. So, taking a deep breath, I told her everything. About Jason, Selene, Thomas, and about how Jason planned to make me a breeder. I also told her about the rejection and how he had sentenced me to death.

The color had drained from Irene's face when I finished. "Wow, that's a lot. I'm so sorry, Kylie."

I felt fresh tears about to spill, but I held them back. This was not the time. "So you see, I need to find a way out. I know I won't be able to hide from Jason for long enough. Soon he will find me, and I'm scared of what might happen. I just…I need to hide away somehow."

Irene listened and nodded, paying attention as I spoke. When I finished, she drew closer. "I have an idea. A way you might be able to hide."

I nearly jumped from my seat. "Really? How…how will that be possible."

"A disguise might be best. Hiding in plain sight is always the best way to escape. My son, Kaden, before he died, he gained admission into Lythmore Academy. He was supposed to resume after Christmas. He was looking forward to it for so long, it hurt me that he never got the chance to go.

"I'm so sorry, Irene," I whispered.

She smiled sadly. "It's okay. That is why you can take his place.

I grimaced, shocked. "What?"

Irene nodded. "Yes. The college isn't aware of his death, not yet. So you can take Kaden's identity, at least until we figure out another way to go about this."

I hesitated, tossing the idea around in my head. It just seemed very complicated. Was it even going to work? How long could I keep up the act of being a boy?

"It's the only way, Kylie," Irene assured me. "And if you are hesitant because he was my son, don't be. I'm the one giving you permission to take his identity. It will save your life, so it is for a good cause."

She was right. Finally, I nodded. "Okay. But how do we pull this off?"

"Leave that to me."

After I finished my tea, Irene made me sit in front of the mirror, and then with a skillful hand, she began to cut my hair low. Once she finished, I couldn't even recognize myself. I looked so…boyish, it was strange.

Weeks later, Christmas had come and gone. As I slowly awoke, I heard Irene’s voice, filled with urgency, as she entered the room. "Okay, the bus will be here soon. You need to get dressed quickly."

I nodded, and quickly went through the routine of getting dressed in the uniform that felt awkward hanging off my body. I had also worn a binder to flatten my chest a little bit and make my disguise look more real. When I walked out of the room, Irene was waiting for me. She has already packed a travel bag which she packed for me.

"Here. The essentials are inside. Books, pens, pencils, everything you need for school." She then handed me some money

"Oh, Irene, you don't need to–"

"It's fine. I insist. You escaped in the middle of the night, I'm sure you don't have anything on you. So please, accept this."

I was so overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thank you so much. I promise to pay you back for everything as soon as I can."

Irene smiled, waving my words aside. "You don't have to. Just focus on the matter at hand, okay? And good luck on your first day."

"Thank you."

I was about to leave when she called me back. "Wait, there's one more thing. The most important thing, I forgot."

She took out a small bottle which contained some kind of liquid. She brought it to my neck and sprayed it on me a few times. The liquid evaporated just as she did that.

"This is a scent suppressant. Without it, your scent will be perceived as a she-wolf. Now, you won't have a scent at all."

"Ohh..will it last for a long time?"

"All day. So…here, keep it with you. You'll need to use it religiously, every single time as long as you are stepping out of this house."

I nodded, taking the bottle from her and slipping it into my bag, also making a mental note to keep it hidden.

I nodded and thanked her one last time before rushing out at the sound of a horn outside. I climbed into the bus and took a seat at the back. When we dropped in front of the school and I climbed out, I felt my breath catch in my throat.

"Oh shit…" I whispered under my breath. The school building was magnificent. I glanced from the giant doors to the Victorian style of the building. It was amazing, no wonder this place was for the elite. The wealthy.

I was still staring when suddenly I felt someone run into me. I turned around to see a face that was shockingly familiar. This was the guy from the accident! Suddenly my heart began to pound heavily, sweat forming on my neck.

What if he recognised me?! Oh gosh, this was not good.

"Mate!"

I froze. My wolf had just proclaimed. I stared at the guy in shock. He was my mate?! His scent filled my nose, and my wolf was so drawn to him.

Oh fuck. Shit. I needed to get out of here. This couldn't be happening right now.

I was about to leave when the other two guys from the accident who both looked like this guy appeared.

"Mate! Mate!" My wolf proclaimed yet again, making me realize that I was mated to all three of them. That was a shock. After I rejected Jason, I did not expect to find another mate.

Second chance mates were a rare occurrence. Except if the moon Goddess chose to bless you. And apparently, she had blessed me.

I was frozen to the spot unable to move, trembling from fear at what they were going to do once they felt the mate bond.

But to my surprise they did not seem to notice. Instead they were all staring at me with a bored expression. And then it hit me. They didn't realize I was their mate. They couldn't feel the mate bond. But…why?

"Our mates cannot feel the bond because of the scent suppressant. It is blocking off our pheromones," my wolf said.

Oh. That made sense.

"Why doesn't this dude have a scent?" One of the brothers said, glancing at me suspiciously.

As fast as I could, I turned around and raced into the building, heading straight for the restroom when I found it. My heart was pounding loudly, I was having a freaking panic attack!

No, no, no. Was this real?

I was still trying to find my bearings when the door opened. I was about to yell at the guy when I remembered I was disguised as a guy.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale," the guy said. He was tall and thin, wearing round thick spectacles.

I nodded. "Just first day jitters."

Ohh, you'll be fine. I'm Andrew, by the way."

"Kaden," I said, taking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Kaden. Come, I'll show you around. Let's help you find your dorm."

Gratefully, I followed behind Andrew as he showed me around. When we got to the reception to check my room number, he led me there. After he bade me goodbye, I walked inside. But what I saw made my bags drop to the floor.

All three guys from the accident were my roommates!

I rushed out of there and headed straight to the dorm master's office. I explained everything to him, saying I could not stay in the same room with them, and if it would be possible to be reassigned.

The dorm master shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it. You can apply for a change of dorms, and we'll look into it. But for the meantime you have to stay there."

A chill ran over me as I thought of it. I couldn't possibly live in the same dorm and all three of my mates when I was pretending to be a guy!

How the hell was I supposed to cope?