HANNAH
I had only gotten three hours of sleep the previous night. My entire body was aching by the time I finished cleaning the pig pen, and I had walked home because Alpha Dawson didn't offer me a ride. “I want to fuck a hot chick tonight!” One of Asher’s friends yelled, jolting me from my thoughts. Their dirty laughter filled my ears. It grated on my nerves, but I didn't dare show my displeasure. I hung my head, concentrating on not calling attention to myself. They would poke more fun at me if I so much as moved. Surreptitiously, I shifted from one aching foot to the other. I had been standing 'on guard' behind Asher's chair for a long, long time while he talked and laughed with his friends, Julia and her girlfriends. To make it worse, he had made me carry his books, and now my arms felt numb. "...you!" I blinked, raised my head and realized Asher had been talking to me. They were all looking at me. So much for my attempts to melt into the background. "S-sorry," I stuttered. "What did you say?" "You deaf or something?" Asher asked angrily. "I told you to go buy me a fucking sandwich." I gave a stiff nod, dropped his books carefully on a vacant chair and had actually walked a few paces forward before remembering that I had no money. I stood at a spot, swaying a little on my feet. I could find a way to get him a sandwich- which was practically impossible as I didn't have a dime on me- or I could go back to ask him for some money. "Hey, dumbo!" one of Asher's friends called. "The cafeteria is that way," They laughed, and I wanted the ground to open and swallow me. I took a deep breath and went back. Asher's brow rose. "Well? Where is my sandwich? Did you magically make one just now?" "Maybe she barfed up one," someone offered, causing another round of laughter. "I- I don't have any money," I confessed. "You're such a numbskull. Why didn't you say so in the first place? Here!” He threw some money at my feet. “For once, make use of those useless legs of yours and come back quickly. I'm starving." "Such a pathetic bitch," one of Asher's friends murmured as I hurried away after picking up the money he threw at my feet. I forced back tears as I walked. Virtually everyone at school now knew I was Asher's slave, a fact they wouldn’t fail to remind me of in whatever way they could. I hated my life. I hated them. I hated the pack and the Alpha. Most of all, I hated Asher and the stupid mate bond that made me miserable whenever he so much as gave Julia a flirtatious look. I couldn't stand being with them, not just because of how he treated me but because of how he made out with Julia at every second. “Don’t worry. Everything will be better.” Mace whispered, but I ignored her. Nothing was going to get better. I quickly got the sandwiches and hurried back to Asher. He took them from me without even a glance in my direction. He was listening to his friends, who were deep in conversation about some new boys who had just started attending our school. "Everyone is talking about them," Justin said with a sly smile at Julia's girlfriends. "Especially the girls." Julia gave her signature head toss before saying, "Apparently, they are the sons of a very powerful Alpha from another pack. That's why they are getting so much attention." "And their good looks, too. Don't forget that," one of Julia's bubble gum-chewing, airheaded friends chipped in. Asher waved a hand dismissively. "That's enough. Let's talk about something else. I'm not interested in talking about them... whoever they are." Fletcher laughed and nudged Asher playfully in the ribs. "Why not? Do you feel threatened by them already? Do you think they will run the school and take your place? How-" The table shook as Asher's fists slammed down on it. My startled gasp was lost in the gasps of others. There was a moment of shocked silence at Asher's behaviour. "Enough!" Asher roared so loudly that some passing students stopped to glance at his table before moving on. "Shut the fuck up!" Fletcher was making a joke. That was obvious, and everybody thought so, too. Julia was the first to recover her power of speech. "Asher love," she purred. "Don't get angry. It was just a joke." Asher angrily knocked her hand off his shoulder and pushed to his feet. "You," he said to me. "Grab the books and follow me." He marched off, and I was left to hurry after him despite the fact that Julia was looking daggers at me. It was some time before I realized that he was heading in the direction of his class. I stopped walking at once. "Asher," I called out. He kept walking and only stopped when he realized I wasn't following him. "Didn't you hear me? Want me to shove you? Get moving, or I'll be late to class." "I also have classes now." "What was that? Speak up." “I—I said I also have classes no—now.” He stared at me with an expression of surprise that was almost comical. And then he looked positively furious. "For a moment there, I thought I heard wrong. Have you forgotten what you are to me?" "I know, but your father instructed me to be your servant-" "Slave." "-slave when I'm not having classes, but I'm having classes now." He laughed mirthlessly. "So you think I have no authority over my father? You think I don't have a say in your punishment?" I shook my head. Asher was upset. Very upset. When he was upset, he was likely to do something rash and stupid. To me. "Listen here, you worthless piece of trash. You will do whatever I want, wherever I want and for as long as I want. You and your family are the dirt under my feet, you understand? And you have no say in anything. I can even fuck you and your whore of a mother if I want." Like the day in the woods, I felt something in me snap. Gone was the urge to snivel and cry. I wanted to hit something, preferably Asher's face. I opened my arms and let his books fall. "That's it!" I snapped. "Do your worst, Asher! I'm done. I don't even care if you banish me. Life anywhere else is better than life in this pack!” Before he could muster a word, I left him with his mouth hanging open in shock. I didn't know what came over me or gave me the courage, but I was suddenly tired of being his puppet. I was so exhausted. I had not gotten very far when he barked out, "Hannah. Come here!” I looked back and saw him coming after me. Disobeying him had been the highest form of provocation. I knew that just as I knew he would hurt me once he got his hands on me. When I heard his footsteps drawing closer, I broke into a run. I ran towards my classroom, hoping to find a teacher there. Asher wouldn't dare hurt me in the presence of a teacher, preferably a whole bunch of them. I was fast, but Asher was faster. I could feel him gaining on me every second. The door to my classroom was up ahead. Never would I be able to make it there on time. Pushing open the door of the first classroom in my path, I rushed in and slammed the door shut. Then I froze. I could feel something, an inexplicable kind of... pull, coming from behind me. Three identical pairs of slate grey eyes were staring at me when I turned. Those eyes drew me in like a magnet but that was not what made the room spin. That was not what made it hard to breathe. It was the fact that from deep within me, my wolf screamed 'MATE'. Mate? I staggered back in shock. ‘Which of them, Mace?’ But she was too excited to even listen to me. Which of these hot, breathtaking guys was my mate? Before I could make sense of anything, I heard their masculine voices chorus at the same time. MATE. They were staring at me as those words left their lips. I was their mate. They were my mate. All three of them. My mind whirled as I wondered how not only Asher, but these three boys could be my mates? I barely had a second to digest this oddity before the door was forcefully pushed open and Asher walked in. "You!" he ground out, his eyes burning with hate and anger. “You fucking—” Before I could move, he had grabbed me and was dragging me out the door. "Let her go!" a deep voice boomed. Asher stopped and noticed the boys for the first time. I turned to see one of the triplets, the one who had spoken, glowering at Asher. "What did you just say?" Asher hissed. "I said get your hands off her." Immediately, Asher let go of me and stomped over to the boy who was inches taller than him. The other two stood back, arms crossed over their broad chests, watching. "Do you know who the fuck I am?" Asher demanded. "How dare you give me orders?" The boy, and the others were clearly unfazed by Asher's bossy tone. From the aura of authority that hung about them, I realized these boys were royalty and probably the triplets Asher’s friends had been talking about. What was more, they were my second-chance mates? The boy closed the distance between him and Asher until their chests were almost touching. He jabbed a finger at Asher's shoulder. "I don't give a damn about who you are," he said. "Don't you ever touch her again. Do you understand?" As one, the two other boys took a couple of steps forward. The tension in the room was palpable. With Asher's foul temper, I was sure the confrontation would degenerate into a fist fight. I certainly didn't plan on getting beaten like a rag doll. While taking care not to make any sudden moves that would call attention to myself, I backed towards the door and slipped out of the classroom.CADEFor the very first time in my life, I felt what it was like to literally have the ground pulled out from under my feet. It was a feeling both surprising and unnerving, a feeling that left me breathless.It started the moment the girl ran into the classroom where I and my brothers were. Or was it the moment she turned those big, frightened, but pretty brown eyes to us?And her scent... her scent had been the most exquisite I had ever smelled. It had filed my nostrils to the exclusion of everything else. The urge to run my fingers through her long, wavy dark hair had been so overwhelming that it actually felt like I had done it. My wolf had screamed 'MATE'. My brothers- though I hadn't been looking at them- had responded to her in the exact same way I did. I had felt it. At the moment I realized that something truly bizzare- the three of us being mated to the same girl had happened- the door had been pushed open, a guy had barged in and tried to take the girl away.Said guy was cur
HANNAHI looked on as two of the guys tackled Asher. It was surprising because they did not hesitate before hitting him. For the first time, no one cared about Asher and his fucking status in the pack. They just held him down, and he tried to fight them off. Obviously, it was a lost fight for him. He was no match for one of the brothers, talk more of two of them."Should we help him?" Mace asked, but I shook my head. This was the only moment I had to watch him have a taste of his own medicine. There was a slight chance he would come after me later and punish me for what happened. But at least he would be doing that with bruises.One of the triplets, the one who had picked up my books for me, held my hand and tried to pull me away from the scene. I resisted initially because even though they saved me, I knew nothing about them besides the rumours floating around the school. And for all I knew, they could be even worse than Asher, and I was jumping from a bad situation to a more terribl
HANNAHThe triplets and I continued talking, and I found myself relaxing with them as time progressed. Then, I began to notice their features. While they looked similar, they had noticeable differences that made them stand apart.Cade was the tallest, with long brown hair up in a bun. His dark grey eyes complimented his pale, handsome face. He was quite muscular and had the typical bad-boy demeanour. It would be hard for any girl not to fall for his appearance.Jace, on the other hand, had blond silky hair, and it was obvious he cared a lot about his looks. His greyish-brown eyes shone with mischief, and while he had an easy-going smile, it was obvious that he wasn't one to be messed with.Chase seemed to be the one who talked the least. He was more observant than the two, with his dark greyish-green eyes taking in every detail. His dark curly hair had been cut off, but he had more facial hair than the other two. He also smiled the least, and I sensed people steered clear of him more
HANNAH"I'll train you," Cade said without any hesitation.My jaw dropped. "You mean that, right?""The first time I saw you, you were running from your dickish ex-mate," He slowly looked me over, the same way he did when our eyes met for the first time. "I want you to punch his face the next time."I couldn't help but smile. "That sounds like a good idea."I had never felt so happy in my life as I accepted. It was really ironic how one's life could turn around in a few hours. And that was my case.No guy this handsome had ever paid me the slightest notice. In fact, I wasn't sure there was any other man on earth with Cade's breathtaking masculine beauty.And yet, he was volunteering to do something that could change my life."Would you like to see the rest of the Estate now?" I turned to see him staring at me with a questionable expression and realized that I had been lost in thought."Ye—Yes. I want to."He took my hands and led me to the bigger side of the Estate. He showed me the b
HANNAH"I've never—" My voice trailed off, too embarrassed to admit that no guy had kissed me before Cade did, let alone three. "I think I'm comfortable. Yes."Almost immediately after I answered, I felt the room tense up. Or that was me.Jace was the first to react. He pushed toward me so quickly and pressed his lips to mine with a low groan. One hand tightly tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss, and the other held me mercilessly to him.Cold chills sizzled against my skin in contrast to the hot and demanding heat pulling me from the inside.When he finally lifted his head, his expression was intense, like he was searching for answers on my face. "You have such an effect on me."My eyes fell on the bulge nearly pushing through his shorts, and I swallowed. He took my hands and slowly made me wrap them against his hardness.At that moment, Chase, who was standing behind me, started to plant kisses on my back. Then his lips trailed to my neck, his breath hot and heavy.While I rub
HANNAH“You led them here?” My mother yelled, her eyes filled with shock when she learned that I returned with bodyguards from Ice Stone Pack. “Asher Dawson will kill us if he finds out!”Although I had slightly expected her reaction and even imagined the scenario during my ride home, a part of me still hoped that she would be optimistic when she learned of the recent development in my life. And maybe a little bit glad that her daughter finally had a chance to be happy.We had always talked about me finding my mate, and when it turned out to be Asher, the sadness lingered between us. Was I too delusional to have thought she would be too excited to learn that I got a second chance?Hell! I expected balloons, a bottle of wine and an excellent toast to true love. Was that too much to ask?“Mum, can you calm down?” I asked, tapping my feet nervously on the ground. It was the only thing I could do in my situation.Sending the bodyguards back to Ice Stone was impossible, and I wasn’t even w
HANNAHI reached for the straps of my backpack strapped securely across my shoulders and clutched it tightly. My gaze was fixed on the ground, scared to look at Asher’s cold yet burning eyes. I needed an escape route. And I needed it fast.Slowly glancing around me, I painfully realized I had two options: beg Asher or sprint. None of them seemed good, especially since he had closed the distance between us, his breath hot and fast. Asher was faster than me, even in his sleep, so running would only end with my face slammed to the ground. That is if I managed to run.Begging him was the most logical choice, but that meant I would be at his mercy. And without any exaggerations, the devil was more merciful than Asher Dawson. I finally managed to look up at him. Asher's eyes seemed to gleam with knowledge as if he knew the very thoughts that ran through my mind. Mace sensed his aura and dominating wolf and immediately backed down. Yes, my wolf abandoned me in my time of distress. Asher
ASHER'S POVI couldn't help but feel a surge of anger wash over me as I sat in the reception area, waiting for the principal. My nose was still bleeding from the fight with Jace, and I could feel the warmth of the blood as it trickled down my face. I wiped the bottom of my nose with a handkerchief, and in no time, it was soaked red.I glared at Jace, my eyes burning with anger and humiliation. How could he have done this to me, the son of the Alpha? I was supposed to be the strongest and the most feared. But ever since these brothers showed up, all I received were bruises and a battered ego.“Jace, are you hurt?” I heard Hannah ask and nearly choked with anger. She touched his face, trying to see if he was bruised. Such a fucking nice attempt to enrage me the more.I wanted revenge. Immediately. But I knew I had to keep my cool. I couldn't let Jace see how much he had gotten to me.But Hannah was watching me with amusement and fear, her eyes darting back and forth between me and Jace.