Chapter 04

Mate!!

I didn’t have an answer to her question, but we didn’t have to wait long to find out.

A loud slam echoes through the cells as the main door swings open, and four fierce-looking wolves step inside. Their expressions are unreadable, their movements efficient as they surround our cages.

Before I can think to fight, the locks click open, and rough hands grab us, dragging us out of the cells and up the stairs.

The shift from dark, damp confinement to the brightness of the main house is almost blinding; I must have been out for hours if it was this bright already.

Now that I can fully see the house, I realize just how massive and elegant this place is. Polished floors gleam under the warm lighting, intricate carvings and heavy wooden accents adding a sense of old money.

This wasn’t just a house. It was the home of someone obviously powerful.

My stomach churns. What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?

They lead us straight into the office. The same one I had stolen the papers from.

Nova and I barely have time to exchange glances before we’re shoved down into chairs facing the door. Ropes tighten around our wrists and ankles, binding us in place.

One of the wolves, the one clearly giving orders, steps closer. His gaze flickers over us, his sharp expression softening—just slightly—as he takes in our faces. We were young, and he knew it.

"The Alphas will be with you shortly," he says, his tone unreadable.

I tense. Alphas?

"Just a bit of advice," he continues, looking straight at me. "Answer their questions honestly and don’t anger them. You might just get out of this alive."

I swallow hard.

He gives a final nod, his eyes lingering on Nova for a second before he turns and walks out, the other wolves following.

I barely notice their pitying looks.

Because my mind is reeling.

I whip my head toward Nova, my pulse pounding. "Did he say Alphas?"

Nova looks just as shaken, but her expression hardens.

"That bastard sent us to steal from an Alpha pack’s home." My voice is low, furious. "I swear, if we get out of this alive, I’m going to kill that son of a bitch."

Nova meets my gaze, her emerald eyes blazing with certainty.

"We will."

We both fall into silence, lost in our own thoughts.

I was trying to figure out our best chance of survival. Lying was off the table—if these were Alphas, they’d sniff out a lie in seconds. Honesty, at least to an extent, might be our safest bet. If we could convince them we weren’t a threat, maybe they’d let us go.

Maybe.

But before I can spiral further, something distracts me.

A scent.

No, not just one—three.

My nose twitches as the most intoxicating mix of smells floods my senses. One is warm and rich, like honey and sunshine on bare skin. Another is crisp and fresh, like rain-soaked earth after a storm. The last is deep and woodsy, like cedar and something darkly spiced.

I inhale sharply, my wolf suddenly howling inside me, pacing restlessly.

What the hell?

I shake my head, trying to focus. “Nova… can you smell that?”

She frowns, tilting her nose up in the air. “Smell what?”

I blink. “That—” I gesture vaguely, but words fail me.

Nova just gives me a weird look. “I don’t smell anything.”

Before I can question it further, hurried footsteps echo from outside.

Then—bam!—the door slams open, revealing three figures.

Three men.

And not just any men.

The most gorgeous humans I have ever seen in my life.

Tall. Broad. Power radiates from them like a force of nature, making the room feel smaller just from their presence.

And then—

Three sets of widened eyes lock onto mine.

Something shifts in the air, something clicks into place.

The word leaves all of our mouths at the same time.

"Mate."

"Wait, what the hell?" Nova mutters beside me.

I barely hear her.

I can’t move my eyes away from the three men standing in front of me, from the sheer presence they command.

One of them, the one who smells like honey and sunshine, tilts his head slightly, a slow, intrigued smile curling his lips. “Well… this changes everything.”

I know that voice.

I wince as recognition slams into me.

Shit.

It’s the same voice from last night—the guy I kneed in the groin.

I take him in. He’s tall, his frame all lean muscle, dressed in a crisp black button-down that fits way too well. His golden-blond hair is slightly tousled, like he just ran his fingers through it, and his piercing blue eyes shimmer with an intensity that makes my stomach flip. He looks like some kind of sun-kissed prince—if princes were capable of bone-crushing death grips.

The man beside him, the one who smells like cedar and dark spice, lets out a low, dangerous growl. “Fuck.”

My gaze snaps to him.

Unlike the golden prince, this one is all sharp angles and deadly edges. His black hair is cut short, his jawline razor-sharp, and his stormy gray eyes are filled with something unreadable—anger? Frustration? Hunger?

“We need to talk,” he says flatly.

His voice is like gravel, rough and commanding, and he’s already reaching out, grabbing the other two by the arms to pull them toward the door.

The blond follows easily, but the third one—the one who smells like rain and something deep, almost intoxicating—doesn’t budge.

I feel his stare before I even fully focus on him.

And when I do, my breath catches.

He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.

Dark brown hair, slightly wavy, frames his sculpted face. His hazel eyes shimmer with gold flecks in the light, and his features are almost too perfect—like an artist carved him straight out of marble. But there’s something else about him, something feral lurking beneath the surface, something that makes my pulse race for an entirely different reason.

“Kayden,” the black-haired one growls impatiently.

The name fits him.

Kayden’s jaw tightens. He doesn’t move, doesn’t blink. His gaze stays locked on me like he’s trying to memorize me.

“Now.”

With obvious reluctance, Kayden finally drags his eyes from mine and follows the other two out the door.

It slams shut behind them, leaving me with nothing but my pounding heart and my very unwanted emotions.