Three

I stood there while they stared at me; they couldn't tear their eyes away, and neither could I keep my gaze from them. My heart was pounding furiously in my chest, and I struggled to control it. What should I do or say? I was disoriented, to say the least. Alpha Kael’s son—or maybe sons, judging by their similarity in looks they are probably brothers—were my mates?

“Where were you two?” Alpha Kael asked suddenly, redirecting their attention. The one with the darker hair gave me one last look before walking past me, his body brushing against mine slightly. My wolf nearly jumped out to pounce on him.

The brown-haired one kept his eyes on me before following. I turned to look at them as they focused on Alpha Kael, who asked, “Where were you two?”

“Men can’t go horse riding, Father,” the one with the darker hair responded. I saw Alpha Kael’s jaw clench with anger. His expression suggested he might explode at any moment, but the darker-haired brother seemed unfazed.

Noticing the tension, the other brother stepped forward and said, “We have very important news for you, Father, but first, who is that?” He turned toward me, making my heart jump in fear. Why was he suddenly asking about me? Alpha Kael and the brother with dark hair also looked at me, and Alpha Kael answered with a dismissive wave, saying, “A new whore, no one important. I shall be enjoying her tonight.”

My heart skipped a beat at the news, fear taking over me. The two brothers continued to watch me while I was terrified and struggling to control my restless wolf. “Find her a room to stay, and bring her to me tonight,” Kael said. Turning to his sons, he added, “Come with me. We have matters to discuss don't we?”

.

.

.

I sat in the room assigned to me, contemplating my life choices as my mind replayed the recent events. What exactly was happening, and what tricks was the universe playing on me? Could I really be mated to both of them? I had heard of second-chance mates, but they were rare miracles, not common occurrences. Yet, for some reason, the moon goddess made me mated to Alpha Kael’s sons.

“You look beautiful,” a maid said as she applied berry juice to my lips, accentuating the color. My heart raced, but I took a deep breath to control it. The brothers hadn’t spoken to me personally after my wolf revealed they were my mates, nor had they said anything to their father, Alpha Kael.

Here I was, being dressed up as the official mistress, a life I never wanted. Tears rolled down my cheeks, but I quickly wiped them away. The maid dressing me noticed and stared at me with pity. Another maid entered and asked, “Is she ready? The Alpha is waiting.”

The maid nodded and urged me to rise. Tears flowed down again, and I wiped them away. Taking a deep breath, I did as I was told, fearing for my life. Each time I thought about what had happened, I grew more sad and angry. I wanted to ruin those who had wronged me, but I had no opportunity. Instead, I was to be nothing more than a mere sacrifice to a deranged, evil Alpha.

The maid led me to his room and knocked on the door. I swallowed hard, steadying myself before they urged me inside. I pushed the door open and took cautious steps, fear taking over me as I tried to hold back my tears. I didn’t want this. I didn’t want to be his mistress, and I didn’t want to sleep with him, but it seemed there was little I could do about it.

I saw Alpha Kael sitting in his chair, drinking wine. His eyes scanned me, his gaze lingering with desire. I had to control the nausea rising within me. “Take off your clothes. Let me see you in your natural form,” he ordered. I was bewildered. I didn’t want to be naked in front of him. The thought of it terrified me. My hesitation seemed to anger him, and he growled, “Do I have to repeat myself?”

I shook my head, tears rolling down my cheeks as I muttered, “I don’t want to.” This only made him angrier. He rose to his feet and stormed toward me. I stepped back in fear, but he grabbed me by the hair, slamming me roughly into the table. I cried out for help, my wolf growling inside me, wanting to come out, but I knew that would mean instant death.

“How dare you defy me, you little whore?” he shouted, yanking me by the hair and striking me hard across the face. I fell to the ground, tears burning in my eyes as I looked up at him, pleading. “Please, please don’t hurt me,” I begged, but he seemed deaf to my pleas. He picked me up by my hair and threw me onto the bed.

“If you didn’t want to be hurt, you would have followed orders,” he growled. I tried to get off the bed, desperate to escape, but he acted swiftly, pouncing on me and pinning me underneath him. He tore my clothes with a single motion, exposing my naked body while I cried and begged. “Stop resisting,” he said, hitting me again. At that moment, I feared I might die.

I cried out for any force that could hear my plea. This was not how I envisioned my first time, and now this man was going to ruin my innocence. He crashed his lips against mine as I cried and tried to push him away, but he wouldn’t budge. I bit him on the lips, hard, causing him to growl in pain. He pulled his lips away, angrier than before, and spat, “I’ll just kill you and fuck your dead corpse.” With that, he started to strangle me, his hands tightening around my throat and cutting off my air supply.

I clawed at his hands, hoping to be freed, but his grip tightened. I was powerless and in pain. I tried to speak, to plead for my life but he was strangling me so hard making that impossible. I felt life slipping away as my vision blurred. I started to resist less, realizing I was on the brink of death. Was this how my life would end? Was this really the end for me? At that moment I couldn't help but pray silently, to any higher being that was hearing me and capable of saving me.

Just then, something happened. A look of shock appeared on the Alpha's face as his eyes widened. His grip on my neck began to loosen as he started choking, blood suddenly pouring down the side of his lips. He got off me on the bed as he was choking. I immediately inhaled, gasping for breath and feeling relief that I wasn’t dying, at least not yet. I coughed, trying to steady myself while holding my neck.

My eyes went to the Alpha, who was still struggling. Blood was crawling out of every orifice—his eyes, mouth, and ears. His skin turned red, as if he was burning from the inside, and that shocked me to the core. What was going on? What was suddenly happening? Then he suddenly crumbled to the ground, his body shaking furiously, and I didn’t know how to react. I was still trying to breathe properly. Should I call for help? Should I try to help him? I was completely frozen, shocked at what was happening to him.

After what felt like an eternity of shaking, his body finally stilled. His eyes remained wide open and bloody, his body red as if burned from within. Fearfully, I slowly stood from the bed and walked towards him. I reached for his nose to check for breathing, and to my horror, he wasn’t. I gasped and fell to the ground. I wanted to scream but quickly clasped my hands over my mouth to suppress it.

At that moment, someone walked in and said, “Sorry to disturb you, Alpha, but there is important ne…” He couldn’t finish his statement when his eyes fell on the Alpha’s lifeless body and me next to it.

His eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, “What have you done?” I looked at him, scared, my body trembling, and then back at the Alpha’s lifeless body. I shook my head, trying to speak, but no words came out. He opened the door and shouted, “Guards, everyone come quickly! The Alpha has been murdered by his mistress…”