5: Three more mates

Gianna’s POV

I woke up slowly, my head pounding with a dull ache that was somewhere less than before. I winced as I shifted feeling the throb with each movement. My eyes fluttered open and I became very much aware of three enormous figures hovering over the bed I was lying in.

My heart leapt in my chest and a scream tore from my throat before I could stop it. So much has been happening the last few hours but this is the peak of everything. What are these men doing here?

“Easy, easy.” One of them said quickly, his deep voice soothing though gruff. “We are not going to hurt you.”

I stared at them then blinked rapidly trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Three incredibly handsome identical men were standing around me, their expressions a mix of concern and something I couldn’t quite place. They are scary.

They were massive, their broad shoulders and muscular frames filing the space around the bed. Each of them had the same dark hair and piercing gray eyes, a stark contrast in the dim light of the room.

“Who… who are you?” I stammered, my voice shaky and barely audible.

The one closest to me offered a small, reassuring smile. “We’re the Alpha Kings.” He said, his voice gentle but firm. “And we’re your mates.”

I stared at him, the words not quite registering at first. Then a bitter laugh escaped my lips. Is that what they call women before they sleep with them nowadays? Because last I checked my mate has rejected me and forced me to become his plaything.

Now he is allowing the alpha kings to have me so he can impress them. Something tightened in my stomach that could be anger or disgust or both.

“Mates? That’s a good one. You don’t have to pretend. I know I’m just here to be your plaything during your stay. It’s fine. I’ll be used to it.” I managed to say that to them.

Their faces shifted, the reassurance in their expressions becoming something more serious, almost fierce. “We’re not pretending.” The other said, his tone firm and unyielding. “You’re our mate.”

“We have no reason to lie to you.”

I searched their faces looking for any sign of deceit but all I saw was sincerity and determination. My heart clenched painfully in my chest as I remembered the earlier rejection that had torn me apart. But like they said, they have no reason to lie to me. They can force me.

“That can’t be.” I whispered in a thin voice shaking my head. “My mate rejected me just a few hours ago.”

“Who?” Another took a threatening step, his eyes twitching to his wolf.

“Alpha Eliot.”

The shock on their faces was unmistakable and they exchange dark furious glances. They are all so similar it is confusing.

“Eliot rejected you?” One said, his voice was a low, dangerous growl. “He’s a fool.”

“His loss. We are your second chance mates.” The other said softly, his eyes never leaving mine. “And we are not going to reject you. Ever.”

I could hear the sincerity in his voice, see the resolve in his eyes, but the pain of Eliot’s rejection was still fresh, still raw. Could I trust them? Could I trust this bond after what I’d just been through?

But as I looked at them, something deep inside me stirred, a faint flicker of hope, a connection I couldn’t quite explain. It was as if my heart recognized them before my mind could fully comprehend it.

I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. “Second chance…” I murmured, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. “Are you sure?”

“We’re sure,” Keith said, his voice low but full of conviction. “And we’ll prove it to you.”

A part of me wanted to believe them, to hold on to the possibility of a second chance at love and acceptance. But another part of me was terrified, scarred by the pain of rejection. Yet, as I looked into their eyes, I found it harder and harder to deny the pull I felt toward them.

“I’m Kane. He is Keith and that is Klaus.” Kane introduced as they both stood beside one another. I can’t tell them apart.

The weight of everything hit me all at once. The rejection, the pain and confusion of being told I had a second chance at the mating bond when I thought I’d lost it forever. Tears well up in my eyes blurring my vision as emotions I’d been holding crash over me. I started sobbing.

“I-I’m sorry.” I choked out between sobs, trying to pull myself together, but the tears just kept coming. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me…”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Kane murmured, his voice gentle as he sat on the edge of the bed. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from my face with a tenderness that made my heart ache even more.

Klaus was at my other side in an instant, his strong arms wrapping around me, pulling me into a comforting embrace. “You don’t have to apologize,” he said softly. “You’ve been through so much. Let it out.”

Keith knelt down beside me, his hand resting on my knee as he looked up at me with those intense stormy gray eyes. “We’re here now,” he said, his voice a low, soothing rumble. “You don’t have to be strong all the time. Let us help you.”

Slowly, my sobs began to quiet, the torrent of emotions gradually easing as their presence soothed me. My breathing steadied, though the occasional tear still slipped down my face.

Kane wiped them away, his touch so gentle it made my heart ache all over again, but this time with something softer, something almost hopeful.