Their Broken Hybrid Mate

CHAPTER 3 - MATED AT MIDNIGHT

*EMILY'S POV*

It was the eve of my eighteenth birthday - the most important day in my life, the day I was finally going to free myself from the shackles of slavery. I lay on my bed, staring up at the ceiling as i went over my escape plan over and over again.

It was a simple plan, but I was sure that it was going to be successful. I was going to attend my school's annual ball by 11pm, just to say my goodbyes to my best friend, and then I was going to get back home early. The triplets were going to stay at the ball till dawn and by the time they would be back, I would have disappeared from their lives for good.

The only thing missing in my plan was a dinner gown. All the gowns hanging in my closet were old and torn, each a reminder of how out of place I felt.

As I wallowed in self-pity, my phone buzzed. A text from my best friend, Mia, lit up the screen:

“You better not be bailing on me! It’s your birthday tomorrow and we’re going to make memories!” I could almost hear her voice, full of enthusiasm, urging me to join the fun and I wondered how she would feel when I broke the news to her eventually.

"I'm not sure I can go. I don’t have anything to wear.”

Her reply was instant:

“That’s nonsense! You have to come! I’ll help you find something! Just get ready!”

With a sigh, I realized I couldn’t let her down. Deep down, I knew that I wanted to celebrate my birthday, even if I was feeling down. I dragged myself off the bed and pulled on one of my old gowns—a simple blue dress that clung awkwardly to my body. I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the girl staring back at me. My hair was limp, and I didn’t have the energy to put on makeup. But when Mia arrived at my house, armed with a bag of makeup and accessories, she was ready to work her magic.

“You look beautiful!” she exclaimed as she brushed some color onto my cheeks. I gave her a weak smile, not believing her words.

In a matter of minutes, she was done and we made our way to the school. When we finally arrived, a wave of anxiety washed over me. The gym was decorated with twinkling lights and colorful streamers, but all I could see were the girls around me, dressed to kill, their hair styled perfectly, and their makeup flawless. I felt like I didn’t belong there.

As I stepped inside, I wanted to turn around and leave. Just when I was about to leave, I spotted Helen and her gang across the room. My heart sank. Helen had a bandage on her hand, and I knew exactly what had happened. I couldn’t believe she was there, ready to make my night miserable.

“Look! It’s the witch that tried to kill me!” Helen shouted, and all her friends laughed. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as they turned their attention to me and I took a small step back, ready to escape.

But then, out of nowhere, Lucas appeared. He was tall, and he spoke with an air of authority.

“Hey, leave her alone,” he said, stepping in front of me. My heart raced. I had never thought of Lucas as someone who would want to associate himself with me, but here he was defending me in front of the whole school.

“Why do you even care about the witch?” Helen sneered, but Lucas didn’t back down.

He turned to me, his expression softening. “Want to dance?”

I hesitated, my mind racing. I didn’t want to dance. I didn’t want to be there. But there was something in his eyes that made me feel safe. So, I nodded, and he took my hand, leading me to the dance floor.

The shock on Helen's face almost made me laugh, and I decided that if this was my last memory of her, then I was going to relish it.

As we started to move, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions. I was nervous and excited all at once. Lucas held me close, and I could feel the warmth radiating from him. The music played softly around us, and for a moment, I forgot about Helen and her gang.

“Why were you hiding?” he asked, looking down at me.

“I just… didn’t feel like I fit in,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

“You fit in fine,” he assured me, and I couldn’t help but smile. It felt good to hear that, even if I didn’t fully believe it.

As the night wore on, I found myself laughing and enjoying the music. Lucas was a great dancer, and he made me feel like I belonged. Just as I started to relax, the clock struck twelve. It was my birthday and my plan needed to be in motion immediately. I tapped Lucas and he spun around to face me.

"Hey, can you excuse me for a minute?"

"Sure," He nodded.

I turned around, prepared to find Mia but just then, a scent hit my nose. It was heavenly and something deep within me stirred—a pull I couldn’t ignore. My heart raced as I realized what it was.

Mia found me at that exact moment and I grabbed her arm, prepared to tell her the news.

“Mia!” I started, trying to keep my voice steady. “I smell something!”

“What?” she asked, looking at me with confusion.

“The scent… it’s my mate,” I said, my voice trembling. My wolf was purring happily inside me, urging me to follow the scent.

We started to trace the scent through the parking lot, and all the while, my heart was pounding in my chest. With each step, the scent grew stronger, and I felt a mixture of excitement and dread. Who could it be?

As we moved closer to the source, I tried to calm my racing thoughts. This was supposed to be a good thing, right? Finding my mate was something I had never even considered. All I knew was that when I turned eighteen, I would finally be free from the Walker triplets.

"Who do you think it would be?" Mia asked.

"I don't know, Mia," I muttered. The excitement was bubbling inside of me and for a moment, I forgot all about my plans to escape from the pack.

Maybe. Just maybe I wouldn't need to run away from the pack again. Just maybe the moon goddess would consider the fact that I had suffered for a long time and give me a good mate, someone that would make me feel loved and appreciated again.

"The scent," I muttered. "It's leading me to the parking lot."

Together, we raced to the parking lot and then, I saw him - Ethan. He stood there, leaning against his car, a smirk on his face. My breath caught in my throat and I shook my head in silent protest.

"No," I muttered. "This can't be happening."

“Mate?” he growled, his voice deep and resonant.

I backed away from him slowly until I reached the wall. I was trapped there with him, and I could see the fire burning in his eyes.

The grim realization slowly began to dawn on me - Ethan Walker was my mate, and that meant I was going to be trapped with him for life!