Bearing the forbidden heirs of my mates

As soon as the air changed, I knew that something was wrong. Not only the cold. The cold was nothing out of the ordinary here; the sort that chilled you to the bone regardless of how many layers of clothes you put on. This, however, was different; heavy. As if the whole forest was holding its breath. My grip tightened around the basket in my hands and my pace quickened along the narrow path. I shouldn't be out here alone. Every single pack member knew it. Even more so on this specific night. The pack celebration was already in progress. Every single pack member was currently standing under the great stone arches of the great hall, waiting for the Alphas to arrive, waiting for the ceremony to commence, and waiting for something that had been centuries in the making to finally be revealed. However here I was, miles away from anyone in particular in the very heart of the forest and utterly unable to shake the dread creeping under my skin. "Five more minutes," I whispered to myself as I increased my speed, causing the herbs inside my basket to rustle. I had been sent out at sunset to collect the herbs, but that had now been a little while too late; Stupid and careless of me. My father would never forgive me if I missed the celebration; I pushed the thought out of my mind and concentrated on the path that stretched out in front of me. And then I heard it. A distant, low growl. I froze completely. Every fiber of my body tensed as my eyes flickered over the dark trees that surrounded me. The wind rustled through the trees, still bringing the same heavy, uneasy tension. The next sound came a second later; a much heavier, distinct crunch, crunch, crunch. Footsteps. They weren't human. My breathing hitches. "No..." I whispered to myself, "Rogues!" The word echoed in my head like a death toll. Rogues were never that close to the pack borders; especially not when the Alphas were present and a celebration was going on. Something was deeply wrong. The growl sounded again, only this time much closer. Far too close. Panic shot through my chest and I turned and ran. The branches whipped against my skin as I burst through the undergrowth and my heart pounded furiously in my chest; the basket slipped from my grasp but I was unable to stop as the dark, damp trees seemed to close in on me, each shadow growing, each rustle and whisper of the forest amplifying and echoing into one massive terrifying shriek. Behind me, I heard a swift sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end. It was much too fast for the speed at which I was running and I was unable to deter from my path. It was a rogue, and it was right behind me. My lungs burned, my legs were going numb, and yet I was still running; my legs trembled, and the word 'rogue' continued to flash across my mind. I wouldn't make it to the pack before it got me; Suddenly I was slammed from behind and thrown to the ground, the impact hitting my side and knocking the wind out of my lungs. Everything stopped for a moment. Then I could feel something breathing against my neck. Warm, and dangerously close. A low growl reverberated at the back of my throat as I slowly turned my head in order to meet the gaze of my predator, or rather, eyes- golden, and wild; unsteady; a rogue. My heart was pounding so loud I could practically hear it in my ears, "Please," I croaked, "I haven't done anything..." The creature moved forward and I could feel its claws digging into the soft dirt right beside my head; I shut my eyes tightly. This was it, and I was going to die. Forgotten. Alone. Right before I managed to scream again something moved, the air seemed to crack and with an unseen force, the forest exploded beneath my feet. The rogue sprang back with a sharp growl as the earth began to tremble violently beneath me. A roar. It wasn't from the rogue. From something else. Something powerful. The noise ripped through the forest like a thunder that could never be anything but dominant... Scary. My eyes sprang open. Four figures stood out from the shadows. Not wolves. People. But I could feel the power they radiated, almost overwhelming me with the strength of it. Alphas. My breath hitched and I stumbled back with their advance into my room; their presence was choking, suffocating. I was unable to move; unable to think or to even breathe. The rogue whimpered and stumbled back before scurrying out of the room as if he'd never even been there. Then the room fell silent. A deafening, dangerous silence. And all four of them stared at me. At once. The moment their eyes met mine, I knew my world was completely fractured. A sharp, intense burn traveled through my chest, surprising me and taking the air from my lungs. "What-" The pain deepened, becoming stronger. It felt like fire… or like something was eating me from the inside out. I clutched my chest, my fingers starting to tremble. "No… something’s wrong..." I could tell from their expressions that it wasn't just me. Shock, confusion, and something more, something darker, covered each of their faces. "No," one of them finally said, his voice low and disbelieving. "Impossible," another muttered. My breathing grew ragged as the fire traveled, consuming me. The pain had brought me to my knees. "What is happening to me?" I whispered, though none of them answered. The air around us became thick with a tension I couldn't explain and I just knew… A pull… A strong, inescapable pull started wrapping around me like invisible chains linking me to all four of them. My heart pounded in my chest. "No…" I shook my head weakly, "No, this isn't right..." It couldn't be. It simply wasn't. One mate. That was the law. It always had been, but this… This felt like something different. Something forbidden. I met the gazes of all four alphas, my vision blurred and hazy, seeing how they were staring at me like I had just completely shattered every belief they had ever held. In the back of my mind, I knew my world would never be the same.