Mated To The Three Kings: Three Alphas. One Forbidden Mate.

If I’d known the cost of winning, I would’ve walked away from the starting block. Better yet, I would never have learnt how to swim. *** The roar of the crowd shook my body. The air was filled with the scent of chlorine and stale sweat. "You’ve got this, Brookiee!" Piper’s voice cut through the chaos. My best friend was the only thing keeping me grounded. Then, I dove. The cold water hit hard. Left. Right. Breathe. In the water, I wasn’t a nobody; I was just… the best. My fingers grazed the tiles a split second ahead of the girl in lane four. I surfaced gasping, eyes darting to the board. State record broken. An hour later, the gold medal hung around my neck as I sprinted to the principal's office. “Billy, I did it,” I breathed, pushing the door open, the gold medal bouncing against my chest. “I…” The words died in my mouth. Billy sat behind his desk, shoulders stiff, hands pressed together. “Billy?” No response. A small laugh escaped my lips. "Okay… that’s dramatic even for you.” Nothing. “I broke the state record,” I said a little softer now. “You always said I would.” He blinked. Once. Then his eyes met mine… Whatever was looking back at me… wasn’t Billy. “You’re leaving, Brooke.” “Leaving?” A small nervous laugh escaped my lips. “I just won. Scouts are going to…” “You don’t need scouts!” He slammed his hand against the desk, hard enough to make me flinch. “You don’t need this school. This town. Not anymore.” “Billy… what’s going on?” For a second, his eyes darting across the room and then towards the window. He yanked open his drawer and pulled out a heavy envelope, shoving it towards me as it burned. “Ocean Hills Academy. Full ride. Training, housing… everything.” “Why do you sound like you’re getting rid of me?” His jaw tightened. “You leave tonight.” “To… tonight?” My voice cracked. “How?… No. No, I can’t just… What about Piper? What about you…?” “You… you cannot stay here,” he spat. “Do you understand? You cannot stay.” A cold sweat slicked down my palms. “Then tell me why.” “Even if I wanted to... I can’t.” “Billy…” “I. CAN’T.” He stood up so abruptly his chair screeched. Before I could react, he was in front of me… too fast… grabbing my wrist. "Billy, you’re hurting me.” “Good.” And then his gaze softened as his grip loosened slightly. “Good,” he repeated, but this time his tone was softer. “It means you’ll remember.” “Remember what?” “This is the only way I can keep you safe… alive,” he whispered, pressing an old, ancient-looking pendant with a ‘C’ marking on my palm. “Alive?” The pendant pulsed as I said the word. “Wear that and do not take it off for any reason… Everything will unfold in due time,” he urged. “Go!” I stumbled back as he shoved the envelope into my chest, pushing me towards the door. “Be weary of the people there.” The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the hall. “Brookiee!” I hadn’t even reached my beat up sedan car before I heard her. Piper came running toward me, her curls bouncing with reckless abandon. For a heartbeat, everything felt normal. “You did it!” she gasped, grabbing my arms. “I was screaming so loud I thought the lady beside me would bite me.” My gaze dropped, unable to meet hers. “I heard you.” “Good. I nearly lost my voice for you, Brookiee.” Her grip loosened slightly. “Why do you look like that? Brookiee… what’s wrong?” “I… have to leave.” “Leave where? What are you talking about…?” “I got a full ride to Ocean Hills Academy.” I cut in. “Billy said I have to go tonight.” I rushed the words and then waited. The silence that followed was loud. “Tonight?” she asked. I nodded. She stared at me. “So don’t go.” My brows furrowed slightly as I swallowed hard. “It’s not that simple…” “Then make it simple, Brooke Stevens,” she cut in, her voice trembling. “You just won the biggest race of your budding career. We’re supposed to be celebrating right now, and you’re telling me you’re leaving like it’s nothing…” “It’s not... ” “Then what are you saying?” She took a step closer, her breath hitching as her eyes began to water. “Do you even want to stay?” The question hit me hard. Harder than everything else she’d said. But I didn’t answer. I just couldn’t. Billy had never looked that scared my entire life… A hollow laugh escaped her lips. “Wow.” “That’s not… Piper, I have no choice in the matter…” “We always have a choice, Brookiee! You have clearly made yours.” “I didn’t exactly… everything’s happening so fast…” “And I’m supposed to be okay with that? Her voice cracked. “You’re leaving me behind like I’m part of some life you already grew out of.” “I would never outgrow you...” “Then prove it. Stay.” “I… I can’t,” I whispered, my eyes darting around. “Do you remember when you first started swimming?” she muttered. “You were terrified of the deep end. Every time, you’d look at me before you jumped. Just to make sure I was still there.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I’m still here, Brookiee.” “I know…” “No.” She shook her head. “You don’t. Because if you did… You wouldn’t be able to leave me like this.” “I didn’t choose this… Billy said…” “But you did. You’re just not brave enough to admit it.” “Pipes…” “Go,” she whispered, stepping back. “Piper wait… ” “Go before I start begging you,” she said, her voice trembling. “I don’t want to do that. Not for someone who’s already gone.” I took a step toward her. She flinched. And that. That hurt more than anything. “Don’t, if you come any closer, I might forgive you.” “I’ll call you…” “Please don’t. Not after you chose a different life over me. Go be with people you don’t belong with.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I hate you,” she whispered. “I hate you for making me so proud of you… and then leaving me in the same breath.” Her voice broke completely. “But I hate myself more… because if you turned around right now and asked me to come with you…” She let out a shaky breath. “I would.” Something hit the floor with a light thud. I looked down. Our friendship bracelet… hers. ‘Friendship insurance,’ she used to call it. Guess it expired. I looked up. She was gone. I got into my car anyway and made a mental note to leave Ocean Hills when the time was right or solicit for Piper to join me. There’s no way I’m leaving Pipes behind for life… Billy’s warnings be damned. *** Ocean Hills Academy looked like a prison for the elite. The cast-iron gates were twisted into shapes like teeth; the stone walls were impossibly high. Inside, the air felt… "You must be the new one. The swimmer?" I spun around. A guy was leaning against a pillar. He was tall and dressed in expensive clothes, but his presence was unsettling. He had piercing, unnatural blue eyes and pale skin. "I… I’m Brooke," I mumbled. “Luke Valarian,” he responded. “I’ll take this,” he stepped forward, his movements fluid. He took my suitcase, his fingers brushing mine. A spark of electricity jarred my arm. “Err… you don’t have to,” I whispered but made no efforts to stop him. He stared briefly at my neck. "You don’t smell like anything I’ve met before.” I blinked. "Never mind. You’ll figure things out. This place has a way of stripping away the skin." We walked through the polished, silent halls. The students we passed didn't talk; some of them nodded at Luke, others watched me with a terrifying intensity. They weren't looking at my clothes. They were sniffing the air…? Luke stopped at a massive oak door. "My job is done." "Thanks, Luke." "See you around. I hope you survive the first week. Most people like you don't." He vanished into the shadows before I could ask what he meant. I turned toward the dorms, my heart racing. The pendant began to pulse against my chest… like it was drawing me to something or someone? "Hello?" I called out into the empty hallway. Nothing. I turned around, and for a split second, I saw someone. At the far end of the hallway, a tall figure stood in the shadows. He was motionless, but even from fifty feet away, I felt a magnetic heat radiating off him. I blinked, and he was gone. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Piper was right. I didn't belong here. And somehow… they already knew it.