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

Episode Two

The silence in my suite felt unnatural. Why wouldn’t it?

“You have the whole floor to yourself,” the hostel rep had said.

Right. Because nothing says welcome more than isolation.

I sat up slowly, the silk sheets sliding off my skin smoothly.

Back at Piper’s, I could touch both walls of my bedroom if I stretched.

Here?

The walls felt miles apart… and the ceiling? Completely unreachable.

I dragged my hands over the duvet… and I froze.

Leaves. Dried and scattered across the white fabric.

They were damp and smelled of mulch.

"How…?"

The windows were locked. No cracks. No openings. I brushed a leaf away, but the underside of my arm felt sticky.

I looked down. Dirt smeared my forearm.

I didn’t remember leaving my room. I didn’t remember going outside. So why did it feel like I had?

My eyes landed on the huge, fancy wall lock. Twenty minutes until the first bell. No time to think. No time to wonder why my feet were stained with grass.

Not right now.

I scrubbed the dirt off in a shower and proceeded to wear my uniform. Thank goodness they had these, how would I ever have fit in with my clothes?

"Sorry… sorry," I muttered, ducking past a group of girls whose hair looked nothing but perfect as I walked through the hallways of Ocean Hills.

They didn't move. They didn't even blink. They just watched me pass.

"Okay, that’s not creepy at all,” I breathed, clutching my bag.

The air in the main hall smelled of expensive cologne and something else… something wild perhaps. Like the dried leaves on my duvet? No way…

I checked my crumpled map, then turned into a sharp corner, and slammed full force into a chest that felt like solid granite.My books hit the floor with a thud.

"Ouch," I winced, rubbing my forehead.

“Careful, Red.” His voice wasn’t loud, but a vibration spread through my body regardless.

I looked up, and the world seemed to tilt. He was tall. Not just athlete-tall but commanding. His shoulders filled the hallway. His eyes were a dark, stormy amber that seemed to track the very pulse in my neck.

"I... I'm sorry,” I stuttered, dropping to my knees to gather my scattered books. He bent down, our hands reaching for the same notebook.

When his fingers brushed mine, I felt a spark… an explosion. I gasped as the silver pendant on my chest heated up slightly.

I jerked my hand back. He froze. His nostrils flared, as he took a deep, sharp breath. He was smelling me.

For a split second, something flickered across his face. Then it was gone.

“You okay?” he asked.

"I'm fine,” I whispered.

He stood up in one fluid motion, towering over me. He held out my notebook, his gaze boring into mine.

"Mason," he said.

"Br… Brooke," I stuttered.

His lips curved into a small smile. “I know.”

A chill swept over me. “You… know me?”

"Everyone's been talking about the human girl who got a free ride,” he answered, his gaze not leaving mine. “You’re hard to miss.”

The way he spat the word "human" made it sound like an abomination. Like I was a different species entirely.

The bell rang, interrupting our conversation.

"Gotta run,” Mason said, but he didn't move immediately. He leaned in, just an inch, his eyes darkening.

“Hope to see you soon… Red.”He turned and vanished into the crowd before I could find my voice.

I stood there, my hand hovering over the pendant. It was still warm.

I finally found my first class, Emerald, etched into a heavy oak door. I pushed it open, and the low hum of conversation died instantly. Twenty-something pairs of eyes locked onto me.

"And you are?” the teacher snapped, turning towards me.

"Brooke Stevens. I’m the transfer…”

"Oh, look,” a voice drawled from the back. “The charity case is here.”

I froze. A ripple of laughter followed. I kept my head down, my face burning as I scanned the room for a seat. “Don’t react,” I whispered, “don’t…”

“Careful,” a somewhat familiar voice said.The room went quiet. His gaze shifted to me.

“She’s not yours to talk about.”

My eyes landed on him. Mason. He was sitting at the back, his chair slightly tilted. Like he owned the place. And just like that, the noise died down.

He looked at me, then reached out and swept his leather bag off the empty desk next to him. I walked over and sat down, my hands trembling slightly as I set my bag on the floor.

"You could’ve told me where you were headed,” he murmured. He leaned closer, his scent filling my senses. “I would’ve walked you.”

“I didn't know we were in the same class,” I whispered, staring at the board.

He slid a sleek, silver laptop across the desk toward me.

“Use it.”

I hesitated. “I…”

His eyes darkened slightly.“That wasn’t a suggestion, Red.”

I swallowed hard and opened the screen. “Thank you.”

As the teacher began a lecture on ancient sociopolitical structures, I felt Mason’s eyes on me.

Occasionally, his hand would move near mine and every time our skin neared, the pendant against my chest heated up.

When the bell finally rang for lunch, I gathered my things quickly, unsure of what to do or go next.

"Wait up,” Mason said, standing.

"I have to find the…”

"It's right here.” He pointed toward the double doors at the end of the hall.

"How did you…?” I asked, finally turning to face him.He took a step toward me, slow and deliberate.

He leaned down, his breath warm against my ear. "It's lunch time Red,” he whispered, “everyone has lunch there.”

He straightened up, a smirk playing on his lips. I watched him walk away and then slowly made my way to the cafeteria.

A part of me blamed myself for not tagging along with him.

I spotted Mason almost immediately I stepped into the cafeteria, standing near a central table with a group of guys who looked a bit like him but not as good as him.

"Mason!" I called out, holding his laptop up. He turned, our eyes locked across the room…

Then, the doors behind him swung open. A girl stepped through, and the entire room seemed to dim in her presence. She was blonde; her hair was flawless, every strand in place, and her features so perfect they were terrifying.

She walked straight to Mason and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What is she?” she asked, her eyes fixed on me.My smile withered.

"Her name is Brooke,” Mason said.

“I didn’t ask for her name,” she scoffed.

“I asked what she was. Anyways, never mind,” she said grinning. Then she hooked her arm through his, pulling him toward the counter, “come on, Mase. I’m starving.”

As they walked past me, she whispered. "Collecting strays again, huh?"

I felt a pinch in my stomach. Mason looked back. He didn't stop her, though. He let her lead him away as if he belonged to her.

The cafeteria suddenly felt cold. I stood alone in the center of the room longer than I should have. Long enough to feel the room shift around me. Like I was something dropped into the wrong place.

My grip tightened around the laptop. Not mine. Nothing here was. What’s the worst that could happen to me at this point?