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

Episode Three

The ceramic screeched against the table as I pushed a spinach leaf around my plate.

A few heads turned

“Sorry,” I whispered.

Across the hall, at the table that looked more like a throne room, Mason sat surrounded by his court. Serena clung to his arm, her laughter filling up the room.

The laptop he’d shoved at me earlier felt like a heavy weight on my thigh.

I shoved the tray away. I needed air that didn't smell like social hierarchies.

I'd hardly reached the corridor when a shadow detached itself from the wall.

"Enjoying the chaos?"

I jumped.

Luke stood there, arms crossed over his chest. He sure did know how to make an entrance.

"You know," I said, leaning against a locker to steady my hands, "you could’ve warned me about the Queen of the School and her King."

Luke tilted his head slightly. "Frankly, I thought you knew. The Blackwoods and the Adams have been a matched set since forever."

"I'm new here, Luke. In case the 'charity case' label didn't give it away."

"Yeah,” his expression softened. That’s on me. I forget how loud the silence is here for someone who hasn't spent their life listening to it."

"It's fine… I just need to stay away from him. From all of them."

He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped midway.

"There you are, Red."

The familiar voice rattled my bones. Mason stood a few feet away, his silhouette blocking the light from the tall windows. He was alone, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"You left," he said, his jaw tightening.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I choked out.

“Do what?”

“Pretend I didn’t exist. You could have…”

"I could have what?" He challenged, stepping closer, his eyes darkening.

"It's a common courtesy where I come from..."

"Why should I do anything?" he asked, his voice dropping. “You don’t get that kind of access, Red.”

"Right. Of course," I responded, my shoulders slumping slightly.

"You… You lead people on for sport? Is that the Ocean Hills way?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he snarled.

"Alright," Luke cut in. "I think that’s enough. She’s had a long day."

Mason turned his head slowly, his hands clenched into fists.

"You know not to interrupt me when I’m speaking, Valerian."

Luke held his gaze for a second. Then, he took a step back. His eyes dropped to the floor.

"My bad," he mumbled. "I’ll see you later, Brooke." He half glanced at me before turning away, his footsteps disappearing into the distance.

My eyes widened. “What was that about? What do you want from me?"

Mason didn't respond. He just stepped forward until the heat radiating from his body felt like a physical furnace.

His gaze dropped… slowly… to my wrist. Then he held my wrist.

I gasped. He lifted my arm, his eyes locked on mine, and pressed his lips to the pulse point on my wrist.

The world vanished.

His breath was hot, smelling of mint and something else… wild pine perhaps.

"You think too much, Red," he murmured against my skin.

Then he let go, turned around, and walked away without a backward glance, leaving me standing in the empty hallway, my skin burning where his lips had touched.

***

The rest of the day felt like a bad dream.

"Miss Stevens, what was your GPA at your previous school?" The teacher, who looked too small to fit into the oversized dress she wore, asked.

"Four point zero.”

"I’m sure the curriculum at your local high school involved a lot of finger painting and basic hygiene," a girl in the front row snickered.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words died in my mouth.

Laughter erupted once more.

"Alright, that’s enough. "Sit down." The teacher cleared her throat.

By the time I reached my dorm, I was vibrating with a restless, nervous energy. I locked the door, stripped off my blazer, and collapsed onto the bed.

I didn't mean to sleep, but the pendant felt heavier than usual. It was pulling me somewhere.

The darkness claimed me before my head hit the pillow…

Cold.

My eyes snapped open. I wasn't in my room.

I was lying on my back, staring up at ancient oak trees.

The moon shone brightly, its light spreading across the forest floor. I scrambled up, the damp earth clinging to my legs.

"What the...? No, no, no, not here too."

The dorm building loomed in the distance, at least half a mile away.

My clothes were damp with dew. And then I did the most illogical thing.

I ran.

I burst through the side entrance of the school, my lungs burning, and didn't stop until I was inside the one place that felt like home.

The pool.

The silence of the water swallowed the world... the thoughts. I kicked off the wall, my muscles screaming for release.

Stroke. Breathe. Turn. I wasn't going to think about what just happened. Of what use would that be? I had no one to talk to afterall.

I moved through the water with a fluid grace I’d never felt before. I was literally flying through liquid sky. I hit the wall and checked the digital pace clock on the far wall.

48.22 seconds.

I stared at the red numbers. That was faster than my state record. Faster than any human girl should be able to swim. And I hadn't even broken a sweat. My stomach dropped. This is wrong.

The silence of the natatorium was broken by a sharp, metallic scent. Like an animal had been hunted… and didn’t get away.

I followed the smell into the locker room. The heavy steel was hanging by a single hinge.

Deep, claw marks were torn into the metal, as if a giant dog had shredded it like paper.

My pulse spiked. A low sound echoed from the darkness behind the lockers.

I should have run. But my feet didn’t move. It was like something deeper than fear had taken over.

"Is someone there?" I whispered.

A growl rumbled through the floorboards… a sound so deep it vibrated in my teeth.

My vision began to blur, and the edges of the room began to spin as my knees buckled.

Then, strong arms caught me… like they already knew I would fall.

I looked up, my sight completely failing. A strange yet calm face hovered over mine.

"You shouldn't be here, newbie," he whispered.

“I… uhhh…”

"Wait... what are you?"

He leaned in, his masculine scent overwhelming. Not like Mason’s or even Luke.

He smelled…

"Not a changeling," he said, his eyes tracking the pulse in my neck. Then, louder… “So what the hell are you?”