The Time I Tripped into a Curse and got two Mates

Chapter 30

I stepped coolly through the door, my chin held high, and looked at the men waiting for me. Without a word, I turned and walked down the hallway, Malcolm and Ivan falling into step just behind me. When we emerged outside, I half expected to find the entire crowd staring at us, gossiping or gawking, but to my relief, no one seemed to notice.

I was done with the arena and wanted to make it home without any more drama. All I wanted was the quiet refuge of my house, and the 10 minute walk that separated me from it seemed like a blessing. Soon, I’d be safe from the embarrassment still prickling under my skin.

But of course, the universe had other plans. Or rather, Rina did.

She made her presence known the way she always did, loud and unavoidable. Her footsteps echoed with sharp precision as she walked up to us, hands on her hips and her expression smug.

“So,” she sneered as she eyed me up and down. “I see you’ve figured out a way to make yourself useful to them, afterall.”

Her meaning was clear, and I could feel anger flare up in me, hot and fierce. But I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she got to me. Not this time. So I kept walking and pretended like she didn’t even exist as I refused to acknowledge her presence. To my surprise, my silence seemed to infuriate her more than any retort I could have come up with. She let out an indignant scoff and stomped away. I smiled to myself and felt a wave of smug satisfaction pass over me.

Then, on a bold impulse, I slid my arms through both Ivan’s and Malcolm’s arms, linking us together. I risked a glance back at Rina, and the sight of her expression–furious, livid, and utterly humiliated–nearly made me laugh out loud, though I did release a soft chuckle. I felt a delicious sense of satisfaction as we continued walking down the path. I’d won this round. Maybe not in the way I’d initially intended, but a victory was still a victory.

As we neared my house, Malcolm leaned in and spoke. “We’ll need to talk to your Alpha to make your move ‘official.’ We’ll be back soon."

I looked up at him and nodded my head. “Alright. I guess I’ll start packing then?”

Malcolm smirked, “Yea, that would be good.”

He dropped my arm and turned to face me, his expression softening. With the gentlest of touches, he raised his hand to my cheek, thumb brushing lightly over my skin as he gazed into my eyes. The intensity of his gaze raised goosebumps on my arms. Then he stepped away to let Ivan closer.

Ivan turned to look at me next, regret clouding his eyes. “I really am sorry for how everything… well, you know.”

I pursed my lips, still annoyed by the earlier tension between us. There was so much we hadn’t said, so much we needed to talk about, but it wasn’t the time. So instead of responding, I stepped forward and pulled him in a hug. His arms wrapped around me, and for the briefest moment, I felt comforted, safe in his embrace. But the irritation quickly resurfaced, and I pulled away before the feeling could fully settle.

I turned to walk in my house as I heard their quick footsteps drift away.

*****

As I was packing clothes into my old suitcase, I heard the unmistakable roar of engines from outside. I immediately stopped what I was doing to rush to the front window and peer outside.

My stomach dropped.

Rina again…

I didn’t need to see her right away to know she was in one of those vehicles. My heart sank as the trucks pulled to a stop in front of my house. Doors slammed, and out stepped Rina, flanked by several pack warriors. The warrior’s faces were hard and their postures were rigid as they marched up to my door. I grounded myself before opening the door to face whatever this was, head on.

Rina strutted forward, her smile wide and malicious. “Well, looks like your time’s up, Spiritless,” she said smugly.

I stood my ground and narrowed my eyes at her. “What are you talking about, now?” I said, mock exasperation dripping from my voice.

One of the warriors, Kade, stepped forward and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You need to leave pack lands. Now.”

I blinked, taken aback. “Uh, that’s what I’m trying to do. Or did you miss the memo? My mates are the princes. Believe me, I’ll be gone by tonight.”

“What he means is,” Rina chimed in, “is that you have to leave right now. This moment. Looks like you ran out of time to pack. I guess you should have been packing earlier instead of…showing the princes what your only worth is.”

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “Who said I needed to leave right this second?”

“My father did. The Alpha,” Rina said as her smile grew. “He’s decided you’re too much of a liability to keep around, even for a couple more hours. So, leave. Now.”

That didn’t make sense. I had a feeling that Alpha James didn’t actually know what was going on here. Her reason didn’t make any sense at all. Anger boiled high in my veins, but I held my tongue, but her audacity was infuriating.

“You don’t have the authority to make that call,” my voice steady despite the rage that bubbled underneath. “I’m not leaving until I hear it directly from the Alpha.”

Rina’s face twisted in irritation, but she didn’t back down. “You’re just making it harder on yourself. Why don’t you save us all the trouble and–”

Before she could finish, a deep growl cut through the air. I turned to see Luke emerge from the nearby treeline, his eyes locked on the group in front of me. He moved with the quiet grace of a predator. His muscles were taught and ready for action.

“I think that’s enough,” Luke said, his voice low and dangerous. Then he moved between me and the warriors, his stance protective and eyes hard. “Evelette isn’t going anywhere and last I checked, you can’t force her to do anything.”

Rina’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, but her pride wouldn’t let her back down. “You’re really going to defend her? It’s not like she’s your mate. How sad for you, right? I heard…rumors…about you two…”

Luke growled again, louder this time. “Leave. Now. Before this gets ugly.”

I felt a presence in my mind as Luke mind-linked me. “I just linked with Ivan and Malcolm and told them to get here as soon as they can.”

I nodded imperceptibly, but kept my eyes locked on Rina.

Rina sneered as her sharp gaze darted from Luke to me, and I could see the frustration bubbling within her. She wasn’t used to being challenged like this and she seemed to be faltering. Then she walked to Kade and whispered something in his ear.

Then Kade stepped closer to Luke and I as he flexed his muscles. “Step aside. This doesn’t concern you.”

Luke squared his stance, his fists clenched, and I could feel the heat of his fury radiating from him. “If it concerns the future queen, then it concerns me.”

Without warning, Kade lunged at Luke as he swung his fist hard and fast. Luke blocked the hit effortlessly as his eyes darkened with a predatory gleam. The sound of the collision was sharp, and for a moment, the world felt like it was holding its breath as we watched to see what would happen next. Then Kade stepped back and swung his fists again and was rewarded with a side step by Luke and a quick elbow in the gut.

Kade’s fury was palpable as he recovered from the blow and readied his stance to charge again. But before things could escalate further, I stepped forward and placed myself between the two.

“Enough!” I shouted as I raised my hands up, trying to break them apart.

But in my rush to intervene, I didn’t anticipate Kade’s next move. His fist, which was aimed at Luke, came flying towards me instead. Pain exploded in my gut as his punch pivoted and landed hard, knocking the breath out of me. I doubled over, gasping, as my vision swam for a second.

“Evelette!” Luke exclaimed. His voice was furious as he reached for me, but I waved him off, forcing myself to stand straight despite the ache in my stomach.

Rina laughed a loud, cruel laugh. “That’s what you get when you get in the way, Spiritless.”

I looked at her square-on and opened my mouth to retort. But before I could say anything, Rina pointed her finger at me, smile widening. “Grab her!” She barked.

Two of the warriors surged forward and gripped my arms tightly as four other warriors grappled Luke. I struggled against their hold, but they were strong, and I was still winded from Kade’s punch.

“You’re done here,” Rina said coldly. “You should’ve left on your own when you had the chance. Now we’ll escort you out…by force.” Rina walked up to me, smoothly, then she stood nose to nose with me and said, “The best part is, after they take you off the grounds, I’ll leave them with you to…do whatever they need to in order to make sure you stay gone.”

The men started dragging me toward one of the trucks, and despite my efforts to dig my heels into the ground, they pulled me along. My heart pounded in my chest, fury and helplessness mixing in a toxic swirl.

“Let her go!” Luke shouted, his voice desperate.

The men dragging me away ignored him and Rina just laughed. But then, deep growls echoed through the clearing, low and powerful. The sound sent a shiver down my spine, and the scene froze. Rina’s eyes flicked nervously toward the source of the noise.

Ivan and Malcolm ran, their eyes blazing with fury, in their Lycan forms in front of the Alpha’s car. When they were close enough, they shifted to their human forms and the surrounding air crackled with authority.

Immediately, the men holding me, let me go and Luke easily shoved off the four that had contained him.

Ivan stepped forward, his gaze cold as he looked at each warrior in turn. “What the h*ll is going on here?”