The Mate Curse.

I wasn’t supposed to smell like this. Not here. Not now. Not in a room where three of the most dangerous Alphas alive were seated like kings around a war table. My scent was supposed to wait, and follow my orders. What's going on? The second I stepped through that door, I felt it. The air changed, and their wolves stirred. The bond pulsed through the floor, through my spine, and across the room. Their heads turned in unison. Three pairs of gold-ringed eyes locked on me. They didn’t know me, but their wolves did. This wasn't the plan, but it's happening. I forced my feet to move. Each step was louder than it should be on the marble. My scent followed me like a betrayal I couldn't scrub off. I’d trained for this moment for years. Practiced masking it. Meditated until my bones numbed. But at the most important time of my existence, it slipped. The stupid mate bond was awake. And it wasn't for one Alpha. The Mate bond was for all three. Alpha Kade Thorne was the first to rise. He rose slowly, as if he didn’t want to startle the room. He was putting on a dark suit. His eyes were cold, and his fingers twitched once. His wolf was clawing to get out. Beside him, Alpha Ronan Blackridge's hand was still gripping the pen he’d been writing with. The pen cracked in half. The ink dripped to the table like blood. He hadn’t blinked since I walked in. And then there was Alpha Lucien Vex, sitting back like a man watching a beautiful building burn. He grinned at me. Like we’d met before. I already know I'll hate this day all through my history lane. “Who the hell is she?” Ronan’s voice was smoke and gravel when he spoke. He sounded visibly mad. “That’s what I’d like to know,” Kade muttered. He hadn't taken his eyes off me. “Who let you in here?” “She didn’t just walk in.” Lucien’s voice was amused. “She was let in,” I blinked. The three Alphas look like they're at peace. I allowed the silence stretch for one more second before I spoke. I fixed my expression before parting my lips. “My name is Miraelle Vale.” I fixed my gaze on the three of them and continued. “I’m here as the neutral envoy from the Rogue Council, per your summons. You requested an alliance. That alliance is me.” Kade’s brows furrowed, confused. He looked really suspicious. “You reek of a mate bond,” Ronan growled. “Yeah,” Lucien leaned forward. His tongue ran across his lower lip, and he had a smile on his face. “But not just one.” Lucien looked like the easy going one. “This is a trick,” Kade snapped. “A potion. Scent manipulation—” He was right. Kade was the smart one. Noted! After the war centuries ago, the moon goddess cursed them to die without mates. “It’s not fake,” I cut in. “It’s real. And unwanted.” My heart pounded with the lie, but I kept my voice even. “I didn't come here to mate with any of you,” I said. “The Moon has cursed us. Not blessed us.” “You don’t choose a mate,” Ronan growled. His wolf was visibly at the corner. His wolf was ready to bond immediately, even if the bond wasn't for him alone. “I’m not choosing.” I paused. “I’m surviving.” Lucien tilted his head, smiling like a devil meeting his match. “The Moon sent you to drive us mad,” he said. “Didn’t she?” I stepped closer. I smiled between their hatred and heat. “No,” I whispered. “She sent me to end one of you.” And I hadn’t yet decided which one. I was supposed to decide before my scent manipulation takes place. Kade moved first. He looked furious. One second he was behind the table. The next second, he was in front of me. His arms were folded across his chest, with his jaw tight. His scent poured out like smoke. He appeared really controlled, measured, and dangerous. My knees weakened, but I didn't show it. I was built for this day. “Why would the Rogue Council send a girl with a triple mate scent into this room?” he asked, voice low. “They know what we are to each other.” “Exactly,” I said. “They know you hate each other. They know none of you will trust the other to claim me.” Lucien chuckled darkly behind him. “Smart girl. You're lucky to be our mate.” Ronan’s boots scraped against the floor as he came around the opposite side. “You said you’re not choosing. But you’ll have to.” Ronan’s eyes were now bloodshot red. He was a step away from turning into his wolf, and being totally violent. “No,” I answered, usually staring directly into his eyes. He can't hurt me. None of them can, and it would be beneficial to the moon goodess. “I won’t. Because if I choose wrong, I die. And if I choose right… one of you does.” The silence that followed was crazy. The pin drop silence was scary. Kade’s eyes scanned mine, with his wolf pacing just beneath the surface. “Who trained you?” he asked quietly. War was closer than we think so everyone has a master, and I also look highly trained and more like a valuable asset. I didn’t answer. Lucien pushed himself off the table, stepping closer. Every step of his was a deliberate threat wrapped in silk. He look less affected. “So tell us, Miraelle…” he said, stopping inches from me. His voice dropped, playful and cruel. “Which of us dies in the end?” I looked at each of them. They didn’t know it yet, but the curse wasn’t mine alone to carry. It was stitched into their blood too. “That’s the thing,” I said softly. “I won’t know until only one of you tries to claim me.” If I did, I might forget that I came here with a plan. And that I wasn’t allowed to fall in love with any of them.