BEASTLY INFERNO

CHAPTER THREE

Ellie’s gaze had locked onto Tristan, who stood at the center of the group, his posture still tense, his features hardened. But then something shifted. It was as if, in that very instant, his focus had snapped back to where we were, where Ellie and I stood hidden on the balcony.

Ellie’s lips curved into a soft smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it was full of something I hadn’t seen from her before—something possessive, almost triumphant. She stood a little straighter, almost as if her body was responding to an invisible pull, a force that was undeniably from Tristan.

“I’m his mate,” she said, the words so sure, so confident, that they almost didn’t sound like her. But I could feel the weight of them. It was a declaration, something that made the air between us crackle.

I stared at her, disbelief creeping into my chest. “What do you mean? Your mate?” I repeated, the words tasting strange on my tongue.

Ellie’s smile softened, but there was a certain gleam in her eyes that sent a chill down my spine. “You wouldn’t understand,” she murmured, as if she were trying to explain something far beyond my comprehension. “But he is… everything. He’s mine, and I’m his. It’s not just a crush, Neroli. It’s fate. We were meant to be.”

Her words hung in the air, vibrating with an energy that felt ancient, primal. I was still trying to wrap my mind around what she was saying when a loud crash of glass broke the tense silence. We both flinched, and I turned to look over the balcony railing, my heart racing. Tristan was standing at the door now, his hand clenched into a fist, the same tension radiating from him.

Ellie stood taller now, her smile widening. “He’s here,” she whispered, her voice a strange mix of excitement and unease. “He’s come for me.”

Before I could ask more, Ellie was already moving, walking toward the door like it was the only thing that mattered. I was frozen for a moment, unable to process what was happening, unable to stop her.

Ellie’s laughter echoed through the stairwell as she rushed down, her heart pounding with excitement. She could barely contain the joy bubbling up inside her. This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Tristan had come for her—her mate, her destiny.

She practically floated down the last few steps, her eyes locked on the Beta standing in the center of the grand hall. His broad shoulders, the sharpness of his features, the raw power he exuded—it all made her breath hitch. He was perfect, and he was hers.

With a radiant smile, she threw her arms wide. “I knew it,” she breathed, her voice filled with certainty. “Tristan, I’ve waited so long—”

But before she could finish, Tristan’s piercing gaze turned away from her.

And landed on me.

I felt the weight of his stare like a physical force, pinning me in place. My chest tightened, my breath coming in shallow gasps as a strange heat curled through my veins. The room seemed to still, the murmurs of the gathered pack fading into nothing.

Tristan’s arm lifted, and his finger pointed straight at me.

“She is.”

The words were simple. Firm. Undeniable.

A silence fell over the room, heavy and suffocating. My ears rang, my mind unable to process what had just happened.

Ellie froze. Her expression shifted from elation to confusion, then to disbelief. Her hands slowly lowered as she turned to face me, her smile faltering, breaking apart like glass.

“…What?” she whispered.

Tristan stepped forward, his presence overwhelming, his eyes locked onto mine as if I was the only person in the world. “You,” he said, his voice quieter now, but no less intense. “You are my mate.”

The air left my lungs.

I felt sick. No. No, this wasn’t happening.

Mate? What does he mean I’m his Mate!

Nicholas clenched his jaw, his hands balling into fists at his sides. His gaze darted to Alpha Demitri, as if searching for some way to undo what had just been said.

Alpha Demitri, a man of imposing presence, stepped forward. His expression remained unreadable, but there was a flicker of doubt in his dark eyes. “Tristan,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of authority. “Are you certain?”

“She’s human,” Nicholas added quickly, seizing the opportunity. “Mates are chosen within our kind—wolves. This has got to be a mistake.”

Tristan’s growl rumbled low in his chest. “I don’t make mistakes.” His piercing gaze swept over the room before settling on Alpha Demitri and Nicholas. “And I’m not just your kind.”

A hush fell over the room. The weight of his words sent a chill through the air, pressing against my skin like an unseen force.

Nicholas took a cautious step back, his expression shifting from disbelief to something more wary.

Tristan exhaled sharply, his patience thinning. “You know our history,” he said, voice steady but laced with something unreadable. “You know that some of us carry more than just wolf blood.” His fingers flexed at his sides, his posture rigid. “And that’s why the bond chose her.”

A flicker of realization crossed Demitri’s face, but Nicholas shook his head in frustration. “No. This is ridiculous! She’s human! She has no place among us.”

Tristan’s lips curled into something between a smirk and a sneer. “Then why is my wolf clawing to claim her? Why does every fiber of my being tell me she’s mine?” His voice dropped lower, dangerous. “Do you want to question fate now?”

Ellie let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “So that’s it?” she spat, her voice shaking. “Because you think she’s yours, I’m just supposed to accept it? To let you throw me aside like I never mattered?”

Tristan didn’t even spare her a glance. His focus was locked onto me.

Ellie’s breathing hitched, her face twisted in barely contained rage. “So that’s it?” she spat, her voice trembling. “Because you think she’s yours, I’m just supposed to accept it? To let you throw me aside like I never mattered?”

Tristan finally turned his gaze on her, and for the first time, he truly looked at her. His expression was cold, unreadable—like she was nothing more than a stranger in his path.

Then, with a tilt of his head and a mocking smirk, he asked, “Who are you?”

Silence crashed over the room.

Ellie visibly flinched, as if he’d struck her. Her mouth parted, but no words came out. The color drained from her face, her hands trembling at her sides.

Nicholas stepped forward, his voice sharp with warning. “Tristan, enough.”

But Tristan barely acknowledged him. He let out a slow exhale, as if ridding himself of a minor annoyance. “You keep talking as if you ever mattered to me.” His head tilted slightly, voice dropping to a razor-sharp whisper. “News flash—you didn’t.”

A sharp inhale cut through the air, but it wasn’t from Ellie—it was from the pack members gathered around, watching the brutal display unfold.

Ellie stumbled back, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her eyes wild. “You—You bastard!” she screeched.

Tristan didn’t even blink. “Call me whatever helps you sleep at night.” His gaze flicked back to me, and just like that, Ellie ceased to exist.

And for the first time in my life, I saw what it truly meant to be nothing to someone.

“My whole life,” she hissed, her voice shaking, “I knew we were meant to be together. I waited for you!” She spun toward me so fast I instinctively stepped back, my pulse skyrocketing. “And now you’re telling me she—” she jabbed a finger in my direction, her face twisting with disgust, “—she’s your mate? She’s nothing! She’s not even a wolf!”

A wave of murmurs spread through the gathered pack. Their eyes bore into me, some filled with confusion, others with curiosity, but the weight of their attention was suffocating.

Tristan didn’t flinch. His voice was cold, controlled—absolute.

“It doesn’t matter what she is.” He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming, his energy crackling like a storm about to break. “She is mine.”

Ellie let out a strangled sound—half sob, half snarl. Her entire body shook as if she were barely holding herself together.

And then—something inside her snapped.

A guttural, inhuman growl tore from her throat, raw and full of fury. Her back arched, her fingers clawing at the air as her body began to convulse.

I barely had time to register the sound of bones snapping before the impossible unfolded before my eyes.

Her skin twisted, rippled, contorting into something monstrous. White fur burst through her flesh as her limbs elongated, her face shifting, stretching into a muzzle lined with sharp, gleaming fangs.

A scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it.

This wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real.

But the massive white wolf standing in Ellie’s place proved otherwise.

The crowd gasped, some stepping back, but I could barely process them. My entire body locked up in shock, my breath frozen in my lungs.

Ellie’s wolf snarled, her golden eyes locked on me with a hatred so deep it sent ice flooding through my veins.

And then she lunged.

She was a blur of white and fury, her claws outstretched, her fangs bared—

Tristan moved.

Faster than my eyes could track, he intercepted her mid-air, catching her massive form as if she weighed nothing. The impact sent a shockwave through the room, the force making my knees buckle.

With a snarl of his own, Tristan threw her.

Ellie’s body slammed into the stone wall with a sickening c***k.

A choked yelp escaped her as she crumpled to the floor, shifting back into human form. She lay there, naked, her body trembling violently as she gasped for breath.

A collective silence fell over the room.

Rita was the first to move. She rushed forward, covering Ellie with a cloak, her face unreadable as she helped her daughter up.

Nicholas looked torn between fury and disbelief, but it was Demitri who finally spoke. His voice was low, cautious. “Are you certain, Tristan?”

Tristan didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

The weight of that single word slammed into me like a hammer.

Rita turned to me then, her eyes softer but filled with something I didn’t understand. Pity.

“I’m sorry, Neroli,” she murmured. “You didn’t ask for this. But fate doesn’t care about what we want.”

My heart pounded so hard it hurt. My hands were shaking. My mind refused to process what had just happened.

Tristan’s attention snapped back to me, his expression unreadable. “We’re leaving.”

I yanked away, stepping back, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps. “No. No, I am not going anywhere with you.” My voice cracked, my hands trembling at my sides.

I turned wildly, searching the faces around me. “I have a life! I have parents waiting for my call—I need to call them! Please, just—”

A sharp, venomous voice cut through my panic.

“I hate you.”

The words were like a dagger to my chest.

I turned.

Ellie stood, still wrapped in the cloak, but her eyes… they burned. Not just with anger. Not just with betrayal.

But with pure, unrelenting hatred

Her body was trembling, her chest heaving with ragged breaths, but it wasn’t sadness that filled her gaze. It was rage—wild, unfiltered, feral rage.

Ellie’s breath hitched, her entire body trembling before she turned and ran.

Straight upstairs.

Tristan moved instantly, stepping in front of me, his arm pressing me back as if shielding me from an unseen threat.

But I could still hear it.

The chaos.

Doors slamming open. Drawers yanked from their slots. The sound of objects crashing against the walls, against the floor—against anything in her way.

A thud echoed down the stairs.

Then another.

Then another.

The first thing to hit the ground was a hoodie. My hoodie. The one I’d lent her last summer when she’d complained about the evening chill. It crumpled at the foot of the stairs like it was worthless.

A book followed. A bracelet. The necklace I’d given her for her birthday—flung with so much force it smacked the wall before landing at my feet.

I barely had time to register the mess before Ellie appeared at the top of the stairs, her chest heaving, her hands gripping a bundle of my things.

Her face was twisted with fury, eyes blazing with a hatred so fierce it made my stomach twist.

Then, with a scream so raw it sent shivers down my spine, she threw them.

“I hate you, Neroli!” she shrieked. “You’re dead to me!”

The clothes I’d once seen her wear so casually—my clothes—rained down like discarded memories. A book I’d lent her hit the ground, pages bending and crumpling. A framed picture of us—the one we’d taken at the festival, laughing, arms around each other—shattered on impact.

Tristan’s body shifted, stepping fully in front of me now, shielding me as if she might throw more than just objects.

Ellie wasn’t done.

“You stole everything from me!” she sobbed, her voice breaking. “I trusted you! I loved you! And now—”

Her breath hitched, her fingers clenching at her sides.

“Now, I hate you.”

The finality of her words settled like a stone in my chest.

I tried to speak, but my throat had closed, my body frozen in place.

Then, as if the last of her strength had drained out of her, Ellie turned on her heel and stormed back into her room.

SLAM.

The door shook with the force of it. The whole house seemed to tremble.

I flinched at the sound.

Silence followed, thick and suffocating.