Mated Against My Will

Chapter Three

Lucian slammed into the side of the cabin like a ragdoll, the loud thud vibrating through the whole place. He shook it off, though, and in a flash, he was on his feet, charging straight at me.

I shot him a smirk, crouched low, and taunted, “You’ll have to move faster than that, you little mutt.” He snarled, lips curling back in frustration.

Then, outta nowhere, Lucian leaped at me, like he thought he had a chance. But I was quicker. I caught him by the neck mid-air and threw him across the yard like he was nothing.

He landed hard and groaned, clearly pissed. “This isn’t fair. You’re already the damn prince. Why do I gotta spar with you during the full moon? You’re ten times stronger and never get tired!” he whined.

The rest of the pack, all human for now, were watching with smug grins. Logan, still sore from his own sparring, was trying to ice his muscles while the others impatiently waited for their turn to shift and burn off some of their energy.

Logan groaned, pressing the ice against his aching side. “It’s his own fault. If he found his mate, he’d be focusing all his energy on her instead of wasting it on us.”

“Whining ‘cause you tagged out after five minutes and still haven’t found your mate yet,” Kael shot back, leaning casually against the table.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Aiden, watching from the sidelines, was already feeling the stiffness in his own muscles, though he’d learned to manage the full moon's pain better than most. But when the moon hit its peak, that was when things really started to hurt.

Lucian barked, frustrated, “This is so dumb. Just go find your mate and stop torturing us!”

I smirked, knowing exactly how much that comment would get under my skin. Ethan was watching, his eyes gleaming with that crazy mix of respect and rivalry. Even though we didn’t always see eye-to-eye, he had to admit—I'm good at what I do.

I was all about precision and patience in a fight, waiting for my opponent to make a move before I hit back. Lucian? He was all over the place—frustrated, messy, and easy to predict. But that was why I liked sparring with him. He gave me a challenge without ever really giving me a threat.

Lucian finally rolled onto his stomach, signaling his surrender. I looked down at him, my expression flat as ever. I could tell he was just looking for an excuse to stop.

“Damn it!” he groaned, hands covering his face. “Why are you so aggressive? We’re all already hurting with the full moon.”

I barely even noticed the weather when I was fighting, but I didn’t respond. I just glanced over at Zev, who was nervously eyeing me.

“Who's up next? Zev?” I asked, still not breaking my serious expression.

Zev's eyes went wide as he looked at me, then over at Lucian, who was basically limping at this point. “Uh… you know what? I think I’ll pass this round,” Zev mumbled, avoiding my gaze and shifting his focus to Logan.

Aiden grinned, already moving over to help drag Lucian’s exaggeratedly limp body off to the side.

Kael straightened up, clearly ready to jump in as my next opponent, but Ethan spoke up first. “I’ll do it.”

Kael raised an eyebrow, but stepped back. Ethan and I? We’d had our issues before, but in the wolf world, you settled stuff with a fight. Nothing personal, just the way things worked. If we could get through this without breaking each other, everything would be fine.

I hesitated for a second, but then nodded.

He tossed his shirt aside and shifted into wolf form, a small brownish wolf with a flash of purple in his eyes. Cute.

“You sure about this, pup?” I asked, my voice low with a hint of amusement.

He gave me a cheeky grin. “Bring it, prince,” he growled back, his tone filled with playful challenge.

And just like that, we were at it. Ethan might not have had the size or strength to match me, but he had speed. He weaved through my legs, dodging my strikes with a sort of grace that only made me more frustrated.

We were playing—small hits, back and forth, testing each other’s limits. But as time passed, I started feeling that familiar itch. I was getting restless.

“What's wrong, Damien? Miss your mate? Oh wait, you don’t have one. My bad,” Ethan taunted, using our telepathic link.

I could feel the anger build inside me, and with a snarl, I lunged at him, slamming him to the ground. I lifted him into the air, and everyone else watching gasped.

I wasn’t even sure how high he went, but Logan stood up, eyes wide, ready to catch him in case things went wrong.

“Wait for it,” Kael said, his voice calm. “Just trust him.”

I watched as Ethan soared through the air, a terrified yelp escaping his muzzle. I waited, counted to ten, and then sprang into action.

I dove beneath him just in time to catch him on my back, feeling his body land hard but safely. A triumphant bark escaped me, and I could feel the younger wolf shivering slightly on my back.

“That’s what you get for mouthing off, pup,” I teased, letting the words hang in the air as I shook him off.

Aiden chuckled, giving Logan’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Trust your prince, man. He’s got it.”

Ethan let out a relieved breath, hopping off my back once I shifted back into human form. He looked a little embarrassed. “That wasn’t cool.”

I smirked, messing up his hair as we walked back toward the group. Kael had a smile on his face too, relieved to see everything was good between us.

“Alright, who’s next? Aiden? Kael? Someone’s gotta step up,” I said, rubbing my hands together, hyped for more.

Kael shook his head. “We should probably head in. It’s getting late.”

Zev frowned, glancing at the sky. “Since when does sunset mean curfew?”

Logan was too busy giving Zev a mohawk to pay attention, mumbling about the time of year. “Yeah, but it’s Halloween tonight. Things get... weird.”

Lucian groaned, clearly annoyed. “It’s Halloween in the human world, right?”

Kael nodded, looking serious. “Yup. That means humans are gonna be out looking for a scare. We don’t need to be out here shifting and sparring. Too many questions.”

I scowled, not hiding my frustration. “F*cking humans ruin everything. They think Halloween gives them the right to dress like idiots and make everything harder. And don’t get me started on them calling themselves ‘werewolves.’”

Zev tilted his head. “But honestly, it could work in our favor. If anyone notices something weird, we can just blame it on Halloween. If our eyes wolf out or something... who’s gonna believe a drunk teenager?”

Aiden grinned. “Exactly.”

Kael squinted, sensing something was up. “What are you thinking, Aiden?”

Aiden's smirk was pure mischief. “Who wants to party with the humans?”

And just like that, we were off, ready for whatever mischief came next.

Ava POV

"You're going to that party." Mia's voice was like a broken record. I sighed and threw my bag onto the kitchen table like it was the most annoying thing on the planet. "Mia, this isn't some casual Halloween thing with, like, a couple of friends. This is a massive rager at some mansion, with everyone in, like, slutty animal costumes, grinding on guys they wouldn’t even look at in daylight."

Mia laughed, like she always did when I was ranting. "You really know how to paint a picture, don’t you?"

"Whatever. I’ll just chill at home and hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters," I muttered, already half-wishing I could do exactly that.

"Uh-huh, do you expect me to believe you actually bought candy for them?" Mia said, and I could almost hear her eye roll through the phone.

I started digging through the kitchen cabinets, pretending to look for something useful. "I could always give them apples," I said, feeling a little rebellious.

"Apples? Seriously? And get our house egged? Not happening."

I groaned, slamming the cabinet doors shut. "Fine, whatever. I’m not going to that party."

Mia sighed like she was the one dealing with a problem child. "Look, you need new friends. I’m not there anymore, and it sucks knowing you’re just at home, alone. It would mean a lot to me if you just went—stand in the corner, grab a juice, and vibe to the house music."

I rubbed my face like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. "Yeah, what a persuasive argument, Mia."

She didn't give up. "Ava, it’s killing me knowing my little sister is at home all alone. Just go, even for an hour. Please. For me."

I let out a huge sigh. Damn it. She knew how to pull the right strings. Her voice was all innocent and hopeful, and before I knew it, I was agreeing. "Fine. What do I go as?"

I collapsed onto the couch, staring at the ceiling like I could magically will the outfit to appear.

"I can’t solve all your problems, kid," Mia said, calm as ever.

"Hey, this was your idea. I’m only going because you begged. Don’t expect me to do all the work." I shot her an exaggerated pout, even though I knew she couldn’t see me.

"Okay, okay. When does the party start?" Mia asked, probably already mentally prepared for this entire situation to be a hot mess.

I checked my watch, just realizing how late it was. "In about an hour."

She clicked her tongue. "You really waited till the last minute. Alright, I have a red cape in my closet. Wear a white dress and go as Little Red Riding Hood."

I raised an eyebrow, staring skeptically at the phone. "Why do you even have a red cape?"

Mia’s voice was all mischief. "Long story. Just go have fun, and you better meet that cute guy I’ve been telling you about."

I rolled my eyes so hard I could practically feel it. "Oh, you mean the cute, funny, totally normal guy who’s not creepy, not a perv, and who definitely exists, right?"

"Yup!" Mia chirped, like she was solving all of my life’s problems.

"Did I mention he doesn’t actually exist?" I shot back.

She clicked her tongue again, probably gathering her things to go to her “work dinner,” whatever that was. "Look, I don't have time to listen to your pessimism. Have fun, and call me tomorrow to tell me all about it."

I couldn’t hold back a grin. Oh, I could totally pretend I went to the party and talk about how much fun I had, maybe even throw in a "super drunk" story for the full effect.

"Don’t forget photographic proof. Or I won’t believe you," she added, cheerful as ever. "Love you! Bye!"

"Yeah, love you too," I mumbled halfheartedly, staring at the red cape in my hand. I was already thinking of ways to get out of this mess.

I didn’t own anything white, so, of course, I had to dive into her closet. It took a couple of minutes, but I found a simple white skater dress. Not something I’d ever wear on a normal day, but it worked, and surprisingly, Mia had good taste for once.

I stared at it for a moment before tossing it onto my bed. I had no idea why I was even agreeing to this. I hated the idea of going. I hated the idea of people staring, whispering, making up fake stories about me. I could already hear the rumors tomorrow—about some random hookup, or about me “finally getting together with Daniel,” or God knows what else. None of it would be true, but who cared? People would talk no matter what.

I just didn’t want to be stuck here, like I was some invisible girl too scared to do anything because of what others thought. So what if people gossiped? I had every right to go out and have fun. Screw what everyone else thought.

Maybe one day I’d just pack up and leave, like Mia did, escape from this tiny town full of toxic people and endless drama. Maybe I’d find something—or someone—that would make it all worth it. Or maybe I’d just be sick of it all, and take off for somewhere else, anywhere that felt like a fresh start.

With a huff, I pulled on the dress and whispered to myself, "I hope this isn’t a mistake."