Chapter 5: Breaking Free
1179 Words
Selina POV
The air in my room felt suffocating, it was thick with tension and the overwhelming scent of three alphas who had just realized I was theirs.
My wolf was restless inside me, pacing and snarling, wanting to both submit to our mates and tear them apart for everything they had done.
“Get out,” I said, my voice shaking but firm. “All of you. Get out of my room right now.”
“You can’t just…” Alex started, taking another step toward me.
“I said GET OUT!” The words came out as a near-growl, my newly awakened wolf lending power to my voice that I had never possessed before.
All three of them froze, their eyes widening slightly at the command in my tone. For the first time in my life, they were actually listening to me.
“We need to talk about this,” Aaron said quietly, his dark eyes searching my face. “You can’t just ignore what just happened.”
“Watch me,” I snapped, wrapping my arms around myself.
The mate bond was pulling at my chest, trying to draw me toward them, but I fought it with everything I had. Sweat poured down my face with the effort.
“This changes nothing. You three made my life hell. You bullied me, tormented me, made me wish I was dead half the time. And now what? I’m supposed to fall at your feet because some cosmic joke decided we’re fated?”
“It’s not a joke,” Ashran said, his voice tight with barely controlled emotion. “The mate bond is sacred. It’s…”
“It’s nothing,” I interrupted, my voice breaking. “Not to me. Not after everything you’ve done.”
Ashran’s expression darkened, that familiar dangerous look sliding back over his features.
In two quick strides, he crossed the room and grabbed me by the throat, not hard enough to hurt but firm enough to make his point crystal clear.
My wolf snarled in outrage, but my body froze in fear…old instincts from months of bullying overriding everything else.
“Listen to me very carefully,” he growled, his face inches from mine.
His eyes had gone completely wolf, glowing with alpha dominance that made every omega instinct in me want to bare my throat in submission.
“You are ours now. Whether you like it or not, whether you accept it or not, you belong to us. And if you keep this defiant attitude, if you keep pushing us away, I swear to the moon goddess I will claim you so hard you’ll cry. I’ll make you submit in every way possible until you remember exactly what you are.”
“Ashran,” Aaron said sharply, but his brother ignored him.
“Do you understand me?” Ashran’s grip tightened just slightly, making me gasp.
Terror shot through me, the same cold fear I had felt so many times before when they cornered me in empty hallways or abandoned bathrooms.
My wolf, so new and unsure, retreated deep inside me, hiding from the threat. He released my face, stepping out of the room with the rest of them.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, she began to pace the room in agitation, our shared mind a chaotic mess of emotions too complex to sort through.
Rage at what they had done to us.
Confusion about the mate bond pulling at our heart. Fear about what this all meant. And underneath it all, a desperate, aching loneliness that made us want to call them back even as we wanted to tear them apart.
Gradually, reluctantly,strength slipped from my body, leaving me collapsed on the floor naked and shaking, my torn dress scattered around me in ribbons of blue silk.
I lay there for a long time, too exhausted and overwhelmed to move.
A soft knock on the door made me flinch.
“Selina?” It was my mother’s voice, sounding concerned. “Sweetheart, are you all right? Some of the guests thought they heard something.”
I forced myself to sit up, grabbing a blanket from my bed to wrap around myself. “I’m fine, Mom,” I called out, trying to keep my voice steady. “Just… my wolf. She came through.”
The door opened immediately, and Mom rushed in, her face lighting up with joy and relief even as she took in the destroyed dress and my obviously shaken state.
“Your wolf came!” She pulled me into a tight hug, and I had to fight not to break down completely in her arms.
“Oh sweetheart, I knew she would. And you were alone I’m so sorry .”she said, kissing everywhere she could reach my face.
“Yeah,” I whispered against her shoulder, feeling tears burn behind my eyes. “She’s here.”
But I couldn’t tell her the rest. Couldn’t tell her that her perfect new stepsons were my fated mates, or that they had already threatened me in the same breath they claimed me as theirs.
Couldn’t tell her that everything she thought would make our lives better had just become infinitely more complicated.
“Come on,” Mom said softly, helping me to my feet. “Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed. You’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
She helped me out of the torn dress and into comfortable pajamas, then tucked me into bed like I was a child again. I let her, too drained to protest.
“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered, kissing my forehead. “Get some rest, sweetheart.”
After she left, I lay in the darkness, my wolf still restless inside me. The mate bond hummed beneath my skin, a constant reminder that everything had changed.
And I had no idea how I was going to survive this.
Three days passed before they came for me. I had spent three days avoiding them as much as possible.
My wolf has been whining and pacing growing more agitated with each hour we spend away from our mates.
All three of them walked in…Ashran, Aaron, and Alex…and closed the door behind them with a click.
“We need to talk,” Aaron said quietly, his dark eyes fixed on me.
My wolf perked up immediately, pleased to have them near again despite everything.
I forced her down and crossed my arms over my chest.
“But first, promise me to hide the fact that we are mates from my mom,” I insisted, my voice cracking. “Please. She’s finally happy. Don’t ruin this for her.”
“We won’t tell her. You have our word.” Ashran said finally after a moment of silence.
“For now,” he added, and I could hear the warning in those two words. “But we will be having a very long conversation about this, little mate. Very soon.”
I had no idea how we were ever going to survive this.
- Writer
