Claimed by My Five Forbidden Mates

09-CAIDY

CAIDY ELLIS POINT OF VIEW

The door to the grand hall stood slightly open, and the voices inside carried into the corridor. I had been on my way to the guest quarters Malakai assigned to me, but I stopped when I heard them arguing. At first, I thought about walking away. I should have. Whatever they were discussing was none of my business, and I had no reason to stand outside their door and listen. Yet the moment I heard my name, my feet refused to move.

I stepped closer and pressed myself against the wall beside the door. Through the narrow gap, I could hear every word. My heart beat harder with each second, and a strange knot formed in my stomach as I realized they were talking about me. About what they thought of me. About what they planned to do with me now that I had been forced into their lives.

Then Knoxx asked the question I had been dreading.

“So, what now?” he asked. “You still want her as your mate, Malakai?”

My fingers tightened against the wall.

There was a short silence. I found myself holding my breath as I waited for Malakai's answer. A stupid part of me hoped he would hesitate. Maybe he would say that he didn't know. Maybe he would admit that the bond meant something to him, even if he hated me. I didn't know why I wanted that after everything that had happened between us, but some foolish part of me still remembered the boy Malakai had been at the academy. The boy who used to look at me like I was the only person in the room.

“Why would I want her?” Malakai finally said. His voice was cold, and there wasn't even a trace of the warmth I remembered. “She’s nothing to me, Knoxx.”

My chest tightened so suddenly that I almost forgot to breathe.

Nothing to me.

I stared at the crack in the door as those words sank in. I knew Malakai hated me. I had known that from the moment I stepped into this house. I had expected anger, resentment, maybe even cruelty.I told myself not to cry. I had heard worse. I had survived worse. But somehow, hearing those words from Malakai hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I pressed my lips together and swallowed the ache in my throat. Why did it hurt so much? Why did a part of me still care what he thought after everything I had done?

“Well, you two definitely had something back during our academy days,” Lucien said. There was amusement in his voice, but it carried a cruel edge that made my stomach twist. “Everyone knew it. You were practically inseparable back then. Maybe you're just looking for an excuse to get her back.”

I closed my eyes for a moment.

They remembered.

Of course they did. We had all been younger then. Before everything fell apart, Malakai and I had shared something that none of us ever spoke about anymore. The brothers had known about it too. They had watched us grow close and had probably assumed that whatever existed between us would eventually turn into something more.

They had also believed Malakai had moved on after what I did to them.

“The only thing I want,” Malakai said, and his voice cut through Lucien's teasing, “is for her to suffer.”

My stomach dropped.

“I want her to suffer for what she did to all of us,” he continued. “If this bond is supposed to be some kind of punishment for us, then fine. I’ll accept it. But don't mistake that bond for forgiveness. I will never forgive her.”

My eyes burned. Still, knowing he hated me was one thing. Hearing him say it was another.

I lowered my head and bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. I wanted to tell myself that I deserved it. Maybe I did. I had hurt them. I had destroyed the trust between our families, and no amount of regret could change what happened. I had lived with that guilt for years, and I knew Malakai had every right to hate me.

But hearing him say he wanted me to suffer made something inside me crack.

“So it’s settled, then?” Knoxx asked. His voice sounded lighter than the others, but even he seemed unsure now. “None of us actually wants her?”

“Why the hell would I want her?” Lucien scoffed. “She betrayed us once. What makes you think I'd suddenly want her because some ancient magic decided we're supposed to be mates?”

I flinched at the word.

Lucien continued before anyone could answer. “For all I know, there’s something wrong with her. She's well past the age when she should have found her fated mate. If Corbin isn't her mate, then who is?”

His voice grew harsher. “Maybe she doesn't have one.” I stopped breathing.

“Maybe there’s a reason no one has chosen her. Maybe she’s defective.”

The word struck harder than anything Malakai had said.

Defective.

My eyes filled before I could stop them. One tear slipped down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. Then another followed. I pressed my hand over my mouth because I didn't trust myself to make a sound.

That was the one thing I never wanted anyone to say out loud.

I had wondered about it for years. Every birthday that passed without a mate had made the question harder to ignore. Every time someone looked at me with pity, I wondered if they were thinking the same thing. Maybe something was wrong with me. Maybe I was missing something everyone else had.

I had never told anyone how much it scared me.

In our world, finding your fated mate meant more than love. It meant belonging. It meant power, family, and a future that had already been written for you. Everyone expected it to happen eventually. I had waited, hoping that one day I would finally feel that connection and prove that there was nothing wrong with me.

Instead, I had reached the age when people stopped asking and started assuming.

Maybe Lucien was right… Maybe I am really defective.

“You’re crossing the line there, Lucien,” Sylas said. His voice was firmer now. “You don't have to like her, but—”

He stopped.

I heard the silence that followed, and something in my chest warned me to leave.

Then Sylas turned toward the door and his eyes found mine through the narrow opening.

For a second, neither of us moved. I couldn't tell what he saw first—the tears on my face or the way my hand shook against the wall. His expression changed immediately. His eyes widened, and all the irritation disappeared from his face.

“f**k,” he whispered.

Knoxx looked toward him. “What?”

Sylas didn't answer. His eyes stayed on me, and that was enough to make the others turn.

One by one, they looked toward the door.

I froze as Malakai's eyes met mine.

There was no anger on his face this time. No cold words. Just shock. Maybe regret. I didn't want to know which one it was. Knoxx looked like he had just been caught doing something he couldn't explain. Evren's expression tightened, and Sylas looked genuinely horrified.

Lucien stilled on his spot before he immediately looked away.

His jaw tightened when he saw me. “f**k,” he muttered under his breath.

I couldn't stay there.

The embarrassment became too much. My face burned, and my throat tightened as more tears spilled over. I didn't want them to see me like this. I didn't want Sylas to pity me, and I didn't want Malakai to suddenly soften because he realized I had heard everything.

Most of all, I didn't want Lucien to see how deeply his words had hurt me.

I turned before any of them could say my name.

“Caidy—” I heard Sylas call after me, but I didn't stop.

I grabbed the sides of my skirt and ran down the corridor. My vision blurred as tears streamed down my face, but I kept going. I heard footsteps behind me, and panic shot through me at the thought of one of them catching up.

I didn't want to face them.

I didn't want their apologies.

I didn't want their pity.

I just wanted to get somewhere they couldn't see me break.