My Rival Alpha Mates

Lyra POV "Have you heard? Lyra still hasn't found her mate." One of the pack females murmurs to her friend. "No wonder she has other nicknames. ,"Another woman adds. "Wolfless alpha's useless daughter. And I heard Alpha Caden already rejected her." The walk home from my academy graduation ceremony was exhausting. Noise crowds in from every direction, and I'm already worn thin before I even reach the gate. Ignoring them has never been easy. It never gets easier. I endure it. That burden is mine, same as everything else. I step inside. Dad looks up from across the room, his expression already folded into a frown. Nathan turns from the counter and smiles. "Sis, how was your day?" He pauses, something shifting in his face. "Wait. Today was your graduation. God, I forgot." "It's fine. Don't worry about it." "You're Doctor Lyra now." His smile returns, tired around the edges but genuine. "Congratulations, Sis." Nathan's arms wrap around me in a bear hug. Something warm loosens in my chest. At least someone remembers. At least someone cares enough to say it. But the empty seat in the graduation hall this morning still sits at the back of my mind. "Jeez," Dad's voice cuts through the room. "When is she going to find a man and leave this pack?" "Dad," Nathan's tone sharpens. "She worked hard. She earned that degree." Dad scoffs. "Wolfless is useless. Degree or not, Nathan, that doesn't change." I look away from him. It doesn't matter what I do. I'll never earn his respect. The pack looks at me and sees a liability. So does he. I pass Mom's photo on my way out. She's beautiful in it, black hair and green eyes bright against fair skin. My fingers brush the frame. I keep walking. In my room, I drop my backpack and pull out the report card. Theory strong. Practical failed. No wolf's eyes means no magic sight, and without it, I can't see what needs to be healed inside a werewolf's body. A folded note slips from the envelope and falls on the floor. Picking it up. You should withdraw from the wolf medicine track, Lyra.—Teacher Bethelem I crumple it into a ball and throw it in the bin. Like I will give up on my dream. I look at myself in the mirror. My ash-gray hair has fallen loose from its bun. Pale skin. Glassy eyes. I reach up and take out my contacts. My eyes are green when I wear them. Without them, they shift with whatever I feel. Right now grief bleeds them black. That's why I wear them. Emotions are dangerous when they show, and mine show in my eyes first. Always hide what you feel, Lyra. That's how you survive. Grandma's voice, right on time. That's the reason I wear ‌contacts. Emotions are dangerous when they show, and my emotions reflect in my eyes first. I wipe the tears away. My eyes shift back slowly, black bleeding out, green bleeding in. A knock. Nathan stands in the doorway. "What brings you here?" "Emma wants you looking your best." He steps aside, and two maids file in carrying an armful of dresses, all baby pink, each with a different neckline and trim. "Pick one. You're her bridesmaid." "Are you upset about what Dad said earlier?" "No," he says, and nothing. Just gives me one long, sympathetic look before he turns and walks away. My phone buzzes. Girl, be there at 7pm sharp. You're helping me pick the wedding dress. "I'll be there," I type back. I move to the window. Cars are pulling into the driveway below, one after another. Most of them I recognize. Council members, friendly faces, people who move in the same circles as our pack. Expected guests for a wedding eve. Then a car rolls up that doesn't belong to any of them. Sleek. Expensive. The kind that doesn't belong to anyone ordinary. A man steps out in a black suit. Polished. Composed. Alpha Caden Voss. Shadowfang. My stomach turns. He is the last person I want to see. The man who created a rumor about me and let it spread like poison, who looks at me like I'm something dangerous he needs to keep contained. He still visits me in nightmares, and now he's standing twenty feet from my window. I can't look away. I can't move either. A second car pulls in behind his. Alpha Landon White. Bloodfang. Polo shirt, tailored trousers, loafers—like he dressed for a dinner and not a war. Why my ex-boyfriend is here. A third car stops at the estate entrance. The man who climbs out looks almost casual. Shirt, blue jeans, sneakers. Alpha Dante Beckett. Another asshole who made life hell in college. Three alphas all have a history against Silver Moon and with me. I don't stand there trying to make sense of it. I run. Nathan's office door hits the frame when I push through it. He looks up from the papers in his hands. I'm still catching my breath. "We have enemies at the gate. Are we in danger?" Nathan sets the papers down. "No, they're here as guests. For the wedding." I stare at him. "What?" "Guests, Lyra." "Those three alphas who have made this pack's life difficult for years are here as wedding guests." "Yes." I narrowed my eyes. He holds my gaze for exactly two seconds before looking away. He knows he's not getting out of this without explaining himself. Nathan has a point. I hate that he does. Beta Hugo steps into the office. "Alpha. Shall I escort the alpha to their guest room?" "No," Nathan says, glancing at me. "Lyra will attend to them." "Me." "I'm trusting you will handle it." He adds.. Nathan has always treated me as an equal, wolf or not. What Nathan doesn't know, what Emma doesn't know, what no one in this pack knows, is that I have a history with all three of them. Alpha Caden Voss. The man who built a rumor around me and used it like a weapon. What no one knows is what I know about him. What he actually is. The things he does behind closed doors. He looks at me like he knows I know, and that look has always felt less like hatred and more like a warning. Alpha Landon White. My ex-boyfriend. That one needs no explanation. Alpha Dante Beckett. The man who made my college years something I don't like to revisit. “Go on, Lyra, you can do it.” Nathan's voice broke me out of my trance. I nod my head. I step out of his. My eyes found three pairs of eyes staring at me. The heat is instant and wrong and everywhere. Goosebumps race up my arms, sweat slides down the back of my neck, and something low in my body clenches in a way that has nothing to do with fear and everything to do with them. I press my thighs together. I know exactly what this is. I've read about it. Every she-wolf has. The mate bond haze. The body surrendering before the mind gets a vote. I'm wolf-less. I was never supposed to feel this. Why not find me another mate, someone who would actually care about me? Why the three men who broke me in the worst ways possible.