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CHAPTER 3
~Jade's POV~
My world came crashing down almost immediately when I heard those words.
No… All hopes of not getting recognised were gone down the drain. This was bad, really bad.
"Really, Xavier?" The second Alpha's green eyes that flickered with a predatory light, narrowed in on me. I felt like a lab specimen on display.
"It's true," the first alpha agreed. He had black hair and blue eyes that made him look insanely handsome and unstoppable. And just like that, all three circled me like predators ready to devour their prey.
"Our mate sending nudes randomly to whore herself to unknown men?" the second Alpha voiced, and my heart sank as though he was passing judgment.
Until now, none of them had acknowledged the matebond, making me second-guess if they felt the strong pull I felt or if they were only here on duty.
But when Javelin got recognised that way, it crushed whatever little confidence I had left.
I wanted to say it wasn't like that, and he got it all wrong, but no words came out of my lips to defend myself.
Instead, fear made me lower my gaze.
Javy roared in my head, angry at how they were talking to me, but I shut her out. The last thing I wanted was more trouble.
The first Alpha scoffed, the look of displeasure filling his face. "First, a weak girl, and now… a seductress. Tch, looks like the Moon Goddess perfectly created her to annoy us."
Before I knew what was happening, my lips moved without permission. "That's not me."
There, I said it, even though I did not know how.
They all looked like they were about to say something until I spoke and they fell silent. Then one of them, the first Alpha, dipped his hand into his pocket and took out his phone.
My heart skipped several beats before jumping into my throat. For a moment, I thought he was going to show us the video and my embarrassment, but what I did not expect was what he did instead.
A few seconds later, my phone rang in my pocket, playing my—now that I realized it—embarrassing ringtone. I wanted the ground to swallow me whole and shut my eyes.
"Or should I add liar to the list of errors the Moon Goddess made?"
Javelin purred sadly in my mind. This was not how I imagined meeting my mate, and their words did hurt her.
The shame and pain were too much, so I did what I thought was best. I turned around and ran.
However, my feet had barely moved three steps when my face slammed right into something hard.
Before I could scream, strong, powerful auras spiked up and enclosed around me.
I looked up to see the third, blonde Alpha's face. How had he moved swiftly to block my escape?
I had my answer when his eyes flashed red for a second. "And where do you think you are going?"
I swallowed. "I'm going to…" I tried to back away, only to bump into another hard muscle behind.
"Didn't think you could run from us?" My neck strained as I turned to look at the second alpha. His emerald green eyes sparkled under the night sky.
"No. I can explain."
Then, he reached out, hooking a finger under the strap of my wet dress. "Explain what, little wolf? How you practiced those moans just for us? Or was that video a 'gift' for the whole school?"
"It wasn't for you!" I snapped, my voice trembling and betraying my sudden bravado.
"Exactly what Xade just said," the first alpha agreed.
Meaning he was Xander, the most deadly of them all. He was my trainer.
Xander's gaze lingered on me a second longer than necessary, like he was trying to decide whether I was a liability or a problem he'd have to eliminate later.
"So," Xavier drawled, stepping closer, his sharp blue unapologetic eyes. "Our mate turns out to be the same girl every male in this school thinks he has a claim on."
"I never wanted that," I whispered.
"Intent doesn't erase consequence." Xade scoffed. "The Moon Goddess has a twisted sense of humour. Three Alpha heirs bound to a girl who can barely stand under our aura. No control, strength or presence worthy of standing beside us."
My chest tightened. "I didn't ask to be your mate," I said quietly. "And I didn't ask to be dragged into your world."
Xavier gave a humourless chuckle. "Too late for that, little wolf. You're not just ours, you're his too."
The words chilled me. I never knew my father, but still, it was hard to believe that the mighty Lycan King was none other than my dad.
"Not for me. At least it explains your power."
"The Lycan King needs to see you," Xade continued. "Tonight."
Panic clawed its way up my throat, but I forced myself not to freeze. "I'm not going anywhere with you," I said, my voice shaking but loud enough to carry. "My mum is waiting. If I disappear, she'll notice."
Xander's brow furrowed, his patience thinning. "Excuses."
"I'm not making excuses," I snapped back, surprising even myself. "You said it yourselves. I'm weak. I don't belong in your world. What happens if he rejects me as his princess?"
Xade stepped closer, his presence pressing down on me like a physical weight. "That's not your decision to make."
"No," I said, backing away, my eyes scanning the space behind them. "You don't get to decide my life in one night. I—I… need time."
Rather than stand there and let them corner me, I shifted, already calculating a way past them. I wasn't about to be dragged back to a man who never wanted me.
"Don't even think about it."
Xavier moved before I could take another step, cutting off my escape. "I wasn't asking," he said coldly, which sent shivers down my spine. "You are going to see the King."