Mate or Mates

Chapter two

Renee’s P.O.V

As soon as those horrible words escaped her lips, I fell to the ground, clutching my chest as I kept exhaling in panic. I heard Nerissa click her tongue, and the sound of her footsteps approaching me, and when I heard the sound of dried leaves crunching underneath her shoe, I knew that she had crouched down before me.

Struggling to breathe, I choked a whisper, tears streaming down my face like a free fall. “Why? Why are you doing this to me, Nerissa? What have I done to deserve this?”

Nerissa burst into a peal of hysterical laughter. “So you didn't like my birthday gift……” Her words trailed as she clicked her tongue in her mouth.

Slowly, I felt her fingers trail my jaw as she lifted it. “You seem to be forgetting that if I am not happy, then you can't be. How can you have a boyfriend when I am single? Anyways, no one must hear about this not even my parents because if you tell anyone about this, I will ensure that your mentally deranged mum is kicked out of the mental institute”

My heart skipped a bit at that moment.

No! Not my mum. She needed all the treatment that she could get.

She stood up while I heard as she dusted her dress. “So please act like you didn't see anything……” Her words trailed off. “What am I even saying? You can't see anything because you are blind and you have been blind from birth”

“Let’s go, Kade, and make sure that you attend the night party, sister” Nerissa mocked and when she left with Kade, everything inside of me crumbled and I broke down in tears.

My heart hurts.

Everything that just happened felt so surreal. The Kade that I knew would never do this to me but at the same time, that was his scent and most importantly, his voice.

My mind soon strayed towards my mum at the pack’s mental institute and fear clawed at my throat when Nerissa’s threat resounded in my head. I couldn't afford to have my mum thrown out of the mental institute since the pack catered for her.

It was just so fucked up that my mum was mentally unstable because of Nerissa yet, she was treated like nothing.

Years ago, a huge fire razed the whole building during Nerissa’s fifth birthday. Since I was an omega, I wasn't allowed to be around Nerissa and always stuck with my parents all the time.

I have never celebrated my birthday and that day, I snuck into Nerissa’s room out of curiosity because I wanted to know what a cake felt like since the maids took her cake into her room.

Since she wasn't in her room, I took a matchbox, ready to light up the candles on the cake when the door swung open, and out of fear, I threw the match stick that was already lit when their screams and gasps echoed through the entire place.

I mean, how could I have forgotten about those evil triplets, Lennox, Levi, and Louis who made life a living hell for me from an early age?

They bullied me, made me feel less of myself and the only thing that made me glad was that I would never see them again.

Back to the story, I ran out of the room panicking but unknown to me, because of the match stick that I threw, fire engulfed Nerissa’s room and to worsen things, Nerissa had been in her room all along, stuck with one of the triplet brothers, Louis.

My late dad, who noticed how I panicked, found out that I was the one behind the fire and Nerissa and Louis were stuck in the room. Risking his life for them, he went inside the fire, bringing out Nerissa and Louis but when he almost came out, a log of wood fell on him and he got stuck in the fire and died.

His death caused my mum to be mentally unstable.

Because of that tragic event, the Alpha and Luna adopted me even though they hated me for causing the fire, and on the other hand, the triplet brothers despised me so much that they tagged me as a murderer who almost killed one of them.

Anyway, I would never be setting eyes on them ever since their fallout with Nerissa which caused them to be archenemies.

After marshaling the last bit of strength inside of me, I made my way to the hall where Nerissa’s birthday party was being held. Holding firmly to my cane, I hid behind the other slaves, sobbing silently because of the heartbreaking event that kept replaying in my head.

How could Kade do that to me? How?

Making a tiny sniffle, I adjusted the blindfold over my eyes, swallowing the heavy lump that formed in my throat.

Applause echoed through the entire hall and I figured out that Luna was about to give her boring speeches like she always did during Nerissa’s birthday.

“I want to thank each one of you for honoring my beloved daughter's birthday. However, this night, I have a very important announcement to make and it is concerning the senior school whose session will be starting tomorrow”

I knew that it was the same old boring speeches. The Luna was amongst the sponsors of the arts high school which almost all the elite members of the packs attended.

I never attended though since I went to a local pack school meant for the slaves but that didn't mean that I had no idea about the things happening in the Elites Arts High School.

Stories about how the triplets terrorized the school, and bullied those that were beneath their ranks even though they were Elites, and that in turn earned them the nickname of the Alpha Devils.

I heaved another sigh of relief, placing my hand on my forehead. “At least, I wouldn't have to hear horrible news about their atrocities any longer since they aren't here”

Luna, Patricia continued. “I am also glad to announce to you all that for this session, the Alpha……”

All of a sudden, someone screamed. “It is the Alpha Devils. They are back!”

My heart lurched and for a second, it felt like I heard wrong. How could they be here? It wasn't just possible.

However, when the slaves around me squealed in excitement, I knew that it was damn real.

The sound of the camera’s clicking echoed through the entire place and the murmurs from everyone.

“Louis has gotten more handsome. His hair is now blonde”

“Look at Lennox's broad shoulders and his curly long hair. They have all gotten so tall, they look like fallen angels”

“Levi is stunning! I am in love” Despite the fear in my heart, my face scrunched up in disgust.

It didn't matter if they were like Greek gods, their hearts were dark and they would forever remain ugly in my imagination.

The Luna laughed. “I am glad to announce to you all that they will be attending the session and another good news, there is going to be one lucky person who isn't a high-ranking member of the pack and this person will also be attending”

Everyone squealed In excitement not because of the poor lucky winner but because of the triplets that would be attending.

To worsen things, I just couldn't understand why the slaves were excited about being able to attend that school. These fools were praying to be chosen since they all submitted their names to the ballot days ago.

Well as for me, I would rather die than ever attend that evil school filled with bullies and unhealthy competition so I didn't even bother putting my name in the ballot box. Plus I was going through a series of heartbreaks and the last thing that I wanted was for the triplets to see me after so many years.

Their last words to me replayed in my head causing me to shudder. “The next time we set eyes on you again, we will make you cry so bad that you would beg for death instead”

Cold shivers ran down my spine and while I prepared to sneak out of the party, I heard the Luna say. “Now, I am dipping my hand into the ballot box, and the lucky winner who will be on a scholarship throughout his or her senior year is…….” She paused, the air hung heavy with suspense and anticipation.

Almost sneaking out of the party, I froze when she mentioned. “Renee Smith”

What?

That was my name? How? There must surely be a mistake somewhere.

Even though I couldn't see anything, I could feel everyone’s eyes and it felt more like the ground should give up its content and take me instead.

I mumbled, ebbing to the wall— So I thought.

“I ... never…..submitted my name into the ballot box. I…..” All of a sudden, a scream of horror echoed through the entire place, and before I knew it, I had crashed into something.

“My cake!” Nerissa screamed at the top of her lungs.

Tears began to stream down my face because I knew that I was done for. The alpha and Luna had warned me against my clumsiness and had given clear instructions for me not to attend the birthday party but Nerissa wanted me there.

If I didn't listen to her, her parents would deal with me.

When I heard the clicking sound of stilettos approaching me, I knew that this was my end. In a matter of seconds, she gripped me by the collar of my shirt as she screamed. “I am so going to slap you in the face”

All of a sudden, I heard someone growl. “Don't you dare lay a finger on her, Nerissa”

However, at that moment, my heart skipped a beat because it felt like the triplet brothers approached me and time went still.

A different scent, something that I had never felt before wafted through my nostrils. It was soothing and comforting and an overwhelming sensation coursed through my body, causing goosebumps on my skin.

Their scents wrapped around me like warmth and they smelled like a variety of flowers.

My voice was barely above a whisper. “Mates”

I could feel the triplets now standing before me and in that moment, they all murmured. “Mate.”