Kai
Anger was an understatement of how I felt after Vespa walked away. I was inflamed that my one chance of being with my mate was ruined by my overbearing brothers and my spoiled cousin.
"Get the hell out of here, Nebula." I snapped at the silly girl. "You're so infuriating."
Nebula rolled her eyes, looking smug. "C'mon, Kia, I'm still your favorite cousin and you shouldn't dump me over a worthless human."
Then she sat on the same seat Vespa had vacated, placing her manicured nails over my clenched fist and trying to pry it open.
I pulled away, glaring at her.
Hissing, she leaned back, drinking some of Ziah's water.
"This isn't what you should be focused on. Grandma said keep your eye on the prize. But here you are, acting like simps. I'm most surprised that you're acting pussy-whipped, Kai."
"Shut the fuck…"
"You're the serious one," she continued, ignoring me. "If it were Zeke or fuckboy Ziah, I wouldn't bat an eyelid."
She was right. Vespa's presence made my skin prickle pleasurably. At first glance, Vespa looked like a basic, random girl. Short, strawberry-blonde, pixie hair, glasses and all.
At a close glance, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Sexy as sin. Even when she was pissed off, she radiated sensuality in a way no female could ever match.
I was drawn in by her beauty from the very beginning. From the moment I saw her at the airport, my wolf roared inside me, excited to mark our mate.
But my attraction quadrupled when I realized she was intelligent. I wanted her to be my partner, my friend, my slut.
Hell, I'd fuck her everywhere. I'd release my pent-up sexual frustration and send shivers of desire all over her body with my tongue.
My brother, Zeke, clenched his fists, and Ziah tugged his man-bun. Nebula's statement rang in my ears. I wasn't offended. Even if I was, I had no right to hit her. She was female, my cousin, and pregnant.
"I'm going to get her," I said with supreme confidence. "Because I'm interested in her."
"You wouldn't dare." Zeke fired off like a soldier ready for battle. It took Vespa to bring out the angry side of my brother that I hadn't seen ever since our parents died.
Thank you, Vespa.
"Must you always dominate everything?" He continued his rant. "And you, Ziah? You have a string of girls to sleep with. When was the last time you took Camila's calls? That girl would die for you."
"Well, I don't want her," Ziah roared. "I want Vespa and I must have her."
Hissing in annoyance, I controlled my temper and waited for Zeke to finish.
"I declared my interest first. Both of you must stay away from that girl."
"What is so special about her?" Nebula sneered, eating my burger. "There are thousands of other 5;2 blonde, pixie-haired girls with curves. I can get you more beautiful and sophisticated ones if you want."
We ignored her. I had far more important things to worry about. Things like how to convince my brothers to stay away from my human mate and how to win her heart.
All through last night, I couldn't sleep because it was an unspoken rule among Alpha lycans to mate with strong mates from either an Alpha or Beta bloodline. No alpha in my generation ever mated an omega, not to talk of humans.
Finding my mate was perfect, but we were in the middle of a crisis.
This was beyond me and I couldn't control my feelings. This has never happened in the past five years, since Diana died. Vespa made me come alive from my grave of loneliness and numbness.
I needed her in my life, more than oxygen.
"Zeke, Ziah, I'm pleading with you to leave the girl alone. I don't want this to spiral out of control, but I want her and must have her."
My second chance at happiness from the moon goddess.
Losing my parents to our enemies and losing my girlfriend in the space of three months was too much to bear, a torture imprinted in my heart.
"Kai, didn't you say you weren't interested in romance and that the only reason you're here is to find the bastards who ruined us?" Ziah asked with loathing in his voice. "What changed? Where's the spunk?"
"We're going to have to modify that. I never planned to abandon their duties but I want that girl, and whatever I want, I get."
"Not this time around," Ziah warned. "I like her."
"You do? Are you tired of being a fuck boy?" I sized him up. "Don't forget that you like them in all shapes and sizes. It's why Camila…"
"Enough with the Camila referencing!" Ziah snapped, shooting me a nasty look. "I want Vespa."
Ignoring his tantrum, I turned to face Zeke who looked like he was about to devour me.
"Damn you both. Why is this coming up after I confessed to both of you that I like the girl?" He snapped angrily.
Despite how aggravating the situation was, I liked that it was getting an emotion out of Zeke. Had I not been directly involved, I would have been excited to watch him react.
"This is fucking messed up," Ziah said, now composed. "Must we always compete over everything? I'm drained. In the end, one person would emerge as Alpha. If you want me to give up on my quest to become Alpha, I will, on the condition that you leave the girl alone "
A shocked gasp escaped Nebula. I was stunned to hear Ziah's words. I wasn't going to let anyone have Vespa. She was mine and mine alone."
"Well, in that case, I have something important to tell you, "I cleared my throat. "And I want you to take it as seriously as life and death."
Everyone, including Nebula, stared at me, knowing that I never joked with anything.
"I don't know what games both of you are playing, but Vespa is my second chance mate and I don't plan to share her with anyone, much less my brothers."
Zeke's turned white as a sheet and Ziah red as a tomato. No one spoke for about a minute until Nebula broke the silence.
"Have you lost your mind, Kai? You're admitting that a human is your mate?"
"Well, perhaps we should visit the Moon Goddess. My decision must be respected and strictly…"
Ziah's mad laughter made me stop speaking and I turned around to face him.
"What's funny, Hezekiah?"
Ziah scowled at me. He hated it when anyone called him by his full name. All three of us hated our full names. They housed too many memories.
"That's impossible," he shook his head. "She can't be your mate."
"And why not?"
"Because... Because she's mine." He stared back at me with defiance. "My wolf can scent her. And I am going to mark her."
My breath became shaky and I broke into a sweat. Was this some kind of joke?
"That's ridiculous," Zeke mirrored the same expression as mine. "She's my mate."
"Oh fuck," Ziah and Nebula said at once. My heart stopped beating.
"Come again?"
"You heard me," he shrugged. "My wolf can scent her, and I don't plan to share her with any of you."
Now was my turn to laugh. I laughed so hard that I choked on my spit.
"If this is a joke, stop it because it's not in any way funny."
"Looks like we have a big problem." Nebula sneered. "I can't wait to tell Grandma that her grandbabies have one mate, a tiny human who's leading them into damnation."
Ignoring her, we stared at each other, confused. Alphas were never permitted to share their women. And not only did I have to fight my brothers over my father's vacant throne. Now I had to fight them over a woman.
"Well then. Game on, I guess." I said to them, "You know me. And you know how ruthless I can get. Do not stand in my way if you love the very air you breathe. Reject her or face my wrath."
Zeke and Ziah stared at me, emboldened with newfound defiance.
"Not this time, Kai. I have nothing to lose," Zeke said.
"I guess it's showtime. May the best man win," Ziah said after giving me a stare-down.
Vespa Starving, fatigued, and utterly drained from the whole drama, I was relieved to be in the comfort of my room. Without wasting a second, I yanked off my boots, tossed my backpack on the bed, and flopped down on the single couch in the room. Ria, who was sitting at the desk and working on her laptop, looked up, her eyes roaming over me. "Something wrong? You look like a horse pissed on your leg." "Is there some Universe diety I need to bribe to cease these back-to-back calamities?" Ria's face turned serious. She shut her laptop, sprang up, and rushed to my side. "What's wrong?" "You don't want to know," I said, gulping some water. "My unwelcome lap dogs are driving me crazy." She frowned, trying to figure out what I was talking about, but when she understood, she burst into crazy laughter. "What's funny?" I glared at her. "Sorry, sorry. How so?" "Would you believe it if I told you that they continued with their charade, each of them trying to warm up to me but fighting e
Vespa There was a very thin line between love and hate, and this had been my case ever since Donovan dumped me. I thought I'd found 'the one,' when I met Donovan. I thought I loved him and could die without him. Now, all I felt was the need to throw up, cold indifference and the fires of hatred flare up inside me, so much that I felt like banging the door in his face hard and pounding his brain cells into a pudding. After the public humiliation, I was hurt and my heart fell apart, then I transitioned to existing on autopilot. Tonight, my eyes opened to his flaws. I must have been blinded by his dick to not notice that he wasn't even all that good looking. Seeing the pig in a new light showed all his imperfections. His stupid face bronzed by the sun looked like baby poo, his lips were too wide, his hair looked like it was styled by a child, and the veneers in his teeth looked so fake. "Look who you fucked for over twelve months," my inner thoughts mocked me. "You're tasteless."
Zeke My favorite place to while away my time at Brookstone University was the hiking trail. The surreal view was enchanting, thanks to the moon and stars reflecting on the water below and providing illumination that no artificial lights could ever hope to match. Unfortunately, noise pollution disguised as a party disrupted the peace of this place. My lycan enhanced hearing worsened the loud bass from the speakers, making my eardrums ache. No sleep tonight. Holding my acoustic guitar, I fixed my gaze at the constellations. The moon was at its brightest, fueling my body with lunar energy from the Moon Goddess and relaxing my body into a state of calm. I let out a sigh and tipped my head back, connecting to life and appreciating its beauty, while my fingers danced along the guitar strings, producing the familiar notes I hold dearly to my heart. The ones my Mama taught me. Mama's soft face and her long, blond plait akin to a thick snake, filled my head. Her eyes, bright grey and spa
Vespa Snowy purred from the slightly chilly wind. I wrapped my jacket around it as I ascended the hiking path. No words could describe the pain I felt discovering that the man I once loved was a phony all along. Donovan was a first-grade piece of shit for threatening me with my hard-earned work. The hiking trail was never empty. Friends and fuck-buddies strolled in pairs, the latter assaulting innocent ears with moans and grunts. A loud moan like a baby's cry, drifted over the trail, enough for me to lose the remnants of my sanity. I wondered if fucking like rabid dogs outdoors was a new trend. I made a mental note to ask Kaden, the president of the student union. There must be something about students dumping the privacy of their rooms to defile this beautiful little place and turn it into a sex zoo. Other than that, the peace, fresh air, and my spot under an oak tree were a welcoming respite from the crappiness of Donovan's visit. Fuck Donovan. May his socks remain wet f
Vespa "Can the night not get any worse?" I asked my cat, on our way to the room. Snowy purred in response to my fingers stroking his fur. I couldn't deny that some things Zeke said sent shivers down my spine. The mating bond, for a start. If the bond was real, and the three boys could scent me, then there was a big problem. He seemed so serious and I knew there was no way he made his statement up. Other girls would probably feel flattered by the attention of three hot brothers, but I worried about my peace of mind if they all began hanging around me. I was glad I was human and couldn't feel any weird bond. Also, one of them could turn out to be a jerk like their in-law, Donovan. Zeke looked harmless, Ziah was sweet and flirty, and Kai seemed to have a possessive complex. I couldn't tell if they were genuine or just playing with my head. I would've dismissed Zeke's claims if the guys were ugly and not devastatingly handsome like Greek gods. But no, the freaks were too attractiv
VespaA frown nestled on my face as I blocked the front door, preventing Astrid from walking into the room. Astrid realizing that an argument was about to begin, sighed like a long-suffering teacher. "It's six thirty, an astonishingly late time to return after a party that started at nine pm. Why didn't you come back with Ria? Did the organizers pay you to personally tuck the drunks into bed or did you volunteer to be their caregiver?""Calm your perky tits down," she groaned, trying to push past me. "I didn't do anything stupid. I bumped into Latoya, my friend from school. Her sister schools here and we spent the night in her room."I didn't believe her. My sister has always been carefree and irresponsible. I could count on my fingers all the time she's gotten out of trouble. Fortunately for her, her life wasn't built on the foundation of duty and expectations like mine. She shoved her phone in my face, showing me photos of her friend, Latoya, an athletic-looking girl with blonde h
Ziah Fighting off sleep, I joyfully surrendered my precious time (note the sarcasm) to my brother, Kai, barking orders in the name of a lecture in the silent pavilion. My restless foot engaged in a tap dance against the wooden floor. Kai better wrap this up in five minutes, or I'm out of here with no second thoughts. Campus security could stumble upon this unauthorized meeting and punish us for sneaking around campus at this time of the night. We were under constant scrutiny by humans for posing danger to their perfect lives. But we needed to fish out our enemies before they caused more harm than the previous time. They already made a huge dent in our lives and it seemed unlikely that we would recover from such an event unscathed. As Kai's Alpha-blood brother, the expectation was for me to be interested, but I've never enjoyed being told what to do, no matter how crucial. Kai doesn't need assistance; he's always on top of things and ready to handle tasks without our help. If he w
Vespa After spending a considerable amount of time with Ziah, who was effortlessly hilarious and made me laugh so hard, to a fever pitch by steaming up jokes and a funny interview session, I headed back to my room. My sister meticulously packed her stuff and was on her way home because my mom couldn't stop calling her to get herself back to the house. Hearing my mom's voice over the phone when she called my sister made my emotions spiral out of control. I tried to be recklessly indifferent about it and compose myself, but my heart responded poorly. I was envious of my mom's relationship with my sister. Previously, I never gave her neglect a second thought. But seeing it happen right before me made me realize that I was worthless to her. She never called. "You're going to act like you don't see what Mom is doing," my voice came off harsher than I intended as I transferred my aggression to my sister. "You spent the weekend here, and she has called you over five times." I didn't ca