Blair's POV
As we returned to our castle, the weight of the night's events hung heavy in the air while my arm throbbed with a dull, persistent pain, a constant reminder of Avyaane's deception.
Stepping in our foyer, I watched as my brothers disperse, each seeking comfort in their own way.
Logan headed straight for the kitchen, his movements tense and agitated. We all followed, realizing we needed refreshment before heading to our separate rooms.
Once in the kitchen, Logan shoved a bun into the microwave to warm up, before he turned to me, his eyes flickering with a mix of concern and lingering anger.
"Are you sure you don't need to be checked?" he asked, his gaze fixed on my injured arm. "Your wound's not healing properly." He added pointing a finger to my arm.
I bristled at his words, my pride stinging almost as much as the gunshot wound. "I would have been checked at the hospital if I needed," I snapped, trying to keep the pain out of my voice. "I'll heal up fine." I concluded trying to brushed it off.
Chad, ever the voice of reason, chimed in as he grabbed a drink from the fridge. "Our wolves whine in shared pain," he said, his tone softer but no less insistent. "If you don't heal by morning, we'll have to go get you patched up." He added insistingly.
I rolled my eyes, fighting back a wince as I shifted my arm. "I said I'm fine, I'm not a baby to be worried over a brush of a bullet." I grumbled trying to push the matter away, though a part of me appreciated their concern.
Killian, leaning against the doorframe with an unreadable expression, shook his head. "I only pray I can get some sleep tonight after all these revelations," he muttered, his voice tinged with exhaustion and frustration.
With that, Killian trudged up to his room, bidding us a curt goodnight, "see you tomorrow fellas!" He waved without eating anything before retiring to bed.
I felt the tension in the air thicken. Logan brought out his bun from the oven and bite before saying, "Let's call it a night," he munched, his voice gruff. "I need to retire now." He briefed.
With that he followed suit, his bun in hand as he headed for the stairs.
Left alone with Chad, I could feel the weight of unspoken words between us. The silence stretched on, broken only by the sound of Chad's steady drinking. Unable to bear it any longer, I grabbed a glass of water, hoping to calm the turmoil raging within me.
"See you in the morning, bro," I managed, before retreating to the sanctuary of my room upstairs too.
Once inside, I allowed myself a moment of vulnerability. "Ugh!" I groaned, collapsing onto my bed. The pain in my arm flared, and I cursed under my breath. "Damn it, why isn't this healing yet?" I asked myself in the emptiness of my room.
My phone caught my eye, the screen lit up with notifications. Five missed calls, three from one of my regular hookups. With a sigh, I dialed her back, trying to push thoughts of Avyaane from my mind.
"Hey babe, what's up?" I said, forcing a casual tone.
Her voice came through, tinged with hope and a hint of desperation. "I was wondering if I could see you tonight." She dipped teasingly.
The request sent a jolt through me. For a moment, I was tempted. It would be so easy to lose myself in the familiar comfort of a meaningless encounter. But the image of Avyaane, pale and unconscious in the hospital bed, flashed before my eyes.
"Sorry, not tonight," I replied, my voice harder than I intended, blatantly waving her off.
I could practically hear her pout through the phone. "Are you seeing someone else?" she asked, accusation clear in her tone.
Anger flared within me, fueled by the pain and confusion of the night. "What if I am?" I snapped. "You're not my girlfriend anyway." I barked at her.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted them. She wasn't to blame for my current situation. But before I could apologize, she backtracked.
"Okay, when can I see you then?" she asked, her voice small. "I'm sorry for making you angry." She apologized as if she did something wrong. Why girls worship me this way was beyond my fathom.
Her apology only made me feel worse. I hesitated, torn between old habits and the new reality of my situation. Now that I was mated, should I continue sleeping with other girls and forget about my bond? But that wasn't something to decipher in one night, after all not while I was injured.
"I'll let you know soon enough," I finally said, my voice weary.
I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bed, running a hand through my hair in frustration. The events of the night played on repeat in my mind - the shock of discovering our mate, the pain of her attempted rejection, or worse eliminating me, the chaos that followed.
As I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I couldn't help but wonder what the future held. How were we supposed to build a life with a mate whom we've hate and hated us back? How could we ever move past the hurt and anger to forge a bond we were destined for?
My arm throbbed, a physical manifestation of the emotional pain that threatened to overwhelm me. I closed my eyes, praying for sleep to come and grant me a brief respite from the turmoil of my thoughts.
"I hope I can get some rest tonight," I murmured to the empty room. But as the minutes ticked by and sleep eluded me, I knew that peace would be hard to come by.
The road ahead was uncertain, fraught with challenges I never could have imagined. As dimness of the room began to creep through my mind, I realized that this was only the beginning of a long and difficult journey.
Chapter 8Logan's POVAs the first rays of dawn filtered through my curtains, I found myself wide awake, and my mind was a churning cauldron of thoughts and emotions.I stretched in my bed, muscles tensing as I grappled with the bizarre twist fate had thrown our way. How in the Moon Goddess's name were we supposed to share my brother's ex-girlfriend as our mate?Sure, Avyaane was pretty - I couldn't deny that. But as Chad's ex, I harbored a deep-seated resentment towards her. It could've been anyone else's ex, for fuck's sake.But no, it had to be the one belonging to Chad - perfect, precious Chad, who always came first and was always the best. Everyone else was second fiddle to him, and this situation only served to show how we were left with his leftovers."Damn it all," I growled, punching my pillow in frustration. The familiar bitterness rose in my throat as memories flooded back - Dad training Chad alone when he was alive, forgetting about the rest of us as if we weren't his chil
Killian's POVI didn't care much about Blair's injured arm as I did about seeing my secret love and crush, Avyaane. Yes I was in love with her since I first saw her six years ago when she joined middle school and was barely 12.There was something about her that captivated me. You are safe to say I fell for her way before Chad did and dated her for two years before they broke up recently.I was trying to make my move on her after their breakup but I couldn't summon the courage, not that I was weak, but that was a different courage.And now she suddenly became our mate.I can't tell you how happy I felt because now I can have her please me and no one will raise a brow, because she's ours after all.If I chose to sleep with her, that's my choice. I swear I'd even get in a fight with my brothers if they would suggest we reject her or not touch her. Because, that was something I'd never agree on.Just then, Logan pulled up at the hospital, bringing me back to reality from the journey of m
Avyaane's pov My mouth felt dry and every part of my body felt sore as I struggled to drag myself into consciousness. I could hear the faint beeping of a heart monitor and from the smell of antiseptic and saline drifting Into my nostrils. It was clear I was in a hospital. I pried my eyes open and looked around. I was alone in the room and an oxygen mask was affixed to my face. I had no recollection of how I ended up here at first. I didn't know how long I'd been here for either. A few days? A week? Possibly a month? It was hard to tell exactly. I tried to get the mask off my face just as a nurse walked in. Her small eyes widened when she saw me awake. “Hello Avyaane. You woke up earlier than we thought”She rushed over to me and assisted in getting the mask off. After propping me to sit, She offered me a glass of water from the side table. “What happened” I asked her when I'd taken only a few sips. My mouth was dry and I was terribly thirsty but it hurt even more to
Chapter 11Chad's Pov She looked so small, swaddled up in a flimsy hospital bedsheet. Her eyes were hollow and her cheeks sunken. She looked like a scared little puppy. “Looks like the little mutt survived afterall” Logan growled from beside me as we filed into the small room, our presence taking up the space. The nurse shrinked out of the room quietly and the doctor looked he wanted to as well. “Looks like the doctor was wrong. Didn't take you up to two weeks too wake up now did it?” Blair said with an evil smile. He was fully healed up from the bullet wound Avyaane had given him four days earlier but his pride wasn't and he was itching to make her pay. “I knew you were stronger than you looked” Killian said, a little less loudly, staring into Avyaane's eyes with a smirk on his face. His words were meant to sound sarcastic but his tone had made it sound like he was praising her. “Let's give her a little room guys” The doctor said, making halfhearted hand gestures to
Chapter 12 chapter twelve Avyaane's pov I numbly walked with the Alpha's as they led me towards their waiting SUV outside the hospital. The discharge papers were processed very quickly and a nurse had handed me my clothes, freshly washed and ironed, to wear. The Alpha's never left the room, leering at me as I slowly took off the flimsy hospital gown and put on my clothes. I felt their eyes ravage my naked body but I refused to look up, to look at them. I was theirs now. In word and in writing. My father had signed the papers giving my off as property to the Alphas, sanctioning them to do with me whatever they pleased. I had ready the papers twice, going over the words in disbelief. I stared at my father's words and signature in shock. And then in anger. The good for nothing bastard. In a way, I was glad to be rid of him once and for all but I knew it wasn't for the better. It was like jumping from a frying pan into a big,roaring open flame. With my father, at least I knew w
Avyaane's POVThe heavy downpour of rain did nothing to quell my screams as my father beat me up mercilessly and without remorse with his favorite stick for not opening the door fast enough after one of his drunken sprees.“Pease, father, I’m sorry.” I pleaded for him to stop to the extent that my voice was little more than an agonized whisper, but he didn’t listen. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying beating the crap out of me.“You stupid bitch,” he spat as he hit me again, strategically avoiding my face as he usually did because my face was his source of income these days. I honestly wished he could just mark my face and disfigure it, but I knew he wouldn’t; it was his precious merchandise after all.“Please!” I coughed, my entire body stinging with pain.“How dare you keep me waiting? Are you trying to follow in your mother’s footsteps like a whore?” He spat, his face red with anger.If he continued to hit me, I was sure I’d die this time, as I could no longer feel the pain of
Avyaane's POVWhen I got to school, all I wanted to do was blend in as much as possible, but of course my wishes went unanswered because, as soon as I stepped into the gate, I was bathed in water that smelled like it had been left to marinate for days at room temperature, after it was used to wash fish or any other sea food.“There’s our favorite little stupid puppy; I didn’t think you’d have the nerve to come back to school.” A familiar voice said so, and a bunch of other voices around her laughed.I let out a sigh as I sat down on the floor, afraid to look at Allison in the eye. That would probably only result in a beating, and I was getting tired of being beaten up.Allison was the daughter of the Beta of the Black Moon Pack, and she was one of the people my father wanted me to please to get good graces from her father. She was the most beautiful girl on campus and the most entitled. She got away with anything due to her beauty and popularity, and it irked me, but I couldn’t do any
Avyaane's POVAllison looked like she had seen a ghost soon after Chad's words dropped like venom.“She doesn’t deserve your sympathy, Chad. She’s a liar and a dirty whore,” she spat.“Shut the fuck up and get out.” Chad growled and began to press against my chest, trying to get the water out of my lungs.The more he pressed, the more I wondered in my delirious state. He hated my guts and my very existence, so why was he helping me? And why at the expense of Allison?!I coughed and sputtered, finally expelling the last of the pool water from my lungs. As my senses fully returned, I became aware of Chad kneeling beside me, his expression unreadable."Wh-why...why did you save me?" I managed to rasp out between gasping breaths.Chad's jaw clenched minutely. "Let's just say I didn't want your death on my conscience."A bitter, ragged laugh escaped my lips. "Since when did you grow a conscience where I'm concerned?"His eyes flashed dangerously. "Watch your tone. I may have just saved you