KAYLA
As the sun began to set, the guard watching me finally spoke, “You can go now, Kayla. It's dusk, unless of course you want to take over my job,” he grinned mischievously.I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I collapsed onto the ground, my legs feeling like jello. “Thank you,” I managed to say between gasps for air– for a while, I thought I was going to die whilst kneeling.I slowly got up, my body ached, and my legs were shaky from staying under the scorching sun for so long.I started making my way back to my room. Just then, my mind went back to the scenario that happened earlier with my stepbrothers– I couldn't imagine being mates with them, the price I would pay if I was found out sent shivers down my spine.I walked back to my room, lost in my thoughts and unaware of my surroundings, that I bumped into someone.“Ugh,” I groaned and looked up to see Jason, standing before me, with his eyes as cold as ice.Jason hissed spitefully, “You clumsy little witch!”I moved backwards and looked up so that our faces would meet. For once, I took in his facial features, his gray eyes blazing with anger, his full brows that arched to perfection, the way he raised his brows slightly while he talked– He was handsome!I wondered if he was my mate too. But before I could say anything, he grabbed me by the neck roughly, causing me to wince in pain.“Are you too blind or too stupid to see that I'm walking here?” he glared at me, his voice full of contempt.I opened my mouth to fire back at him, but the words caught in my throat. I would rather not start an argument with him, especially not after the punishment I had just endured.Instead, I swallowed back my words and tried to remain calm. “I'm sorry,” I said softly, trying to sound as apologetic as possible.He tightened his grip on my neck and pulled me close, causing me to wince again. “Save your apologies for someone who cares,” he sneered. “Just stay out of my sight and don't ever show up”.I nodded profusely as I struggled to fight back the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes. Jason lashing out at me was typical and as long as I remained in this pack, I would be subjected to it. No matter how painful his words struck me, I wouldn't take it to heart.He growled at me before finally walking away, his broad shoulders tense with anger. I shook my head and wiped the tears that escaped my eyes and continued on my way back to my room. I wondered if he knew about the mate bond. Was he going through the same turmoil as me, or this is the usual anger I was used to? Or was it something else entirely? Did he feel any attraction towards me?My heart raced with questions and doubts, but I quickly pushed them aside– I thought of what life would have been outside the borders of this pack, had it not been the letter, I would have been outside in the woods or in the human world… Maybe I'll be termed a rogue, but being a rogue now seems like bliss compared to what I'm facing. Sporadically I wonder how I survived in this hell.I removed my clothes as I stepped foot into my room and got into the shower, desperately needing to wash off the sweat and grime from standing under the sun. Just as I was about to step into the shower, the letter fell from my pocket. I quickly picked it up and hid it under my bed– I couldn't risk anyone finding out about it.I turned the shower and the warm water cascaded down my body. I was relieved to wash away the dirt and exhaustion. My mind was still reeling from the encounter with Jason. I couldn't believe he had spoken to me like that. I tried to push his words out of my mind, but they kept ringing in my ears.“You're too blind to see where you're going, or too stupid to get out of the way!” he had spat at me.He had always been mean to me. But then, why did his words torture me?I quickly washed off and got out of the shower, still lost in my thoughts. I dried myself off and got dressed in a fresh pair of clothes. Finally, I jumped into bed and reached out for the letter that I hid underneath it.The words in the letter replayed in my head, but what kept nagging at me was the fact that my mother had asked me to remain in this pack.This same pack that punished and said spiteful words at me at every slightest mistake.A part of me wanted to leave and never look back, but another part of me felt a sense of obligation to stay and honor my mother's wishes– even though it would be really difficult to pull it off.I let out a sigh and put the letter back underneath my bed. Just then, my wolf Anna spoke up in my mind.“Kayla, I know this is a lot to process, but you'll be okay. No matter what happens… remember I'm here for you,” she said soothingly.“Anna, this is hard,” I answered,Anna could feel every pain I felt, and I knew this was hard for her as it is for me, “You'll be fine,”I rolled to the other side of the bed as my eyes gave in to the tiredness of my bones. I was startled out of sleep when I heard a knock on my door. I rubbed my eyes and made my way sluggishly to the door. When I opened it, it was one of the guards.I looked at him trying to hide my confusion – it was weird for him to come to my room at this time,”Is there a…problem?” I questioned trying to hide my fears.“The Alpha demands everyone to gather at his study this minute,” he replied in a cold tone.My heart raced with fear. What could the Alpha king want with us?I followed the guard out of my room, and we made our way to the pack house. When we got there, everyone was already gathered, including the quadruplets…The Alpha king cleared his throat and started to address us. “I heard that something has happened in the pack today, and we must get to the root of this. Otherwise, things would get out of hand,” he dropped , his voice grave and cold.My heart raced fast at his words. What could have gone so wrong that he summoned us this late? Did the Alpha king get wind of the mate bond I shared with the boys…his sons?KAYLAI was shivering at this point, just as I shifted my gaze to each of the boys. They appeared to be quite startled as well, even if they concealed it with a fierce look.A meeting never happens in such manner, except if it was something bothersome or serious.“What has happened, father?” Ethan asked as he turned to look at me. He quickly darted his eyes the moment our eyes met, but that almost gave him away.“Does he know that we are mates?” I asked myself as I went ahead to study him.Ethan was the quietest of the quad. He loved reading anything he laid his hands on it, and most times, his brothers used that to taunt him. They would always say that he got bad eyes because he always wanted to read a book. He had brown eyes, was tall, muscular, with well-built strong arms. Furthermore, he was handsome, with a pointy nose and short black hair. I blinked my eyes immediately and took in a deep breath, silently scolding myself for getting distracted by his features.“Yes, father. You
Ethan’s PovI still found it hard to recover after what happened earlier today. How was it possible that my step-sister was my mate? I heard my wolf loud and clear when he said “mate!”.And there was Kayla…my step-sister, staring at us and also wondering what might have happened. I was shocked to my bones as I stared at my brothers who quickly wore a stern gaze, as though nothing happened to them. We all left the scene, but I was so bothered that I could barely relax.At this, I sent them a mind link, calling on them to meet with me as this was an emergency.They all rushed into my room the next minute…clearly concerned about whatever it was I had to say.“Tell me that it’s not the same for you all?” I asked the three of them, gazing into their eyes that carried both worry and confusion.Jake scoffed and folded his hand, still shocked from what had happened.“Kayla is our mate?” Jake yelled out of his lungs and suddenly started laughing aloud.Mason walked closer to me and held my
Jason’s PovEverything about Kayla pissed me to the core. The fact that her mother’s presence drifted my father’s attention away from my brothers and I was part of the reasons. My mother had just died a few years earlier, and I had thought that my father would stay without bringing in another Luna. To my utmost surprise, he had brought Kayla and her mother the very next year. The smiles on their faces were heart-wrenching and I couldn’t help but think of how to get rid of them.Kayla tried so hard to come closer as a sister, but I was never going to give her a chance. Somehow, I was glad her mother went off the picture so fast. Especially because it made my father realize that he had sons to take care of. It was strange to discover that she turned out to be my mate. I had no belief in things like that. But then, the voice of my wolf was so loud and clear in my head. “Mate!” He had called out earlier just as I walked closer to meet Kayla, who was kneeling on the ground.That partic
Kayla’s PovThat was so typical of Jason. He never stopped yelling at me, right from the moment I came into the pack with my mother. I had no idea of why he was so blunt and cruel, but that was none of my business. All I wanted was his care and love, but clearly, nothing like that was going to happen. “I just want to know if they know that we are mates”, I whispered to my wolf who was clearly sad and dejected with how Jason spoke to me earlier. It was a long day already and clearly not how I wanted my eighteenth birthday to do. But then, I felt glad that I was able to lay my hand on a piece that came from my mother: the letter.I picked it out of my pocket and stared at it for another time.“How am I meant to spend my life here at the pack? Everything seems to be turning against me and I have no one to back me up”, I cried bitterly, staring into the last picture of my mother which I still had in my possession. After minutes of being solemn, I took a long bath and went ahead to sle
JAKELast night was a lot for me to handle. Starting off from the discovering that Kayla was my mate and then, having a meeting with the Alpha. It was a slow day, and the worst was that it came with a change in feelings and emotions.The moment I learned that Kayla was my mate, I felt a sudden swirl of excitement and the utmost need to take care of her.My heart stung when I thought of the different times we were bad to her, and I couldn’t help but feel the guilt that wrapped around my shoulders.And so, when I observed that she had gone into Jason’s room, I knew that there was a need to trail her and ensure her safety.Just as I had thought, Jason was at the verge of strangling her…with his pair of cold stone eyes that held no emotions.The rage that swelled inside of me was nothing close to what I had witnessed before. I warned Jason sternly and even if he held no remorse, I was certain that he won’t try that again.Still in my state of shock and confusion, I made my way to the min
ETHANAll through the night, I tried to devise means to win Kayla over. I knew that this wasn’t a sort of competition, but I wanted to get on her good side. Somehow, I learned that it was her birthday and no one in the pack knew of it. I felt awful that different dramas came up on a day that was meant to be her happy day and so, I came up with a plan to surprise her the next day.I planned with some omegas and together, we planned to throw a mini pool party for Kayla much later in the day. Also, I sent invites to some people around the pack, informing them that there would be a party, even if I didn’t point out the reason behind it.With the atmosphere of excitement, I decided to pay her a visit to catch a glimpse of her. It was going to be a surprise birthday party, and I was dying to see what her reaction would look like.I knocked on the door and quickly turned the door knob after announcing my presence.The situation I caught sight of got me stuck to the ground and for some sec
KaylaMy head was spinning already. This was not how I planned to spend my day. All I wanted to do today was remain in my room, or discreetly carry out my chores in the pack, without the attention of the quad.I was still in shock and confusion because I was yet to discover if they knew already. But then, I was ready to shove it aside and continue my life like before.My mother’s letter told me to remain at the pack, and so, I was ready to do that…even though I had to be more careful now. My quest to be more careful was failing because the boys seemed to be getting more attached to me. Jake had spent the night in my room and now, Ethan was the first to come into my room, with the excuse of wanting to know how I was doing.This was absolutely ridiculous! “You both need to get the hell out of my room!” I had yelled out of my lungs, hoping that it was enough to send them away. Luckily, they walked away and for a while, I pondered over everything and discovered that I was in a deep mes
JASONFor the hundredth time, I fixed my gaze on the clock, listening to the sound it made as though each second drew me close to something vital. Despite how hard I tried to think less of the situation, I couldn’t deny the fact that it was something important. Kayla’s birthday was one we never marked or celebrated after her mother’s death and hearing Ethan mention it earlier today was a lot to handle. I flared up because I was enraged and confused about how we went from being her worst enemies to sweet individuals all because of the so-called “mate thing”.My brothers were already all over her, and that was enough to get me angry. I wasn’t willing to go down the same lane as them. But then, the more I thought about it, the more I saw reasons to actually do something for her birthday. Perhaps, it was the mate bond thing kicking in because I was disturbed with the idea of staying silent on her birthday.“Whatever!” I mumbled as I fell back to my bed to get some nap.***The sound of