Her Mates

17

The day passed in a blur after the incident outside school. Even though no one dared to mess with us after Juri and the others put them in their place, the tension from the confrontation still lingered in my body. I could feel the possessiveness of my mates more acutely now, like a constant pressure wrapping around me, demanding I let them in.

And maybe, for the first time, I was finally ready to stop resisting.

By the time the final bell rang, I was exhausted—not physically, but emotionally. Between school, dealing with annoying humans, and constantly trying to navigate the slow-burning intensity between me and my mates, I was drained.

"Ready to go?" Emilia asked as we shoved our books into our lockers.

"Yeah," I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "I need a break from today."

She smirked. "I bet. You practically had an entire pack of alphas ready to tear those idiots apart for you."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't deny how safe it made me feel. "It's not my fault trouble follows me everywhere."

She grinned. "No, but it is your fault that your mates look like they want to eat you every time you walk into a room."

My face heated instantly. "Emilia!"

She only laughed, shutting her locker. "I'm just saying, Maeve. You're sitting on a ticking time bomb. And I think you know it."

The thing was... she wasn't wrong.

Dinner was surprisingly peaceful. We were all gathered in the open kitchen, filling the large wooden dining table with plates of food. It was easy to fall into a routine with them now—easier than I ever expected. I used to think I'd always be the outsider, always on edge. But here? Surrounded by my mates, my friends? It felt like home.

The only problem was the tension between us was becoming impossible to ignore.

Every touch, every lingering glance, every brush of fingers against skin—it all crackled with unspoken desire. And I wasn't the only one feeling it.

Juri sat beside me, his thigh pressed against mine beneath the table. Every now and then, his fingers would ghost over my knee, the touch so faint it could've been an accident. But I knew better.

Dorian sat across from me, his golden eyes never straying too far, watching me in that quiet, unreadable way he always did. Hunter, on the other hand, was relaxed, arms stretched over the back of his chair, but I could feel the way his energy hummed beneath the surface, restrained yet ready.

Zac? He was smirking the entire time, like he knew something I didn't.

"You're quiet tonight," Zac mused, twirling his fork between his fingers.

"Just tired," I said, taking another bite of my food.

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Tired, huh? Or just distracted?"

Juri chuckled beside me, his hand finally settling on my knee. I stiffened slightly, my heartbeat kicking up a notch. He leaned in, his voice low enough that only I could hear.

"You feel it, don't you?"

I swallowed. "Feel what?"

His lips brushed against the shell of my ear as he whispered, "Us."

A shiver ran down my spine.

I was about to snap back with something snarky when Dorian cut in. "We should probably talk about what happened at school."