Her Mates

20

The hallway seemed to quiet as Juri and Zac closed the distance between us. Their expressions were dark, radiating an aura of barely restrained violence. Students moved aside instinctively, sensing the storm that was about to break.

Juri's icy blue eyes locked onto the phone in my hand. Without a word, he plucked it from my grip, scanning the screen. His jaw clenched so hard I thought he might crack a tooth.

Zac, standing just behind him, read over his shoulder. A low growl rumbled from his chest. "Who the fuck did this?" His voice was deadly calm, but I could see the fury simmering beneath the surface.

Claire hesitated. "Uh, well... it was Anna."

Of course, it was.

Anna had never liked me. She had always been one of those girls who thought she was the center of the universe—rich, pretty, and completely incapable of handling rejection. She had tried to flirt with Hunter once, and when he shut her down, she had despised me ever since. Plus she is Mira's best friend - so it makes sense.

Juri let out a sharp breath through his nose. "Where is she?"

Claire's eyes widened. "You're not gonna—"

"I'm not going to touch her," Juri interrupted, his tone clipped. "But I will make her regret this."

Before I could protest, he was already moving. Zac followed close behind, his muscles tense, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

"Shit," Benjy muttered. "You should stop them."

I hesitated. The protective part of me wanted to tell Juri and Zac to leave it alone, that I could handle this myself. But another part of me—the part still seething at the humiliation of that post—wanted to let them teach Anna a lesson.

I took a deep breath and followed them.

We found Anna near her locker, surrounded by a small group of girls who were giggling about something on their phones. The moment she saw Juri and Zac approaching, her smile faltered.

"Anna," Juri said smoothly, stopping in front of her. "We need to talk."

Her eyes flicked to me, her expression turning smug. "Oh alpha, about the little post? Didn't realize you were so sensitive."

Zac took a step closer. "Take it down."

Anna smirked. "Or what?"

Zac leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper only she could hear. "Or I will make sure everyone in this school knows exactly what you did last summer at that party. You remember, don't you? The one with the senior who—"

Her face paled. "You wouldn't."

Zac just smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile.

Anna swallowed hard, then grabbed her phone with shaky fingers. Within seconds, the post was gone.

"See?" Juri straightened, his expression returning to something more pleasant. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Anna glared at me one last time before storming off, her group of followers trailing behind her.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "What was that about a party?"

Juri shrugged. "Let's just say Anna isn't as innocent as she pretends to be."

Zac turned to me, his expression softening. "You okay?"

I nodded, my heart still pounding from the confrontation. "Yeah. Thanks, guys."

Juri's gaze flicked over me, his lips quirking up slightly. "We'll always protect you, firecracker."

I felt warmth bloom in my chest.

Zac reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Let's get you to class before we're all suspended for murder."

I laughed, some of the tension finally easing.

The rest of the school day passed in a blur. The whispers had mostly died down after Juri and Zac's little intervention, and by the time the final bell rang, I was more than ready to go home.

The pack house was already filled with the familiar scent of food when we arrived. Hunter and Dorian were in the kitchen, arguing over the best way to cook steak, while Emilia sat on the counter, kicking her feet and watching them with amusement.

I couldn't help but smile. This was starting to feel normal—like home.

After dinner, we all ended up in the living room, sprawled out on the couches and floor. I sat between Dorian and Emilia, their warmth pressing against me from both sides. Juri and Zac lounged on the other side of the room, while Damon and Hunter sat across from us, their eyes heavy with something unspoken.

The atmosphere had shifted. There was something thick in the air—something charged.

I knew what was coming. And I wasn't going to stop it.