Her Mates

28

The silence in the house was suffocating.

I sat on the edge of the bed, my fingers gripping the sheets like they could somehow ground me. My chest was tight, my mind racing with everything that had happened today. The whispers at school, the sideways glances, the blatant stares filled with something between curiosity and judgment.

And then Lena.

That conniving, manipulative... I took a sharp breath, trying to push back the frustration rising in my throat.

She had done this on purpose. Spreading rumors, twisting truths, making it seem like I was just some plaything to my mates—like I was disposable, replaceable. Like I wasn't enough.

I should have ignored it. Should have let it roll off my back like I had with so many other things. But the seed of doubt had already been planted.

Hadn't it?

I glanced toward the closed door, where on the other side, my mates were likely discussing how to handle the situation. Protecting me, like they always did. But I didn't need protection right now—I needed answers.

Because as much as I hated to admit it, a part of me wasn't just angry at Lena. A part of me was angry at them.

There were things I still didn't know.

Things they hadn't told me.

Things I'd caught glimpses of—the lingering touches between them when they thought I wasn't looking, the hushed words exchanged when they assumed I was asleep, the weight of a past they shared that I wasn't fully a part of yet.

I had accepted the pull, the undeniable connection between us, but how much of it was real? How much of it was choice, and how much of it was just... fate shoving us together, whether we wanted it or not?

The door creaked open, pulling me from my thoughts.

Dorian stepped inside first, his dark eyes scanning my face, searching. "Maeve—"

"Don't." My voice was sharper than I intended. I stood, crossing my arms over my chest. "Just... don't."

Behind him, Emilia, Zac, and the others hovered near the doorway, their expressions a mix of concern and uncertainty.

"Talk to us," Emilia said softly, stepping forward, but I shook my head.

"I'm tired of feeling like I'm always the last to know everything," I admitted, my voice quieter now, rawer. "Like I'm just catching up while the rest of you already have it all figured out."

Juri sighed, running a hand through his hair. "That's not fair, Maeve. We've never wanted to keep things from you—"

"But you have." I met his gaze, my heart pounding. "Even if it wasn't on purpose. Even if it was to 'protect' me."

Silence.

Juri clenched his jaw, looking away, and even Hunter, who was usually the first to crack a joke to lighten the mood, was uncharacteristically quiet.

I hated this.

I hated doubting them.

Hated the way my heart ached at the thought of them keeping things from me.

And yet... I needed to know.

I took a breath, forcing myself to steady my voice. "Just tell me the truth. No more half-truths. No more avoiding things to spare my feelings. Just... tell me what I'm missing."

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Dorian stepped closer, his gaze steady on mine. "Alright," he murmured. "You want the truth? You'll get it."

And something in his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

Because I wasn't sure I was ready for it.