Her Mates

30

Dorian's words settled over me like a heavy weight, suffocating the lingering warmth of the moment we had just shared. Emilia stepped back completely, her body going rigid, and I could feel the shift in the air—like something fragile was about to snap.

"What did she do now?" I asked, my voice steadier than I expected.

Dorian exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair before stepping fully into the room, shutting the door behind him. He didn't say anything right away, and that only made the anxiety claw at my chest.

"She's spreading more rumors," he finally said, his jaw clenched. "But this time, she's not just targeting you."

A cold chill ran down my spine. "What do you mean?"

Emilia crossed her arms, her expression dark. "She's telling people we've been keeping secrets from you. That you're just some... plaything to us. That we're not serious about you and will Go back to her."

I laughed, but the sound was hollow. "That's ridiculous."

Emilia sighed, rubbing at her temple. "Look," she said, softer now. "I know this isn't what you want to hear. But we need to deal with her before she gets the chance to make this worse."

I crossed my arms, ignoring the way my chest ached. "And how do you propose we do that?"

Dorian's eyes flashed. "We shut her down. Publicly."

I arched a brow. "You want to start a fight in front of the entire pack?"

His smirk was sharp, dangerous. "No," he said. "I want to end one."

And just like that, I realized something.

This wasn't just about me.

Lena was playing a dangerous game.

And she had no idea what she'd just started.

The weight of Dorian's words settled in my chest like a stone.

We shut her down. Publicly.

I wasn't sure what that meant exactly, but the way Dorian said it—the sharp confidence in his voice—told me he already had a plan.

And if I was being honest, part of me wanted to see Lena put in her place.

I didn't want to be the kind of person who doubted my mates just because someone planted a seed of uncertainty in my mind. But this wasn't just about Lena's words. It was about how easily they had landed. How the things she said weren't completely unbelievable because there were still gaps in what I knew.

And wasn't that the real problem?

"Maeve," Emilia said softly, stepping toward me. "We didn't tell you about Lena because it didn't matter. It still doesn't. What we have now isn't about her."

I let out a slow breath, trying to force the tension from my shoulders.

"Then prove it," I said.

Dorian's brows lifted slightly. "What do you mean?"

I crossed my arms. "You want me to trust you? You want me to believe that Lena's just stirring up trouble?" I tilted my head, meeting his gaze. "Then let's deal with her. Together."

Dorian's lips curled into a slow, wicked smirk. "I was hoping you'd say that."

Emilia's eyes gleamed.

For the first time since this conversation started, I felt like I wasn't just waiting for answers—I was ready to get them myself.

And if Lena wanted to play games?

She was about to find out exactly who she was messing with.

The tension in the air was thick the moment I walked through the doors.

Whispers followed me through the halls, brushing against my skin like ghostly fingers. I caught snippets of hushed conversations—my name, my mates, laughter laced with malice.

Lena had worked fast.

But she had no idea what was coming.

I squared my shoulders and kept my head high, ignoring the eyes on me as I made my way toward my locker. The moment I reached it, I felt a presence behind me—before I even turned, I knew.

Lena.

"Well, well," she drawled, leaning casually against the lockers beside me. "Didn't expect you to show your face today."

I shut my locker with more force than necessary and turned to face her.

"Why wouldn't I?" I said coolly.

Her lips curled into a smirk, but there was something sharp in her eyes. "I figured you'd be too busy having another crisis over your mates."

I clenched my jaw. "You really don't have anything better to do, do you?"

Lena's smirk widened. "Oh, Maeve. Sweet, naïve Maeve." She reached out, toying with a strand of my hair before I slapped her hand away. "You don't belong with them. You never have."

I laughed—actually laughed. "And you do?"

Her eyes darkened.

I had hit a nerve.

"You don't know anything about them," Lena hissed.

"Then maybe you should enlighten me," I shot back. "Or are you just throwing shit at the wall and hoping it sticks?"

Lena's nostrils flared, but before she could speak, a deep voice interrupted us.

"You should watch your mouth, Lena."

Dorian.

I turned just as he stepped up beside me, his expression blank—but his eyes? His eyes burned with something lethal.

Lena straightened, tilting her chin up. "Oh, look. Here comes the knight in shining armor."

Dorian's smirk was ice. "If you think I need to be Maeve's knight, you don't know her very well."

A flicker of something passed over Lena's face, but she masked it quickly.

"Isn't it exhausting?" she murmured. "Keeping up the act?"

Dorian arched a brow. "What act?"

"That you care."

The words were a venom-laced whisper, and something in my chest tightened.

For a split second, I felt it again—that creeping doubt.

Then Dorian laughed. A low, amused sound that sent a shiver down my spine.

"You know what's exhausting, Lena?" he murmured, stepping closer. "You. The way you claw for attention. The way you can't seem to let go of something that never belonged to you in the first place."

Lena's face went pale.

Dorian leaned in slightly, voice dropping lower. "We're done entertaining you. We're done playing this game."

Her lips parted slightly, and for the first time, I saw something real in her eyes.

Fear.

Dorian stepped back, glancing at me. "You coming, little one?"

I met Lena's gaze one last time, something inside me settling.

Then I turned and walked away.

Because Lena had already lost.