Her Mates

7

I woke up when the pounding in my head became too unbearable to ignore. As soon as I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. The room was sterile, clinical—it looked like a hospital room at first glance. But that wasn't what unsettled me the most. It was the people in the room with me.

Emilia and Hunter sat beside my bed, or rather, they lay slumped over, their heads resting on my legs. Zacharias was curled up on an extra bed, his breathing slow and steady, while Damon sat against the far wall, arms crossed but looking exhausted. Juri stood by a doctor, engaged in quiet conversation. Even in my hazy state, I realized something peculiar—these people, whom I barely knew, were acting like I was the most important person in their world.

My head throbbed as I tried to make sense of it all. Before I could even fully process the situation, Juri turned and locked eyes with me. His gaze softened, glowing gold in the dim light. Within seconds, he was at my side, gripping my right hand gently and pressing a kiss against my knuckles. The warmth of his touch sent an unfamiliar shiver down my spine.

"You're finally awake," he said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "We were worried. You wouldn't wake up, and we feared the worst."

The tenderness in his voice startled me, especially considering how our last encounter had gone. But I didn't have the energy to question it. I barely had the energy to keep my eyes open.

Juri must have noticed my discomfort because his expression hardened with concern. "Jax, come over here," he ordered.

The man he'd been speaking to—Dr. O'Conell—quickly approached. The movement in the room roused the others, and soon all four of them were stirring, rubbing sleep from their eyes. Murmurs of confusion and concern filled the air.

"Good morning, Maeve," Dr. O'Conell greeted me with a reassuring smile. "I'm your attending physician. How are you feeling? Where is the pain worst?"

I moved to rub my face, but the moment I tried to lift my left hand, I froze at the sight of a thick bandage wrapped around my wrist. My stomach twisted.

"You've suffered a broken wrist and a fractured right leg," Dr. O'Conell explained gently. "We had to operate to ensure proper healing. You also experienced a tremor, but with rest, it should subside in a few days."

I nodded slowly, trying to digest the information. "I have a horrible headache, but other than that, I think I'm okay. What happened?"

The silence that followed was deafening. My eyes scanned the room, landing on Hunter, whose expression was laced with guilt.

Jax finally answered, clearing his throat. "You fell down the stairs and lost consciousness. Your mates brought you here, and we made sure you were treated."

Mates.

There it was again—that word.

But this time, it wasn't just Juri calling me that. Jax had used the term in the plural.

As the realization settled, the room's atmosphere shifted. A low growl rumbled from Juri's chest, echoed by the others. My pulse quickened.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said that," Jax muttered under his breath, glancing at Juri in apology.

"No, you really shouldn't have," Juri replied darkly.

Frustration bubbled up inside me. "Okay, what the hell is a mate? And how did I even get into your house in the first place?"

Juri exhaled sharply. "You fell asleep on my arm, and I—"

"You what? Decided to bring me to a strange house without my consent?" My voice rose. "A house filled with pictures of my friends and me? Do you realize how insane that sounds? I thought I was kidnapped!"

Damon reached for my arm in a calming gesture, but I pulled away. "No. No more comforting touches. No more cryptic responses. I want answers, or I want all of you to leave."

The room fell into silence, the tension thick and suffocating. My hands trembled—not just from pain, but from frustration, from confusion, from the overwhelming sense that I was being pulled into something beyond my understanding. My gaze swept over each of them, demanding an explanation.

Finally, Juri spoke. "Listen, little one, we'd love to explain everything, but I don't think you're in the right state to understand just yet."

I scoffed. "You don't think I can handle it? That I'm not capable of making decisions for myself? I've had to survive on my own for months, and now you're telling me what I can and can't know? I don't need to be coddled—I need the truth."

Juri and Zacharias exchanged glances before they both sat down on my hospital bed. The weight of their presence felt suffocating, but I held my ground.

Juri took a deep breath. "Alright. The truth, then."

He leaned forward, golden eyes steady. "We are all connected, Maeve. You, me, Emilia, Hunter, Damon, Zacharias—we are mates. Soulmates. The kind that are bound by fate. It's not just a concept, it's a reality in our world."

I swallowed hard. "Your world?"

"Yes," Emilia finally spoke, her voice strong yet soothing. "Because we aren't just human, Maeve. We're werewolves."

A sharp laugh escaped me. "You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth," Juri said simply. "And Emilia and I are both Alphas."

My chest tightened. "Alphas?"

"The leaders of our pack," Emilia explained. "You are our mate, bonded to us by something stronger than human love. The reason you feel drawn to us, why our touch affects you—it's because our souls are connected. This bond has existed since we were born."

I shook my head, my breath coming faster. "This is insane. This isn't possible."

"It is." Juri's voice was firm. "And whether you accept it now or not, you are part of this. You always have been."

My world was spinning. My heart pounded in my chest as I looked around the room, at the five people who had somehow woven themselves into my life.

I didn't know what to believe.

But one thing was certain—nothing would ever be the same again.