Her Mates

12

"Are you fucking kidding me? This is huge, amazing, and absolutely brilliant! Benjy, I love you—I do!" I practically bounced in my seat, my excitement impossible to contain.

Benjy snorted, shaking his head. "Yeah, well, maybe don't let my uncle or the rest of your mates hear you say that. They'll actually murder me, and—shockingly—I'd rather stay alive."

"Oh, come on, it's not that serious."

For those wondering why I was this thrilled—Benjy had brought me to one of the most breathtaking places I'd ever seen. The forest stretched around us, dense and alive with rich, deep green foliage. Bushes, moss-covered rocks, and towering trees made it feel like stepping into a fairytale. The sound of birds chirping mixed with the soft rustling of small creatures moving through the undergrowth. It was peaceful. Idyllic, even.

Benjy leaned against a tree, watching me with an amused grin. "Glad you like it."

"Sooo," I turned to him expectantly. "What's the plan?"

He shrugged. "Don't really have one. You decide."

Exactly what I was hoping for. "Perfect. Let's take a walk—I want to see everything."

Benjy groaned, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Mae, when you said everything, I didn't think you were being this literal. It's gonna get dark in a few hours, and we've already been walking forever. Plus you're still using crutches."

I smirked, unbothered. "Maybe next time, you should be more specific when you tell me I can pick."

"Heyyy, don't be mad." He jogged up beside me, trying to keep up. "Come on, Maevy, I didn't mean it like that! Can you please stop walking away from me?"

I didn't stop—because I couldn't.

Something—someone—slammed into me out of nowhere, sending me tumbling down a steep incline. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, pain shooting through me as I hit the ground with a thud.

"What the fuck—" My breath hitched as I turned over and found myself staring into a pair of glowing red eyes.

A vampire. I think.

My heart pounded. Not out of fear—I refuse to give him that satisfaction—but out of pure, sharp adrenaline.

The air grew tense. A low growl rumbled through the trees, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw them. Wolves—Juri, my mates, surrounding the area, their bodies coiled with barely contained fury.

The vampire's lips curled into a smirk, but his movements were... gentle as he pulled me into his arms. Careful. Almost reverent. It sent a shiver down my spine.

The growling around us intensified. My mates were ready to tear him apart.

But then—

A sharp, electric sensation shot through me at his touch. Familiar. Too familiar. The same way I felt when my wolf mates touched me.

No.

No. No. No.

The realization slammed into me like a truck.

The vampire's lips parted, his voice smooth, almost awed as he whispered the word I was dreading.

"Soulmate."

Oh, hell no.

"What the actual fuck."