Tabitha's POV.
"T-That's impossible." My lips tremble.
I'm their mate? No way. No way! I'm... human. I shouldn't be mated to werewolves... especially not to them!
"Is this real? She's really our mate?" Reed asks his brothers. He looks just as shocked as me.
"The mate bond cannot lie. I know you felt it too," Luca answers, his eyes never leaving me.
My mind is in haywire. I can't process what is happening right now. I'm mated to my four step brothers? My bullies?!
"No, no, no. This can't be happening." I stumble back a step, heart hammering in my ears. The word mate echoes in my skull like a curse.
"Alright, look... maybe this isn't the place to freak out. We can talk about it later," Jace says. But I can definitely see in his eyes that he is also freaking out.
I am too shocked at the thought that the five of us are mated that it doesn't bother me anymore that the four of them are crowding around me naked.
Reed lets out a dry laugh. He combs his fingers through his hair and shakes his head. "Seriously? This has to be some messed-up karma. After everything we did to her? Fate really hates us."
Evren doesn't say anything. He balls his hand into a fist. He is no longer looking at me, his eyes are fixed on the ground beneath us as if it can solve this whole mess.
"Damn, this is fucked up," Luca blows a frustrated breath.
"T-There must be a mistake," I bluster.
"Mate bonds do not make mistakes. It is a gift from the Moon goddess herself," Luca states firmly.
"This can't possibly be a gift!" I snap. I push myself up and walk away from them. "Fate doesn't get to decide this for me."
"You don't get to pick! None of us do," he fires back.
"I want nothing to do with this! I don't care what you felt or what fate thinks. I didn't ask for this. I didn't want this."
I turn and start walking away. My legs are shaking, but I force each step. I don't even know where I'm going, I just need to move. I need to breathe.
"You're our mate, Tabitha. You can't change that and neither can we," Jace calls after me.
"Not by choice!" I spit back over my shoulder. "And if there's a way to break this bond, I will find it."
Evren's eyes snap at me. He looks... pissed.
"You want to what?" he asks, his tone is low it almost sounds like a warning.
"I want to break the mate bond!" I declare. "I don't care if it's hard. I'm human. This isn't natural. It's not supposed to happen."
"Werewolves being mated to humans is more common than you think," Luca says.
"Well, not to me! This shouldn't be happening! You're my... it's just not right. I refuse to accept this bond! I'm not going to let my life be tied to four men who used to make it miserable! Let's break the bond and forget it ever happened!"
"You think you can just cut a mate bond like it's a loose thread? It doesn't work that way. Especially not with us." Evren takes a step forward, and his voice cuts like ice.
"W-Why not?" I stammer.
"Breaking a bond requires a huge amount of life force, even among werewolves. It drains your power-your life. And it especially becomes harder to break a mate bond with an Alpha," Jace explains.
"And our dear stepsister, in case you missed it... you're mated to four Alphas. Breaking the bond to the four of us is next to impossible. You won't survive it, especially because you're human. The backlash that comes from breaking something too powerful will kill you," Luca states, shaking his head.
"We will survive, but you certainly will not. The broken mate bond will drain your life force until you're nothing but a lifeless corpse," Reed adds.
I shake my head, unable to accept the finality of this fate. Me bonded to them? I refuse!
Jace stalks closer. His hot breath caresses my cheek as he leans in and whispers, "You can't run away from us. Even if you try."
His words slam into me like a blow. I look up, meeting the intensity of his golden eyes and then everything goes black.
***
I wake up to the sight of unfamiliar wooden walls. My head pounds. I push myself upright, but a wave of dizziness hits me and I nearly collapse again.
"Where... where am I?"
"You're in our cabin. We brought you here after you fainted half an hour ago," Jace answers. I glance at the four of them. They are no longer naked-thankfully. All four are dressed in proper shirts and pants.
I close my eyes for a moment. My mind is still reeling. I try to recall everything that had happened before I passed out-the engagement party, Yennifer's bitchy fit, the rogue attack and... me being mated to the four of them.
A part of me wishes that this is just a dream but the evident tug of the mate bond that sizzles within my soul cannot be denied. I am connected to the four of them and it's something that I can't easily break. Shit, this is crazy.
I try to stand, but my leg gives out from under me. I cry out as I collapse, pain blooming in my right ankle.
"Ouch! Ughh..." My right ankle hurt when I try to move it.
"Tabitha!" Jace rushes toward me.
Luca also steps in to inspect my leg. "Her ankle is swollen. She must have sprained when she fell earlier."
Yup, it definitely looks sprained. I hiss as the sharp pain.
Evren walks over to the small fridge, grabs a bag of ice, and kneels beside me. He places the cold compress gently on my ankle while Luca lifts my leg and supports it carefully.
"Stay still," he orders.
Not that I can argue back. I'm too in pain to even start a fight.
Evren presses the ice against my skin while Luca strokes my calf, as if to ease the pain that I'm feeling. It definitely distracts me enough from the pain. Why is he touching me like that? Why am I not stopping him?
Shit. His touch feels so good.
Jace adjusts my back, placing a cushion behind me. His hand grazes along my spine and I have to bite my lip before I can hum in satisfaction. Okay, this is weird. Why is my body celebrating at the feel of their touch? Is this the effect of the mate bond?
I just stare at the ceiling and just remain quiet as they tend to me. Strangely, they look oddy relaxed about this whole thing. Shouldn't they be more tense or at least pissed that they are mated to me? To a human? To a girl they used to be disgusted with? Instead, they are treating me like I'm some fragile item they have to protect. It's making me confused.
