Tabitha's POV

Suddenly, their faces morph into the familiar faces of my high school bullies. I hear the laughter. Feel the heat crawling up my face. Just like back then. they're all looking. All judging and hurling painful words at me.

Suddenly, I'm back in the same hell that I fought so hard to escape five years ago.

I can't breathe.

I need to get out of here.

"Tabitha..."

I ignore Evren's voice and do the only thing that I'm good at... run away.

"Tabitha!"

I rip my arm from Evren's grasp when he tries to reach for me. I hear more people calling my name, maybe Jace, maybe my mom, but I don't look back. I can't look back. I need to get out of here!

I don't stop. I just run, pushing past the stone path. My aching heels scrape the edge of the gravel as I dart straight toward the trees beyond the estate. Away from the lights. Away from them all. The familiar spread of the woods welcome me as I dart towards the towering trees. It reminds me of the last time I went there, I was also trying to run away from the bullies who were chasing me.

Nothing has changed. I can't even keep the promise to myself not to run away again.

In the end, I just can't... I still haven't escaped, after all.

The sharp branches claw at my arms as I dive deeper into the woods, , brambles scratching my legs as I tear through the undergrowth. I just need to breathe. Just need to be alone. But something behind me snaps, like someone just stepped on a dry branch.

What's that?

I glance over my shoulder, just a quick look, but it's enough to throw off my balance. My foot trips over a root and I tumble forward, crashing hard onto the rough ground. Pebbles bite into my palms.

"Ouch..." I mumble while clutching my bruised knee.

My heart hammers nervously against my chest as my eyes drift to the three massive shapes emerging from the thicket.

Werewolves.

Oh shit.

Their muddy fur clings to their hulking bodies and their eyes glowing a sickly red. The look bigger than any I've seen during high school. And there's something menacing in the way they look at me... they look bloodthirsty.

They let out a terrifying growl. Their teeth glint wet as their tongues drag over their jowls like they've already imagined having me for lunch.

"S-Shoo!" I scramble back and blindly grope on the ground until I find a rock and a thick fallen branch. My fingers tremble, but I hurl the rock at the one who steps closer. "Get away from me!" I scream.

The rock bounces uselessly off its flank. It doesn't do anything but anger the werewolf closest to me. It snarls, lips peeling back, and then it lunges at me. I thrust the stick out with both hands, catching its jaws mid-snap. If it wasn't for it, the large canines of this beast would have snapped my head directly. The werewolf clamps down on the branch, the splintering wood groaning as the wolf thrashes, frothing like it's rabid.

"Tabi!" Jace's voice rips through the trees.

I whip my head toward the sound. Through the blur of branches, four figures break through the woods-Jace, Luca, River, and Evren. Their expressions harden as they catch sight of me, pinned beneath a snarling wolf.

Without hesitation, they shift mid-stride. They transform into four huge werewolves-even bigger than these three who are attacking me. Their eyes sheen in intense gold, contrary to the dull silver eyes of the rogue wolves around me.

Luca's wolf form, a storm-gray blur with streaks of charcoal down his spine, is the first to strike. He barrels into the rogue nearest me, his jaws locking around its hind leg as he drags it away from my body and slams it into the trunk of a tree.

Jace follows a heartbeat later, his pitch-black fur rippling like smoke across his powerful frame. He collides with the second rogue mid-pounce, slamming it into the dirt before pinning it by the throat, golden eyes burning with fury.

I press my back against a tree, clutching the broken stick like it'll still save me. I watch in horror as blood spatters across the ground.

Reed's massive figure crashes through the underbrush next. His coat is a deep, burnished bronze with russet tones catching in the moonlight. He leaps clean over a fallen log and sinks his teeth into the shoulder of the third rogue before it can lunge at Luca from the side. The rogue snarls and twists, but Reed holds firm, muscles straining as he yanks it to the ground and slams a heavy paw across its face.

The fight is so intense that the ground trembles beneath their weight. Snarls and crashing bodies echo through the trees and then, with a sudden crack, a rogue's heavy body smashes into a tree trunk, sending a huge chunk of jagged rock flying in my direction.

I don't have time to scream. My eyes go wide as the stone hurtles straight for me. But something silver-blue streaks across my vision.

Evren.

He throws himself between me and the rock, his massive wolf form absorbing the full brunt of the impact. The boulder bounces off his flank and thuds harmlessly to the side. He staggers slightly, claws scraping against the dirt, but doesn't fall. His glowing gold eyes flash back at me and then narrow as if silently asking if I'm okay.

I clutch on the branch tightly, unsure how to react.

My eyes flick back to the raging fight and realize that the rogues are no longer moving. They revert back to their human forms as their lifeless bodies twist half-hidden in the underbrush. It's over.

One by one, the brothers shift back in their human forms. Heat floods my face when I realize that they are all naked. I quickly avert my eyes. But they don't seem to care. None of them reach for clothes or shift to hide themselves as they approach me.

Jace steps into my space. He scans me from head to toe. He lifts a hand, almost hesitant, and reaches toward my face.

"Tabi... are you hurt?" His fingers graze my cheek.

A sharp jolt zips across my skin where he touches, like I'd brushed against a live wire. I gasp, recoiling slightly.

What was that?

It's not pain. It's heat... almost like his finger had left a scorching mark on my cheek. It burns in a way I don't understand.

He stares at me, confused. "Did you feel that?"

Before I can answer, Luca steps in. His hand brushes against mine as if testing a theory. Another spark rips through my wrist. I flinch again.

"What the hell?" Luca mutters, eyes narrowing as he looks between me and his brother.

Reed doesn't wait. He presses his fingers along my collarbone, and the reaction is instant. My breath hitches as another shock erupts through my nerves. It's like fire and static all at once. My entire body trembles.

Evren narrows his eyes when he also reaches out and cups my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. The second his skin touches mine, that same heat thrums in my stomach. The sensations grow overwhelming, like a cloud of heat that slowly envelops my whole body. I don't understand what's happening.

Something inside me stirs. It feels like a rush of invisible threads latch onto my soul and tug me closer to them. Something is pulling me towards them. It's like pieces of me have gone missing and the only way to be complete is to be with them. I don't understand what I'm feeling.

"No way," Luca mutters under his breath as if realizing something that I don't. He stares at me as if he is seeing me for the first time.

Reed steps back half a pace, chest rising like he can barely keep his voice steady. "Fuck. It's her."

Evren's grip on my chin tightens slightly, his intense golden eyes pierces into my skin as he leans in and whispers...

"Mine."

What? No... This can't be.

"You're our mate," Jace growls under his breath.

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.