Chapter 3

-Ciara

My eyes fluttered open, and I stared blankly at the ceiling, with my body aching all over. Slowly, memories flooded my brain and I remembered everything that had happened… the accusation, my escape and the fall.

However, something was off. In contrast to the cold, hard rock I remembered hitting, I was lying on a soft mattress, and as I took in my surroundings, panic gripped me.

Where was I? How did I find myself here?

“You’re awake, I see,” a  voice startled me.

That was when I noticed that I wasn’t alone. A tall guy with curly brown hair and warm hazel eyes sat beside me, gazing at me with what I could tell was admiration, and when he flashed a wink my way, I felt an instant connection to him.

His voice, deep and resonant, echoed in the depths of my heart and when our eyes met again, I knew it for a fact. He was my mate.

My lips trembled, unsure of how to react as I tried to sit up amidst the pain.

“Here, let me help you,” he said, wrapping his arms around my waist as he helped me sit up.

My heart began to race even faster and I hiccuped; the scent of him intoxicating me.

“Who… who are you?” I asked.

“We should be the ones asking you that question. Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in the Silver Crest Pack?” Another voice, commanding and authoritative, fired at me.

My eyes moved from my mate to the intruder, who stood at over 6 feet tall, with jet-black hair and an athletic build. He was standing by the corner with his arms crossed, and as I kept staring at him, feeling a mixture of emotions, he approached me.

With every step he took, his presence enveloped me, igniting a fire set deep within me. He lifted my chin with one hand, compelling me to look deeply into his piercing grey eyes.

“Who sent you? Are you a spy? What business do you have here?” he thundered, making me shudder.

“I… I… I don’t remember anything,” I heard myself say.

He smirked, not believing me. His grip on my chin grew firmer and his look, more intense. Notwithstanding his cold demeanour, I felt drawn to him. It was magnetic and I was unable to resist the pull.

Wait a minute, was he also my mate or was I mistaken about my feelings since it was the first time I was so close to two men?

“Liam, calm down. The poor girl hit her head hard. Maybe she’s having trouble remembering anything. Just give her time,” the first one said to him.

His eyes shifted from me to meet the first. “Blake, don’t be ridiculous. Are you saying you do believe her story? You, at least, ought to be sensible. Why was she so royally dressed and all alone? Does that make any sense whatsoever to you?” he barked.

“Perhaps, there’s a battle in her Pack and she had to escape from her evil uncle or stepmother. Either way, word travels fast. We would find out who she is sooner or later,” Blake responded.

“I don’t think that will be necessary. I don’t care about who she is. All I know is that she must leave our Pack right this minute,” Liam said.

“But… but I have nowhere to go,” I chipped in.

“And how would you know that if you can’t remember anything?” Liam retorted.

“She has lost her memory. Of course, she has nowhere to go. It’s not rocket science,” a third voice, gentle and soothing said, saving me from having to give an explanation.

My eyes darted over to the stranger who had just walked in through the door. He was a little bit taller than the other two, with tousled chestnut hair and soulful green eyes.

“No one asked for your opinion, Alden. Get lost!” Liam snapped.

Alden ignored him and walked over to the bed, where he sat by my side. Strangely, I was drawn to him just like how I was drawn to the other two.

He placed his hand on my neck to see if I was running a fever and examined my eyes, then told me to open my mouth as well which I did really slowly.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, melting my heart softly.

“Um… my body aches all over,” I said, holding his gaze.

“That’s expected. You fell off the edge of a cliff yesterday at dawn, and we had to bring you with us so you could be treated, but don’t worry, you’ll be fine in no time. You just need to rest for now. I’ll have the kitchen staff prepare something for you to eat,” he said, with a small breathtaking smile.

He was the first to smile at me, and so, I smiled back at him, welcoming the electrifying longing and attraction I had towards him. He was definitely my mate.

“You would do no such thing! This girl is leaving right this minute. She was supposed to die on that cliff yesterday, but we saved her. We’ve done more than enough for her!” Liam roared, pulling my arm and forcefully dragging me to my feet.

Blake stopped him, pulling me close to him. “It was our fault that she got herself injured in the first place. Of course, we had to save her,” he retorted.

I blinked rapidly, going over yesterday’s memories again. Were they the three wolves that had chased me till I fell off the cliff yesterday? They certainly were! Their personalities and especially their eyes matched those of the wolves from yesterday, but I controlled myself from acting like I knew anything.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying to play the girl with amnesia perfectly. I couldn’t tell them who I was. If I did, I would be shipped off without hesitation back to the Moonstone Pack and unfairly executed for a crime I knew nothing about.

“I am the oldest and I get to decide if she stays or not,” Liam yelled.

Blake scoffed. “Last I checked, we were born on the same day, so that doesn’t count. Why don’t we put it to a vote? I vote that she stays. How about you, Alden?”

“I… uh… I think you guys should stop fighting,” Alden stated.

I glared at him, furious that he didn’t take my side, but he didn’t even spare me a glance. He was instead focused on his brothers, trying to be the peacemaker.

“No, Alden. Pick a side. I can give you time to run off to your mum and ask her for advice on whose side to take if you’d prefer that,” Liam snorted.

Blake’s face curved into a smile and then he burst out laughing hard. “Okay, that was funny,” he said.

Just then, the door opened and two guards walked in. I became instantly afraid as I looked away, trying to ensure they didn’t see my face just in case they had gotten the description of the slave girl who escaped from the Moonstone Pack yesterday.

“Greetings, princes. Your father, Alpha King Rowland, has requested you immediately stop everything you’re doing now and go to the throne room,” one of the guards announced, to which I heaved a sigh of relief.

“Do you know why he wants to see us?” Blake retorted.

“I’m sorry, he didn’t say,” the guard responded, and with that, both guards took a bow and exited the room.

“It’s probably about what happened yesterday, seeing as we failed to accomplish our mission, thanks to someone,” Liam stated, shooting daggers at me.

“We should go,” Alden said, and with a nod of acknowledgment towards my direction, he walked briskly out of the room.

Blake tucked away a strand of hair that was in my face behind my ear. “I’ll be right back for you, beautiful,” he said, and proceeded to also leave the room.

Now, I was left in just Liam’s company. He grabbed my neck and suddenly began to choke me as he looked right into my eyes, sneering at me.

“Let… me… go…” I said, coughing loudly as I struggled to take his hand off me.

“Listen, I don’t know what your game is or what you’re playing at, but I am certain your intentions aren’t good and I’ll find out what you’re hiding sooner or later,” he threatened, and with that, he pushed me away and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

I staggered and fell to the floor the minute Liam was gone, weak and in severe pain. Somehow, in spite of his cruel behaviour towards me, I still felt drawn to him, as well as to his brothers.

I was troubled by the insane rhythm of my heart, wondering why it kept on racing so hard despite the fact that the brothers had left.

I bit my lip, trying to suppress how I felt.

“Why are you trying to stop something that can not be stopped?” Elsa asked.

“What do you mean it can’t be stopped? That would be true if any of them was my mate, but they are princes, Elsa. I don’t see that connection happening in a million years,” I stated.

“Maybe you’re wrong because not one, but all three are your mates,” Elsa said.

“Three mates? In what world is that possible?”

Elsa went mute and didn’t say anything again. Perhaps, she was right. It did seem absurd and absolutely unheard of, but it appeared like the only logical explanation since I had met them on my eighteenth birthday and I felt the same undeniable connection to each of them.

The real question was if they felt the same way about me, or if I had just been thrown into a web of something unattainable.