Chapter 4 Marked By Fate

TRINITY

My legs burned as I sprinted out of the grand hall, my heartbeat pounding louder than the drums that had echoed through the ceremony moments before. My breaths came in sharp, panicked gasps, and I dared not look back. I hadn't seen anyone else run; it felt like the entire hall had been watching me bolt as though I were on fire. But I couldn't stay-not with the glaring eyes of the Alphas and the strange pull that had flooded the air, that haunting scent of something I couldn't place and didn't want to understand. My very first day home, and here I was, tangled in something I knew would bring trouble. Always trouble.

A branch whipped against my arm, scratching the skin as I pushed through the dense forest surrounding the territory. I barely felt it, the sting dwarfed by the terror snaking its way through my body. I didn't know where I was running, only that I had to get as far away as possible. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being hunted, and in the eerie silence of the forest, I suddenly felt it- presence. No, three presences. Close and relentless.

Dread knotted in my stomach as I dared to glance over my shoulder, my blood running cold at the sight. Three massive wolves charged after me, their powerful strides graceful yet ominous, each step in perfect sync as they closed in, their glistening eyes locked on me with an intensity that was both furious and unrelenting.

Fear pulsed through me, and for a second, my mind went blank. They were... enormous, each wolf somehow more terrifying than the last. Their thick, silver coats shimmered in the moonlight, a stark contrast against the darkness of the forest. Their eyes held a fierce determination that both terrified and confused me. They weren't just any wolves. They were the Alphas. Why would they be chasing me? I was just Trinity-the wolf-less girl who had been forced to come back to this cursed place.

With a surge of adrenaline, I pushed myself faster, but my vision was beginning to give in. I could feel it-the ache in my muscles, the tremble in my legs. I didn't have a wolf yet I ran like someone who did.

Just then, my foot caught on a hidden root, and I fell. Pain lanced through my knee as I hit the ground, and I cried out, clutching at the dirt as if it could somehow anchor me to safety. But I knew it was no use. I could feel them all around me, their presence a crushing weight that stole my breath.

With a final, shuddering breath, I sank to my knees, curling my body inward. My arms wrapped around my legs, and I buried my face, hoping-praying-that they would spare me, that somehow, they would see I was harmless, worthless even. "Please," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I'm nobody... just a wolf-less girl. You have nothing to gain from me. I'm... I'm worthless."

Silence. The forest seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for whatever judgment would fall upon me.

A low voice broke the silence, sharp and filled with disgust. "How the hell is this possible? How is Trinity, the wolf-less... nobody... our mate?"

The words pierced through me, and I lifted my head slowly, my gaze meeting the one who'd spoken. Three men stood before me now, each of them tall, imposing, and... familiar. The Alpha triplets. The very sight of them made my breath hutch. They radiated strength, power, a force I couldn't comprehend, and yet it was Nasir's words, his icy tone, that cut the deepest.

Nasir's eyes bore into me, his face twisted in a sneer. "Look at her," he muttered, his tone dripping with disdain. "This is who fate chose for us? A wolf-less, fragile mate?"

I tried to steel myself, tried to push down the hurt clawing at my chest, but his words hit harder than I could have anticipated. I'd known I was different, that without a wolf I was... less. But I didn't know why the Moon Goddess would choose to punish me further by mating me to the Alphas.

My lips trembled, and I struggled to hold back the tears threatening to spill. I didn't want them to see how much their words affected me, how deep their judgment cut. Be strong, I told myself. You've always been strong.

But it was difficult when all I saw in their eyes was disdain.

Liam, the quietest of the three, said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes. His eyes, dark and unreadable, held a trace of pity that felt almost worse than Nasir's scorn. It was as if he saw right through me, saw my weakness, my vulnerability, and found it... disappointing.

Xerxes, however, was different. Though he stood with his brothers, his gaze was conflicted, almost troubled. But even so, I couldn't find comfort in his silence. He looked at me as though I were a puzzle he didn't want to solve, something strange and unwanted that fate had thrown into his life without warning.

A tear escaped, slipping down my cheek before I could stop it, and I quickly wiped it away, forcing myself to meet their gazes with as much strength as I could muster. I wouldn't let them see how deeply they'd wounded me, how their rejection felt like a thousand tiny cuts, each one stripping away a piece of the armor I'd built around myself.

But Xerxes' expression shifted, his face softening ever so slightly as he watched me. It was only for a moment, and then his mask of indifference returned, the softness replaced by a guarded look as if he didn't quite know what to do with me.

"Nasir," Xerxes said quietly, his voice calm but firm. "Enough."

Nasir rolled his eyes, scoffing as he crossed his arms, his stance still rigid with hostility. "Enough? Don't tell me you're actually considering this, Xerxes. Look at her. She doesn't even have a wolf. She's... fragile."

The word hit me like a blow, and I had to bite down on my lip to stop myself from crying out. Fragile. The very thing I'd tried so hard not to be, the one fear that haunted me every day. They saw it, all of it. Every weakness, every flaw, laid bare before them, and I couldn't hide.

Xerxes' gaze shifted to me, something almost soft in his eyes, as he tried to speak, the ringing of his phone interrupted. He frowned, pulling it from his pocket, his gaze flickering between his brothers before he answered.

"Yes, Father," he said, his tone clipped and formal. There was a pause, and I watched as his expression shifted, his brows knitting together in a mixture of frustration and something else I couldn't quite place.

"He's worried," Xerxes murmured, covering the phone with his hand as he glanced at his brothers. "I want to know why we ran out of the ceremony."

Nasir scoffed, crossing his arms. "Tell him we're dealing with unexpected circumstances."

But Xerxes didn't seem to want to follow Nasir's suggestion. Instead, he took a deep breath, his gaze settling on me for a long, unreadable moment before he spoke, his voice barely more than a whisper, yet filled with a resigned finality.

"Father," he said into the phone, his gaze unwavering as he looked at me, "we've found our mate."

It was at this moment the realization hit me, I was really their mate, not my cousins. I, Trinity Ender, was their fated mate.