Chapter 9: _ Screw Them All

No, no, no... he did not. Darien betrayed her. After everything. After telling her she was under his protection. After that kiss. After the softness in his voice. He freaking sold her out. After a shift in the room’s atmosphere, the footsteps begin to draw nearer. Chaos starts to erupt, and she can hear it all from her hideout. "What do you mean she’s in here?!" Amias is furious. His voice is sharp and lethal. "This is our private study!" "Not just anyone gets to be here. No one. Especially not a new omega." Grayson growls. "She probably followed you in like some desperate little..." Morgan stops, scoffing. "This is ridiculous." Darien sighs. "She didn’t know. She stumbled in. It was a mistake. She doesn’t know the rules yet since she’s new." "Mistake? Trespassing is a mistake now? And you let her stay there while we discuss private matters. Man, she was bloody listening the whole TIME?!" Amias snaps "She’s under our roof, Amias. Darien let her hear you speak about your mother." Morgan adds, and Heidi can hear him throwing his hands in the air. "I’ll give her a punishment she won’t forget," Amias hisses. And then, Heidi hears the bookshelf sliding open. Her heart nearly jumps in her mouth. I’m dead, she thinks. The cold air of the study rushes into her hiding spot. A gust of dust and wood slaps her senses. The scent of cedar and books and power... male power. Alpha power. She doesn’t dare move. Until... "There she is," Amias grunts. Their eyes meet, and just like that, the world tilts. Heidi doesn’t blink because she can’t. Now, she understands why she’s feeling this way in their presence. The bond hasn’t come to play. Every nerve in her body catches fire. Her breath stutters, her knees tremble, and all she can think is how good he smells. How dark, chaotic, and wild he looks. Like something untamable. Oh, it doesn’t end with her as he freezes too. Amias, the brutal one. The stoic and always frowning one. The furious, vengeful one. He just stands there, lips parting, pupils blown wide, his chest rising like he’s struggling to breathe. The room goes quiet. "Holy shit," Morgan mutters. "She’s... glowing," Grayson whispers. "She’s not glowing," Darien corrects. "That’s just how she looks." Grayson and Morgan step forward. "She was used to punishing us," Morgan says darkly. "That’s the only explanation. A single omega as a mate to all four of us?" "She must think herself invincible. Coming into our study, acting like she belongs here." Grayson spits. Heidi’s fists clench again. Her jaw tightens. Acting like she belongs? She didn’t even ask for any of this! "Maybe it’s time we drill that confidence out of her," Morgan threatens, flattening his hair with his hands. But then, the moment they stand face to face with her, they stop. Both of them. Their steps falter. Their eyes meet hers, and it hits them, too. Their hostility melts. Grayson wheezes like the air is constricted. Morgan runs a hand through his hair like he’s just come out of a trance. "I..." Grayson croaks. "I didn’t expect..." "She smells like cinnamon and warmth," Morgan says absently, his voice way softer now. Darien brushes past them all. "I told you. This is why I didn’t react. Why didn’t I send her out? The moment she walked in, the bond hit me too hard." He sighs, turns to her, and holds out a hand. "Don’t be afraid, Heidi." Her name sounds like silk when he says it. Heidi knows immediately that she’s in a hell that feels so much like paradise. She’s all alone in a tucked-away private study. All alone with four men. Four smoking hot, angry, and dangerous men. Anything can happen. She’s not thinking anymore. She can’t. Not with four Alphas staring at her like she’s the last flame in a dark, frozen world. Her body moves on its own. One could liken it to that of a puppet, pulled by invisible threads woven from unspoken need. She takes his hand. But the moment she steps out, something that, for the first time since that door opens, wasn’t so unexpected happens. A hard shove slams into her back. She gasps as she stumbles forward, catching herself against Darien’s chest. The force of the push makes her ribs ache. "She’s nothing," a voice growls behind her. Arayson’s pride is clawing its way back up. "I don’t care what the bond says. I won’t be controlled by a nobody omega." Amias is immediately in motion. "Grayson is right!" "Enough!" Darien snarls, wrapping his arm around Heidi as if to shield her. But the damage is done. Her spine straightens. Her heart is no longer thudding in helpless fear. It’s burning. She yanks herself out of Darien’s arms. "Don’t touch me." Her voice is sharp and broken. She was just tired. Tired of so much bullying in one day. They all blink at her. "You think I wanted this?" she demands. "You think I woke up this morning and begged the Moon Goddess to tie me to four egotistical maniacs with power complexes and violent tempers?" All four jaws drop simultaneously. No one expects an omega to talk back at the sons of the powerful Alpha Tobias, not to mention calling them names. She glares at Darien, who mouths a warning to her. Way. "Don’t even." She raises a hand to stop him. She knows he’s not protecting her out of the goodness of his heart, but for information. Because she has witnessed something substantial for him. Perhaps, after getting all he needs for her, he’d even treat her worse than his brothers. Amias tilts his head. There’s an odd gleam in his eyes now. Like he’s watching a puzzle suddenly solve itself. Grayson crosses his arms, but even he looks a little less arrogant. "I didn’t come in here on purpose," she says. "I was lost. Duskwind Academy is a maze. And guess what? I don’t know your sacred rules yet because no one gave me a welcome packet!" She turns to Darien. "And you. You said I was safe. You kissed me back. You made me feel..." She chokes on the word. "You made me feel like I wasn’t alone." Darien looks guilty, but his brothers look like they’ve just declared themselves the new Luna. "Well, screw all of you! If you think being mates means I’m going to roll over and beg for scraps, you’ve picked the wrong omega." She hisses. FUCK THEM ALL!