Chapter 4: Three directions

Rhea's POV I clutched the dress in my trembling hands, my breath catching in my throat. The smooth silk was torn from the waist down. “Oh no,” I whispered, my voice barely a sound in the cramped little room. My mind spun in panic. Lyra had given me this dress to wear tomorrow for the birthday ceremony—her birthday, and mine. How was I supposed to face her now? What could I possibly say? I glanced at the door and my stomach sank. I hadn’t locked it, I’d closed it, yes, but… “Shit,” I breathed. Someone had been in here. I didn’t need to guess who. It had to be Mira. She’d been eyeing the dress earlier, dripping evil with every word. She’d had the nerve to sneak in here and cut it. I had no proof. No one would believe a servant Omega over her. Confronting her would be useless. Still, my chest tightened, and my pulse pounded so hard I could feel it in my ears. What was I going to do now? I wasn’t going to let this ruin the ceremony or Lyra’s mood, not for a second. So I marched to my little drawer, praying for a miracle. By some stroke of luck, there was a spool of thread the same shade as the dress.  My fingers worked slowly, carefully, stitching along the tear. It wasn’t perfect, but it would hold. When you’re thrown into a pit full of snakes, you learn to make peace with the poison. By the time I finished, my eyelids felt like lead. I collapsed onto the bed, with my belly, and drifted into a shallow, restless sleep. When I woke, sunlight was already spilling through the window. The day went by in a blur with me scrubbing floors, wiping tables, dusting corners no one would even notice.  The birthday ceremony was tonight, and every inch of the house had to be flawless. Before I knew it, it was 9 p.m. The air seemed thicker somehow, charged with the hum of music and voices drifting from the main hall. Fresh from my bath, I stood staring at the dress. It hugged my hips in a way that made my throat tighten. I didn’t know why Lyra had chosen something so… lavish for me. I put my hair in a bun with a worn out rubber band then stepped out of my tiny room. The hallway lights caught on the silk, making it gleam. Halfway to the ceremony, Mira appeared. Her eyes flicked over the dress, her glare sharp enough to send daggers at me. She didn’t say a word, but the anger on her face spoke volumes. I kept walking, my feet sinking slightly into the plush velvet rug that led to the open space. The hall was alive and filled with laughter, glasses clinking, murmurs of conversation under the swell of music. I paused, taking it in. This wasn’t my world. I should have been among the servers, moving quietly with trays of drinks and food. And yet… here I was, in a dress that shimmered under the light. So as I looked around, suddenly I heard my name being called. “Rhea! Rhea!” I turned and saw Lyra excitedly walking towards me. The way she moved was so elegant and graceful, like she was born to be admired.  Her silver dress was breathtaking, matching her skin perfectly and her hair was styled so beautifully it almost sparkled in the light. “Oh my, Rhea, you look so good! You wore the dress,” Lyra said warmly. I smiled, praying she didn’t notice that I had stitched the dress… or that it had been torn at all. “You look so beautiful. This dress is so nice,” I said honestly. Lyra’s face lit up even more. “Cassian got it for me,” she said excitedly. I nodded, taking in the reminder. Cassian and Lyra had been the couple of the town for years, and today being her 20th birthday, they were going to feel the mate bond and finally be together for life.  Lyra loved Cassian more than anything. That much I knew. Then she suddenly grabbed my hand. “Come, let’s get some drinks or something. The bar is right over there.” I wanted to protest, but she was already pulling me by the wrist. We made our way to the counter. “Two drinks, please. No alcohol,” Lyra told the woman at the bar. The woman nodded quickly, turning to prepare them. But all of a sudden, pain shot through my chest. My wolf howled in my head…Mate. My whole body reacted and I struggled to conceal the heat spreading through my body. But… something was wrong. The tugging pain in my chest wasn’t from one direction, it wasn’t one scent. It was three. Three different and scents. My head spun as my breathing turned shallow. I couldn’t even think. “Mate…” I mumbled again, dazed. Lyra looked at me, holding the two drinks. “Huh? Are you okay?” I was so confused. The pull was everywhere, twisting around me, wrapping into my chest, making my heartbeat pound so loud I could barely hear the music.  And it was getting stronger and stronger. It felt like my head was going to split in three I lifted my gaze in front of me and it landed directly on Cassian. To my right stood Dorian and to my left was Lucian. And the scent… was coming from all three of them. What? No…This couldn’t be right. That was impossible, the mate bond didn’t work this way. It had to be some kind of glitch in my system, my wolf playing a cruel trick on me. Then, all at once, the three of them spoke in perfect unison. “Mate.” The sound of it slammed into me, stealing my breath. Behind me, I heard a sharp crash. The two glasses Lyra had been holding lay shattered on the floor, red liquid pooling across the tiles. But Lyra’s hands… were still frozen in midair, like she still held them. Her wide eyes were locked not on me, but on them. The crowd turned, people gasping as whispers rippled like wildfire through the room. Slowly, Lyra’s gaze shifted to me. “Rhea…” she said, her voice tight and almost trembling. “What did you say?”