Chapter 152: Episode 151: I have patrol

Are you serious?

How can I have three brothers as my mates?

That is just weird. I already have Drax and Axel. You want me to add a third brother to the pile? This is a messy disaster waiting to happen.

The blue letters rippled in front of her face. The bright text shifted and changed into three simple words.

[It’s Fate.]

Rue wanted to scream. She forced her attention back to the real world.

Onyx still stood ten feet away from her. The white wolf didn’t move a single muscle. He just stared.

His icy silver eyes went wide. His dark pupils blew out, turning almost pitch black in the dim light of the hall. His broad chest heaved up and down with a sudden, ragged breath. The wild beast inside him recognized her instantly. The fierce Northern wolf smelled the sweet, gentle scent of her rabbit blood. He felt the heavy, undeniable pull of the mate bond snapping right into place. It hit him like a physical blow to the stomach.

Onyx took a half-step forward. His hands twitched at his sides. His natural instincts screamed at him to run to her. His wolf wanted to scoop her up, bury his face in her silver hair, and claim her right there on the stone floor.

But then, his silver eyes dropped lower.

He saw Drax. He saw his oldest, most dangerous brother standing right beside her. He saw Drax’s thick, muscular arm wrapped securely around Rue’s waist. He saw the way Rue leaned her soft weight against the Dragon King’s side. Then, the harsh scent hit him. Beneath her sweet rabbit scent, she smelled heavily of dark smoke, burnt wood, and ancient dragon magic.

She was already claimed.

Onyx snapped his jaw shut. You could hear his teeth click together in the quiet room.

The soft, vulnerable shock in his eyes vanished in a split second. He forced a hard, icy mask over his handsome face. He crossed his thick arms tightly over his scratched leather armor. He acted cold and distant. He locked his feral urges down deep inside his chest. He glared at Rue like she was a dangerous spy sent to ruin his home.

Rue frowned. A dull ache started behind her pink eyes.

She expected him to be nice. The system promised her he was the energetic, active triplet. She thought he would bound across the room and crack a loud joke, just like Axel always did. She hoped for a warm welcome. Instead, he looked at her with pure, freezing disdain.

She hated this. She hated having to pretend she didn’t know what was going on. She knew exactly why his face just turned to stone. She knew the mate bond tore his heart in half just a second ago. But she couldn’t say that out loud. She had to play the part of a clueless, innocent rabbit. She had to act like she didn’t understand the wild, magical rules controlling all their lives. It felt exhausting. She was a mother now. She didn’t have the energy for these fake, awkward dances.

Zale noticed the heavy tension filling the room. The merman hated awkward silence. He tried his best to fix it.

"So," Zale said, clapping his hands together. His bright voice echoed off the high wooden beams. "You flew all the way from the new fortress? That must have been a fast trip. The sky is very clear today. Perfect weather for flying."

Rue forced a small, polite smile for the merman. "Yes. It was a beautiful flight. The mountains look amazing from up high."

Zale beamed at her. He bounced on his heels, his sea-green eyes shining. "I am so glad you like the mountains. I prefer the water myself. I have a giant pond out back. The water comes straight from a deep underground spring. It is always warm. I can show you later. I also have some new paintings I finished last week."

Rue genuinely liked Zale. He felt like a bright ray of sunshine in a very dark, gloomy castle. She wanted to keep talking to him.

But Onyx’s freezing glare was too heavy to ignore. The wolf’s icy stare burned a hole right through the side of her head.

Rue took a slow breath. She decided to try one more time. She wanted to break the ice with the grumpy wolf. She didn’t want Drax to fight with his brother today. She just wanted a peaceful sightseeing date.

She turned her head and looked directly at Onyx.

"It is very nice to meet you, Onyx," Rue said. Her voice was soft, but it carried clearly across the hall. "Axel told me a lot of stories about you. He said you guys used to get into a lot of trouble in the snow."

Onyx flinched.

Hearing Axel’s name fall from her lips made everything ten times worse. She wasn’t just mated to Drax. She knew Axel intimately too. The heavy scent of the Southern panther suddenly registered in his nose as well. She belonged to all of them. The realization made Onyx feel sick to his stomach.

He didn’t smile back at her. He didn’t offer a polite greeting. He looked at her small, fragile frame and just scoffed.

"Why is she here, Drax?" Onyx snapped. His voice was harsh and grating, like rocks grinding together.

Drax stiffened instantly. The Dragon King pulled Rue a fraction of an inch closer to his side. A low, dangerous rumble started deep in his broad chest.

"She is my mate," Drax answered smoothly, though his dark eyes promised violence if Onyx pushed too far. "I brought her here to see the manor. This is her family’s history now."

Onyx let out a bitter, mocking laugh. He uncrossed his arms and took a step back.

"She doesn’t belong in Ironwood Manor," Onyx shot back, his silver eyes flashing with a messy mix of raw jealousy and misplaced anger. "She is soft. She smells like prey. We don’t need outsiders wandering around our ancient halls. She should stay in the swamps where she belongs."

Rue felt her stomach twist into a tight knot. The cruel words stung her pride. She didn’t ask to come here. She didn’t ask the system to make her his mate. She just wanted to look at the nice architecture and go home to her baby.

Zale dropped his happy smile. The merman stepped forward, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

"Onyx, stop it," Zale warned, his melodic voice turning sharp. "You are being rude. She is our guest."

"She is a distraction," Onyx growled.

Drax let go of Rue’s waist. He took one slow, heavy step toward his brother. The stone floor actually trembled under his leather boots.

"Watch your tone, wolf," Drax commanded. The air in the room grew instantly hot. The smell of burning wood grew much stronger. "You will speak to her with respect, or I will throw you out of this hall myself."

Onyx clenched his fists. His knuckles turned bone white. He looked at Drax, ready to fight his own king. His wolf wanted to tear the room apart. His blood boiled hot and fast in his veins. He wanted to challenge Drax for the right to stand beside the silver-haired girl.

But he knew he would lose. Drax was too old and too strong.

Onyx looked back at Rue one last time. He saw the tired, sad frown on her pale face. He saw the way she shrank back from the loud shouting. The sight of her fear made his chest ache in a brand new, awful way. He couldn’t handle this. He couldn’t handle the fierce pull of the magic while she stood right in another man’s shadow. He needed to get away from her sweet scent before he lost his mind.

He turned his back on her abruptly. His dark leather armor creaked with the fast movement.

"I have patrol," he deadpans, walking away.