Four Alphas to one omega?

Aria's POV

"Because I'm not a possession," I retorted. "I'm a person."

He stepped closer, his presence enveloping me. His scent was different from his brothers – subtle, like rain on dry earth, with an underlying current of something ancient and powerful. It was less aggressive than Rylan’s, less overwhelming than Zayne’s, but no less dominant. It seeped into my senses, calming a part of my omega instincts even as another part screamed a warning.

"We don't see you as a possession, Aria," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle, almost soothing. "Not exactly. We see you as… a missing piece. A necessary part of our pack."

"Your pack?" I scoffed, despite the tremor in my voice. "I have no pack. I'm a stray, remember?"

"A stray who is about to find her home," he countered, his eyes holding mine, a deep, knowing look in their depths. "You feel it, don't you? The pull. The undeniable connection that binds us. It's a primal thing, Aria. Older than reason, stronger than defiance."

I wanted to deny it, to shout that he was wrong, but a part of me, the deeply buried omega, acknowledged a flicker of truth in his words. There was a strange resonance, a magnetic pull that was terrifyingly potent.

"It's just your Alpha dominance trying to overpower my omega instincts," I argued, clinging to a rational explanation.

He shook his head slowly. "It's more than that. It's the scent of a fated mate, little omega. Strong, clear, and undeniable."

My eyes widened. "F-fated mate?" The words sent a jolt through me, a mixture of shock and a strange, primal fear. I had heard stories, of course, of true mates, but they were rare, almost mythical. And the idea that four Alphas could be fated to one omega… it was unheard of.

"You are," he confirmed, his voice a low, steady rumble. "To all of us. That's why Killian intervened. That's why Zayne is so… possessive. That's why Rylan watches you with such intensity. And that's why I feel this profound, undeniable connection to you."

He took another step, closing the remaining distance between us. His hand reached out, slowly, deliberately, and he brushed his knuckles against my cheek. His touch was warm, gentle, yet it held an unspoken power that made my skin tingle.

"Your scent," he murmured, his eyes closing for a moment as he inhaled deeply, "it's like sunshine and wild roses, pure and untainted. It calls to us, Aria. It completes us."

My mind was reeling. Fated mates? All four of them? It was too much to comprehend. It was a nightmare, a fantasy, a cruel joke all at once.

"That's impossible," I whispered, shaking my head. "It's… it's never happened before. Four Alphas to one omega?"

"Rare, yes," he conceded, opening his eyes and looking at me with an intensity that pierced through my confusion. "But not impossible. And sometimes, the rarest things are the most powerful. You are powerful, Aria. More than you know. Your spirit, your defiance… it is a strength that will bind us, make us whole."

He leaned in, his breath warm on my face. "Don't fight what is meant to be, little stray. You belong with us. It is your destiny. And ours." He paused, his gaze dropping to my lips, mirroring his brothers' earlier actions, but with an underlying tenderness that was even more disarming. "Come home, Aria. Come to your pack."

His words, soft and compelling, swirled around me, blurring the lines between fear and a dangerous, desperate longing. The idea of a pack, of belonging, was a siren song to the lonely omega part of me that had always craved a place to call home. But the price… the price was my freedom, my independence, my very self.

Just as I struggled to find a response, a new, sharper scent cut through the air, overriding Cassian's calming presence. Pine and something else, something distinctly metallic.

Zayne.

He stepped out from behind another tree, his silver eyes blazing, a furious scowl on his face. "What are you doing, Cassian?" he snarled, his voice a low growl that vibrated with barely contained rage. "Trying to charm her now? We have a system."

Cassian sighed, a faint ripple of annoyance crossing his usually serene features. "I was merely explaining the nature of her predicament, brother. Sometimes, a gentle approach is more effective than brute force."

"Brute force gets results," Zayne countered, his gaze darting from Cassian to me, a possessive glint in his eyes. "And I don't appreciate you getting too close, especially when I haven't had my turn."

A wave of despair washed over me. Their "turns"? Was I truly just a prize to be parceled out among them?

Cassian's gaze returned to me, a hint of apology in his eyes, though it quickly faded as Zayne stepped closer, his scent intensifying, becoming overwhelming.

"Don't worry, little stray," Zayne sneered, his silver eyes cold and hard. "You'll get to know all of us intimately. Very, very intimately."

He shot a venomous glare at Cassian, a silent warning passing between them. Then, without another word, Zayne reached out, not to touch me, but to grab Cassian's arm, pulling him away from me with surprising force.

"We need to talk," Zayne hissed at Cassian, his voice low and dangerous.

Cassian cast one last, lingering look at me, a complex mixture of concern and something else I couldn't decipher in his moss-green eyes. Then, he allowed Zayne to drag him deeper into the shadows, their voices fading into indistinct murmurs.

I was left alone once more, my body trembling, my mind in a frantic disarray. Fated mates? All four of them? The concept was terrifying, exhilarating, and utterly, irrevocably life-altering.

My only option was to run. To run as far and as fast as I could. But where could a stray like me go when the most powerful Alphas in the world had already claimed me as their own? The academy suddenly felt less like a gilded cage and more like a carefully laid trap, and I, the bewildered prey, was only just beginning to realize the true nature of the hunters.