Chapter Three, What Have We Done?

Alpha Asher’s POV

I noticed her before we even reached the school gates.

Gemma Star.

She was sitting alone against the brick wall beside the entrance, her knees pulled tightly to her chest as students walked past her like she didn’t exist.

Something about the sight irritated me.

No.

Not irritated.

It unsettled me.

I frowned as my brothers and I got closer. Gemma kept her head down, messy dark hair falling over her face, but even from a distance I could tell something was wrong.

She looked exhausted.

Broken.

The strange feeling in my chest only worsened when the wind shifted and her scent hit me.

Blood.

Fresh blood.

My wolf stirred uneasily.

“What’s wrong with you?” Logan muttered beside me, shoving my shoulder lightly.

“Nothing,” I said quickly, tearing my eyes away from her.

But it wasn’t nothing.

Not even close.

The second Gemma realized we were near, she stood up too quickly and hurried inside the school building without looking at any of us.

Jayden snorted. “Still acting scared of us.”

Guilt twisted painfully in my stomach.

If only he knew how right she was to be afraid.

Classes started like normal, though none of us were paying much attention.

Well… my brothers weren’t.

History had always been my thing. Most people expected Alpha heirs to care only about fighting, power, and training, but I loved learning about our pack’s history.

Our wars.

Our bloodlines.

The old Alpha traditions.

I was halfway through reading over today’s notes when the classroom door opened.

Gemma walked in late.

Instantly, the room went quiet.

Miss Shaw looked annoyed. “Late again, Gemma?”

Gemma lowered her gaze and quietly moved toward the empty seat at the back of the room.

Logan smirked beside me.

Big mistake.

Before I could stop him, he and Jayden stood and walked toward her.

My wolf growled low in my chest.

Something felt wrong.

Gemma shrank into herself the closer they got, like she was expecting pain.

And that should’ve been my first clue.

Logan grabbed her by the hair roughly, forcing her head back.

That’s when I saw them.

Scars.

Thin white marks wrapped around her neck and disappeared beneath the collar of her shirt.

My entire body went still.

I took a sharp breath.

Beneath the smell of blood was something sweeter.

Something addictive.

Mine.

The realization hit me so hard it nearly knocked the air from my lungs.

Mate.

Gemma Star was our mate.

Impossible.

There was no way the Moon Goddess would bind us to the girl we’d spent years tormenting.

But my wolf already knew the truth.

And judging by the sudden shock on Logan and Jayden’s faces…

So did theirs.

I could hear Gemma’s uneven breathing as Logan held her still.

Fear.

She was terrified of us.

The thought made me sick.

“Let her go,” I said sharply.

Both my brothers looked at me in surprise.

“Since when do you care?” Logan asked.

“Just leave her alone,” I snapped.

Something dangerous entered my voice because Logan immediately released her.

Gemma scrambled away from them without saying a word.

I noticed fresh bruises along her wrist as she pulled her sleeves down quickly.

My chest tightened painfully.

How had I never noticed before?

The bell rang at the end of class, and Gemma practically ran for the door.

Mia appeared outside almost immediately, surrounded by the rest of her cheer squad.

I already knew something bad was about to happen.

Sure enough, Mia stuck her foot out.

Gemma hit the floor hard.

A sickening crack echoed through the hallway.

Blood instantly poured from Gemma’s nose.

My wolf exploded with rage.

For one terrifying second, I almost moved toward Mia.

But I froze.

Because six months ago…

I’d done worse.

Six Months Earlier

We’d been standing in the hallway waiting for Mia when she stormed toward us, furious.

“She’s spreading rumors about us,” Mia snapped angrily. “Gemma told people Logan’s sleeping with underage girls.”

The second Logan heard that, he lost it.

None of us questioned whether it was true.

None of us even gave Gemma a chance to explain.

Logan stormed straight into the classroom where Gemma was sitting quietly alone.

Before anyone could react, he yanked her chair backward.

Her head slammed hard against the floor.

The sound still haunted me.

Gemma cried out in pain, tears filling her eyes instantly.

But Logan didn’t stop.

He punched her over and over while she lay defenseless beneath him.

I should’ve stopped him immediately.

Instead, I hesitated.

And that hesitation changed everything.

Jayden and I eventually dragged Logan off her before he killed her.

But even then…

Even then I still kicked her in the ribs while she lay curled on the floor.

I could still remember the weak sound she made.

Still remember the fear in her eyes.

The headmaster arrived moments later alongside Miss Shaw.

“Go to class,” Miss Shaw ordered coldly. “I’ll deal with Gemma.”

The nurse ended up calling an ambulance.

Gemma disappeared for an entire month afterward.

And somehow, none of us cared enough to ask if she survived.

Back in the present, nausea twisted violently in my stomach.

What the hell had we done?

Gemma hurried away from the hallway while clutching her bleeding nose.

And for the first time in my life…

I hated myself.

School ended an hour later.

The three of us were walking toward the parking lot when I spotted someone familiar near the gates.

Emily.

Our cousin.

“Emily?” Jayden called out in surprise.

She turned toward us—

And panic instantly crossed her face.

“She just collapsed!”

That’s when I noticed Gemma unconscious on the ground beside her.

Fear slammed into me.

I reached Gemma first, dropping to my knees beside her before carefully lifting her into my arms.

The second I touched her, sparks shot up my skin.

My wolf calmed instantly.

Mate.

The word echoed through my head like a curse and a blessing all at once.

Gemma stirred weakly against my chest, and something possessive twisted inside me so hard it scared me.

Mine.

The realization destroyed me.

Because mates were supposed to protect each other.

Love each other.

And we’d spent years destroying ours.

“Asher?” Logan said quietly.

I looked up at my brothers.

The guilt on their faces matched my own.

“She’s going to reject us,” I whispered.

The words hurt more than I expected.

Jayden ran a hand through his hair roughly. “Don’t tell her yet.”

“What?”

“She probably can’t feel the bond properly yet,” he explained quickly. “We’re older. Stronger. Our wolves recognized her first.”

Emily looked between us in confusion. “Wait… Gemma’s your mate?”

None of us answered.

Because the shame on our faces said enough.

Emily frowned. “Then why does she look terrified of you?”

Silence.

Heavy silence.

Finally, Logan looked away. “Because we treated her like shit.”

Emily stared at us in disbelief.

I couldn’t even blame her.

“She had fresh blood on her this morning,” I admitted quietly. “Bruises too. And those scars…”

Emily gently pulled up Gemma’s sleeve.

The second we saw the words burned into her skin, rage exploded through all three of us.

GET HOME NOW

“What the fuck?” Logan growled.

Emily looked horrified. “Who would do this to her?”

“I don’t know,” I lied automatically.

But deep down…

I had a feeling.

And I hated it.

“She lives with her uncle Richard and his mate Khloe,” Emily said softly. “Gemma told me Khloe’s a witch.”

A dangerous growl rumbled from my chest before I could stop it.

Someone was hurting our mate.

Repeatedly.

And we’d been too blind to notice because we were too busy hurting her ourselves.

“You’re all acting like she’ll reject you,” Emily said carefully.

I laughed bitterly.

“You didn’t see what we did to her.”

Emily crossed her arms. “Then explain.”

None of us spoke for several seconds.

Finally, I forced the words out.

“We made her life hell.”

Saying it out loud made me feel even worse.

“She’s scared of us for a reason,” Logan admitted quietly.

Jayden looked at Emily desperately. “Please don’t tell her about the mate bond yet.”

Emily sighed heavily. “I won’t. But if you three are serious about wanting her…”

She looked down at Gemma sleeping weakly in my arms.

“Then start acting like mates instead of monsters.”

The words hit harder than any punch ever could.

Before any of us could respond, Gemma suddenly stirred.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly.

The second she realized she was in my arms, panic filled her face.

She jerked away from me instantly, stumbling as her feet hit the ground.

“Gemma—”

“Don’t touch me,” she whispered fearfully.

The pain in her voice nearly destroyed me.

Because I was the reason she sounded like that.