Betrayed By One. Bound To Three

Selena.

I woke to voices, low and familiar, carrying the weight of the morning sun into my awareness.

My body was heavy, reluctant to move, but instinct pushed me forward. Slowly, I rose and stepped out of the cave, letting the cool air brush against my skin, each breath a reminder that I was still alive, still present, and still painfully aware.

And then I saw them.

All three of them stood a short distance away, but they were not alone. A girl stood with them, rough around the edges but clearly sharp, clearly untamed. Her posture, her alert eyes, and the way she carried herself told me she was no ordinary girl. A rogue, just like the stories, just like the whispers I had heard.

She noticed me immediately, her gaze sliding over me with open curiosity, slow and deliberate, as though she were assessing something she had not yet decided was worth her time.

"Who is she?" she asked, her tone light, but edged with something sharper beneath.

Kael did not even hesitate.

"Not someone important."

The simplicity of the dismissal cut deeper than anything they had said to me before, the words landing clean and precise, leaving no room for doubt or misunderstanding. I felt my stomach twist painfully, my fingers curling slightly at my sides as I fought the instinct to react, to say something, to remind them that I was not invisible.

But I remained where I was.

Frozen.

Because Kael had already turned away from me.

His attention returned to her as though I had never existed at all, and then, without pause, he reached for her and pulled her into a kiss that was unrestrained and certain, a kiss that carried familiarity, possession, and something dangerously easy.

Ronan let out a low chuckle at the sight, while Edris shook his head faintly, amusement flickering across his face as though this were something expected, something ordinary.

The girl laughed softly against Kael’s lips before pulling back just enough to look at him, her fingers brushing lightly over his chest as though she had always known where to touch.

"I missed this," she murmured, her voice warm and unguarded. "I missed all of you."

She glanced briefly between them, her smile widening slightly.

"I am glad we found each other again."

Again.

The word settled heavily in my chest.

She belonged to their past.

To something they had before me.

"I am starving," she added lightly, as though nothing else in the world mattered beyond that simple need.

Kael’s gaze shifted then, sliding toward me with a calm indifference that felt far colder than open hostility.

"That is not a problem," he said casually. His eyes held mine now, steady, unyielding. "Go prepare something for our girl."

Their girl.

For a moment, I did not move. Not only because of the way he had addressed her, but because he thought he could order me around.

Something inside me resisted.

It was small, fragile, but it was there.

"I am not your servant," I said, my voice quieter than I intended, but steady enough to carry.

The air seemed to still.

Ronan’s head tilted slightly, as though he had not expected that, while Edris’s gaze sharpened with something that looked almost like interest.

Kael, however, only watched me.

Calm.

Unmoved.

"You are in no position to decide what you are," he said slowly, each word deliberate, controlled in a way that made it far more threatening. "Or what you are not."

My chest tightened, but I held his gaze.

"I will not—"

"You will," Edris cut in sharply, his voice losing the thin thread of amusement it had carried before. "Or have you already forgotten where you stand?"

A flicker of anger rose in me then, sudden and sharp.

"I stand exactly where I have always stood," I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "I am not beneath you."

For a brief moment, silence followed.

Then Ronan laughed.

It was low, quiet, but unmistakably cruel.

"Not beneath us?" he repeated, stepping slightly closer, his gaze dragging over me in a way that made my skin prickle. "You still do not understand, do you?"

Kael took a step forward then, closing the distance between us just enough to make it impossible to ignore him.

"You have nothing," he said simply. "No throne. No allies. No family. Everything that gave you standing is gone."

Each word landed heavier than the last.

"And you think you can stand here and refuse us?" he continued, his voice still calm, still controlled. "You are not in a position to refuse anything."

My throat tightened, but I did not look away.

"I am not yours to command," I said, though the conviction in my voice had begun to waver.

Edris let out a short, humorless breath.

"You are exactly ours," he said. "Whether you like it or not."

The words settled into me like something cold and unyielding.

"You belong to us now," Ronan added, his tone quieter, but no less sharp. "And that means we decide what you do."

A small, disbelieving laugh left my lips, though it carried no real humor.

"You hate me," I said. "You made that very clear. So what exactly do you want from me?"

Kael’s gaze did not shift.

"Everything," he said.

The answer was immediate.

Certain.

"You may be our mate," he continued, "but do not mistake that for something else. It does not give you power. It does not give you choice."

"It makes you ours," Edris said, his voice tightening slightly. "And we will do with you as we please."

Something inside me cracked at that, but I forced myself to remain still.

Before I could respond, the girl spoke again.

"Well," she said lightly, her tone almost playful as her gaze returned to me, "this is disappointing."

I stiffened slightly as she took a step forward, circling me slowly, her eyes moving over me in open assessment.

" I didn’t realize she was your mate. I expected someone... more," she continued, her lips curving faintly. "Are you guys sure she is truly your mate?"

Her gaze lingered, critical, unimpressed.

"She looks overfed," she added. "Spoiled. Like she has never had to fight for anything in her life."

Ronan chuckled under his breath, while Edris made no move to stop her.

Kael said nothing.

"She is bigger than I expected," the girl went on, tilting her head slightly as though studying me more closely, her gaze slow and deliberate in a way that made my skin prickle. "But not in a way that commands anything."

Her lips curved faintly, not quite a smile.

Heat crept up my neck, sharp and humiliating, but I forced myself to remain still, refusing to give her the reaction she was clearly looking for.

"You would think someone raised the way she was would carry more presence," she added, almost thoughtfully now. "But there is nothing here. No edge. No power. Just excess skin with nothing behind it."

Ronan let out a quiet chuckle, while Edris did not bother to hide his amusement.

"She was never much of anything," Edris said casually.

The girl smiled faintly at that.

"Clearly," she murmured.

She stepped back then, her attention shifting easily, dismissively.

"I can’t believe you guys would go after someone like her. It’s feels like a major downgrade after being with me." she added. "And I do not see why you keep her around."

"She had her uses," Ronan said lightly.

Another laugh.

Another pain shot through me like a twisted knife.

Nyra glanced between them again, then sighed softly.

"isn’t she supposed to be cooking now, " she said, "I am still hungry."

Kael’s gaze returned to me, sharper this time.

"Do not make me repeat myself. Go."

The single word carried more force than anything else he had said.

For a moment, I stood there, my hands clenched at my sides, my chest tight with everything I wanted to say, everything I wanted to fight.

But Lyra was silent.

And something inside me... gave.

My jaw tightened as I held Kael’s gaze for one last second, something bitter and painful settling deep in my chest.

Then, without another word, I turned and walked away.

Because I understood now.

Arguing would change nothing.

Fighting would change nothing.

To them...

I was nothing.

And somehow, that hurt far more than anything else they had said.