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"“MINE, MATE!” said four similar voices with a menacing growl. “This isn’t happening!” I screamed out loud, shocked and dumbfounded. “You are our mate! We finally found you!” Zeke exclaimed, his voice filled with joy. Four Alphas? Was this some kind of joke? How can the moon goddess be so cruel? How can she mate me with these four playboys? Alpha Ezekiel, known as a notorious womanizer. Alpha Azrael, infamous for dating a girl named Aria right after he broke up with her sister. Alpha Zeke and Sam, both entangled with Aria’s bestie while juggling other flings. “Stay away from me,” I cried, “I won’t accept you.” “We are so sorry, baby. We should’ve saved ourselves for our fated mate…” “Don’t bother,” I gasped, “I, Emerald Hutton, reject…” “No, please! Baby, give us a chance!”" --- Chapter One: Last Day of Summer Sunday Evening Emerald’s POV: It's the last day of summer, and here I am, already dreading going back to school. Storm Academy being one of the most prestigious schools in the werewolf multiverse, I always felt that I didn't belong there. Despite producing ruthless warriors, pack leaders, and established professionals, it had its quirks; with a constant ongoing hierarchy, competition among the students, the drama between the she-wolves, and the ample number of horndog male wolves lurking around. My name is Emerald Hutton. I am turning eighteen in two weeks, and one of the ten scholarship students that attend the academy. I have always wondered why I bothered going back to that place every year. I have always been overlooked and bullied by those socialist brats, claiming that I was a disgrace to the academy because of my financial status and looks, and that the academy shouldn't harbour charity cases. I admit I'm no size zero, with those fancy high-end brands, and makeup skills. Still, I have a curvy hourglass figure, bum-long silver hair, and bright blue eyes. My best friend, Hannah Thor, also the Alpha's only daughter and youngest, always said she envied my body and that I should flaunt it. Like every other student at Storm Academy, Hannah was filthy rich, but was nothing like the other students. She was a sweet, caring, and humble she-wolf that always stood up for me. She had recently found her mate, Luca Samuel, the future Beta to the future quadruplet Alphas: Ezekiel, Azrael, Zaqeil and Samael Thor, who are Hannah's older brothers. It was as if the Moon Goddess had hand-crafted them herself, they resembled nothing less than Greek Gods. They were known for their ruthlessness on the battlefield, and major playboy ways outside it. The quadruplets had graduated a couple of years ago, and were still unmated at the age of twenty-two. As I pack my last piece of clothing for the school year, I can't help but wonder what life will be like once I am of age and can find my mate. Despite being adopted, my adoptive parents have always provided me with the best of their ability. Yes, we weren't the richest in the pack, but we had each other. I always wondered where my biological family was. I would never know if they loved me or even thought of me. As much as I wanted a mate, there was this lingering fear in me that my mate wouldn't want me due to my financial status or looks. I honestly didn't have much to offer but my time and love. I hope the Moon Goddess finds it in her to pair me with someone passionate enough to accept me for me. The moment I finished zipping up the suitcase, my phone started buzzing. Knowing it was Hannah, since I allocated a specific ringtone for her, I rushed to pick up her call because she wouldn’t stop calling till I do. "Hey, Em! Ready for senior year tomorrow?" asked Hannah. "You have no idea," I replied, trying to get as much sarcasm out of me as possible. I was already dreading tomorrow. "It won't be all that bad, trust me! At least we get to share our quarters this time. Just wait and see it’ll be so much fun, we even have Leah and Ela with us this year. It's going to be epic!" Leah and Ela, which was short for Elanor, were our other two girl best friends. Like Hannah, they were wealthy but super nice. I honestly still didn’t get how these three decided to be my friends. Alongside Ela and Leah, our friend group consisted of our three clowns: Axel Smith, Ela's twin brother, Jeremiah Dun, who we called Jer for short, and Ian Holder. He, like me, was a scholarship student, but wealthier than me comparatively. Again, I, to this day, don't get how we all became friends, but as fate would have it, here we are going four years strong on our friendship. " OK, more of that later, baby girl. I called to remind you about the dinner at my place the day after tomorrow. I won't take no for an answer, and you promised you'd let me dress you up,” Hannah said. The current Alpha, Alexander, and Luna, Crystal Thor, Hannah’s parents, were hosting a celebratory dinner for the pack leaders, warriors, and Hannah's friends for finding her mate, Luca. So as fate would have it, or should I say Hannah had it, she was not letting me skip. Usually, I kept going to the packhouse at a minimum because of the weird stares and whispers, but I guess I'll be going this time. "Don't worry, Han! I remember, as much as I don't like visiting the packhouse, I want to be there to show my support and happiness. Just please don't overdo it with the getup!" Whatever I said was the true, I really was happy for Hannah finding Luca. She always talked about how she adored the guy since they were pups. "Don't worry about that, Em, I got you! Anywho, got to go! See you tomorrow,” we hung up after that. I am thankful to the Moon Goddess for helping me find Hannah, Ela, Leah, and my adoptive parents. I would be so lost without them. I do, at times, think about where my biological parents are, and if they know I am alive or if they ever wanted me in the first place. I was found by my adoptive parents near our pack border. Mum always said that I was blessed by the Goddess herself, and that my eyes sparkled with love and kindness that melted even the darkest of hearts, but I honestly did not think so. If I were, then why did my biological family not want me? I’m not complaining, but I have always wanted to know why? Well, so be it, I suppose. I have my support system right here in the Dark Storm Pack. It may be limited to my adoptive parents, my six best friends, and, of course, Gabbana, my pet cat, who I rescued from the forest, but it was enough for me. Maybe one day my mate could also be a part of it. Chapter Two: The Alphas Sunday Evening Cont. Ezekiel POV: It's been a week now that my wolf, Ace, has denied shutting up in my head. His constant nagging of wanting to go back to the pack was giving me a headache. Usually, Ace doesn't interact much unless he senses danger, but he hasn't stopped his bickering for the past week. After a long hot shower, I walked back into the Alpha guest suite where I have been staying at the Red Crescent Pack, and find the Alpha's youngest daughter with legs wide open, giving me a perfect view of her... I pushed him back into my mind and headed back to the bathroom for another shower. Azrael POV: I was on the balcony of my suite at the Red Crescent Pack, where my brothers and I were sent to solve a rogue problem, talking to my girlfriend, Aria. Since everything had been handled, we were supposed to head back to our pack tomorrow. "Baby, I'm so excited for you to be back tomorrow. I missed you so much! I can't believe you and your brothers will be ascending to Alphas this weekend. You have to take me shopping for a dress as soon as you get back,” said Aria. Aria wasn't my first girlfriend; we had started dating two months ago after I broke up with her cousin. Apparently, that was a turn-on for her. It didn't make sense, but I wasn't complaining. Aria had a murderer body and was gr'eаt in bed. Although I knew, like other she-wolves my younger brothers and I dated, she dreamt of being Luna. I've never really entrained the idea of anyone other than my fated mate as our Luna. However, I honestly didn't have the energy to deal with the she-wolves on this matter since whatever we said fell on deaf ears. "I missed you too, Aria! Why don't you go with your friends to look for a dress? You know I don't like going to the mall,” I could practically see her rolling her eyes. Not like she could do it in front of me. Despite the fact we were dating, I demanded respect. I was, after all, one of the future Alphas of the pack. "Come on, baby! You can compromise this one time. It is for your Alpha ceremony after all,” she said. Before I could reply, my little brothers, Zaqeil and Samael, who go by Zeke and Sam, walked in. "I'll talk to you later, Aria. Go with Cassandra and Ivy to grab a dress. Goodnight,” I said before hanging up. "Trouble in paradise, big bro?" snickered Zeke. "Has it got anything to do with you being asked to go to the mall with your beloved flavour of the month?" added Sam. I denied entraining them with a reply and just walked back into the suite. Sam and Zeke were currently dating Ivy and Cassandra, who were best friends with Aria, so I'm guessing they had the same argument. However, unlike me, they tend to cave here and there towards their girls and take them out shopping, which I know they hated doing. "Do you guys need anything? We're supposed to leave tomorrow and I have to pack…,” before I could finish what I was saying, I heard my phone go off. I check to see it's Hannah, our baby sister. Hannah is the apple of our eye. There isn't anything that we haven't done for her. We've spoilt her rotten almost. She recently came of age and found out she was mated to our best friend and future Beta, Luca. Luca's wolf, Rocco, had already identified Hannah as his mate a few days before her eighteenth birthday. It came as quite a shock for the four of us. We were even worried because Luca, like us, was known for his playboy ways. Therefore, we had asked him to wait till Hannah's actual birthday to see if her wolf identified Luca as her mate. We already knew that was the case since wolves could sniff out their potential mate a few days before their birthday, but maybe it was denial, seeing your baby sister grow up and find her mate was hard to accept. The moment they both laid eyes on one another on her eighteenth, everything changed. They have been inseparable ever since, to the point where Hannah had made dad order Luca to stay behind from the trip to the Red Crescent Pack with us. It's not really a pleasant sight to see your baby sister pressed up against a wall with her legs wrapped around your best friend while each other's faces off. But, hey, she's happy, so we're happy. "Azrael, mum and dad told me you guys will be back tomorrow, does this mean I'll have my big brothers for the congratulatory party this Friday? I've been blowing up Ezekiel's phone, but he isn't picking up, so I called you. You guys are coming, right?" Hannah said, all in one breath. I chuckled. This girl could talk for an hour straight nonstop and still not be tired. "Yes, Han! We'll be back tomorrow. We did ask mom and dad not to tell you, but I guess they couldn't keep it in,” I said, snickering. "Hey! Don't blame them, I just wanted to know. Anyhow, I got to go, date night with Luca. So excited to see you guys tomorrow. Love you! Bye!” said Hannah and hung up before I could say anything else. Seeing Hannah happy with Luca always made me smile. We all knew she had been crushing on him since she was a pup. Whenever I saw her and Luca together, I envied them. I wanted that with my mate, but as fate has it, it's been five years and we have yet to find her. Ezekiel and I have begun to think that we may never find her, and this is karma from the Moon Goddess for our playboy ways, but Zeke and Sam aren't convinced. They still have hope of finding her. Their logic is that she is yet to come of age, so that's why our wolves Lex, Rowco and Scar couldn't smell her. Zeke POV: As I listen into to our baby sister Hannah's conversation with Azrael, I can't help but think about when I’ll be that lucky to go on a date with my mate. I would take her to romantic dinners, wait on her hand and foot and ra'wish her every day, she just needed to show up. Cassandra, the she-wolf I was dating, was a lovely girl with a fantastic body. Still, whenever we're together, my mind always wanders towards my mate, my Luna. My train of thought is interrupted when Azrael hangs up on Hannah, and I remember why I came here in the first place. "Bro, we have to finish the rogue attack and pack reports for the last few days. I wanna get it out of the way so dad and the pack warriors don't have to stress about the details later." "Oh, yay, work,” said Sam. You could practically see the sarcasm radiating off him. Unlike Azrael and I, who were more on the intellectual side, where we were always eager about pack history and expansion, Samael was into the physical work as an Alpha. Despite being identical quadruplets, Sam was a beast on the battlefield. Ezekiel, the eldest, was the most authoritative, and had vast knowledge of pack laws, rituals, and ally relationships. He and Sam on the battlefield together were like Lucifer coming from the underworld himself to wreak havoc. "Yeah. Let's go, baby bro. Hannah said Ezekiel wasn't answering her calls, which isn't like him. I wanted to check up on him anyway,” replied Azrael. Samael POV: My elder brothers and I made our way to Ezekiel's suite when we noticed a mad she-wolf stomping out of his room in just a robe. She looked a bit familiar, I think it was Maya, the Alpha's youngest. At this point, that sight was not new to us. A lot of she-wolves coveted our attention. We were not only good-looking, but were future Alphas of the fiercest and richest pack. We all got our fair share of attention, but Ezekiel tended to get the majority of it being the eldest. If we were not to find our mate, his chosen mate would have the most right to the Luna title. We all walked into a very annoyed Ezekiel with a drink in one hand and his phone in the other. "The way this place smells, I would've expected to see you smiling like a Cheshire cat. Was she not up to your submissive standards, big brother?" I asked with a slight smirk. Unlike us, Ezekiel never dated a girl. He was more like, hi, let's and bye in the morning type of guy. He just sneered at me and finished his drink in one swig. "Ezekiel, we need to finish the reports, we head back tomorrow and we won't get time to finish them back at Dark Storm. Which will leave the warriors to finish it, then dad will be pissed as trash!” said Azrael, as he poured him a shot of café patron. I always left the paperwork for my older brothers. I was more of an actions speak louder than words kind of guy. "I've already finished them and talked to dad about it. We'll be heading out for Dark Storm first thing tomorrow morning. Dad said we have to attend the Alpha accession meeting before the Alpha ceremony on Sunday.” Ughh, meetings were not my thing as well, but it came with being an Alpha. Alpha meetings were something I, and I’m probably sure my brothers, weren't fond of. Not because of how some of the outdated Alphas ran their packs, but how they all would be present with their Lunas. They looked at their Lunas with so much love and adoration that I couldn't help but pity myself for not having that. A Luna made her Alpha strong. She was the other half of his soul and her Alpha hers. My brothers and I had travelled to different packs in hope of finding her, but we always came back empty-handed. I just hope we can find her soon. Chapter Three: Back at Storm Academy Monday Afternoon Emerald's POV: Our pack lands were very vast; over generations, the current reigning Alpha would dissolve more miniature packs into ours, thus making us the largest today. The grounds were beautiful, with many forests where we could run in our wolf form for miles on end, lakes, and a breathtaking waterfall not too far off where our territory line ends. Elijah and I are on our way to Storm Academy. Elijah, who we call Eli for short, is my boyfriend. We have been dating for about two years now, and we are convinced we’re mates. After driving for an hour, passing the small localities and green scenery situated on our pack lands, I can finally see the ginormous castle looming over us. You would think that being on a mountain the Elders would have built the academy smaller, but, no, there it stands in all its glory; the prestigious Storm Academy, where wolves from all over the wolf multiverse wish to study. To me, it's my own personal jail. "Em, what's wrong? You've been awfully quiet the whole drive. Is everything okay?" asked Elijah. Elijah has always been such a sweetheart, and I know he loves me, but I don't know why I've had this lingering feeling since last night that, what if we're not mates? Will I be able to handle that? Will we still be friends if that's the case? I know it’s a possibility, but I hoped we were mates. I feel so safe with him. Despite being together for quite some time, he has never pushed me into something I’ve never wanted. Because of that, we promised one another that we would only have possess her once we were of age, so we couldn’t forget our first time as we marked each other and became one soul. "Eli, have you ever thought what if we're not mates? Would you still want me in your life? Or would you completely cut me off?” I don't know why, but I could feel my heartbreak when I asked that. I suddenly felt the car stop, and the next second Eli scooped me up in him and held my face in his large hands. Looking into my eyes, he said, "Em, even if we aren't mates, which I highly doubt. You'll always have a special place in my heart. We'll always be part of one another’s lives. I promise you that! If I'm not that lucky bad guy that gets to be with you, then whoever it may be should thank the Moon Goddess for blessing him with you,” saying the last part with his goofy smile, which I love so much. I stayed in him, snuggled in his arms with my head nestled in his warm chest. This is why I love him and want him to be my mate. He always knows what to say to make me feel better, not only by his words but also by his actions. When I'm sated enough, I break away from his warm chest and go to open the door to start unloading. Before I can pull the handle, Eli pulls me back and says, "Always remember, Em, I will always love you, whether a lover or a best friend. I don't want to see you sad, ever, it breaks my heart! You're such a strong girl and have been through so much, so this defeated look you have going on right now is a turn off,” he chuckled while he said the last part. I just huffed and slapped his arm, jumping out of the car while trying to contain my smile that was about to be let loose. Eli follows after helping me carry my luggage to my assigned quarters for the year. I can't help but notice a lot of classmates in senior years sporting their silvery marks. Looks like a fair share of people found their mates this year. My eyes automatically go back to Elijah, and I silently pray to the Moon Goddess that this chunk of a hunk, six foot two of a man, will be mine tomorrow. Before he turns his head to look at me, I quickly divert my eyes. I hear him chuckle. We walk in comfortable silence the rest of the way up to our quarters, walking hand in hand with our fingers interlaced. As soon as I enter our quarters, I see Hannah on Luca, just a bra and panties away from joining the nudist colony. Ugh! Not on the couch! I shut my eyes and clear my throat, I think that's got their attention since I hear rustling of clothes. "I get it, you guys just found each other, but seriously, the couch you two! I sleep there at times. Is it safe to open my eyes now?" I asked as I peeked from one opened eye, and saw Hannah trying to stifle her laugh while Luca looks angry that I showed up before he got down to the actual deed. Oh well, I don't care. They could've always used Hannah's room. "Can you blame me, Em? Have you seen this Adonis here? It's hard not to soak my panties around him and not get some. Where's Eli by the way?" Hannah asked. "I honestly do not want to know about your possess her life. My ears just recovered from your last very detailed description. Elijah left to go to his quarters, he said he'll meet us at the pub tonight to ring in his birthday,” I said. Luca was nice and had been fine towards me, unlike the quadruplets, who probably don't know I even exist anymore. I wouldn't say we were friends, but he had been better than the rest, and asked how I was from time to time. Since he and Hannah mated, we've become quite intimate after that. Hannah practically has glued me, Ela, Leah, and Luca to her every moment she gets. "Well, I'll let you guys settle in. By the way, Em, knock next time unless you wanna see us bone live and give your critics after,” said Luca, smirking. Which left me baffled with my mouth hanging open and face beet red. Hannah was literally snorting with laughter on the floor, tears running down her cheeks. "Bye, babe. Gotta help your brothers with the upcoming ceremony and Alpha accession meeting. I'll try making it tonight,” Luca purrs while his nose is in Hannah. He nuzzles her, gives her a peck and leaves, but not before ruffling my hair into a bird's nest. UGHH!!! I hate when he does that. "You look so cute when your feathers are all ruffled up,” said Hannah while snickering. "Oh! You think I'm cute when I'm mad. I'm about to become f*****g gorgeous then,” I replied with as much sarcasm as I could muster up. Hannah pounced on me at werewolf speed when I finished talking and started tickling me. Not even five minutes into our tickle war, Ela and Leah came in, and pounced on us both, and we were all tickling one another. I think I had my fingers up Hannah's nose, someone's toe was almost up me, and my toe was sandwiched between two soft bulges of fat, which I was guessing were Leah's thighs. After ten minutes of playing twister-tickling we broke apart, covering our armpits with our hands and clamping our legs, just in case someone decided to go for round two. We broke into a fit of laughter and giggles and tackled one another into a group greet. As we were about to break apart, our four clowns: Axel, Jer, Ian and Eli decided to join, and squish into our embrace as well. I felt Leah stiffen and smell the air, shrugging it off as maybe because of the guy's strong cologne smell or something. This was my heaven, right here. But, I know coming tomorrow, I'll be invisible to everyone in the academy again, and even bullied when I won't have my friends around to protect me. But I didn’t care as long as my little circle remained smiling like this. "Alright, my four chipmunks, suit up! It's party time! And, oh, Em, remember to wear something attractive. Our boy Eli here will be mating and marking a certain chipmunk with silver hair and blue eyes tonight,” said Axel with a smirk playing on him. My face was beet red and I looked everywhere other than Eli, who I knew for sure would be beaming. I caught a glimpse of him from the side of my eye and saw him smirking and giving me a wink. Ughh, Goddess! These guys live to embarrass me. "Okay! Get out of here now. We want to have some girl time while getting ready for Eli's birthday. We'll meet you at the pub by nine,” said Hannah, while she and Ela pushed them out. Eli gave a look in my direction before Hannah shut the door in their faces. I don't know why, but that look he just gave felt like it wasn't for me, but for someone else. I looked behind me and saw Leah looking at the door with an expression of love and longing in her eyes. Wait! Did that mean they could be ma…. No! I'm just overthinking it. Leah turned eighteen two months ago, and if Eli was her mate, she would have said something by now, especially when his wolf is hours away from waking up. She would've picked up his scent. "Leah, are you okay? You seem far away,” said Ela, waving her hands like a mad man in her face. Leah snapped out of her daze and blushed a little and said, “Yeah, all good, Ela. Just remembered something that I need to do tomorrow,” she sounded so weak and heartbroken. I just couldn't shake the feeling that maybe I had something to do with it. Before turning around and going into her room, she gave me a somewhat apologetic look, but she masked her face in a split second. Was that my imagination or something? Hannah and Ela were busy on the side deciding what dress to wear tonight, so I'm pretty sure they didn't see Leah's reaction. After that, we huddled up in Hannah's room to do each other's makeup and hair. I kept glancing at Leah, she was laughing and trying to be the clown she was around us, but I could tell it was all a front and something was really bothering her. Whenever I tried talking to her about it, she brushed it away with schoolwork and training. After the second time I tried asking what was wrong, I let her be. I hope she was okay. I hate seeing any of my friends sad. They've always protected me throughout my time at the academy. I still got bullied when they weren't around, but no one tried anything when any one of them was there, so whenever I could try and help I jumped at the chance, since I didn't have much to offer them other than my love and friendship. After another hour of arguing about who will wear what and what colour, we were all standing in the living room; with Ela wearing a bottle green mini tube dress, with black wedge heels, and her black hair up in a messy updo, cat eyeliner, and defined highlighted cheekbones. Ela was a beautiful she-wolf. She was tall, standing at 5 feet 6 inches. Leah looked attractive in her short, shocking pink dress with a sweetheart, and five-inch white heels, despite looking far away in her thoughts. Her dress flared around the and stopped a couple of inches above her knees. her high cheekbones highlighted to perfection, and long black hair ran down her back. Hannah was in the corner talking to Luca, reassuring him that she wouldn't drink much or talk to any unmated wolves that weren't her friends. The higher the ranking male, the more possessive they were, and Luca could atone for that statement as a future Beta. The dude hardly let Hannah out where he thought there would be too many unmated males to his liking. He checked her dressing when she went out to the club, and even checked her phone to ensure she kept talking to unmated wolfs to a minimum, which was extra as inferno. In her strapless, knee-length, white dress, Hannah looked gorgeous, defining her slim figure. Her blonde hair was done in a waterfall braid. She had red lip-gloss on and highlighted every curve of her face. She looked like a goddess, no wonder Luca was always this possessive horndog around her. I snickered, thinking about what I had walked into earlier. According to Hannah and Ela, I needed to look like a minx today for Eli. So they made me wear attractive blood red wear underneath my dark brown ruffled dress. It had a square, with long sleeves. My long silvery hair was curled and let down on my back. Ela highlighted my cheekbones with her bronzer, and gave me cat-eyes with a large amount of mascara to curl my already long lashes higher. She finished my look off with a combination of pink and dark brown lip-gloss. Unlike my friends, I was a short she-wolf, barely making five foot two inches. Thus, they tortured me by pushing me to wear five inch stilettos. No doubt I looked gorgeous. I wasn't used to seeing myself like this, as I tended to wear loose joggers and crop tops. But they didn't have my wardrobe choices today. Both Ela and Hannah were gushing about how attractive I looked. "Oh honey, trust me, you aren't the one that will be wetting their panties. That's gonna be Eli!” said Ela. "Maybe I should bring a pair just in case, you know, I don't want Eli embarrassing himself in front of his future mate!” said Hannah, feigning innocence while trying hard to control her fits of laughter. "I do not even want to dignify that with an answer," I said, walking away with my face as red as a tomato, Ela and Hannah followed, and just as I turned my eyes to the side, I caught Leah wiping off a tear that ran down her cheek. "Hey, guys! You guys go ahead in the car. I need to grab something with Leah." The moment I said that, I saw Leah stiffen a little. If I wasn't sure before that her distressed mood was because of me, now I was sure it had something to do with me. "Be quick!” said Hannah and Ela in unison. I shutd the door and turned, I saw Leah fidgeting in her spot, trying to control her tears, so I quickly went to comfort her. "Leah! Shh shh! Are you okay? What's wrong? Maybe I can help?" I said, still while holding onto her. We slowly crouched down and stayed there for five minutes until she calmed down and broke out of my hold. She went to the nearby mirror to fix her makeup. She came back to me, held my hand, and brought me to the couch, she wanted to say something, but it was like she couldn't. With her eyes downcast and grip on my hand increasing by the minute she said, "Em, I think Eli is my mate……..