Helen's POV
I sat at the small, wobbly desk in my room, the light from a single candle flickering against the stone walls.
In front of me lay a small, leather-bound notebook I had found tucked away in the back of the library. It was old and the pages were yellow, but to me, it was the most important thing I owned. It was the only place where I could be honest. I picked up my pen and began to write, my hand shaking just a little as I tried to organize the chaos in my head.
I started a list. On one side, I wrote the name Cassian. Under it, I wrote: Scent of pine trees, right-handed, gentle hands, heals my wounds, speaks of protection.
On the other side, I wrote the name Caleb. Under his name, I wrote: Scent of ozone and lightning, left-handed, recites poetry, intense eyes, gives gifts but stays cold in the light.
I looked at the names and felt a tear fall onto the page. I was falling in love. That was the most terrifying part. I wasn't just falling for one man, I was falling for two brothers who looked exactly the same but felt so different to my soul.
One was my healer, the man who stayed in the dark to wash the blood from my skin. The other was my dreamer, the man who filled the greenhouse with words of magic and stars. But the secrecy was like a parasite, eating me from the inside out. Every time I saw them in the hallway and they looked through me like I was air, a piece of me died.
I closed the notebook and hid it under a loose floorboard beneath my bed. I had to go to work. The pack house was already buzzing with activity.
Today was the day of the Great Hunt, a tradition where the warriors displayed their skills before the Alpha. For me, it just meant more laundry and more chances to be stepped on.
As I walked toward the central courtyard with a basket of heavy towels, the air was filled with the sounds of cheering and the clashing of training swords. The entire pack had gathered to watch the warriors prepare.
I tried to keep my head down, moving along the edge of the stone path, but the universe had other plans.
Serafina was standing near the training circle, looking radiant in a red tunic that matched the marks on Kevin's shield. She saw me coming and a slow, wicked smile spread across her face. She whispered something into Kevin's ear, pointing at me. Kevin, who was already pumped up from the sparring, turned his attention my way.
I tried to walk faster, but the basket was heavy and the ground was slick from a light morning rain.
Kevin stepped out from the circle, blocking my path. He looked at me with that same mixture of hate and confusion I had seen in the steam room.
"Where are you going in such a hurry, Omega?" Kevin asked, his voice loud enough to draw the attention of the surrounding wolves.
"Are you going to hide in the woods again? Or are you looking for another Alpha to pity you?"
"I'm just doing my job, Kevin," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Please let me pass."
"You're a clod, Helen," Kevin sneered. He looked at the heavy basket in my arms and then at a deep puddle of thick, black mud right next to my feet. "You always get in the way. You don't belong on the path of warriors."
Before I could react, Kevin reached out and shoved me. He didn't use all his strength, but it was more than enough for someone of my size carrying a heavy load.
My feet slipped on the wet stones, and I went down hard.
The world seemed to move in slow motion as I fell. The laundry basket flew from my hands, the clean white towels scattering into the filth. I landed face-first in the puddle. The cold, slimy mud soaked into my dress and filled my mouth with the taste of grit and stagnant water.
Laughter erupted around me. It was a sharp, jagged sound that cut deeper than any stone. I struggled to sit up, my hands sliding in the muck. I looked down at myself. I was covered in black slime from head to toe. The beautiful white towels I had spent hours scrubbing were now ruined, stained with the same filth that covered me.
I felt the hot sting of tears behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall in front of him. I wiped the mud from my eyes, trying to regain some shred of dignity. I looked up, expecting to see Kevin's mocking face, but my gaze traveled further.
At the top of the stone stairs, standing on the observation deck with the High Council, were Caleb and Cassian. They were dressed in their formal Alpha regalia, their golden capes catching the light. They looked like gods standing above the mortals.
Serafina walked up the stairs toward them, laughing as she pointed down at me. She made a joke, something about how the mud was the only place where a pig like me felt at home.
I waited for the sky to fall. I waited for one of them to growl. I waited for Cassian to jump down and help me up, or for Caleb to silence the crowd with a single look of his powerful eyes. I waited for the men who had whispered poetry and healed my skin to show even a flicker of the love they claimed to have for me.
Instead, I watched as Serafina leaned toward them, her hand resting on Caleb's arm. I saw Caleb throw his head back, a wide, handsome smile on his face. He laughed at Serafina's joke. Next to him, Cassian chuckled, nodding his head as if he found the sight of me sitting in the dirt to be the funniest thing he had seen all day.
The betrayal was so sudden and so cold that I couldn't breathe. The mud felt like it was turning into ice against my skin. The twins weren't looking at me with secret longing or hidden pain. They were standing with the people who hated me, joining in the mockery as if I were nothing more than a piece of entertainment.
As I sat in the mud, humiliated and broken, I looked up to see both Twins standing with the Council, laughing at a joke Serafina made at my expense.