“I reject you as my mate, Omega.” his angry voice growled, shocking me.
“I-Is this because I am your stepsister now?” I asked, feeling an unfamiliar pain in my chest.
He scoffed at me, gave me a glare, and replied, “Even if you weren’t my stepsister, I would never accept you as my mate. Because you are ugly, weak, and vulnerable.”
I fell to my knees as tears streamed from my eyes. All I wanted was to die from the shame and pain of rejection.
–
Elara was a young omega whose fate collided with her two Alpha stepbrothers. She found herself trapped between them.
The Kingston brothers, Trevor and Kevin, were the dream of every girl. Kevin was wild and aggressive while Trevor was cold and calculative.
They were the two dominant Alpha brothers who possessed everything other boys desired. But when fate connected Elara with one of them, they rejected her. When she chose the other one, the rejected mate wanted her back.
They had no idea that their one wrong decision would set off a chain reaction of feelings.
This is a tale of a love triangle, shocking betrayal, and the unexpected path from hate to love.
I Claim You, Mate by AlisTae Chapter 1
Elara’s POV
“Save me, Elara!”
I thought it would be another quiet night… until my father screamed my name.
Three men stormed into our house with hockey sticks. The floor was covered with broken glass and smashed furniture.
I ran to my father and wrapped my arms around his body. The loan sharks swung their sticks, ready to strike.
Pain shot through my leg when one hit me. I almost collapsed.
“Move away! Tonight we’ll kill your dad and sell his kidneys!” one of them shouted.
I shook my head, sobbing. “No! Please!”
But my father reeked of alcohol. He shoved me aside and turned to face the men. “Leave me. Take her with you as compensation.”
I could not believe my ears. The smell of alcohol reached my nostrils, making me realize my dad was drunk.
Tears streamed out of my eyes. “Dad…” My voice broke. I couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t have said that-right?
The men sneered. “Carl Hayes, that’s the only way left.”
Two of the men grabbed my arms tightly. I shook my head and begged them.
“Please, give me some time. I will pay your money soon.”
“Really? How will you pay ten thousand dollars so soon?”
I had been trying to make ends meet by taking on part-time jobs. I was working very hard to settle my father’s debt.
He was an alcoholic person. But he was my father; I could not leave him.
That was how I was living my life.
“We are giving you a week. You are turning eighteen next week, right? We will sell you at a high price. A virgin omega… that’s what every man wants to ruin in their bed.”
I lowered my head in shame. My dad was listening to them shamelessly. I just wanted to die.
He was a businessman who lost all the money in business. My mom left him when he started gambling. Then he started to drink and beat me for money.
I was a young omega who struggled to live a normal life in the Blood Rose Pack.
When the men finally left, I couldn’t sleep a single minute that night.
By sunrise, I packed my books and walked out without once looking back.
*****
“Elara, please don’t cry.”
I hugged my best friend, Julia, and poured my heart out. We were outside the campus.
Julia was rich, but she never judged my poor status. She always tried to console me.
I enrolled in ‘Moonlight University’ three months ago. It was a university for the elite. I was fortunate enough to be admitted here thanks to a scholarship.
“What will you do now? What about your Mom? You can shift with her,” Julia said when I broke the hug.
I leaned against a tree, lowered my head, and shook it in denial. “She has her own life. I heard she is getting married soon.”
“Why don’t you tell her that your dad is treating you like this?”
“I don’t want to be a burden for her.”
Julia sighed in disappointment. “You will get a way, Elara. Don’t worry.”
I nodded my head. “Tomorrow is my audition for a piano competition. If I win, I can manage-” I paused when we heard some girls cheering loudly for something.
Julia and I exchanged a glance, then moved toward the crowd that was getting bigger.
“What happened?” Julia asked a girl who was about to walk past us.
The girl replied with a surprised look. “Don’t you know? The Kingston brothers threw a party in the hall. No one is going to classes today.”
The Kingston brothers…
They were campus kings, just like the ‘King’ in their surname. They were twenty two years old twin brothers who were in their senior year.
Although they were twins, they had different faces and different personalities.
One of them was an extrovert, wild, and short-tempered, while the other was an introvert, cold, and calculative.
Both of them were our head Alpha, Gray Kingston’s sons. So boys feared them while girls were head over heels for them.
“Party? At this hour? It’s morning!” I uttered in disbelief.
“Who cares? The party will go on for the whole day,” the girl said, shrugging her shoulders in pride.
“Oh my god! So today is the party day? Can we freshman-year students join the party too?” Julia asked, jumping in excitement.
“Of course, you can,” a girl in senior year replied.
I usually did not go to parties. Those were only for rich people. I preferred to attend class and focus on my studies. It would help me live a better life.
“Julia, you can join them. I think I should go back home since no one is going to the classes today.”
Since it was the Kingston brothers’ plan, no professors would dare to take classes today; otherwise, they would make trouble for them.
I was about to turn around when Julia grabbed my hand and started to pull me inside the campus.
She dragged me to the hall where the party was going on. “Don’t try to hide it from me. I know why you always avoid campus parties.”
I was surprised when I heard her. “W-Why?” I mumbled.
She grinned at me and winked. She leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Because you fell for one of the Kingston brothers.”
My eyes widened in shock. I blinked and thought, ‘How did she know?’
I blushed, lowering my head to hide my flushed face.
I was in love with Trevor Kingston. I fell for him a long time ago. He was the reason I studied so hard to get into the same university as him.
Julia chuckled while pulling me inside the hall.
The party hall was filled with loud music and smoke. Boys and girls were dancing while holding glasses of drinks.
Food and alcohol were totally free. The campus kings were paying for everyone as if they did not care about their father’s money.
I wondered if the head Alpha was aware that his sons were doing these things in their university.
I felt awkward around the people who were glancing at me. I was wearing a casual dress. But they were fully prepared; perhaps they were aware of the party beforehand.
When Julia went to the washroom, I decided to leave the hall quietly. I did not want to prevent her from enjoying what she liked.
“Elara, where are you going?” One of my classmates asked me with a loud voice so that I could hear.
I turned my head to her and waved my hand while stepping backward.
“I’m leaving.”
My back collided with a hard chest, causing me to freeze.
When I turned around, I saw a boy wearing a white shirt and black pants. He was none other than Kevin Kingston.
“K–Kevin,” I whispered before I could stop myself.
His features were sharp, and his eyes were attractive. He looked like he was either sleepy or drunk. His shirt was half unbuttoned, revealing his abs.
He raised a brow, a half-smirk playing at his lips. “Do I know you?” His tone was smooth but carried the bite of arrogance.
“I-I’m sorry,” I said quickly, stepping back.
Kevin chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You freshmen really need to learn how to walk. This isn’t a charity campus, sweetheart.”
A few nearby girls laughed, eager to echo him. My cheeks burned, but I bit my tongue.
Then, with a lazy shrug, he grabbed a bottle from a passing waiter and held it out to me. “Here. Make yourself useful-hand this to the next person who walks through that door. Consider it your welcome task.”
I blinked, unsure if he was teasing or testing me. “O-Okay.”
He leaned close enough for me to smell the faint trace of whiskey on his breath. “Relax. You’re shaking like I just proposed.” His smirk deepened before he turned and walked away, swallowed by the crowd and flashing lights.
I let out the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. I did not know how it was called a punishment. But I was happy that he let me go easily.
“Someone is coming!” someone shouted.
I straightened and clutched the bottle tighter, moving toward the entrance.
The noise in the hall dimmed suddenly, replaced by a charged silence. A pair of brown boots stepped through the doorway, slow and deliberate.
I looked up-and froze.
Trevor Kingston.
When his name echoed through the hall, my pulse stumbled. I told myself I was just curious – but the ache in my chest said otherwise.
My heart clenched when I saw his cold eyes. His black leather jacket and black jeans gave him a hot appearance with that cold look on his face.
I had clawed my way into Moonlight University on scholarship. Not because I belonged here-I didn’t. I was just a poor omega in the Blood Rose Pack. But because of him.
Because of Trevor Kingston.
He was the reason I studied until my fingers bled from turning pages, the reason I sacrificed sleep, the reason I believed that maybe if I could stand in his world, I wouldn’t feel so invisible.
His gaze held a power of dominance. Even though he was very young, people in our pack say he could make older Alphas on their knees in submission.
Unlike Kevin, he was more interested in business. Perhaps that was why people felt that he was one step ahead of Kevin to get his father’s throne.
He was hot, and his aura was unmatchable. If Kevin was wild like fire, he was cold like ice.
I gulped when his eyes narrowed at me.
I took a shaky breath and stepped forward. “I-I just wanted to give you this-“
But before I could finish, someone bumped into me from behind. The bottle slipped from my hand and shattered on the marble floor, the sound echoing through the silence like a gunshot.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. My heart pounded. I dropped to my knees automatically, gathering the pieces with trembling hands.
Trevor’s boots stopped inches from me. I could feel his gaze, sharp as a blade, on the top of my head.
I looked up-and met those icy eyes.
He didn’t need to raise his voice. “Who the hell are you?”
I Claim You, Mate by AlisTae Chapter 2
Tears streamed down from my eyes to my cheeks. I stared at Trevor. His eyes resembled the darkness between white shadows.
My stomach started twisting inside. My hand throbbed where the glass had cut me. I did not know if I was going to lose my hand today, but the disgust in his eyes stabbed my heart.
“Kevin knew Trevor was coming—that’s why he told her to do it.”
“How stupid can she be?”
“Maybe she fell on purpose. Trying to get his attention.”
Laughter rippled through the hall. Their words stung sharper than glass.
“What a bitch! First she bumped into Kevin, and now she wanted to catch Trevor’s attention.”
The whole hall was whispering about me. I felt like dying in embarrassment. I did not want to get the Kingston brothers’ attention. I was only trying to leave silently.
Trevor’s leg remained pressed against my hand, as if he was unwilling to move it until he received an answer to his question.
What would I reply to him? Who was I? An ordinary girl who was admitted here with a scholarship, or would I tell him that I was a helpless girl who kept surviving in pain?
The coldness in his eyes frosts my heart. As if something in his gaze kept me staring at him, I did not dare to move my lips.
Someone spoke behind me loudly as the sounds of clicking heels rushed toward me.
“She’s with me.”
Julia’s voice sliced through the whispers like light through fog. I turned my head and saw her standing tall beside Trevor, her chin lifted despite the tension in the air.
“Please let her go. Don’t listen to others. She did not have that kind of intention.”
Trevor did not look at Julia. I could still feel his gaze on me, unmoved.
“Bro, what’s wrong?”
Kevin’s voice approached from behind. I turned my head to face him. He looked at his brother and said,
“I was the one who told her to give the bottle.”
Trevor scoffed at him, slowly removing his boot from my hand. It caused me to gasp in pain.
“You are really in the mood to play with me today,” Trevor said to Kevin.
Trevor walked past me, pressing on the broken bottles and crushing them with his shoes. Julia froze, as she could not let out anything before the two brothers.
Kevin moved toward me and got on one knee.
“Just one simple task, and you messed it up,” he said, his smirk returning. “Guess I’ll take that as a debt you owe me, sweetheart.”
Then, leaning close enough that his breath brushed my cheek: “Next time, try not to bring your cheap scent to our parties.”
I bit my lower lip, trying not to let out a cry. Julia cleared her throat. “Please don’t bully her. Let her go.”
Kevin raised an eyebrow, turning his head to Julia. “Who is bullying her? She doesn’t have the quality to make herself our target.”
Kevin gave my hand a look, got to his feet, and sneered, then went back to Trevor, who was now enjoying the party around girls.
I was sad. His words hurt me.
When Julia noticed me getting up, she helped me.
“Elara, Your hand!” Julia said with a worried tone.
I glanced at my hand and found blood flowing out of my palm and fingers.
“Let’s go to the infirmary,” Julia said, wrapping my hand around her shoulder.
I limped out of the hall. I needed to check on my legs too. My whole body was burning in pain.
With Julia’s help, I reached the infirmary.
The nurse gasped when she saw my hand. “Lie down,” she said quickly.
The bandage wrapped around my palm like a quiet judgment. “You’re lucky,” the doctor said. “No broken bones. But you can’t use your hand for at least a week.”
My world went silent. A week? My audition was tomorrow.
My eyes widened. I shook my head. “No, no. I have to go there. I can’t lose this chance.”
Julia, who was sitting in a corner, dashed toward me and hugged me. “Elara, calm down.”
I held her hand and cried. “What will I do now, Julia? My piano audition…”
The fear and pain were killing me inside. Those men would come to my house again next week. If I did not pay them, they would sell me.
“You still have an option, Elara. Just call Aunt Mary. She is your mom. She will do something.”
My mom, Mary Stones, was a beautiful woman who had already moved in a world of wealth and privilege, a world that I both envied and resented.
She had a knack for attracting powerful men, men who showered her with gifts and adoration. I was totally opposite. I only believed in love.
My mom was like a rare flower, always in bloom, always drawing attention.
She always dated wealthy men. Beneath the charm and elegance, I saw a cold calculation.
“No.”
I shook my head in refusal. I refused to call my mom. The last time we met, she told me that she did not have anything to do with dad and me.
I wiped away my tears and exhaled deeply. I remembered the job I had been offered a few days ago. It was from a night club near our university. They needed a young waitress. I came to the conclusion that I would have to join the job.
I left the infirmary and went back home after taking a sick leave from the coffee shop where I worked part-time.
When I entered my house, it was messier than before.
Something hit my mind. I dashed over to my room, forgetting the pain in my leg. I saw my cupboard was broken. With a slow step, I approached it. My hands shook when I found the money in my bag was gone.
I got the money yesterday from my part-time job. I thought about buying groceries for the month, but my father had taken them away. Now how would we live for the whole month?
I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall.
“Moon Goddess,” I whispered, “how long will you test me? My mother left me. My father wants to sell me. When will someone love me?”
Trevor’s face flickered behind my eyelids. My chest tightened.
“But he’s too cold,” I murmured. “He’ll never see me.”
My phone buzzed on the table. I almost didn’t look—until I saw the name.
Mom.
I bit my lip and answered. “M-Mom.”
“Elara, my dear,” she said in her soft, perfect voice.
The sob broke free before I could stop it.
“Are you crying?” she asked gently.
“I’m fine, Mom. How are you?”
A pause. Then, bright and smooth as glass:
“I’m getting married tomorrow. You need to come. I want you to meet your new father… and your brothers.”
I Claim You, Mate by AlisTae Chapter 3
The sky was cloudy. Thunder grumbled above, low and distant. The storm hadn’t started yet, but I could feel it coming – the same way you sense danger before it strikes.
Sitting in a taxi, I stared at the sky while leaning on the backseat. My inner condition was like the weather.
Today was my mom’s wedding day. I was going to attend the celebration. I wondered who she had chosen for herself. But I really wanted her to be happy in her life.
The taxi came to a halt outside the most expensive hotel in our pack.
I paid the driver and stepped out. The hotel towered above me – glass and gold, a world I’d only seen in dreams. Mom was marrying into it.
I walked into the hotel. I was mesmerized by the interior.
I approached the reception area and showed the invitation card to the receptionist.
She called a waiter and told him to lead me to the venue.
When the waiter brought me in front of a large door, he said,
“You are so lucky to attend the Alpha’s wedding.”
I was stunned. “What?”
He gave me a look. “You didn’t know?”
I was confused. Did I come to the wrong wedding? Or was my mom going to marry an Alpha in rank? By how he had arranged the wedding in the expensive hotel, he was surely a rich businessman.
Two men outside the hall opened the door for me.
My eyes were blurred by how beautifully the hall was decorated.
I stepped into the hall and was surprised at how many people were there.
‘Didn’t Mom say it would be a private wedding? Why are there so many people?’ I thought while looking for my mother.
I felt a bit small. People were everywhere, dressed in nice clothes. Meanwhile, I was in a not-so-expensive dress.
People gave me judging looks as I looked around. I felt uncomfortable.
“Elara!”
I heard my mother’s voice, which made me feel relieved. I turned around, and my gaze fell on her.
She was approaching me in a white bridal gown.
“Mom, you look gorgeous!” I mumbled with a smile.
She rushed to give me a tight hug. “I am glad you are here.”
I grinned at her. She broke the hug and turned her head to someone.
“Meet him, Elara,” Mom said brightly. “This is Alpha Gray.”
I froze. “Alpha… Gray?”
Her smile widened. “Alpha Gray Kingston.”
The name hit me like cold water. Kingston.
My chest tightened as I turned – and there he was, the man who ruled our pack, tall and commanding, his gaze weighing me like judgment.
‘My mom is going to marry Alpha Gray?’ I was still in disbelief.
There was something that pinched my heart, which I tried to avoid.
Alpha Gray gently stroked my hair and said, “Rise, my dear.”
I straightened up and looked at him. He was a tall, muscular, and well-built man. He had been running our pack for a long time, and the pack members were really pleased with him.
It was time for the wedding, so they directly headed to the stage to take vows and complete their wedding simply.
I stared at them, unmoved. ‘That means Trevor and Kevin are going to be my stepbrothers?’ I thought.
My eyes widened at the thought. I glanced at my bandaged hand.
I felt tears blur my eyes. How could I accept Trevor as my brother?
I used to like him, but after he hurt me that day, my heart broke, and I don’t want to see him anymore.
I tried to control my heart and show my mom that I was happy for her new beginning.
The wedding was nice. Lots of smiles and happy faces. I discovered that the wedding was indeed private, with only the officials’ family members as guests.
When the wedding ended, I saw my mom looked worried and Alpha Gray looked mad. I wondered what had happened.
I followed them into a room in the corner of the hall and stopped outside the door. The door was slightly ajar.
I could hear Alpha Gray’s angry growls.
“I can’t believe they didn’t come! How dare they!”
My mom’s soft voice was convincing. “Honey, please. Maybe they are still angry? Please forgive them. They are your sons.”
“Did you see the bill I got? They intentionally wasted my money on the whole university. Did they think they could make me suffer like that?”
My brows shot up when I realized that they were talking about Trevor and Kevin. They had not shown up at the wedding. I recalled yesterday’s party on campus. So they were angry because of this wedding?
Somehow, I felt relaxed that they had not come. At least, I did not have to face them again.
‘I think I should leave now,’ I thought.
As I was about to move, my body hit a flower vase. It fell on the floor, making a loud noise. My mom and Alpha Gray came out of the room and caught me outside.
“I-I am sorry. I came here to tell you that I am leaving,” I told them with an apologetic tone.
Alpha Gray frowned at me. “Leaving? Are you not going to attend the family dinner?”
I shook my hands in denial. “Another day, Alpha.”
I bowed to him again. My mom nodded her head and said, “I am seeing you off then.”
On the way to the gate of the hall, she asked me how I was passing my life.
“I am having a good life, Mom. Don’t worry.” I lied to her.
She smiled and was about to tell the guards to open the door for me.
But before she could speak, the hall doors burst open, wind curling through the chandeliers.
Two tall figures filled the doorway – rain glistening on their jackets, eyes sharp and unreadable.
The chatter in the hall faltered. Even the music seemed to hush.
I knew those silhouettes before my heart had time to prepare.
My breath caught, every nerve in my body remembering their voices, their cruelty.
“Trevor! Kevin, you’re finally here!” my mother exclaimed, joy breaking the silence.
Their gazes slid from her to me. The storm had arrived.
My mom moved closer to stand between them and me. She held my hand and said to them,
“This is Elara, your stepsister.”
As soon as they heard my mom, their smiles faded – like light dying behind glass.
Kevin’s jaw tightened first; Trevor’s eyes went cold and unreadable.
No one said a word.
But I knew.
They remembered me.