The Wallflower And The Alphas - Chapter #1 - Free To Read

"Stop! Avery," I heard a deep, masculine voice behind me.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I ran. I wanted to disappear. I wanted to die.

“Please, sweetheart,” another voice called, closer this time.

I shook my head and kept walking faster. I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to see them. I wanted them to leave me alone. But then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It turned me around, forcing me to face him, and standing beside him was someone I knew all too well. His handsome face was unmistakable—Jake Stone.

And the one who grabbed me? Elijah Wood. Behind them stood Andrew Bradford and Matthew Steele. The most beautiful badasses. The Alphas. My crushes. My mates.

All four of them.

I wished this nightmare would end. I wanted the night to vanish, to rewind time—back to two months ago, before I knew the truth. Before I discovered I had four mates. Before everything fell apart.

Two months ago, I thought I was invisible. A nobody. A wallflower. A loser. "Miss Piggy," they called me. "Geek-face fugly she-wolf." No one cared about me, the butt of every joke. I sighed, thinking about those days until the night I turned nineteen, the night I learned my life was full of surprises—and cruel twists.

Now here I was, outside in the cold and dark, running, trying to escape them. Someone grabbed my arm, but I yanked it free. I needed to be alone to cry, to shatter into pieces.

Do you want to know why? Why I’m running and crying?

It all started as a bet.

Yes, a bet.

I was a fool to believe they cared about me. What I should’ve done is worn a sign on my back that said, “Kick me! I’m stupid!” Because that’s how I felt. I was their punching bag, their joke, their slave.

Everything was different lately, though. They stopped harassing me. Stopped teasing me. Stopped tripping me in the hallways. They even stopped hanging me upside down on the flagpole—yes, that happened. And I was wearing a dress that day. Let’s just say everyone saw my underwear.

Last night, for the first time, I thought things were changing. I thought they cared. It was perfect, right up until I overheard Jake and Elijah talking.

"You have to tell her now, or I will," Jake said.

But I didn’t hear the rest of what Jake said. I only heard three words from Elijah’s mouth.

“Bet. And I won.”

I didn’t stick around to see their expressions. I didn’t need to. The damage was done. Elijah Wood said it himself. It was all a bet. My heart shattered into a million sharp pieces.

Once upon a time, there was a girl and four boys. They were friends. But one day, the boys changed. They became cruel, bullies, tormentors. And now? Now I was their mate. A special witch. Something unique, unlike any other werewolf or witch—a girl with not one, but four mates. My childhood bullies: Elijah Wood, Jake Stone, Andrew Bradford, and Matthew Steele.

***

“Daddy! Mommy! You’re back!” I squealed with excitement, rushing toward them. My parents had been gone for a month, off fighting a war. I had missed them so much. I watched as other warriors from the BlueHawk pack returned to their families, and my heart ached with happiness for everyone reuniting.

But then I realized something was wrong. My grandparents weren’t among them.

I looked up at my parents and froze. My mother’s tear-streaked face told me everything. My father wouldn’t even meet my eyes, tears falling silently down his cheeks.

“No!” I whispered. “Not them… anything but that.”

Before they could speak, I bolted, running away as fast as my legs could carry me.

***

I found myself at the waterfall, my favorite place to think. Sitting at the edge, I let my tears fall freely. My grandparents were gone, killed in battle. The grief was unbearable. I wanted revenge. I wanted to kill the RedBlood Alpha, to make him feel the same pain I felt.

Lost in thought, I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me until it was too late. I gasped, spinning around, and there he was. Elijah Wood. His dark, frosted blue eyes held a concerned expression for a fleeting moment before they hardened, masking whatever emotion had surfaced.

“Hey, what are you staring at, dude?” Angelstar, my wolf, growled in my head. She was bold and fiery, everything I wasn’t. I’d only gotten her two weeks ago, and she was already the complete opposite of me—feisty, brave, outgoing, with stunning purple fur and bright blue eyes.

Elijah approached and sat beside me. I stiffened, unsure of what he would do. But to my surprise, he sighed and spoke softly.

“I’m sorry about your grandparents,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist.

My breath hitched. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I struggled to process what was happening. Elijah Wood, the boy who had tormented me for years, was comforting me. I didn’t dare speak or move, afraid to shatter the moment.

When I turned to look at him, he was already staring at me. I gave him a hesitant nod and a small smile before turning back to the water, watching it cascade into the darkness below.

For the first time, Elijah didn’t insult me or hurt me. We sat in silence, and for once, I felt a strange sense of peace with him. I didn’t want it to end.

Then, in the back of my mind, I heard a voice. Not Angelstar, but something else.

“Avery, you will be the greatest wolf ever alive.”

Chills ran down my spine. What did that mean? Was I truly as unique as they said, or was my destiny something even greater?