Mute And Marked: The Feared Alphas' Mate

10: Jealous

~Axel~

The lecture hall was packed, buzzing with murmurs and rustling notes. I leaned back in my seat, my mind barely registering the professor’s drone about pack politics and leadership strategies. Some course about maintaining pack alliances, or something like that—honestly, I didn’t give a damn. My brothers, Ryder and Kade, sat beside me, just as uninterested. We didn’t need lectures to teach us how to lead. We were born Alphas, and our reputation was carved in blood and dominance.

But beneath it all, there was something that clung to all three of us. The memory of that damn omega. Rina.

She was supposed to be weak, beneath us—a mute omega with no place among the strong. But she wasn’t just that, was she? No, she had healed us—brought us back from the brink when our own strength failed us. And that was what pissed me off the most. The fact that someone like her, who should be groveling at our feet, held that kind of power over us.

I clenched my fists, jaw tight. I could still feel the energy she used on us, the way it surged through me, dragging me back to life. It was like a curse—a debt I didn’t ask for and never wanted. And to top it off, she’s supposed to be our mate? Fate must have a sick sense of humor.

The lecture finally ended, and we spilled out into the courtyard, my pack following like shadows—our Beta, Adrian, and a few others.

“We need to talk about this,” Kade muttered, his eyes dark with resentment. “She’s a problem. We can’t just ignore what she is.”

“We’ll deal with it,” Ryder added, cracking his knuckles, a storm brewing in his eyes. “The omega thinks she’s something special because of what she did. We need to remind her of her place.”

My blood boiled at the thought of her. No matter what she did, she was still an omega—a cursed, mute one at that.

We walked across the courtyard when I spotted her. Rina. She was walking alone, her head down, almost like she was invisible to everyone around her. But she wasn’t invisible to me. My eyes locked onto her, a bitter taste filling my mouth.

“She’s got some nerve,” Ryder growled, narrowing his eyes.

My gaze followed her every move. And then, he showed up. A guy—someone we’d seen around, Callan. He was a familiar face at the school, always floating on the edges of the pack hierarchy, but not a part of it.

But now? He was walking right up to Rina, smiling at her like she wasn’t a cursed freak. My grip tightened around the water bottle in my hand until the plastic cracked under the pressure. I hated the way she looked at him, the way he was so relaxed around her, like she didn’t carry that damned curse.

“What’s his deal?” Kade snarled beside me, glaring at the scene. “Why’s he even talking to her?”

“It’s like he doesn’t know who she really is,” Ryder spat, the disgust clear in his voice.

But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from them. Callan leaned in closer, saying something that made Rina glance up at him. She was smiling, just faintly, but that was enough to push me over the edge. How could she smile at someone like that, after what she did to us? After what we’d been through because of her? It was like she was taunting us.

“Axel?” Ryder’s voice snapped me back, his eyes hard as steel. “What are we going to do about this?”

I didn’t answer, my focus still pinned on Rina and that damned guy. The water bottle crumpled in my grip, spilling water onto the ground. She would regret everything.

The clouds overhead darkened, heavy with rain, and a distant rumble of thunder broke the tense silence between me and my brothers. I watched as the first raindrops splattered onto the concrete, and within seconds, it was pouring. Students scattered like ants, running for cover, their laughter and shrieks filling the air. But my eyes didn’t leave her—Rina, still walking with that guy like they were in their own little world.

I saw Callan glance up at the sky, then look over at Rina with a smile that made my blood boil. What the hell was so funny to him? Then, like some hero in a corny romance flick, he shrugged off his cardigan and slipped it over her head, shielding her from the rain. He even grabbed her hand, pulling her closer as they ran together toward the nearest building for cover.

Something snapped inside me. My jaw tightened so hard I thought I’d break a tooth. How dare he touch her like that? She was our mate, cursed or not. No one else had the right to be that close to her, to hold her like she was something precious.

“Are you seeing this?” Kade hissed, his eyes narrowing into slits as he watched them. “That little punk is acting like he’s her damn knight in shining armor.”

“Pisses me off,” Ryder growled. His fists clenched, knuckles white as he stared daggers at the two of them. “What’s he trying to prove? That she’s worth something?”

But none of them were as angry as I was. My chest burned with rage, each heartbeat pounding in my ears. The sight of Callan’s hand on hers, pulling her along, was like acid eating away at me. Who the hell did he think he was? Acting all caring and protective like she deserved it. Like she wasn’t the reason we’d gone through hell.

“Axel,” Kade said, his voice a low warning. “You look like you’re about to explode, man. Let’s just get out of here before you do something we can’t take back.”

I couldn’t move, couldn’t tear my eyes away from them. The way Rina clutched his hand back, the way she leaned into him as they ran—it was all wrong. She wasn't supposed to be with some random guy who didn’t have a clue who she really was or what she’d done.

Rain poured down harder, drenching us all, but I didn’t care. I watched as they disappeared into the building, Callan still holding her close, still acting like he was some kind of savior. It made my stomach twist with a fury I hadn’t felt in a long time. He didn’t know her the way we did. He hadn’t seen the damage she could do, how she could rip you apart while pretending to be innocent.

Kade’s voice broke through my thoughts. “We need to remind her she’s not his. She’s ours.”

I nodded, though my eyes were still locked on where they’d just been. This wasn’t over. Callan would learn to stay in his lane.