The gates of Westbridge Academy were the only thing Ivy could see in the night like silent watchers, their iron frames curling upward as though trying to reach at the moonlight. Ivy stepped out of the cab, dragging her small suitcase behind her. The driver barely looked back at her, muttering something about late hours before driving away and how he only took it for the extra pay.

Her heart beat loudly as she stared up at the gothic design. Westbridge wasn’t just a school; it was a place where names mattered, where bloodlines were power, and where people like her, unwanted shadows, were never meant to belong. Liam’s words from earlier echoed in her mind: Stay hidden. Stay weak. Survive long enough to strike.

The dormitory lights glowed faintly in the distance. Ivy’s footsteps echoed against the stone pavement as she pulled herself forward, fatigue pressing down on her shoulders. When she finally reached her assigned room, she knocked softly before entering. Hearing giggling voices from inside.

Two girls turned at once. Both were tall and polished, with the air of those who had grown up knowing they were envied. Their perfume reaches Ivy's nose, the luxury scent nearly choking her. When their eyes landed on Ivy, their smiles faltered.

“Oh,” one muttered, her gaze sliding from Ivy’s tangled hair to her worn-out clothes. “They weren’t lying.”

The second wrinkled her nose. “She is ugly.” The words were cold, filled with venom.

Ivy froze at the door. Their faces, perfectly painted, twisted with visible displeasure. She felt the weight of their judgment creeping across her skin. She didn’t defend herself. Instead, she lowered her gaze, tracing her bed to a lonely corner.

The night stretched on with whispers and muffled laughter. She heard them speaking about her long after they thought she had fallen asleep. Ugly. Worthless. Out of place. Their thoughts are filled with what people will say about their ugly roommate situation. Soon they moved on to betting how long she would last as the ugly scholarship

Ivy curled into her blanket, staring at the ceiling, a smile tugging on her lips. This was what she wanted, what they should believe.

The next morning, sunlight broke through the curtains, sharp and blinding. Ivy rose early, her nerves frayed. She dressed quickly, tying her hair back and clutching her phone like a lifeline. Her roommates left without waiting for her, their laughter trailing behind them; their goal was to hope she showed up late.

Classes began in the grand lecture hall, where rows of students filled the seats. Ivy slipped in at the back, keeping her head low. That was when she saw her.

Evelyn.

The girl stood like she owned the room, her presence magnetic and dangerous. Even from where Ivy sat, she could see the sharp confidence in her movements, the way her friends clustered around her like loyal hounds.

Then Ivy’s eyes widened. In the center of the hallway, Evelyn cornered a trembling girl. The girl’s books scattered across the floor as Evelyn’s claw extended, sharp, glinting, and predatory. With a lazy flick, she dragged it across the girl’s arm. The scent of fresh blood filled the air.

The girl whimpered. Evelyn only smirked. “This will teach you,” she boasted. Hate boiled in Ivy’s chest. Her fists clenched beneath the desk. Every part of her screamed to move, to protect, to strike, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t here to fight Evelyn. Not yet.

She forced her hand to unlock her phone instead, her screen glowing. She pulled up Evelyn’s profile, scrolling through carefully collected pictures and notes. Her habits. Her weaknesses. Her routines. Ivy’s mind worked quickly, piecing together how she could slip into her circle without drawing suspicion.

The lecture began, the professor’s booming voice echoing off the walls. His gaze naturally shifted to Evelyn, asking a question Ivy had barely registered. The room fell silent. No one dared raise a hand, not when Evelyn’s pride was at stake.

But Ivy’s hand lifted.

Her heart beats fast as dozens of eyes turn toward her. The professor arched a brow, his eyes glaring at Ivy to drop her hands back down.

“Yes, you are there. The unfortunate one at the back,” he said, lips twisting with disdain. “Go on then. If you even know the answer.”

Ivy’s cheeks burned, but she ignored the insult. She scribbled quickly on a scrap of paper, folding it and passing it discreetly to Evelyn as she stood.

“Actually, I” She clutched her stomach, feigning discomfort. “I need the restroom.”

The professor sneered. “By all means. A face like yours doesn’t belong here anyway.”

Snickers rippled through the room. Ivy walked out, her ears hot. Behind her, she heard Evelyn’s calm voice giving the exact answer she had written down. The professor’s tone shifted immediately, full of approval.

“Excellent, Evelyn! Just what I expected from you.”

Ivy leaned against the wall outside, her chest tight. It stung, every word, every laugh. But when Evelyn walked out later, the gleam in her eyes told Ivy one thing: she had noticed.

By lunch, Ivy didn’t bother with the crowded hall. She carried her tray to the restroom instead, locking herself inside one of the stalls. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant, but it was quiet. Safe. She sat there, eating in silence, before pulling out her phone and sending a brief update to Liam.

Step one in motion.

When she finally stepped out, wiping her hands, she froze.

Evelyn stood there, arms crossed, lips curved into a cruel smile.

“You,” Evelyn drawled, eyes scanning Ivy from head to toe. “So it’s true. You’re as ugly as they say.”

Ivy stiffened. But before she could respond, Evelyn’s smirk widened.

“Perfect,” she whispered. “I like my pets ugly. Less distraction.”

Confusion flickered in Ivy’s eyes.

Evelyn stepped closer, her perfume sharp. “You’ll be my maid from now on. My personal dog. You’ll carry my books, run my errands, and sit when I tell you to sit. Do it, and I’ll pay you well enough to keep you crawling.”

“I know you are a scholarship student and, even more sadly, an orphan, so this is perfect.”

Ivy swallowed hard. Her instinct was to resist, but she remembered Liam’s words. Stay weak. She forced her face into hesitant submission.

Evelyn’s grin sharpened. Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Ivy’s wrist and dragged her through the hallways. Whispers followed them, curious and cruel. Ivy watches them, hoping she was not in trouble; some muttering about raising her hands could have angered Evelyn.

Finally, Evelyn shoved open the doors to a private lounge. Inside, three men lounged in leather chairs, their presence filling the room like thunderclouds.

THE BLACKTHORN’S BROTHERS.

Damien looked up first, his eyes cold as steel, until they landed on Ivy. His body froze. Recognition hitting him like lightning. The girl from the woods. The same ugly face, yet the same presence that haunted him since that night. He knew how beautiful she was, but why hide it?

Darius’s gaze sharpened too, narrowing with confusion. He had seen her at the bar. Masked, graceful, unforgettable. But now, this? Ugly. Plain. Yet his chest tightened. He wondered how a mysterious figure could appear as a student, especially when his men had said she didn’t exist.

Cassien barely glanced at her. His attention shifted back lazily before flickering again. Something about her tugged faintly at his memory, though he couldn’t place it. After all, he only met her in her real appearance.

Evelyn spoke first, her voice sweet as poison. “Gentlemen,” she announced proudly, pulling Ivy forward like a trophy. “Meet my new maid.”

The air thickened.

Damien’s hand tightened around his glass. Darius’s jaw clenched. Cassien frowned.

And then,

All three froze.

The shift was instant and primal. Their wolves surged inside them, snarling, howling, and clawing against their cages.

Mate.

The word rang in their minds, not once, but three times, overlapping in a harmony that stole their breath.

Damien’s eyes burned crimson. Darius’s pulse thundered in his ears. Cassien’s wolf growled so loudly in his chest he almost staggered.

Ivy stood there, wide-eyed, her face calm though her heart hammered. She didn’t know what they were hearing. She didn’t know her very presence had set fire to the bonds of destiny. Her wolf was rather locked in and thus she couldn’t sense it, not yet,all she felt was the burning desire to be with them.

But the brothers knew.

And in that suffocating silence, with Evelyn smirking beside her, all three of them realized the impossible truth.

The ugly girl. The shadow they almost overlooked.

She was theirs.

Their mate.