Mated and Hated by My Brother’s Best Friend

Chapter 1

*Jiselle*

My brother’s best friend took my virginity.

Sure, it was the best night of my life, not that he cared.

He was my mate… shocking, considering I had only found out on my 16th birthday when I shifted for the first time, and learned that he had known for a whole year, since he’s one year older than me.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nate so… unhinged as he was that night when I called him to my room to ask him why he hadn’t told me. I still remember the look in his eyes as my wolf called to his. I still remembered the air buzzing when he took a step closer to me.

I could still feel his hands on me, his breath, his lips…

Gosh, I freaking missed his ass.

And that was stupid of me, considering he left in the middle of the night, ghosted me and left for the Alpha Training Academy a week later—a year earlier than he was supposed to leave.

It has been two years since.

I had spent every day since grappling with the question: Why? Was I that bad? Did he hate it that much? Or was it something else—something deeper—that I didn’t understand?

All those questions would be answered today because I was going to the academy too.

Ethan, my twin brother, and I had turned 18 last week. For him, that milestone came with excitement and purpose. For me, it came with determination and a secret plan. Ethan’s acceptance letter to the Alpha Training Academy arrived a month ago, accompanied by mine.

He didn’t know that part because I had intercepted both letters the moment they were delivered. The Academy—a grueling institution meant to shape future alphas—didn’t turn away anyone with alpha blood, even if they lacked the training or qualifications to survive.

And I lacked both.

It was no secret that Ethan and Nate had been training as a warrior their entire life. Combat drills, strategy lessons, even endurance runs through the freezing forests in the dead of winter. Me? I watched from the sidelines.

My parents didn’t think a girl needed to train for combat, let alone dream of leading. They were old school, like most of the werewolf shifters.

The Academy wasn’t for “fragile things” like me. They didn’t say it outright, but their looks said enough. So I’d trained in secret when I could—practicing what Ethan taught me during our childhood games and relying on my wolf’s instincts to bridge the gap. I still wasn’t half as good to get by, but I wasn’t completely defenceless.

But now, as Ethan was lacing up his boots in the foyer, I was ready to make my move.

The oversized duffel bag on my shoulder thumped against my hip as I descended the stairs. Ethan glanced up, his eyes narrowing.

“What’s with the bag?” he asked, checking his to ensure he took the right one, I assumed.

We had already said our ‘goodbyes.’ Ethan and I were inseparable twins since birth. I knew leaving me was the hardest part for him, and it would have been for me too if I wasn’t going too.

He commended me yesterday for ‘how well I took the fact that I won’t see or talk to him for 4 years’, but if he only knew.

I set it down beside his and crossed my arms. “I’m coming with you.”

He stared at me for a moment before bursting into laughter. “You’re not serious.”

“Dead serious,” I said, lifting my chin. “My acceptance letter came too.”

Ethan’s laughter died instantly. “You’re joking.”

“Nope.”

“Mom and Dad would never let you.”

“That’s why they don’t know,” I shot back. “I’m an adult now, Ethan. I make my own choices. Besides, you’re not leaving me behind.”

I waved the letter in front of his face, and he grabbed it, his eyes scanning over the words that I’m sure are identical to his.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, a sure sign he was about to launch into “the protective big brother” mode. Technically, he was only a few minutes older than me, but those minutes had given him enough of a complex to act like I needed constant shielding.

He was all alpha now—my brother gone. When we were younger, we were mostly identical. Our deep, dark brown hair and green eyes made us stand out. But as we grew, he towered over me, got bulkier and looked downright scary.

Not that I was afraid of him, though.

“Jiselle, the Academy isn’t a game. It’s not some adventure you can just…show up for. You’ll get eaten alive. You haven’t trained for this—you’re not ready!”’

“Then I’ll train there,” I said simply. “I’ll figure it out, just like everyone else.”

“It’s not that easy!” His voice rose with frustration. “Do you know how many die every year in their first challenge? You either graduate an alpha or…you don’t graduate at all. The Academy’s rules are brutal. They’ll—”

“I’m going,” I interrupted, meeting his furious gaze. “You can leave now, and I’ll catch up later. But either way, Ethan, I’m coming.”

“Jizzy—”

“Choose, Ethan,” I said, cutting him off. “You know I’m just as stubborn as you, if not more. And you know that if you leave without me now, even if you call all the guards and tie me down with silver chains, I will find a way, and I will come. And you know that once you enter ATA, you don’t leave. So, make your choice. You leave with me now, or you see me show up later.”

He stared at me as if I was a stranger—like we didn’t share our entire birth and life together. But I could see it clear in his eyes. He was terrified. For me. For my life.

Of losing me.

“Why?” was his only word. “Why do you want to go so badly?”

I sighed, chewing on the inside of my cheek. I knew he would never suspect that it was Nate that I was going for. I needed to talk to him, sure. And I could have waited another 2 years until he graduated without blatantly risking my life, true again.

But… I didn’t know how to explain it. It was far more than just Nate and Ethan. I felt like I needed to be there. Like it was written in stone. I didn’t want to sound crazy, so I couldn’t say that.

Plus, he doesn’t know that Nate is my mate. Nate never told him so neither did I. I partially did it for Nate’s sake, though. If Ethan knew about the night we shared, and that he left me there, much like he did the multiple women who we’ve heard he slept around with, Ethan would kill him and ruin their friendship.

What they had was rare. I didn’t want to ruin that, even if it meant keeping the truth from my twin—a bond that is second to a matebond.

So, I couldn’t tell him it was for Nate, either.

Instead, I told my twin the simplest answer.

“Ethan, you’re my other half… literally. My entire life you had been there and now you’re just supposed to leave for four years? No communication, not knowing if you’re dead or alive? I can’t… I can’t be away from you, Ethe. I’m not ready.”

His features softened a whole lot, and he dropped his shoulders and pulled me to his chest. The familiar scent of cedar and mint fill my senses, and I immediately relaxed.

It wasn’t a lie. A big part of me panicked when I realised that Ethan would leave me one day to go to the academy. I had my reasons for applying, true, but this was definitely one of them.

“I knew you weren’t just taking it well,” he said as he pulled back, cupping my cheek. “Because I sure aren’t.”

He exhaled sharply, his jaw clenching, looking like he was going to regret this for the rest of his life, and I knew I had him.

“You’re impossible, you know that?” he muttered. He slung his and my duffel bags over his shoulder and jerked his head toward the door. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Chapter 2

*Jiselle*

The ride to the Academy was silent, save for the low hum of the car’s engine. Ethan’s mood was thunderous, and I could practically hear the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out how to protect me from what lay ahead.

I had my own thoughts—namely, Nathaniel.

The last time I’d seen Nate was two years ago, on…that night. He hadn’t said a word. Just disappeared, leaving behind confusion, heartbreak, and a thousand unanswered questions.

Now, we were heading straight for the place where he’d been hiding from me. I didn’t know what I expected—apologies? Answers? Or maybe just the satisfaction of showing him I wasn’t the fragile girl he’d left behind.

We had been travelling for exactly 13 hours and 20 minutes, and I was over it. An hour by car to the airport from home, 12 hours on flights and the last 20 minutes sitting in yet another car. The Academy was local on the secluded isle of Irandor—where the werewolf council existed too.

Most of it was forest and the reception was shit. I was trying to get my last few minutes of cell time, but it was no use. It made me wonder if they purposely didn’t invest in proper cell signal, considering the alphas in training had no communication with the outside world.

But, let’s just say, when my phone rang and I realised my parents had found the note I left, I wasn’t complaining about the bad signal.

I’d see them again, I told myself and also them. I had to.

When the Academy’s towering gates came into view, a mix of fear and exhilaration churned in my stomach. The wrought iron bars were adorned with silver etchings of wolves mid-shift, and the emblem of the moon rested proudly at the top. Beyond the gates, the sprawling campus loomed, its stone buildings surrounded by dense forest. It was both beautiful and foreboding.

The driver parked the car and Ethan turned to me, his expression dark. “Last chance to back out.”

“Not happening,” I said, grabbing my bag.

The gates groaned open as we approached, and the weight of what I was about to face settled heavily on my shoulders. But amidst the anxiety, one thought burned brightly:

What will Nate think when he sees me?

***

The Academy’s orientation was a whirlwind of introductions and regulations. No communication with the outside world. No leaving the grounds until graduation or otherwise permitted. Bi-weekly challenges designed to weed out the weak. The reality of it all was suffocating, but I held my head high, determined not to let my nerves show.

There were a few females here and there, though not half enough compared to males.

Ethan’s presence was a small comfort, though he was quickly swept into the crowd of seasoned trainees. Meanwhile, I was left to navigate on my own. That’s when I saw him.

Nathaniel Morningstar.

He stood across the training yard, his tall frame as imposing as I remembered. Dark hair fell across his forehead, and his piercing blue eyes scanned the crowd with the precision of a predator.

How the hell was it possible that he was more beautiful now than he was two years ago? He had a few scars now, a few on his arms, one across his cheek, and his once fair skin was warmer—smoother.

He had his arms crossed over his chest as he spoke to a few people I assumed were first years like me, considering they had the same look of excitement that second, third and fourth years didn’t. I don’t think I have ever seen so much muscle on one person. And maybe it was because he was my mate, and my wolf had finally stirred from being so sad the past two years, but my knees instantly became jelly, and my eyes slightly watered.

Nate was… perfect.

As if finally sensing me in the sea of people, his head snapped around the courtyard, his eyes wide and alert.

When his gaze landed on me, his entire body stiffened. For a moment, neither of us moved. It was like the hundreds of wolves around us ceased to exist, and it was just us in that moment.

Maybe I imagined it, and I’m sure that I did, but the emotions that flickered across his face caused my feet to twitch, and I took a step forward.

Then his expression hardened, and he turned away as if I didn’t exist.

The ache in my chest was sharp and immediate, but I pushed it down.

Fine. Let him pretend, I thought bitterly. Let him act like that night never happened. I thought he was just a confused kid back then. But now he was a man—2 years of alpha training already embedded in him.

If he wanted to play stubborn, we’ll play stubborn. We both knew that he’d be stuck with me for the next two years until he graduated, anyway.

I was already in, so there was no way out except in a body bag, or as an Alpha.

“Are you on Silver Claw dorm?” A voice said from behind me, startling me with a jump.

I swerved around, seeing a beautiful, tall girl standing behind me, her brown eyes wide and expectant, but also looking bored out her mind.

“Um, sorry?” I questioned, unsure of her query.

She gestured to the silver key card I had clenched in my hand that we received after registering. I didn’t pay enough attention to see that it had the dorm and room number on it too. It was a multipurpose key, for class and dorms.

“Oh,” I said as I glanced at it, realising that other wolves around had other colour cards. “Yes.”

“Good,” she mumbled dryly as she grabbed it, reading its contents. “Jiselle, nice to meet you. I’m Eva.”

“Nice you meet you, Eva.” I said with a genuine smile as her lips twitched a little upwards.

“Likewise,” she muttered. “I’m happy to see at least a few females in this sexist as hell school. And lucky for us, we’re roommates,” she announced, showing me her card with the same room number as mine.

I breathed a breath of relief. I was half terrified that I’d have to room with someone unbearable, but Eva seemed… nice, despite her… unique personality.

She looped her arm in mine, pulling me towards the line that went directly into the school, with wolves with huge boxes collecting our devices, watches—anything to connect us to the outside world.

“Gosh, what is this, military school?” I scoffed as Eva snorted.

“More likea  prison. I can’t believe people are actually excited to be here.”

I glanced up at her. “Why did you come then?” I didn’t mean it offensively, and I’m glad she didn’t take it as such. She smirked, popping her gum.

“To show my asshole brothers that I’m not some weak, feeble female whose only goal in life is to find her mate and make babies.” She rolled her eyes. “I have seven, three are already here, two graduated, two younger than me and starting next year.”

I laughed. “My brother is here too. He’s my twin. I sort of came for the same reason,” I semi-lied. But sure, a part of me wanted to prove them all wrong.

She tilted her head, examining me. “Twin huh? If you’re such a snack, maybe he’s—”

“Gosh, please don’t.” I laughed. “That’s my brother, ew!”

She joined in my laugh and hers was beautiful. I could already tell we’d be good friends.

“Don’t worry, Jiselle. We’ll be fine and prove all of these assholes wrong.”

I instinctively glance behind me to where Nate was standing, finding the spot empty.

“Yeah. We will.”

Chapter 3

*Nathaniel*

“Are you out of your damn mind!”

Ethan swivelled around so fast that he stumbled a bit, an act far too clumsy for an alpha, but perfectly natural and familiar from my best friend.

Moon goddess, I missed him. I could admit that much despite my blazing fury. And when he grinned at me despite my words, I almost let the anger slip. Almost.

“Nate!” Ethan cheered as he threw his arms around me, patting my back affectionately. I couldn’t help myself. I did the same. “I will blatantly ignore those first words you threw at me and just take a second to appreciate that I’m seeing my best friend for the first time in two fucking years! Bro, you look good, man!”

He’s all teeth and smiles—an expression reserved for only me and Jiselle.

Gosh, even thinking about her name hurts.

I couldn’t help it anymore, I cracked, and my lips twitched up. It was really good to see him.

“Yeah, you too,” I told him, noticing the changes from teen to man, and trying to eliminate the images of the changes I noticed in Jiselle earlier, too, but in COMPLETELY different ways.

I swallowed hard, focusing on my best friend.

“Dude, I missed you, and there were days when I felt like I would give anything just to talk to you again, but how could you bring her here!”

Yep, fury was back, and his face scrunched into confusion for a moment before being replaced with realization.

“Jizzy?” He questioned, then blew out a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, was a surprise for me too. She all but snuck by me and came here.”

“So, she didn’t come with you?” I asked, confused.

“Of course she did. I had to walk in with her to make every male know to back the fuck off.” That was the Ethan I remembered—the same one who warned me all those years ago, too. The only time he hadn’t been my best friend.

Worse freaking 2 minutes of my life.

“So why?” I tried to mask my anger as best as possible. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I cared too much. Of course, he wouldn’t take my concern as weird, since we all basically grew up together since they were 5 and I was 6. He knew I cared for her. But I couldn’t let it seem too much.

“She signed up behind my back!” He threw his hands up, looking like he still couldn’t believe it. “She all but threatened me and she’s stubborn as fuck.”

My lips twitched a little. Yep, definitely Jiselle.

But then I was serious again as reality struck.

“She can’t stay here, Ethan. Unless she’s had combat training in the two years I’ve been gone, this place will kill her.”

I avoid the ache and evident terror in my chest at the thought.

“I know. I know.” He sighed, as the courtyard emptied, most first years already gone to their dorms. “But I’ll train her. I’ll help her. She was going to come with or without me, Nate. I couldn’t stop her.”

“You couldn’t lock her away? Tell your parents?” I asked, exasperated, and he gave me a pointed look.

Of course. Jiselle might not be the best at fighting, but she was brilliant as hell and a fierce strategist.

Multiple times Ethan and I had tried to leave her behind when we went on what we considered our ‘dangerous trips’ most times only to find her there before us, or at the door with that snarky comment of hers: “Took you long enough. Now are we leaving or not?”

I almost smile at the memory of young Jiselle, before my mind does a quick comparison to how she looked now. My throat worked as I tried to clear the image from my head—the beast inside of me stirring.

“We have to get her out,” I said instead.

“We can’t,” he countered. “Once you’re in ATA—”

“There’s no way out I know that,” I snapped unintentionally. “But Ethan, I’ve been here for two years, okay? I’ve seen hand-to-hand and wolf-to-wolf challenges here. It’s nothing like what we train at home. People die, Ethan. People who don’t know how to fight, die. And the next challenge is in two weeks… Happens every two weeks. Genders are not acknowledged here so if she goes against a male—”

“I’d fucking kill him.” He wasn’t joking.

“He’ll snap her neck before you even get close,” I hissed. “Look, Ethan. She’s important to me but you’re my best friend. I don’t want you to be hurt if something happens to her,” I shamelessly lied.

Yes, I’d be hurt if Ethan got hurt, but this was barely about Ethan and more selfishly so about me. I’d die if she did.

She doesn’t know it, and I made sure she didn’t. But I would.

“I’ll get her ready,” he said confidently. “I’ll threaten every last wolf here if that’s what it takes until she can fight well enough on her own. I will not lose her, Nate. I won’t.” The seriousness of his tone does a little to soothe the storm raging in me.

At least it was comforting knowing Ethan was still her most fierce protector. It’s why I was able to leave so easily two years ago. I knew I had hurt her. I knew I probably ruined her, and I hated myself every day for it. But it was for the best. She was strong. She would survive.

And she had to survive this too.

“First-year schedules are most hectic, especially males’,” I told him. “Though they accept alpha-blooded shewolves now, males are still considered… superior, and thus get more training in your first year compared to shewolves. You won’t have any time.”

He huffed again. “I’ll find a way,” he gritted out. “She’s my sister, Nate. I will find a way.” The finality in his voice was enough to make me back off.

Whenever we were kids and I’d show too much interest in her safety or health, he’d always let me know that he could take care of his sister.

And so, I backed off.

Just as I was doing now.

“Alright,” I finally said, ending the conversation, and he relaxed, going back to his old self.

“I can’t believe I’m actually here.” He patted my back as he grabbed his duffle bag and glanced at his key card. “We’ll be able to see each other every day again.”

I’ll see her every day again.

I don’t know if it was dread I felt or excitement… or both.

But the odds of me surviving until graduation weren’t looking too bright anymore.

And I don’t mean dying in a freaking challenge.

Chapter 4

*Jiselle*

The academy was everything I expected it to be—merciless, brutal, and utterly exhausting.

Two days in, and I was already sore in places I didn’t know could ache. Our first class had been a strategy course, which mostly consisted of third- and fourth-years dominating discussions while the rest of us first-years took notes like good little students.

I quickly learned that the academy didn’t bother with gradual learning. Either you kept up, or you got left behind.

And I refused to be left behind.

“You looked like you wanted to claw your eyes out back there,” Eva muttered as we stepped out of the lecture hall and onto the stone path leading back to the dorms.

The academy grounds stretched endlessly before us, bordered by dense, towering trees that separated us from the outside world. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of pine, damp earth, and wolves.

“Tell me, was it the class itself or the way the guys kept talking over you?”

I huffed. “Both.”

Eva snorted, adjusting the strap of her bag.

“Welcome to Alpha Training Academy, where if you don’t have balls, you might as well be invisible.”

“Right. Great.” I rolled my eyes. “By the way, we haven’t gotten a roommate yet. Think we might luck out and get the dorm to ourselves?”

Eva wiggled her brows. “A two-person room without a third wheel? That’s the dream. Fingers crossed the system forgets to assign us one.”

I smirked, feeling a rare sense of lightness. Eva was the first person here who didn’t treat me like an inconvenience.

As we walked, my mind drifted to a more pressing concern. I glanced sideways at Eva. “So… do you know how to fight?”

“Of course,” she snorted before shooting me a look like I’d asked her if she knew how to breathe. “Seven brothers, remember? Fighting was a survival skill growing up.”

I swallowed hard. “Lucky you.”

“Why? Do you?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

My silence was answer enough. She stopped walking, turning fully to face me. “Wait—you seriously don’t know how to fight?”

I crossed my arms, shifting uncomfortably. “I never trained. My parents didn’t think I needed to. I tried to self-teach, but I’m starting to think that was an error.”

Eva let out a low whistle. “Damn. And you signed up for this place?”

“It wasn’t exactly an accident.”

She studied me for a moment before shrugging. “Well, good news. We’ve got free sessions, and I’m bored. I’ll teach you.”

Relief flooded me so fast I almost staggered. I had Ethan, sure, but I knew his training time was limited. Having Eva’s help could be the difference between surviving my first challenge or getting completely annihilated.

“I—” I hesitated. “I appreciate it.”

Eva smirked. “You better. I don’t offer to train just anyone.”

Before I could thank her again, my gaze caught something—or rather, someone—up ahead.

Nathaniel.

He was walking with a group of third-years, laughing at something one of them had said. The sight of him laughing—actually laughing—sent a strange pang through my chest. I’d spent the past two days catching glimpses of him, but Ethan was always with him, or vice versa. I hadn’t had a single chance to corner him alone.

Until now.

Eva caught the direction of my stare and smirked. “Ooooh. You’ve got eyes for a third-year? Ambitious, I like it,” she teased.

I exhaled heavily. Maybe I could trust her. Maybe.

“Screw it,” I muttered under my breath. “He’s my mate.”

Eva choked on air. “Excuse me?”

Before she could start demanding details, I was already moving.

“We will talk about this later!” she called after me, her voice still laced with disbelief.

I barely heard her. My pulse pounded in my ears as I marched straight toward Nate, who had his back turned, completely oblivious to the fact that his past had just caught up with him.

I didn’t stop until I was right behind him. “Nathaniel.”

He froze. The guys around him went silent, sensing the shift in the air. Slowly, he turned, his sharp blue eyes locking onto mine. I watched as the recognition flared, followed by something else—something dark and conflicted.

He didn’t speak.

The others glanced between us, sensing the tension. One of them muttered, “We’ll catch you later, man.”

And then it was just us.

Alone, after two years.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I had planned a million ways this confrontation could go, but standing here, face-to-face with him, my thoughts jumbled.

I clenched my fists. “Are you seriously going to act like I don’t exist?”

His jaw tightened. “Jiselle—”

“No.” I cut him off. “You don’t get to say my name like that. Not after everything.”

“Jiselle,” he said just the same and I actually shivered. Freaking traitorous body.

He exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. “You shouldn’t be here.”

I scoffed. “Wow. That’s the first thing you say to me?”

“I’m serious, Jiselle.”

I took a step closer, tilting my chin defiantly. “Well, I am here. And I’m not leaving. So tell me—what the hell happened that night? Why did you leave? Was I that bad?”

A pang of hurt and insecurity ate away at me for a moment before I masked it with determination.

His eyes flickered, a battle waging behind them. For a split second, I thought he might actually answer. But then his expression hardened.

“You don’t belong here,” he said, his voice cold and final.

The words hit like a slap. My breath caught, and my fingers twitched with the urge to hit him back—maybe not physically, but with words sharp enough to cut.

I swallowed the hurt. “You’re a coward, Nathaniel.”

His eyes darkened. “And you’re reckless. This place will eat you alive, and I won’t be there to save you.”

I stepped even closer, just enough for our bodies to almost brush. “I never asked you to save me.”

His nostrils flared, and for a heartbeat, the space between us was thick with something electric, something neither of us wanted to name.

Then, just as fast as it came, he shut it down. His expression went blank, and he stepped back.

“Stay out of my way, Jiselle.” He sighed, as if my presence was a burden. “And do us all a favour and don’t die. Ethan would be devastated.”

“Yeah… Ethan.” I scoffed. The nerve of this asshole.

I should have let him walk away. I should have ended this conversation and spared myself the pain.

But I wasn’t that kind of girl.

“I’ll prove you wrong,” I said quietly, my voice laced with steel. “And when I do, you’ll regret every word.”

For the first time, I saw something flicker in his gaze—something dangerously close to regret.

And then he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart pounding and a promise burning in my chest.

I was so stupid. I was so freaking stupid.

I risked my life for this? For him to tell me that my death would be awful for Ethan?

Screw this. Screw him.

He wouldn’t break me again.

Not this time.