Helen's POV
Alpha Rowan and Luna Flora stood at the front of the hall, radiant with pride. Their smiles were wide as they welcomed their sons home, and the pack cheered, lifting their glasses in honor.
They stepped further into the hall, some of the elders of the pack came to greet them and shockingly, they responded.
These men who taught me what terror was? Kind to other people? I must be dreaming.
I slipped among the maids that were heading to the kitchen. It was better to stay hidden behind the kitchen doors, where the noise was distant and muffled, like the world outside didn't belong to me. I was safer here, just another shadow among the omegas, carrying trays and scrubbing floors.
I reached for the wine bottles, but Veronica's sharp voice cracked through the air.
"You. Helen."
I looked up. Too slowly.
She walked toward me, dropped a silver tray into my hands with too much force, making the drinks rattle.
"Take this to the Alphas. Now. And make sure you do not mess it up! Or else…" She glared daggers at me. She let her threat hang in the air.
I stared at her, mouth parting to speak, to beg, to plead.
I couldn't do this. Not again. Not tonight. Not when all I wanted to do was stay away from them.
Not when my skin was itching like fire and my bones felt like they were being pulled in different directions. My wolf was stirring. My shift was close.
And then I saw Nara step into the kitchen, smiling breathlessly from the hallway.
I didn't think—I just moved.
"Nara!" I called softly, hurrying to her and forcing the tray into her hands. "Please take this to the Alphas. I—I need to use the bathroom."
She raised an eyebrow, but nodded quickly. "Sure. I don't mind."
As soon as she disappeared, I gripped the edge of the counter, breathing hard.
The itch was getting worse. I glanced at the moon through the window. It was so bright, I felt like it was calling for something inside me to come out.
Maybe I should take this opportunity to leave. No one would notice I was gone and when I am done shifting, I could return. Right?
Great plan!
Glancing around for the safest exit, I stepped out—just a little—and that was when I felt it. It hit me like a wild punch in my belly.
The pull.
Like gravity. Like a string tethered between my soul and something—or someone—else. It was so strong. So inevitable.
My eyes searched for who it was and suddenly, I locked gaze with Kael.
The second-born of the triplets.
And in that moment, the entire room spun.
No.
It couldn't be. There was no way…
But before I could breathe, three scents wrapped around me. Sharp. Wild. Irresistible. Intoxicating.
Three.
Not one.
Three mates.
Kael.
Kaden.
And King.
Panic surged up my throat like a scream.
My wolf howled inside me—ecstatic, wild with recognition.
I ran.
I bolted through the crowd, dodging bodies and gasps and questions. I needed to get out. Away. Anywhere but there.
I needed silence.
I needed air.
I needed it not to be true.
I tore through the back door and sprinted into the woods, the chill air biting at my skin as I ran faster and faster, feet barely touching the ground.
The pain hit me all at once. Panic seized me by the throat.
Fire. Ice. Bones snapping and reforming. My limbs twisted, spine crackled, skin burned. I screamed—but the sound turned into a growl.
The sound of my clothes tearing echoed through the woods and my thoughts blurred.
And then—I wasn't running on two legs anymore.
I was gliding through the trees on four.
The world changed—sharper, clearer. Every scent and sound was magnified.
And when I reached the river, I finally stopped.
My reflection stared back at me.
Golden eyes. No, not just golden. My eye color kept changing and my fur… white?
I was… beautiful. Wild. Alive.
But before I could do anything—before I could revel in the wonder of becoming—my ears perked up.
Footsteps.
Crunching.
Voices.
Not just one person.
One.
Two.
Three.
No, please. Not them.
My heart raced in ny chest. My body began to shift again, painfully, as I lost hold of the wolf. I stumbled forward and fell—naked—into the freezing water.
I gasped, trying to pull myself up. Gosh, I was so weak. So tired.
And that's when I felt it. It was clearer and easier to know now.
Their presence.
I didn't need to look.
I knew.
I glanced up, water dripping down my face, hair clinging to my skin.
They were all there.
Kael. Kaden. King.
Watching me like a prey being watched by predators. I couldn't help but wince under their withering glare.
Kael's face twisted with disgust. "You."
Oh?, they recognized me! Of course, they would. They tormented me for years.
His voice was a snarl, his eyes glowing with the surge of his wolf.
"How dare you?" he spat. "What did you do?"
My chest heaved. "I… I did nothing! I swear—!"
"You expect us to believe this is real?" Kaden growled, stepping forward. "You? Of all people?" He snapped.
He knelt in front of me, eyes locked on mine like he was searching for a flaw. For a reason. For anything that would justify what he was about to do.
"There is no way in the world I would choose to mate with you. Never!" He sneered angrily.
Then he grabbed me—by the neck—and shoved my head beneath the icy river water.
I thrashed. My limbs kicked and flailed, my lungs burned, my vision blurred.
Then suddenly—air.
He yanked me up.
I choked, coughing hard, the water burning through my throat. My vision spotted. My body trembled violently.
Kaden glared, breathing hard, disgust bleeding from every inch of his face.
Tears welled in my eyes.
Not from the cold.
Not from the pain.
But from the weight of their rejection.
My gaze shifted to King—the first born.
The quietest.
The cruelest.
He didn't touch me. He didn't threaten.
He just looked at me.
And then looked away. No emotion.
"Make sure no one in the pack knows," King said coldly. "We'll inform Father ourselves."
Despite the way I was being treated, his voice sent shivers down my spine. I clenched my thighs tightly, hating the way they affected me.
He turned.
Kael followed, fists clenched.
And Kaden…
He lingered.
His eyes burned into me one last time.
Then he disappeared into the trees.
And I was left—soaked, naked, gasping—beneath the same moon that had promised me something beautiful. Except, what I got was heart-wrenching and soul-crushing!
How much more do I need to suffer?