Shannon’s POV
“You know you just have to give them a chance?” My mother’s voice startled me, I didn’t realize she was in my room until she spoke.
“Mom, you don’t understand, I hate it here.” I argued, hoping she would see my pain, hear it through the breaking of my voice.
“I understand more than you know sweetie, but I think this place is good for us, look on the bright side, you have a new father, and I know it is not easy to leave behind the life you have known your whole life, but it all comes back down to you giving this place a chance.” She caressed my face, gently guiding me to lay down on the bed as she draped the blanket over me.
“Okay Mom, I’ll do it for you. Give this place a chance.” I agreed before letting sleep take me, the exhaustion of the day’s event finally catching up and the dreaded anticipation of the third brother.
I wonder what he will be like.
The next morning, I woke up feeling the need to get some free air and to escape the wrath of the brothers this early.
My breath puffed out in frantic bursts, misting the chilled air of dawn as I darted between the dense trees that cloaked the outskirts of the Dark Moon pack's territory. The forest was my refuge, the only place where the shadows of the towering pines felt more like protectors than the suffocating walls of the house I could no longer bear to be confined within.
My heart raced, not just from the exertion but from the raw need to escape, to find solace somewhere, anywhere, away from the disdainful glares of the alpha's sons. Cool and mocking, those eyes seemed to follow me, even here, amid the whispers of leaves and the occasional chirp of waking birds. But as the distance between me and the pack house grew, the weight on my chest lightened, the invisible shackles of fear and anxiety loosening with every step I took deeper into the woods.
Then I noticed I wasn’t alone. A figure leaned casually against the other side of the clearing, shrouded in the morning fog that made it difficult to discern any details.
"Lost or running?" The voice was neither male nor female, with a gentle tone that seemed to blend seamlessly with the natural sound of the forest.
"Running," I admitted without hesitation, my guard momentarily lowered by the unexpected compassion I detected in the stranger's tone. I couldn't make out the person's features, but there was something oddly comforting about their presence.
"From what?" The question was asked with a curiosity devoid of judgment, inviting confidence from someone who hadn’t found much in the way of trust since coming to this place.
"Everything," I exhaled, the word carrying all the weight of my seventeen years of existence. "My mom and I... we just moved to the Dark Moon pack. Thought it would be a fresh start." I hugged my arms around myself as if to ward off a chill that had nothing to do with the morning air. "But it's not. The alpha's sons, they..." My voice cracked, the unshed tears from countless nights welling up.
"They bully you," the stranger finished for me, not a question but a statement laced with understanding.
Was that distaste I hear?
"Yes," I whispered, the admission feeling like both a relief and a betrayal. Here, in the growing light of day, I had laid bare my pain to a person whose name I didn't know but who, somehow, provided a flicker of kindness to my troubled soul.
"Sometimes," the stranger mused thoughtfully, "the bravest thing one can do is to stand and face what scares us."
"Feels more like foolishness when you're the prey," I responded quietly, a bitter laugh tugging at my lips. I looked up, trying to see the stranger's face, but the dawning light seemed determined to have them kept in mystery.
"Perhaps," came the reply, the words floating toward me like leaves on a breeze. "But sometimes, it's the prey that teaches us the most about survival."
I considered this as I straightened, a newfound resolve firming my stance. I turned back toward the path leading home, my steps lighter than when I had fled into the safety of the woods.
“Oh hey,” I greeted the alpha, who met me with a soft smile by the door
“Hello, Shannon, your mother has left for work, and so have the boys, I was hoping you and I could bond over some baking?” it was a question, but at the same time it wasn’t. It was hope, it was expectancy. He needed to bond with me, that was the only way he could let be me at rest, I was an omega, his mate’s child, it was instinct for him to want to do this, so I agreed.
“Sure, just let me change out of these,” I replied, pointing to my dirty outfit.
It was good, Robin was a good man, he would make my mother happy, “I am happy we’re doing this.” I commented, smiling up at him as I heard a breath of relief escaped him.
“Thank you, Shannon, that means a lot and I promise to talk to the boys, you know boys will always be boys.”
“That would be nice, Alpha.”
Then I went upstairs, that was when all hell broke loose. The boys came back from school and Robin has gone to attend to pack duties.
“Hey Shannon,” I heard from the door and my breath hitched, “We just want to talk, if you would be so kind as to come out.” Jules, I am pretty sure, said.
“Um, okay?” I wasn’t sure of my response, but I slowly walked to the door and creaked it open.
“We just want to apologize for treating you the way we did over the last couple of days, peace offering?” Jules said as Cole nodded along and handed me a box filled with cookies, similar to the ones I baked with Robin earlier.
“Thank you.” I can never be too sure with these two, but I took their peace offering and was about to close my door when Cole spoke up.
“To show that you have forgiven us, how about you take a bite.” He urged and I nodded, opened the box, and took one of the cookies out. I should have suspected something was wrong because it didn’t smell like regular cookies, but I thought everyone had their recipe and this could be theirs.
I took a bit, but I couldn’t chew for long, it was as if they had put in all the spices in the world, it was beyond what a normal person should consume, supernatural or not. “Ah ah ah.” I could only breathe out through my mouth as my eyes watered, begging for them to get me water, but they only brought out their phone and started to record me. It was cruel and I felt as though I was dying.
“You think you can waltz in here and get our father to play girl Dad with you? I think not bitch, now think about that while you are close to death.” Then they left me to die.
***
“Shannon, I’m back,” Robin called from the front door, I wanted to respond, but I could only wheeze out, that sound must have caught his attention as he came rushing forward with a bottle of water.
“Here, drink this, I am so sorry Shannon, I take it the boys are back.” At the mention of the boys, I shot him bombastic side eyes but continued to drink from the bottle.
He heaved a deep sigh, “I am sorry Shannon.” That was when I noticed someone else was standing in the room with us, I looked at Robin in confusion as if to ask, “Who is this?”
“Oh, this is Ricky, the oldest of the triplets.” He introduced the new face with a proud smile.
“Hi, Shannon, nice to meet you.” It is him!
The voice from the forest, and it sends shivers down my spine, “Just what have I gotten myself into?”
“Hello Ricky.” I muttered weakly.
“We are going to have so much fun.” Excitedly, he declared and my eyes widened.
Shannon’s POV“Don’t you think we should confront her to know what she heard?” Ricky asked after a few minutes of silence, running his hand through his wavy blond hair. “Do we need to?” Cole was feeling irritated already. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re becoming attached to our dear Ms. Shannon, Lucien.” “Ricky is right, Cole.” We need to make sure she doesn’t feel hurt or feel unwanted enough to run away before father decides to kill the three of us.” Jules pointed out.Cole groaned. “Why would she? She’s going to get paid for her troubles, I don’t think she’s going to give that up.” “If we don’t make her feel comfortable, she’s going to leave. We need her, not the other way round.” Ricky added, slightly irritated at his brother. Jules straightened his suit as he sat down on the couch. “While we don’t know anything important about her yet, if we want to gain her trust, we need to give her something in return. We can start by telling her that we would find a way to lo
Shannon’s POV“Cursed!”“Abomination!”“You need to leave here before something bad happens to you.”Shannon tried not to pay attention to the hurtful words they were hurling at me as I passed through the hallway. I had gotten used to it over time. Thankfully, they spared my mother from such profane words and I was grateful for that at the very least. The hatred in their voices was all I heard as I passed by the members of the pack making their way to their various destinations. Each time I heard those words, I felt sad within myself, hearing them over and over again had made me develop a tough skin towards their comments. That was all I could do. I couldn’t retaliate or defend myself else I would be punished or worse, killed, leaving my mother to fend for herself. I knew the Mayert triplets had put them up to this but there was nothing I could do about it.“Look at her, the sight of her makes me want to puke my guts out.” I hear one of the women say, sneering at me. “Can you imagi
Shannon’s POVI woke up the next morning feeling rather antsy. My mother had informed me that she would be leaving late last night and when I woke up, she was getting ready to set out.I rolled over and checked my watch, it was 6:00 AM. I had to push myself off the bed and get ready for school. Things had changed a little bit in school ever since it was publicly announced that the triplets were my mates. It had covered my shame after I had been rejected earlier, the months after it had happened were the worst periods of my life and I was grateful that it was finally over. It was one of the reasons my mother had decided to stay mute while the triplets showed me how much they hated me. She believed that it was a lesser punishment than the one I’d have gotten after Eric publicly humiliated me in front of the whole pack. “Isn’t it a little too late to be sleeping, Shannon?” My mother called out as she walked back into the makeshift room where we had spent the night. “I’d rather spend th
Shannon’s POV“Here’s a cup of milkshake to thank you for covering my shift tonight, Shannon.” Emma grinned from ear to ear as she pushed the cup towards me. I reluctantly accepted with a long sigh, grateful to be heading back to Eve’s place after working a double-shift for the second time in three days. I waved Shannon goodbye before starting my long journey home. I couldn’t afford to use the subway because I was dead broke since I was saving up every spare dollar I could afford and I couldn’t ask the Mayert triplets or my mother for a lift back home. I checked my watch, it was 12:00 AM already, I would only be able to sleep for three hours before I would need to divide the next two hours between heading back to the pack, trying to catch up on my schoolwork and getting ready for school. The road home was lonely but safe, I walked down this path everyday, dragging my tired legs and longing for my bed. My life fell apart when my parents died unexpectedly. My father was a big-shot co
Shannon’s POVI could feel my face and my feet hurting terribly. I had lost count of the number of guests the Mayert brothers had introduced me to and I couldn’t see myself doing this for the next five minutes, there was every possibility that I might pass out. Unable to take it anymore, I mumbled an excuse about her hurting feet and excused myself from the midst of the newest dignitaries I was forced to hug and smile at and took a stroll towards the balcony, eager to get away from the crowd and noise inside the hall. As she moved further away from the hall and towards the balcony, I heard a loud noise which made me jump out of fright. I was left with either confronting whatever source the noise came from or going back into the hall to get acquainted with more people. I tentatively moved closer and I managed to see a man with broad shoulders which filled his suit perfectly, slapping a younger man, who wasn’t quite as beefed up as he was. I knew that I was intruding on their privac
Myra’s POVI let out a long sigh as Shannon walked out of the room after our little argument over her strenuous working hours. I understood the hurt she was passing through but at the same time, I wanted her to know that we were in a better place than we were before I met Robin. I met Robin when I was still a waitress at the local restaurant in town. It wasn’t a conventional job but it helped keep my daughter and I afloat which was all I wanted at that point. Robin had tried to get me to go on a date with him but I wasn’t remotely interested in anything that didn’t involve taking care of Shannon and making sure she made her way to college to have a better life than I did. But Robin wouldn't take no for an answer. I knew he was an important figure, I could smell the power that radiated off him anytime his large frame entered into the hotel and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what he wanted with me. Men like him had hoards of women chasing after them, women with the sophis
Robin’s POVI slammed my fist into the table making Myra jump. “I’m sorry, Myra.” I apologized. “I didn’t mean to lose my temper but I’m tired of circling the same issue every time.”“I’ve always been meaning to ask, why do they hate us so much?” Myra asked me. “Before the first time you introduced us, we had never met either of your boys before.” “I can’t shake off the feeling that I failed as a father, Myra.” I sighed. “I used to believe that I was present in their lives as much as my duties would allow me but it’s becoming evident that I failed in that aspect of life.”“You don’t need to speak so harshly about yourself, Robin.” Myra frowned. “It’s not easy running a pack and taking care of your family at the same time.”“For the past couple of years, I’ve tried to find a suitable mate for my boys but every match I proposed or every match that was suggested ended up in disappointment. I eventually gave into their demands and decided to let them pick a mate for themselves but it wa
Shannon’s POVMy breath lodged in my throat as I watched him walk through the woods. The past few months had done nothing to dull the feelings that grew inside of me with each passing day, it made no sense to deny it didn’t exist anymore. My wolf pranced around with joy any time Eric sent smiles my way and I knew that he was the one for me.It was complicated and it was one of the major reasons why I hadn’t done anything yet. We both had our demons to battle with before we faced the sizzling attraction that often hung in the air between us when we were close.