Chapter 3

Eira

A crowd was already forming around the checkout counter. Whispers drifted toward me from every direction.

“Isn’t that Eira?”

“Yeah, the slave girl.”

“What’s she doing in a place like this?”

I stood frozen, staring at the floor, unable to form a single word. Then I spotted Soren coming from the side of the store with his arm around a girl’s waist. They were laughing about something as they walked closer. When they got near the checkout, the girl reached up, pulled the black mask down under her chin, and tipped the baseball cap back.

That was when it finally clicked.

I had known she looked familiar the entire time, I just hadn’t been sure. Now there was no doubt.

Elara. Soren’s girlfriend.

She was the one who had pretended to be a mall employee and filled the trolley for me. The whole thing had been planned just to humiliate me.

Why did they hate me this much? What had I ever done to deserve it?

As if he could hear my thoughts, Thorne stepped up beside me and leaned in close enough for only me to hear.

“What made you think I’d waste my father’s money on a lowlife like you?” he whispered. “A worthless nobody?”

“Please don’t do this,” I begged, tears already spilling over. “I’ll get in so much trouble.”

“You should have thought about that before grabbing things you couldn’t afford,” Elara cut in.

I glared at her, wishing for just a second that I had the strength to wipe the smug look off her face.

Thorne raised his voice so the whole crowd could hear. “I’ll forgive you this once. I’ll cover everything because I’m generous like that. But next time, don’t shop for things you can’t pay for.”

People actually cheered for him like he was some kind of hero. He pulled out the credit card Alpha Ronan had given Kael earlier and handed it to the cashier.

“That’s very kind of you, sir,” the cashier said with a bright smile. She glanced at me with open pity before waving me on.

Thorne took the trolley and rolled it outside. I followed behind him, too ashamed to speak.

The moment we were clear of the doors, Elara and Yara started digging through the bags, picking out whatever they wanted. I didn’t even care anymore. All I wanted was to go home, crawl into bed, and cry until I had nothing left.

When they finally finished, the only thing left for me was a single box of Muncho cereal.

“Ungrateful little witch,” Elara hissed. “We left you something and you can’t even say thank you.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled.

“Did you actually think I picked any of that for you?” Elara laughed.

“Hope you find a mate as broke and nerdy as you are,” Yara added. “Then maybe you’ll finally get out of my boyfriend’s life for good.”

She yanked my hair hard enough to send me sprawling onto the pavement. Both girls laughed.

“That’s enough,” Kael said flatly. “And she could use a couple more boxes.”

Without asking anyone, he grabbed two extra boxes of Muncho and tossed them into the car.

“Get in, Eira. It’s getting late.”

The girls scowled as I climbed into the back seat. Kael pulled away immediately. No one spoke the entire ride home. Thorne and Soren stayed buried in their phones while Kael drove in silence, occasionally glancing at me in the rearview mirror. I could tell he hadn’t fully approved of the prank, but he still hated me enough not to stop it.

When the car stopped in the driveway I saw Alpha Ronan waiting in the distance. Thorne grabbed my arm hard enough to bruise.

“Listen, four-eyes,” he growled. “If you breathe a word of what happened today to the Alpha, this won’t just be your worst birthday… it’ll be your last.”

He let go and headed inside. I had no idea whether the threat was empty or not, and I didn’t want to find out. All I could do was put on a smile and pretend the day had been fine.

Alpha Ronan was waiting at the front door with a wide grin. I wanted so badly to tell him the truth, but the words stayed locked in my throat.

His eyes dropped to the bag in my hand and his smile faded. “Just cereal?”

“The boys told me to get whatever I wanted,” I lied. “I just… felt a little shy.”

“Well, I’m glad you got something for yourself,” he said, the warmth returning to his face. “You know this might be your last day with us, Eira. You’ve taken such good care of this family and treated my sons like brothers. I wanted to show a little appreciation before some lucky guy comes along and claims you as his mate.”

I forced a weak smile. Deep down I doubted I even had a mate. And if I did, he would probably reject me on sight. I wasn’t worthy of anyone’s love not looking the way I did, not living the life I did.

“Thank you for making me feel at home,” I said quietly. “I’ll never forget your kindness.”

Alpha Ronan smiled and stepped aside so I could go in.

Dinner was spaghetti and grilled turkey my favorite but I had no appetite. I went straight upstairs, locked my bedroom door, and let myself collapse onto the mattress.

Today had officially been the worst day of my life, and I owed every second of it to the triplets. I lay there imagining how different things might feel if I had a mate someone who was mine, someone who would stand between me and the rest of the world. The clock on the wall showed a little past eight. My mate still hadn’t appeared. Hoping for a savior felt pointless. No one was coming. The thought of spending the rest of my life looking after those three made me shudder. I curled into a ball, whispered a short prayer to the Moon Goddess, and finally drifted off.

The scent of fresh mint woke me.

I checked the time. I’d only been asleep for about thirty minutes. The smell was so strong, so intoxicating that it pulled me upright.

What was that?

Then it hit me.

“Mate!” I gasped.

My wolf leaped inside me. Heat flooded my body. A second, even stronger scent layered over the first whoever he was, he was close. Waiting.

I scrambled out of bed, yanked on a navy-green sweater, and raced down the stairs and out the front door.

The night was pitch black. No stars. The moon hid behind heavy clouds. The only light on the lawn came from a pair of gleaming red eyes and the scent was pouring from that exact spot.

My mate was standing right there, just across from the pack house.

I could barely control my breathing as I hurried toward him. After years of misery, I had finally found him, the one who would take me away from the triplets.

I stopped a few meters away. Even in the darkness I could feel his gaze cutting straight through me.

“Mate?” he growled.

The excitement flooding my veins flipped into shock, then fear, then pure horror.

No. The Moon Goddess couldn’t be this cruel.

He stepped forward just as a car’s headlights swept across the lawn, lighting his face for a split second. It was Thorne.

“No, no, no,” I whispered inside my head. “This can’t be happening.”

Bushes rustled nearby. Kael and Soren emerged from the shadows. Their scents hit me even harder than Thorne’s, and the sickening truth settled over me like a weight.

I wasn’t just mated to Thorne.

I was mated to Kael and Soren as well.

I was mated to all three of the triplet bullies.