CHAPTER 1

Melinda’s POV

I have always been a coward. So, when I found out that I had three mates, I ran. Instead of facing the tough situation head on, I closed my eyes like a cat and pretend that the problem didn’t exist.  

‘I still don’t think we are doing the right thing, Melinda.’ My wolf grumbled in a small voice. She was still upset with my decision. Her instincts were stronger than mine and being away from our mates was way more difficult for her.

I held my head and sighed in frustration. ‘What do you expect me to do then, Corel? You tell me. Which of the triplets should I choose? Which two of the three do you want to see dead?’

‘Stop it, Melinda!’ Corel whimpered. ‘Please… I can’t even think about it.’

‘I can’t either.’ Tears rolled down my cheeks as the dread of losing my mates gripped my heart. I turned to the window and shielded my face in an attempt to hide my tears from the other passengers. ‘Why did the moon goddess punish us like this, Corel? Why couldn’t she bless us with a single mate like others?’

‘I don’t know yet, Melinda, but I think Goddess has a plan. You never know, you might be the reason this curse is broken.’

Corel’s optimism did nothing to dispel the darkness of desperation engulfing me. Soul mates are supposed to bring and join families together but I… what was I going to do? Break a beautiful family; kill two out of the three brothers, live with the burden of guilt?

My gaze swept over the economy section of the airplane. Most of the passengers had dozed off. Even the air hostess had retired.

‘We should get some sleep too.’ Corel said, before blocking her thoughts. It felt strangely empty and silent, but I didn’t nudge her. With a soft sigh, I closed my eyes.

My mind veered to day I turned eighteen. I couldn’t sleep that day either, but it wasn’t caused by worry or anxiety. I was just too excited to stay still.

Pacing restlessly, I waited for my mom to arrive; my gaze drifting to my phone every few seconds. Mom had promised that she would return before midnight and stay with me during my first shift.

After what felt like an eternity, the familiar ringtone pierced through the silence. With a wide grin, I picked the phone and spoke in a cheerful voice, “Mom! I can’t believe you have already landed. I knew you would never break your promise.”

“I am sorry, hun. But I am still at the Madrid Airport.”

My heart sank, and the phone almost slipped through my fingers. “What do you mean, you are still in Madrid?”

“I am really sorry, Love. The flights got delayed.”

“But, mom….” I groaned. “Today is my eighteenth birthday. You should be here with me for the first shift.” Tears brimmed in my eyes. “What am I going to do now?”

“Don’t worry, Melie. I have told your aunt….”

Without listening to what mom had said, I disconnected the call. I didn’t want it to be anyone else. It had to be my mom. Why couldn’t she understand such a simple thing?

With a frustrated growl, I grabbed my bag and threw in some necessities. I wasn’t going to wait here for my so-called aunt to come here out of pity.

Locking the door behind me, I drove to the densest part of the reserve. If mom couldn’t make it, fine. I was just going to do this alone.

I found an open spot in the clearing and concealed my car behind an overgrowth.  

“Why are you always so busy, mom? Why do you never have time for me?” I grumbled as I spread the blue picnic mat and settled down. “You were supposed to be here for me. You were supposed to walk me through the process of shifting.” I sniffled. “But no! You had to go for that dumb conference.”

I pouted as I looked around. I had made so many plans but…. Mom only cared about money and those stupid deals.

Pressing my palms against the hard ground, I arched my back. My lips spread into a rueful smile. If dad was still alive, we could watch the stars until it was time to shift.

“Dad… Are you still out there?” I cocked my head to one side, and my lips pressed together. “Do you still miss me, Dada?’  

‘Do you always talk to yourself?’ A soothing voice sounded in my head. Though I was hearing it for the first time, it felt strangely familiar.

“I don’t but today….” My voice choked up as my heart clenched with the sudden surge of emotions. “I…”

‘You miss your dad a lot, right?’

“I do….”

‘You know you don’t have to say it aloud, right? As your wolf, I share all your thoughts and memories.’

“I know Corel. It just feels a little less lonely to talk out aloud like this.”

‘Corel, I like the name…. I think it will match the color of my fur….’ A searing pain coursed through me and an agonised scream left me. I gasped, ‘Corel, I think it is time…. What am I supposed to do?’

‘Take deep breaths and crouch low. Everything will happen automatically. All you need to do is to endure for a little while and embrace the pain.’

Corel kept talking to me as my bones broke and restructured themselves; one at a time. My body got drenched in sweat as wave after wave of convulsions hit me. At some point, the pain crossed the threshold of my endurance and all I felt was a weird sense of numbness.

When the last convulsion hit me, a loud, primal howl ripped through me. Rubbing the pads of my paws on the ground, I broke into a run.

I bounded faster and faster, howling every once in a while. The sense of liberation I felt while running through the woods was totally worth the pain.

My steps faltered as I drew closer to The Crystal Lake. I leaned over to find the reflection of my wolf’s form staring at me; shiny brown fur, pitch black eyes, and an elegant gait. I don’t mean to gloat, but my wolf form looked quite attractive.

‘You are very pretty as a human too, Melinda. We will enchant our mate at the first glance.’  

It was nice being able to share my thoughts in this manner. Corel’s presence dispersed the sense of loneliness that always shrouded me.

‘Corel, I am so glad that I have you.’

With a happy grunt, I broke into a run again; weaving my way through the brambles and pine trees. I noted with delight that my physique allowed me to run for miles without getting tired.

I had just crossed the river when I staggered. My feet came to an abrupt halt and I couldn’t get it to move them the way I wanted. It was like my body didn’t belong to me anymore. Corel was the one in control.

‘Our mate!’ Her excited voice echoed in my head as she took off in a different direction. A faint scent of lemon and mint assaulted my nose as we ran along the weather worn path.

My heartbeat accelerated and all my restraint vanished, making Corel run faster. We had run for about a mile when two more distinct scents assaulted my nose; musk and woody pine.

A strange sense of dread gripped my heart. ‘Corel, I don’t have a good feeling about this. We need to stop.’

She didn’t respond. Driven by the instinct to meet our mate, she continued to run faster than before. It was only when we spotted three large wolves that she finally stopped. Her eyes widened in confusion as she studied the wolves.

The one in the centre was the largest, with pitch black fur. Two wolves flanked him; a dark brown one to his left and a greyish brown one to his right. They looked similar in built but their eyes were different.

The black wolf had piercing grey eyes; the dark brown one had honeyed brown eyes while the grey one had clear blue ones.

‘This is not happening, right?’ Corel’s panicked voice rang in my head. ‘They are not triplets. We are not cursed with three mates., right?’

‘I… I don’t know that, Corel, but I know one thing: we need to run. We can’t act rashly before thinking this through….’

‘I can’t Melinda…. I am too weak to resist the bond.’

‘Let me control this, then….’

With a whimper, she scuttled to the deepest recess of my mind. I could sense her struggle as she fought to suppress the pull of the bond.

Drawing in a deep breath, I spun around and bounded in the opposite direction….

‘Passengers, please fasten your seatbelts. We will be landing in Los Angeles any time.’

The announcement jolted me back to my senses. With a defeated sigh, I stretched my arms and fastened my seatbelt. This was the fourth location I had changed after leaving home.

If things went well, I could settle down here and stay here for a longer time…