Chapter 5

Ethan gently looked at me. "I thought you were a guy werewolf."

"You thought I was a what?" I asked while glaring at Ethan.

"A guy," he answered and bit into a strip of bacon. "I thought you were that new male werewolf transferee who needed temporary housing."

"I'm clearly not a guy." I crossed my arms over my apron.

"Yeah, I noticed," Jason chimed in with a grin. "Nice apron, by the way."

"This isn't funny," I uttered while turning away from all three of them. "That's it. I'm going to the building office. There's no way I'm living with three shirtless wolves."

"Fine, let's go," Ethan muttered with a shrug. "I don't even want some weak omega circling around in my house."

The four of us strolled down the hallway. While we were walking, I could feel the stares from other residents. Of course, the triplets were well-known, especially with their reputation for full moon dominance challenges and fights.

People either feared them or crushed them. Or both.

When we stepped into the building's management office, the receptionist forced a smile at us. "Good afternoon! How can I help you?"

"I need to speak to the property manager," I hastily said.

After a few moments, a man in a navy blue polo stepped out of the back. "Yes?"

"Look, Sir, there's been a mistake," I began while trying to calm myself. "I was told that I would be sharing the condo with Miss Tanya Edwards. Now, I find out I'm living with them." I pointed back at the triplets. "This isn't what I signed up for, Sir."

"And why is an omega even allowed in our building?" Ethan also asked while crossing his arms.

The manager looked between us and then turned back to his screen. He slowly typed something and then his face changed.

"Oh..."

I raised my brows. "Oh?"

He cleared his throat. "Miss Edwards, yes, she owns the unit. However, I failed to properly mark the listing. That particular condo was specially reinforced for high-ranking werewolf residents. Soundproofing, and impact barriers, it was meant for pack housing. I'm terribly sorry for the confusion."

"So what you're saying is..." I stared at him.

"You're not... technically allowed to rent that unit," he uttered with an awkward smile and glanced nervously at Ethan and the others. "It's a reinforced unit under the werewolf housing guidelines. I truly apologize."

I was just standing there while startled.

I didn't say anything on the way back to the condo. I didn't even look at them. I just walked ahead and opened the door.

As soon as I stepped back into the unit, I dropped my bag on the floor.

"I can't stay here," I uttered firmly. "This is insane. I'm an omega student, not any luna or beta, not their pack member, not someone who wants to be around full moon growling and testosterone-filled hallway wrestling matches."

"Whoa!" Jason immediately raised his hands. "Look, pumpkin, I get it, okay? It's a weird setup. But it's not that bad. You'll barely see us. We're not even here most of the time!"

"You just cooked us pancakes," Tyler added with a gentle smile. "That was honestly kind of sweet. We can make this work. We'll keep our distance and set boundaries, lady."

"I don't want boundaries," I clarified. "I want a refund. I'll move out and find an omega-friendly place."

Ethan leaned against the wall and rubbed the back of his neck. "About that..."

I turned to him. "What?"

"I already used the money."

"What do you mean you used the money?"

"I used it to buy a special medical scanner," he replied. "We're doing advanced research on werewolf physiology. It was a limited-time deal."

I stared at him with my eyes widened. "You spent my rent on a machine?"

This was getting worse!

"It's for a good cause."

"Unbelievable!" I heaved a deep sigh.

"Look, Sarah..." Tyler said softly and walked a little closer to me. "You're already here. You've got your own room. You're safe. We won't bother you. I promise."

"Yeah," Jason also added. "We're not that bad once you get used to us. Plus, I'm hilarious."

I shook my head. "No. Find a way to get my money back before this day ends or I'll report you to the authorities."

***

After my Microbiology class ended around 3:30PM, I immediately left the campus. I was too desperate to find a way out of my messed-up housing situation.

Living with Ethan Blackstone and his equally infuriating brothers? No, thank you. I would rather face the betrayal of my ex-friends again than be forced to live with the Alpha triplets.

When I arrived in our old building, I noticed something different. Something was off. The hallway smelled stronger.

I hesitated in front of the door but after a while, I pushed it open.

The apartment I once called home had been completely transformed. The symbols from the pack rituals were carved into the wall while a wolf totem was hanging by the window.

This wasn't just a normal home anymore, it became a pack den.

I slowly walked towards the living room when I saw Regina on the couch so I halted.

"Well, well, look who decided to come back."

I sighed. "This was my apartment, too."

She curled her brows and smirked. "Was. Past tense. You left, remember?"

"I left because I didn't want to live with liars."

Regina stood up and walked closer to me. "And now you're coming back? What happened, Sarah?"

"I didn't say I was staying." I faintly bit my lips. "I just came to see if my room was still—"

"You mean my new meditation room?" She cut me off and smiled sweetly. "Well, I have already renovated it. I don't want any lingering weak omega heartbreak energy messing with the pack vibe, you know."

I just stared at her and didn't respond.

She tilted her head. "Why don't you just do yourself a favor and go back to whatever sad little corner you crawled out of?"

She was right. Coming here was also a waste of time.

I heaved a deep sigh and turned my back on her. "It was really a bad idea that I came back here," I uttered and walked away.

I had nowhere else to go... except for that condo with the jerk Alpha triplets.

***

When I arrived at the condo, the first thing I saw when I opened the door were the triplets. All three of them were on the couch while those game controllers were in their hands. They were half-yelling with what they were playing on the screen until they saw me.

Jason looked up to me first. "Hey! Look who's back!" He jumped off the couch and threw his arms up. "I knew you would miss us!"

I didn't smile at him.

Tyler also glanced over his shoulder and gave me a gentle smile. "We're glad you came back, Sarah. Really."

I smiled at Tyler since she was the only one I felt comfortable with. "I have decided to just stay here for a while."

Ethan didn't even look away from the screen. "Didn't have a choice, did you?"

I just glared at Ethan and didn't say anything. Instead, I dropped my bag beside the door and walked toward my room in silence.

As I reached the hallway, I stopped for a while and rubbed my temples. "Just a few more months and then... I'm transferring to another school. And I'll never have to deal with any of this again."