Chapter 2

(Mia's POV)

"Oh, Mia, that was a rude thing to say when meeting someone for the first time. This is Liam, Luis, and Leon Oscar. Leon is the oldest of the triplets and Alpha David's first son, while Luis is the second of the triplets, and Liam is the last-born of the triplets. They are triplets, popularly called Triple L. But unfortunately, their mother, Luna Esther, died after their birth. So, they are our upcoming Alphas."

My mother smiled as she introduced the triplet boys to me, and I glared at them.

Mom turned to face the Triple L and said, "Triple L, meet my only daughter, Mia Anderson. She came back from London last month and recently joined our White Hills Academy. I'm sure you all must have seen her at the college. Please forgive my daughter's manners. She doesn't understand what is going on here and how our pack functions."

I watched my mother speaking to the first of the triplets, Leon Oscar.

"It's fine, Chairwoman. Our father got busy with a meeting from the Dark Hills Pack Alpha, so he sent us here to join you for dinner before he finished with his business. That way, it doesn't look like he is not accepting your invitation to have a family dinner with you," Leon said, his magnetic voice making me scowl as I saw the way he flashed his perfect white teeth at my mother.

Leon had a radiant smile on his face, but he was a bully because I had seen him bullying and intimidating other students at the academy.

I crossed my arms around my chest, pouted my pink lips, and looked away from my mother to Leon's face. Obviously, I did not like him and his brothers, and I did not care who he was or what his business was with my mother. I wouldn't have joined in this so-called family dinner if my mother had not insisted.

"That's fine, Alpha Leon. Thank you for forgiving my little angel, Mia. Come on, apologize to the triplets. They are the same, and apologizing to one of them is the same as apologizing to the others. They share the same mindset, views, and love lives, and I know there's a possibility that the three of them are going to have one mate," my mother said happily, her voice sweet as she blushed.

"Mom…" My frown deepened as I heard about their "love lives."

"Mom, I am only apologizing to them out of respect for you and because you are my mother, but I do not feel a need to say sorry to these men," I said, my voice sharp, my eyes glaring at the three boys. They appeared innocent before my mother when I glanced at them.

"Mia, go on and say that you are sorry, and stop talking too much," Mom scolded me, her voice tinged with pleading as she eyed me to get along with these three men.

"That's fine." I straightened my posture and dropped my arms from my chest. "I am sorry, Triple L," I said, looking at Leon, who was the oldest of the triplets.

They had the same height, faces, and well-built bodies, but their smiles were different. Leon smirked, while Liam and Luis glared at me but smiled when my mother looked at them.

"It's fine, Chairwoman. We will let it slide since Mia is going to be around and a part of our families. Besides, when you and my father get married, we will have Mia as our little sister," Leon said, his lips curling into a sinister smile as his intense yellow eyes locked with mine.

"What!" I gasped, my eyes widening in shock. "Mom, tell me the truth. You are not planning to marry their father, right?" I asked my mother, knowing that I could not tolerate living under the same roof as these three boys.

"Mia..." Mom began, her frown deepening as she said, "You need to get along with Triple L. I know that I haven't spoken to you about my affairs, but you see that I have been single for so long since your father left me for London. Excuse me, Triple L. You all can have a seat. Let me have a private talk with my daughter before your father arrives."

"Alright, Chairwoman," they replied, their eyes watching me as Mom hastily grabbed my left hand and dragged me away from the living room and back to the kitchen.

"Mom, what's going on? You cannot marry those boys' father. I do not want them as my stepbrothers, and I do not approve of their father! They are pretending to be nice to you. Those boys are big-time bullies!" I cried aloud, my body trembling at the thought of living under the same roof as those three rascals. I couldn't stand them for a minute. They bullied the students at the college, turned the young women into slaves, and did as they wished. In short, most of the students feared them.

When I had first gotten to the Academy a month ago, I was stunned when my best friend, Vivian Adams, a nursing student, warned me to keep off from the three Alphas. I thought it was a joke until I saw with my own eyes how they bullied the students.

"Mia, you just got back to the White Hills area barely a month ago. How can you say that about Triple L? They are the nicest boys and protect our people. I understand that you might not like them because they are boys, but they are our Alphas, and they cannot possibly bully you. Please, they will take care of you as their little sister from now on, and when their father and I get married," Mom said with a pleading voice, wanting me to see her reason and accept those boys to live with us.

But I yelled, "No way, Mom! I will not accept them. They cannot be my stepbrothers, and you shouldn't marry their father. There are other men out there, but not these boys' father."

"Mia," my mother's gaze dropped as she said with a sad voice, "It's fine. I will talk to their father that I cannot marry him, since you do not want them as your stepbrothers."

My mother looked dejected, heartbroken, and I felt so guilty for depriving her of her happiness. My father had left her for so long and traveled about as a researcher. I thought my mother deserved to be happy.

Her face turned red with unshed tears and disappointment, and I calmed down and asked her, "Mom, do you love their father? How about Dad? What if I call Dad to return?"

My mother looked at me and blinked her tears away. "It's been 16 years since your father left the pack. He flew away with you and only brought you back. Why didn't he return with you? He sent you back alone because he doesn't want me. I cannot continue to wait for him, and I had already rejected him, even if he didn't want to accept my rejection. But..." my mother hesitated to finish her statement as she walked up to me and held my hands, saying, "I love you more, Mia. You're my only child, and your happiness matters the most to me. I know that you grew away from the pack, so you might find it hard to get along with everyone here. But, I want you to know that the Triple L are not as bad as you think, and their father is a kind man too."

"But if you do not like them and want us to be a family, I will explain to their father. After all, you are my baby, and your happiness and getting along with the pack members are what is important to me," Mom said with a sad voice, and I felt her pain.

"It's fine, Mom. Maybe I have overreacted, but I want you to be happy and to remarry. You cannot continue to stay single as I am not sure if Dad will listen to me and return. But, I don't like those boys, and I do not know if their father is like them, but I just cannot stand them," I said, my frown deepening, and my mother smiled.

"It's fine. Let us have our dinner with them; besides, this is their first time visiting me. It will not be polite to send them away. After all, they didn't approve of me as their stepmother if not for their father's proposal. So, you are not the only one with an objection," Mom smiled as she laughed and said, "Just do not insult them, as they can discipline you as our Alphas. More like our superiors here. Alright?"

She opened the kitchen door for me to return to the living room and join those three boys for dinner. As it was past 6 p.m. on a Friday evening, my mother didn't go to work and had ordered her driver to drop me off at the Academy in the morning while she stayed at home preparing for our Alpha's visit.

"Alright, Mom," I agreed, walked out of the kitchen, and went to the dining room to meet the three boys who sat on different dining chairs, gazing at me intensely.

Surprisingly, they had taken their seats around the dining table and were waiting for me and Mom to serve them dinner.