Chapter 3

(Mia’s POV)

I narrowed my eyes at the three of them as they watched me approach.

Their eyes followed my movement as I walked toward the dining table.

Silence cut through the air as I sat next to Liam—the youngest of the triplets. He hummed, watching me like a hawk.

Feeling uncomfortable because Liam smelled like coffee, I rose from the chair and went to sit farther away from them.

Their eyes continued to watch me, but I didn’t comment or ask them anything. When the kitchen door unlocked, my mother walked out and smiled at them.

“I’ll serve dinner now. Actually, my maid isn’t around—I sent her to welcome her daughter’s new baby. I’ll be right back,” Mom said as she came out to see if we were getting along.

“It’s okay, Chairwoman. Let’s have dinner. My dad will be here soon, or we can wait for him,” Luis, the second triplet, chimed in. His deep voice made my thighs clench. My mother smiled. “Alright.”

Unlike Leon’s voice, Luis’s was sharp, deeper, and magnetic—it made me uncomfortable. His face held no smile at all. His eyes were calculated and sinister.

“Let me get dinner ready. You all can chat with Mia and help her understand more about our pack. I’ll be back,” Mom said, her voice sweet, her lips curling into a smile.

Her eyes peered at me, signaling me to get along. Then she swiftly strode to the kitchen door, leaving me alone with the three bad boys.

“Mia… what a beautiful name for a beautiful bunny,” Liam spoke first, his voice laced with mockery. I glared at him.

“I know you three are bullies, but my mother will never marry your father. So, you better get that into your damn skulls,” I replied coldly, my voice harsh. I didn’t care.

I’d thought about it—I could not live with them.

“Hmm.” Leon rose to his feet and came over to my chair. I tensed as he leaned close to my neck, his cool breath brushing the crook of my skin.

“How about…” Leon began, whispering into my right ear. I shivered.

“How about I tell you that we want to marry you instead of your mother?”

“What?” I jumped away from the chair as if my whole body were on fire, my cheeks burning hot as I glared at Leon. He was the oldest. He had to be joking, right?

I looked into Leon's face and shifted away from the dining table, glancing at the two other boys.

Their faces were neutral, eyes calm—I couldn’t tell if they were annoyed or thinking the same as Leon.

“Stay away from me, you ásshole!” I yelled at Leon, glaring in disbelief that he was proposing to marry me.

These ruthless men had plenty of young women at the academy ready to serve them—but not me.

I want to create an advocate for women, to teach them to stand up for their rights. They shouldn’t be subjected to slavery or worshipping men for their dîcks.

Leon smiled and went back to his seat. “I’m just kidding, haha,” he laughed handsomely, surrendering his hands in the air. But my brows furrowed at him.

My heart beat erratically, and I warned him sternly, “Do not come close to me again!”

Luis and Liam were quiet as they watched me, but I felt their eyes digging into me.

My legs quivered, and my entire body still felt hot from Leon’s closeness earlier.

Just as I wanted to disappear from the dining room, my mother stepped out of the kitchen carrying a tray of dinner in her arms.

She looked at us in surprise, seeing me standing, and asked, “Mia, is anything wrong?”

Leon had already sat back. Before I could say a word, the doorbell rang. My mother rushed to the dining table, dropping the big white tray of food onto it.

“Mia, hurry up. Check who’s at the door. I’m sure Alpha David Oscar has arrived,” Mom said, her face excited.

Seeing my mother’s happy face, I frowned, glaring at the three boys who were watching me. I forced my feet to move and went to pull the living room door open.

To my shock, an older version of Liam, Luis, and Leon stood at the door and smiled at me.

“You must be Mia, right?” he asked, seeing my shocked face. He smiled as I made way for him to enter. He wore a black suit and looked breathtakingly handsome.

“Good evening, sir. I am,” I smiled, accepting his handshake as he walked in. He was a middle-aged man, but he seemed more polite and humble than his three sons.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mia. You look just as beautiful as your mother,” he praised, shaking my right hand. I blushed.

“Thank you, sir,” I replied. My mother walked up to welcome him.

“Welcome, babe,” Mom said as she hugged Alpha David Oscar.

I stole a quick glance at the Triple L to see their reaction to their father hugging my mother—and kissing her lightly on the forehead.

Except for Leon, Luis and Liam frowned, showing they didn’t approve of my mother as their stepmother. But seeing me smirk at them, they smiled at me for the first time, and my heart exploded, throbbing faster. I quickly glanced away.

“Come on, Mia. Let’s take our seats while I set out the meals,” Mom said softly, gesturing for us to sit at the dining chairs while she served the table.

Leon sat across from me, while his father and my mother sat next to each other.

Luis and Liam sat to my right—the dining table had six chairs. This was the first time the dining room was full. Before, it was just me and my mother.

Mom served the delicious fried rice and chicken, then brought drinks before sitting back down next to Alpha David.

“How do you like the meal, Triple L?” Mom asked them after Leon took the first bite, holding his spoon.

Luis and Liam were quiet, holding their spoons too.

Luis sat between me and Liam, across from his father, while my mother sat across from Liam.

But Leon caressed my leg under the table, and I glared at him, shifting my leg back under my chair.

Leon smiled and said, “It’s delicious, Ma.”

“How about you both? You haven’t tasted it yet?” Mom asked, her voice full of concern as her eyes darted to Luis and Liam beside me.

“You seem to care more about the boys than me, babe,” Alpha David spoke sweetly, looking at my mother's face lovingly.

Mom blushed. “I know you won’t tell me the truth about my food—you’ll always speak well of me. I personally prepared this jollof rice, and I wanted to see how your sons like it.”

Mom shifted her gaze to us, peering at Luis beside me.

Luis had the same coffee scent as Leon. He dipped his spoon into the jollof rice on his plate and took a bite, as did Liam. I watched their faces.

“It’s nice, Chairwoman,” Luis said. Their father scowled.

“Luis, haven’t I warned you three to learn to call Lucy ‘Mom’? She will be your new stepmother, and it’s only respectful to call her Mom,” Alpha David snapped, his voice thunderous. I peered at him in shock.

Mom quickly placed her right hand on Alpha David’s left hand to calm him. “It’s okay, babe. I’m not upset that they call me Chairwoman—that’s what I am at the academy.”

Alpha David scowled, looking at my mother’s face. His voice softened. “I want you to be my wife. I know the three of them are stubborn. I could send them away, but I want to marry you. It’s been twenty-two years since Esther left me. Don’t you think I’ve waited long enough—that I deserve to be happy?”

Mom smiled sadly. “You have. But our children are a part of us. If they don’t approve, we can’t force it.”

“Mm.” Alpha David’s fist clenched around his spoon. Mom whispered closely in his ear, “We can still be friends and give them time to adjust.”

“No. They’re naughty boys, and I won’t give them any more time. Don’t worry about them. Once they find their mates, they’ll leave us. I’ve already made up my mind for us to live together, Lucy. I love you very much, and I want you as my Luna—by my side,” Alpha David said, holding my mother’s hands lovingly.

I peered at Leon’s face to see his expression about his father’s statement. Leon frowned and looked at me.

Once our gaze locked, I smirked. His eyes narrowed.

Looking at his father and my mother, Leon smirked and said, “Dad, we approve of you and Lady Lucy getting married.”

“What!” I gasped—alongside Liam and Luis.