Chapter 3

Mia's POV:

I narrowed my eyes at the three of them as they watched me approach. Their eyes followed my movements as I walked toward the dining table.

A 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 he smelled like coffee, I stood up from the chair and moved to sit farther away from them. Their eyes continued to follow me, but I didn't comment or ask them anything.

As the sound of the kitchen door unlocking echoed, my mother walked out and smiled at them. "I'll serve dinner now. Actually, my maid isn't around because I sent her to visit her daughter's new baby. I'll be right back," Mom said with an apologetic tone as she checked to see if we were getting along.

"It's okay, Chairwoman. Let's have dinner. Our dad will be here soon, or we can wait for him," Luis said, the middle triplet, his deep voice making my thighs clench. My mother smiled. "Alright."

Unlike Leon's voice, Luis's was sharper, deeper, and more magnetic, which made me uncomfortable. His face showed no smile at all—his eyes were calculated and sinister.

"Let me get dinner ready. You all can chat with Mia to enlighten her more about our pack. I'll be back," Mom said, her tone mild as her lips curled into a smile. Her eyes met mine and signaled me to get along. Just as she swiftly strode to the kitchen door, she left me with the three bad boys.

"Mia, what a beautiful name for a beautiful bunny," Liam spoke first, his voice filled with teasing as he looked at me.

"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 had thought about it, but I couldn't live with them.

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

"How about," he began, whispering into my right ear, making me shiver, "how about I tell you that we want to marry you instead of your mother?"

"What?" I jumped out of the chair as if my whole body was on fire, my cheeks burning as I glared at Leon, the oldest of the triplets. He must be joking, right? I looked into his face and shifted away from the dining table, glancing at the other two boys. Their faces were neutral, their eyes calm, so 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 at him, unable to believe he was proposing to marry me. These three men had many young women at the academy ready to serve them, but not me. I wanted to create an advocacy for women to learn to stand up for their rights—they couldn't be subjected to slavery and worshipping men for their dïcks.

Leon smiled and returned to his seat. "I'm just kidding, haha," he laughed, raising his hands in surrender. But my brows furrowed at him. My heart was beating erratically, and I warned him with a stern voice, "Don't come close to me again!"

Luis and Liam were quiet as they watched me, but I felt their eyes boring into me. My legs quivered, and my entire body was still hot from Leon's closeness.

As I was about to leave 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, and before I could say a word, the doorbell rang. My mother rushed to the dining table, setting the large white tray of food down.

"Mia, hurry up and check who is at the door. I'm sure Alpha David Oscar has arrived," Mom said, her face excited. Seeing my mother's happy expression, I frowned and glared at the three boys who were watching me. I forced my feet to move and went to open the living room door.

To my shock, an older version of Liam, Luis, and Leon stood at the door and smiled at me. "Hi. You must be Mia, right?" he asked, noticing my shocked face. He smiled as I stepped aside to let him enter. He wore a black suit and looked strikingly handsome.

"Good evening, sir. I am," I said, smiling and 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 as beautiful as your mother," he praised, shaking my right hand, and I blushed. "Thank you, sir," I replied, as my mother walked up to welcome him.

"Welcome, babe," Mom said as she hugged Alpha David Oscar. I stole a quick glance at Triple L to see their reactions upon seeing 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 when they saw me smirking at them, they smiled at me for the first time, making my heart explode and throb faster. I quickly looked away.

"Come on, Mia. Let's have our seats while I set up the meals," Mom said, her voice soft as she gestured 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, as the dining table had six chairs. This was the first time the dining room was full—it had always been just me and my mother.

Mom served the delicious meals of fried rice and chicken before she went to serve drinks and sat back next to Alpha David.

"How do you like the meals, Triple L?" Mom asked when 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 the meal yet?" Mom asked, her voice full of concern as her eyes darted to Luis and Liam, who sat next to me.

"You seem to care more about the boys than me, babe," Alpha David complained sweetly, looking at my mother lovingly.

Mom blushed and said, "I know you won't tell me the truth about my food. You'll always say good things. I personally prepared this fried rice and chicken, and I wanted to see how your sons like it."

Mom shifted her gaze to us and peered at Luis, who sat next to me. Luis had the same coffee smell as Leon. He dipped his spoon into the fried rice on his plate and took a bite, as did Liam, while I watched their faces.

"It's nice, Chairwoman," Luis said, and 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," Alpha David snapped, his voice thunderous, and I stared at him in shock.

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

Alpha David scowled and looked at my mother's face. His voice softened as he said, "I want you to be my wife. I know the three of them are stubborn. I can send them away, but I want to marry you. It's been 22 years since Esther left me. Don't you think I deserve to be happy?"

Mom smiled sadly and replied, "You do, but our children are a part of us. If they don't approve of us, we can't force it."

"Mm," Alpha David's fist clenched around his spoon. Mom whispered in his right ear, "We can still be friends and give them time to get along."

"No. They are naughty boys, and I can't give them any 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 by my side as my Luna," Alpha David insisted, holding my mother's hands lovingly.

I glanced at Leon's face to see his expression. He frowned and looked at me.

As our gazes locked, I smirked, and his eyes narrowed. Looking at his father and my mother holding hands, Leon cleared his throat and said, "Dad, we approve of you and Mom getting married."

"What!" I gasped, along with Liam and Luis.