Ch. 1 The Party

Mallory’s POV

 Sixteen years old

“Ugh! I look like hell!” I groaned to myself, taking in the dark circles under my eyes and the sallow look to my skin reflected in my bathroom mirror. 

I’d been having the same nightmare since I was seven years old but somehow it still managed to rob me of sleep. Last night was no different, leading to my current predicament. What a great way to start the day, my sixteenth birthday.

“Let’s go birthday girl!” My mom called way too energetically from the living room. “Alpha and Luna are waiting for us to arrive so they can celebrate with you!”

“Five minutes, mom!” I hollered back.

I loved Alpha Carl and Luna Erika. They were like second parents to me, much to their triplet sons’ dismay. I wasn’t sure why they took such an interest in me, a lowly omega in the pack, but I wasn’t going to question it. They had done so much for me over the years, treating me as part of the family. If only the future Alpha triplets felt the same way.

Colt, Clay, Cary and I had developed a fragile truce over the years. Where they used to go out of their way to taunt and bully me relentlessly, now they basically ignored me. As long as I stayed out of their way, they stayed out of mine. Of course, that meant I spent the majority of my time dodging them. Because if I happened to cross their path, all bets were off. 

The exception was always days like today, when their parents dared to do something nice for me and insisted they attend. They resented the hell out of me for insinuating myself into their family, and they made sure I knew it. Unfortunately, their chosen method of torment had changed, from outright bullying, to more subtle forms of torture less noticeable to prying eyes. Which meant this party was going to be miserable. 

“You said five minutes five minutes ago!” My mom groused, sticking her head in the bathroom door to check my progress.

With a deep sigh, I smoothed out my long ponytail and applied a quick swipe of lip gloss.

“Okay, let’s go do this!” I huffed, grabbing my purse and stomping to the car.

“You could be a little more excited!” Mom complained about my lack of interest in the event. “Luna said they had a big surprise for you! Not every girl in the pack is lucky enough to have their favor like you do.”

“I know, mom. I do appreciate it. I’m just tired.” It wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t the whole truth either. “But I promise to show the appropriate level of enthusiasm when we arrive.” 

“That’s my girl!” Mom shimmied in the driver’s seat. She always got so excited about my birthday. I reminded myself to try and have a good time for her sake.

Ten minutes later, we walked into the pack house dining room to see it awash in soft pink and yellow flowers. The damn place smelled like a florist shop. The tables were covered in crisp white tablecloths and the chairs were draped in pink and yellow silk sashes. A banner with pink writing spelled out “Happy Birthday Mallory” and a three tiered cake with pink and yellow roses and bowls of pink punch sat on a long table against the wall.

I just stood in the doorway, speechless. This was too much, way more lavish than any party they’d thrown for me before. I glanced around to find my mother wearing the hugest smile on her face, watching me take it all in. I plastered a bright smile of my own on my face, but inside I was trembling while I considered how angry the triplets would be over this display of familial affection. 

Luna Erika walked towards me with open arms, ready to pull me into a hug. Alpha Carl followed right on her heels.

“Happy birthday sweet girl.” Luna said, enveloping me in her arms. “We’re so proud of the beautiful woman you’ve grown into. We wanted to have a special celebration for you today.”

“Happy birthday Mallory.” Alpha added with a smile. “Boys, come wish Mallory a happy birthday.”

The triplets broke off the conversation they were having with the current Beta, and looked over at me with identical sneers on their faces. Still, they trudged their way over to me, deciding it wasn’t worth the argument if they refused. When they saw their sons head in my direction, Alpha and Luna stepped away.

“Happy birthday, Mal.” Cary was the first to greet me. But his teeth were gritted like every syllable pained him. 

“Yeah, happy birthday twirp,” was Clay’s flattering acknowledgement, although much more genuine than his brother’s. 

Colton just grunted, never letting the surly mask he wore slip from his face. At least his new girlfriend, Darcy, seemed nice enough.

“Happy birthday, Mallory.” She offered sweetly.

“Thank you.” I returned shyly, slightly intimidated by her aura.

She was tall and thin, beautiful and elegant. Everything a future Luna should be. I wouldn’t be surprised if the triplets made her their chosen mate and gave her the Luna role someday. Hopefully that day would be soon and they’d forget I existed.

The future Alphas had just recently turned eighteen and thought they were hot shit now that they had their wolves. It was annoying as fuck to be honest. They hadn’t found their mate yet, but they didn’t seem too fussed about it. Colton and Darcy had just started dating and he seemed pretty smitten with her. Clayton and Carrington, on the other hand, went through women like water, which I personally found disgusting. 

But if I was being truthful with myself, it wasn’t just their atrocious behavior toward me that made me keep my distance from the triplets. I’d hoped that as they got older, the Moon Goddess would curse them with skinny bodies and cystic acne so they’d finally learn some humility. Unfortunately, that didn’t go my way.

Instead, they had sculpted bodies covered in rippling muscles and perfect skin with not a blemish in sight. They were all six foot five with perfectly chiseled jaw lines and piercing blue eyes that would make any girl weak in the knees. The different ways they styled their sandy blond hair was the only way most people could tell them apart, though I never seemed to have any trouble.

Colton had short hair, faded on the sides and spiky on top. Clay had short hair too but it was longer on top, all sexily mussed with an angled fringe. But Cary had the sexiest look of all. His naturally wavy hair was longer, reaching below his chin, and he wore it with his curls slicked back. Unless he was training, when he always pulled it up in a messy bun.

Unfortunately, it was during training that I had ample opportunity to ogle their perfect physiques and I hated myself that I couldn’t seem to stop. Looking at them shirtless did things to my body that I wasn’t altogether comfortable with. Just thinking about the way sweat glistened on their sun-drenched skin made me want to lick them from neck to navel. Shit!

I had to remind myself on the daily that they were shameless manwhores. Otherwise, I might find myself in danger of actually being attracted to them, which would be a total train wreck!

“What are you thinking about, little wolf?” Clayton pulled on my ponytail, derailing my dirty thoughts. He gave me a knowing look, like he could read my mind, and I knew I had to change the subject fast. 

“Hey! Didn’t you guys just turn eighteen?” I asked, quickly covering for my daydreaming with my usual snarky attitude.

“Yeah, a few weeks ago!” He beamed proudly. “Why?”

“Just wanted to confirm since you’re still behaving like a first grader, pulling girls’ ponytails to get their attention.” I scoffed, then walked away before he could come up with a scathing reply.    

After a few minutes of hiding out in the bathroom, I decided it would probably be rude for me to avoid my own party so I reluctantly decided to go mingle. I was looking down, latching my bag closed as I walked out the door when I smacked into a hard wall. The impact knocked me backwards only to slam into something else. Something with arms that quickly snaked around me and held me in place. 

I looked up to see Clay standing much too close, glowering at me. I didn’t have to look to know it was Cary standing behind me, trapping me in his embrace.

“Sassy little wolf, aren’t you?” Clay’s minty breath blew across my face as he spoke, then he leaned forward to murmur in my ear, “I'd watch my mouth if I were you or we might be forced to find another use for it.”

His warm breath tickling my ear caused me to shiver and imagining what his words insinuated sent tingles straight between my legs. He was too close, his leather and tobacco scent making me woozy. This was what happened when they caught me now. To onlookers, it appeared to be nothing more than innocent flirting. But to me, it was torture. Because they knew the effect they had on my adolescent libido and they took full advantage of it, only to mock me for it later. 

“I-” I tried to think of a witty reply but my brain had short-circuited.

“What’s the matter? Is your innocent little mind trying to figure out what he meant? Who’s the child now, Mallory?” Cary’s husky voice blew over my other ear. 

He smelled of bergamot and cinnamon, so thick it was numbing my senses to anything but him. And when I leaned forward, trying to escape his hold, I could feel a very hard, very adult part of his anatomy pressing against my ass. It was all I could do to stifle the whimper that threatened to escape. Wetness pooled between my thighs without my permission. If I didn’t get away from them soon, they would smell what they were doing to me and I’d never survive the humiliation.  

“There you are!” My mother’s impeccably timed yell came from the end of the hall. “You three need to get out here. Luna wants to cut the cake, and she has an announcement to make!”

Saved by my mother’s inability to give me five whole minutes to myself, or so I thought.

“We’ll bring her right out, Maeve.” Clay told her, never taking his eyes off my face. “We were almost done talking anyway.”

“Thank you boys!” Mom chirped happily before walking away.

I tried to step around them to leave but they just pressed closer to me, holding me in place with their firm bodies. 

“Did we say you could go yet, darling?” Cary growled behind me.

“But, your mother-” I tried pointing out, but Clay cut me off.

“Our mother will wait. We aren’t finished with you.” He snapped, making me flinch. “Next time you decide to get sassy with one of us, I suggest you remember who the adults are here. Though, if you want an introduction into womanhood, I’m sure one of us would be more than willing to help you with that.”

“Or more than one of us.” Cary added, pressing his face into my hair and inhaling deeply.

No force on earth could have stopped the whine that left me at their words. All I could do was stand there, helplessly trapped between them, my limbs refusing to work. 

“I can smell your arousal, darling. If you were a little older and had the body of a real woman, we might consider scratching that itch for you. But we don’t fuck little girls.” Cary taunted me, degrading me with his words. 

“Now, put a smile on that sweet little face of yours, little wolf.” Clay commanded.” You wouldn’t want to worry our parents by wearing a frown at the party they worked so hard on, would you?”

I just shook my head. That seemed to be enough for them because they just turned to go back to the party, dragging me between them while I desperately tried to calm my racing heart.