Prologue

Mallory’s POV

Ten years old

“They've breached our borders! We won't be able to hold them off for long. We have to get her out before they reach the pack house!” I heard a man's voice shouting! “Take her and go now Melanie!”

“No!” Came the woman's shrill scream. “I'm not leaving without you!” 

“You have to go, love.” The man's voice softened. “I won't be able to fight unless I know you and our daughter are safe.”

“I'm not going and that's final!” The woman insisted, her voice hard. “If you die, I'll be no good to her anyway. Nanny can take her!”

“I'll call Carlton to let him know what's happening, make sure someone is there to meet them at the end of the tunnel.” The man finally relented, his voice breaking. “Say your goodbyes.”

“Sweetheart, nanny is going to take you on a trip, okay?” The woman said, kneeling beside the little girl sitting on the floor playing with her dolls.

“But I don't want to go, mommy!” The girl whined. “I want to stay with you and daddy!”

“I know sweetheart, but mommy and daddy have some important grown-up business to take care of right now. Be a good girl and go on a little adventure with nanny and we will come meet you as soon as we can.” She instructed the little girl.

“Let's go sweetheart.” Another, younger woman leaned over and picked the girl up in her arms. But before she could go anywhere, the girl's mother pulled her into a tight hug.

“I love you sweetheart, more than you'll ever know.” She said, kissing the girl on the cheek then releasing her with a sob.

“Carlton and Erika will meet them.” The man said, walking back into the room. “They are sending help but I doubt they will reach us in time. We had no warning!” 

“Daddy! I'm going on an adventure!” The girl announced excitedly.

“I know sweetheart!” The man replied, trying to sound upbeat for his child's sake. “Now give daddy a kiss goodbye, my little ladybug!”

The little girl kissed his cheek then he knelt to pull back a rug on the floor, revealing a trap door. He opened it and helped the young woman and child down into a dark hole. 

“If we don't survive, no one can ever know who she really is.” The man told the nanny who nodded in understanding. 

The child's mother sobbed and the man looked heartbroken as he closed the door to the tunnel. As soon as it closed, pitch black surrounded them and the child began to scream in terror!

************************************

“Mallory! Mallory, wake up sweetheart.” Mommy was cooing softly to me as she woke me from my nightmare.

I woke up screaming again, shivering from the cold sweat that covered my body. Mommy lifted me into her lap and rubbed my back, comforting me until I calmed down. It was the same thing she always did when I had that nightmare, which was often,

“Better?” She asked, as my breathing slowed and my screams quieted. I nodded yes but she just kept rocking me some more until I stopped shaking.

We sat quietly for a few more minutes until the doorbell rang, disturbing our peaceful moment.

“That will be the Alpha and Luna. Remember I told you they were stopping by today?” She asked without pausing for an answer. “They brought the triplets with them so go wash your face and get dressed quickly. You can all play together while we talk.”

“But I don’t want to play with them.” I grumbled. “They're mean to me!”

“They're just rambunctious thirteen year-old boys. I'm sure they aren't trying to be mean. But they are our future Alphas so try to have patience with them, okay?” She said, swatting my behind and pushing me towards the bathroom.

I groaned to myself. Boys were dumb. Especially those three. I just wanted to be alone to think about my dream some more. Why did I have the same bad dream over and over again? Who were those people and who was that little girl? I didn’t recognize them but somehow they felt familiar, like I should know them. I wished I could see the nanny's face in the dream. I felt like I should know her too.

“Maeve, how are you?” I heard Luna Erika ask my mom. “You look tired. Is she having nightmares again?”

“I’m afraid so. Always the same one but she still doesn’t recognize anyone.”

That was all I could hear clearly. Luna said something about an explosion, someone hitting their head, and “no memories” but the sound of the triplets pounding footsteps as they ran into the house drowned out the rest. 

The “no memories” part could have been about me. I couldn't remember anything from before three years ago. The pack doctor said it was selective amnesia or something like that. He wasn't sure if I would ever get my memories back. But it didn’t bother me either way. Unfortunately, I had plenty of memories of the triplet Alphas I’d like to forget.

“Hey, brat!” The oldest triplet, Colton, was standing in my bedroom doorway when I came out of the bathroom. “Heard you woke up crying from a silly nightmare again. You’re such a baby!”

“Shut up. Colt!” I snapped at him. “And get out of my room! I didn't invite you to come in and I don’t want you in here!”

“Too bad!” Clayton, the middle triplet smirked, coming up behind his brother and crowding in the doorway. “We're the future Alphas and you’re just an omega so you have to do what we say! And we say you have to let us in your room!”

“Yeah!” Carrington, the youngest, added. He always just went along with whatever his brothers said or did.

“Fine!” I huffed. “You can come in. Feel free to play with my barbies or try on my make-up. It will be a great story to tell all your friends. I’m going outside!”

“You better not dare say anything like that to anyone!” Clayton warned. “If you do, we’ll punish you, little wolf!”

I put on my bravest face and tried to push past them, but all three of them stood shoulder to shoulder blocking the door. Their arms were crossed over their chests and they were growling at me. They didn't have their wolves yet so it was just human growls, which I would have found funny if they weren't glaring at me like they were ready to murder me. I couldn't stop the whimper that left me at the threatening way they stared at me.

“Haha!” Colton laughed suddenly. “Told you she was a baby! We didn't even touch her and she's almost in tears.”

“I don't know why we always have to come here anyways.” Clayton complained. “Why are mom and dad so friendly with this scrawny little girl and her mother? It's not like they are anyone important. They are just omegas. Maeve doesn't even have a job. The pack probably pays for all their things.”

“That's not true!” I railed at them. “We have our own money! I heard my mom say so!” 

“Then where does it come from?” Cary demanded to know.

“None of your business!” I sassed back. Mom had said her family left it to her but I wasn't going to tell those nosy nellies that!

“When I ask you a question, you answer me!” Cary snarled, stomping towards me.

I flinched at the aggressive way he was moving towards me and put my arms up over my face to protect myself. I braced myself for a hit that never came.

“What is going on in here?” Alpha Carl’s booming voice bellowed. 

“This little omega is being disrespectful, dad!” Clay tattled, an indignant look on his face. “We're her Alphas and she refused to answer when we asked her a question!”

“What have I told you about singling people out because of rank?” Alpha demanded.

“That the weakest person in the pack is just as important as the strongest and a person's rank doesn't determine their value.” Colt answered proudly.

“That's right. And if you ever want to become Alphas and earn the respect of your pack, you better start remembering that!” He scolded them. 

“Is there a problem?” Luna's sweet voice asked as she walked up behind the Alpha.

I held my breath, waiting to hear what Alpha Carl would tell his Luna. I hoped he wouldn't tell her the truth. If he did, Luna would punish the triplets for sure. And they would make me pay later for getting them in trouble. 

“No, love. Just giving the boy's an Alpha lesson.” He told her, bending the truth to save them from their mother's wrath. Luna Erika was strict with the triplets, which was one of the reasons I liked her so much. As long as I wasn’t involved. 

“Oh, okay. Well why don't you boys head to the car. Maeve and Mallory are coming to the pack house to help us bake cookies today. Won't that be fun?” She declared cheerfully.

The triplets grumbled under their breath but did as they were told. I bet they were as excited to spend the day together as I was.