Chapter 3

The moon cast silvery shadows through the great hall's windows as pack members filed in for the ceremony. My hands trembled as I arranged the last of the champagne glasses, trying desperately to avoid catching the triplets' heated gazes. Since our confrontation in the kitchen that morning, their presence had become overwhelming - every brush of their scents making my wolf whine with need.

I couldn't shake off the memory of that heated exchange. The truth about my parents’ disappearance looked over me, though the triplets promised to show me rather than telling me.

What did Ethan mean when he said he knew everything? Would their disappearance finally be revealed tonight amidst this celebration?

"Stop fidgeting," Selene hissed as she passed, her designer heels clicking against the marble floor. "And try not to embarrass us tonight."

I bit back a retort, focusing instead on the delicate crystal stems before me. The irony wasn't lost on me - serving at my own mates' ascension ceremony. Not that I'd accepted them. The very thought of being bound to the three males who'd tormented me for years made my stomach churn, even as my treacherous body responded to their proximity.

"You look beautiful tonight," Noah's quiet voice startled me. I hadn't heard him approach - unusual for someone his size. He stood close enough that his warmth radiated against my back, but maintained enough distance to avoid touching me.

"Thank you," I managed, proud that my voice remained steady. "But I have work to do."

"Let someone else handle it," he reached for the tray, but I stepped away.

"I know my place in this pack," I said firmly. "Nothing's changed."

His eyes flashed gold. "Everything's changed, Zara. Whether you accept it or not."

Before I could respond, Liam's commanding presence filled the doorway. "Noah. The ceremony's about to begin."

Noah's jaw clenched, but he moved away without argument. I watched him go, trying to ignore the way my wolf howled at the increasing distance between us.

The ceremony itself was traditional - a formal transfer of power from the current Alpha to his successors. But having three new Alphas was unprecedented, and the pack watched with rapt attention as Liam, Ethan, and Noah took their vows.

I stood at the back, serving champagne and trying to blend into the shadows. But their eyes found me constantly - Liam's piercing gaze as he spoke of protecting the pack, Ethan's knowing smirk as he promised to uphold our laws, Noah's quiet intensity as he pledged his loyalty.

"To the new Alphas!" The crowd cheered, raising their glasses.

I turned to escape to the kitchen, but Ethan's voice rang out clearly: "And to our Luna."

The room fell silent. My heart stopped.

"What did he say?" Someone whispered.

"Luna? But they haven't announced their mate..."

Selene's glass shattered in her grip, champagne and blood dripping onto her expensive dress. "Ethan," she warned.

But Ethan was already moving through the crowd toward me, his brothers flanking him. The pack parted before them, whispers growing louder.

"No," I breathed, backing away. "Don't do this. Not here."

"It's time everyone knew," Liam said, his Alpha voice making the windows rattle. "Zara Winters is our mate."

The silence exploded into chaos. Voices overlapped - shock, outrage, disbelief. I caught fragments of conversations:

"The servant girl?"

"But she's just an omega..."

"This can't be right..."

"SILENCE!" Liam's roar shook the chandelier. The pack immediately quieted, instinct forcing them to submit to their new Alpha.

I felt trapped, cornered. My wolf was torn between submission to our mates and the overwhelming urge to run. The room spun slightly.

"Breathe, little one," Noah murmured, suddenly at my side. His hand found the small of my back, steadying me.

"This is ridiculous," Selene's voice cut through the tension. "You can't possibly think she's suitable. She's nothing but a charity case, a burden on this pack since the day her parents abandoned her."

"Mother," Ethan growled, but she continued.

"What kind of Luna would she make? She can barely take care of herself, let alone an entire pack. And let's not forget the debt her family still owes us..."

"A debt that was paid three times over by her years of service," Noah's quiet voice carried surprising authority. "We've checked the books, Mother. Every penny has been accounted for."

I stared at him in shock. "What?"

"We should discuss this in private," Selene said quickly, but Liam shook his head.

"No more secrets," he declared. "Zara has more than earned her place here - not that she needed to. The Moon Goddess chose her for us, and we accept her choice with gratitude and joy."

His words should have comforted me. Instead, they made me feel sick. Where was this protective attitude when I needed it? Where were their noble sentiments during all those years of torment?

"And what about what I want?" I asked, my voice stronger than I felt. "Did anyone think to ask me?"

The room grew still again. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, waiting to see how the new Alphas would handle their mate's public defiance.

"Zara," Ethan started, but I cut him off.

"No. You don't get to decide this for me. You lost that right when you spent years making my life hell." I turned to address the pack. "Yes, I'm their mate. But I haven't accepted them, and I don't know if I will."

Gasps echoed through the hall. Rejecting a mate bond was almost unheard of - rejecting three Alpha mates was unprecedented.

"You can't mean that," Selene said, but there was a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes.

"I do," I lifted my chin. "And until I decide otherwise, nothing changes. I'm still just Zara, and I'll continue my duties as before."

"The hell you will," Liam growled, reaching for me.

I stepped back. "Touch me without permission, Alpha, and I'll take it as an act of aggression against an unmated omega. You know the laws."

He froze. I'd backed him into a corner - as Alpha, he was bound to uphold pack law, which protected unmated wolves from unwanted advances, even from their fated mates.

"You can't run from this forever," Ethan said softly.

"Watch me," I replied, then turned and walked out of the hall, leaving silence in my wake.

I made it halfway up the stairs before the tears started falling. My wolf was howling in agony, fighting my decision to walk away from our mates. But I couldn't trust them - not yet, maybe not ever.

A sound behind me made me spin around. Noah stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching me with those intense eyes.

"I won't stop you," he said quietly. "But before you make your final decision, there's something you should know about the night your parents disappeared."

My heart stuttered. "What about it?"

"It wasn't an accident, Zara. And we weren't the only ones who betrayed you that night."

I gripped the banister as the implications of his words sank in. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that sometimes the people closest to you aren't who they seem." His eyes flicked meaningfully toward the hall where Selene stood watching us. "And sometimes the ones who hurt you the most are the ones trying to protect you."