A Tribute To The Triplets

Chapter Two.

Aurelia’s POV.

Has it been days? Weeks? It didn’t matter.

I couldn’t see anything in the thick darkness that engulfed me. I could only feel the hunger gnawing at my stomach. My throat burned with thirst and I could barely breathe properly as I laid on the dusty floor smeared with my own urine.

The chains weighed down heavily on my wrists, digging deeper into my flesh with every single movement from me.

I laid there motionless, ignoring the chill seeping into my bones from the cold floor, the grime coating my skin because all I could think of was their screams.

Their horrified, blank faces as life drained from their bodies… my mate… my parents… the blood… the sickening crunch of my father’s bones.

It was buried deep inside of me and all I could do was writhe in my misery and pain, too exhausted to cry or maybe… there wasn’t anymore tears left in me.

The sound of heavy boots against the ground and the jangle of keys shattered the silence and my heart skipped a beat.

Food! Maybe they finally brought food… or maybe water!

I struggled to move but my body was too weak, even my head had to remain rooted to its spot to calm the splitting headache threatening to rip it in two.

Dim light flooded my cell and I heard the door unlock before it screeched open. Heavy footsteps surrounded me, Just as strong hands grabbed my arms and dragged me up. My bare skin scraped against the rough floor but they didn’t care.

“She stinks.” One of the guards remarked as he scrunched up his nose, glaring at me.

“It isn’t everyday we see a princess become a nobody.” The second mocked.

The first guard aggressively grabbed my chin and pulled me closer to him until I was staring into his leering eyes as his sharp nails dug into my flesh. His breath reeked of cheap ale and meat.

“What’s wrong Princess?” He sneered, “think you’re too good for me?” His free hand rough and slimy, slid down my side, over the curve of my hip with a slow gesture that made my stomach heave.

My eyes squeezed shut against the nauseating feeling of his erection poking at my thighs.

This was it. This was the fate of a “nobody”. To become a lowly person that a guard could grope in the dark.

I had never shifted before so I had no wolf to help me.

He grabbed my hair and yanked it back, I yelped in pain but couldn’t even resist as his lips inched closer,

“You can play with her later, we can’t keep the Alpha waiting.” The second guard pulled him off me.

I could barely say a word or lift a finger as they unlocked the chains, it felt like a heavy weight had just been taken off me as the chains fell to the ground before a dress was pulled down my body to cover me up.

I wouldn’t call it a dress… it was a rag. Thin, torn, stained and filthy, it reeked of sweat and things I didn’t even want to name. Even a maid in the pack house wouldn’t wear something this degrading.

Unable to resist, all I could do was flinch in pain as I was shoved and half dragged out of the dungeon.

The moment the blinding light of day hit me, I squinted my eyes, unable to take it all in at once but the guards didn’t even have the patience, they forcefully pushed me forward and I almost fell face flat on the floor.

The once familiar corridors of the place I grew up in, now felt alien and hostile. New guards flanked the walls all over the place, some snarled at me while other simply stared in amusement at my humiliation.

I could recognize a handful of them as my father’s men but they couldn’t look me in the eyes, they simply glanced away in guilt.

My family’s crest had been pulled down and in its place was a huge banner of Kade’s wolf hanging over the walls in front of the grand hall.

This was no longer my home and that reality crushed me.

The doors opened and I was shoved inside. The memories from my birthday party flooded my mind immediately my eyes rested on the familiar hall that was drenched with the blood of everyone I held dear.

My aching body began to tremble and I could barely stand on my feet.

“Ahhh… she finally decides to join us.” Kade’s loud voice echoed through the hall and I glanced up slowly to find him seated at the head of the table.

My father’s seat!

Tears sprang to the corner of my eyes instantly and I could barely stop them from rolling down my cheeks as I struggled to swallow, anything at all to wet my burning throat.

And then, my eyes rested on them seated beside Kade… my fos-

No! My skin crawled at the mere thought of calling them that, those murderers were not my brothers, they could never be my brothers.

Rylan sat unmoving, his eyes cold as they scanned over me. Torin on the other hand stared straight into my eyes, daring me to hold his gaze longer than a second but I could never, not when I could see the beast that killed my mate lurking behind them.

While Kaelen looked indifferent, like he didn’t even want to be there.

They all looked good, clean, well fed and well rested, like they had not lost an ounce of sleep after the atrocity they had committed.

How could they sleep at night after murdering the people that raised them in cold blood? How could they eat after killing the man that saved their lives?!

How could they celebrate after ruining my life?!

I could feel the blood rushing past my ears as my fists clenched tightly by my side;

“Gentlemen…” Kade began, gesturing towards me with a dismissive wave of his hand as if he was merely presenting a cut of meat, “a small token of my appreciation for your… loyalty.”

“Consider her a tribute, she’s yours to do with as you please. A little pet to keep you entertained or see to your private needs. Maybe a toy?” He added with a grin as the triplets turned towards me.

What?!

Their gaze made my skin burn and crawl with hatred.

Rylan’s cold eyes swept over me like he was assessing a tool, Kaelen posture stiffened but he never looked at me while Torin… the maniac eyes glowed with intrigue.

He actually smirked! A slow, dark curve of his lips that made my heart skip a beat.

I saw him kill Liam in cold blood and he still had the…

“Take her away and get her ready.” Kade’s orders cut through my thoughts and snapped me back to reality.

As the maids approached me, reality sank in.

There was no way I was going to let that happen.

I could feel the rage boiling underneath my skin as my fingers dug into my palm.

Without a second thought, I spat on the floor between them, the sound of my heart pounding filled my ears,

“I would let the roaches in that dungeon feast on my corpse before I ever let any of you murderers touch me.” My voice was hoarse but firm as the words rolled out of me, laced with venom.

Kade’s sick laughter rang across the hall, a cruel, mocking sound while the triplets remained silent.

“Just take her away.” Kade waved me off as the guards from earlier suddenly appeared beside me and grabbed my arms.

“No! No!” I screamed out loud, thrashing wildly with all the strength I had left but it was of no use.

I was roughly dragged out of the hall but to my horror, I wasn’t taken back to the dungeon but towards the guest wing in the pack house, the triplets chambers.

I was locked in there for what felt like a few hours before the door opened and the three men who destroyed my life, stepped inside.

My heart skipped a beat as the door slammed shut, the realization of how powerless I was knocked the air right out of my lungs,

I was completely at their mercy.