Chapter 1 : Black Pine Springs

HARPER

……

I swore I would never return to the place I once called home, the place I had my heart shattered to bits by my mates.

Five years. I had spent five years in the city, trying to erase the pain of their rejection and start a new life.

But here I was, clutching the steering wheel of my battered sedan as I drove past the crooked sign that read, 'Welcome to Black Pine Springs'.

The universe had a shitty way of throwing your words right back in your face.

I gripped the wheel until my knuckles turned white, the familiar smell of oak trees and pine tickling my nostrils, hitting me with a wave of nostalgia I didn't expect.

I had walked these roads back then, when everything seemed perfect. I had allowed myself to dream, to hope that it would remain perfect, until reality set in.

This time, I wasn't back to reminisce. I was back for a different reason.

When I spotted the familiar path that led to my late mother's lodge, I breathed a sigh of relief. So far, I hadn't seen any familiar faces.

I pulled into the gravel driveway and slowed to a stop outside the weathered, wooden building, but I didn't get out immediately.

The main lodge was beautiful but worn out, its wrap-around porch sagging like a tired shoulder.

Silver Ridge Lodge was my mother's pride. It consisted of six master bedrooms and two separate kitchens.

My mother had poured her heart into the lodge before cancer took her life, leaving me to inherit the legacy.

My plan was simple: fix the lodge, sell it to the highest bidder, and vanish. I didn't care about legacy. I cared about survival.

And I certainly didn't want to cross paths with the three men who once cruelly shattered my heart.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to swallow the anxiety rising in my throat. There was no backing out now.

I pushed the door open and stepped out, my boots hitting the gravel firmly. The mountain air felt clean and crisp, bringing back bittersweet memories.

Brown leaves littered the ground, all the way to the sagging porch.

The welcome sign was barely hanging on, creaking softly in the wind. The entire building was covered in a thick layer of dust, and I could barely see through the smudged windows.

As I pulled out my keys to unlock the door, I heard the loud crunch of boots on gravel. My heart jerked, skipping several beats.

Oh God, not now. I didn't want to see anyone yet.

"Harper? Is that really you?" a raspy voice called out.

I whirled around, my heart hammering against my ribs. But when I recognized the grey-haired woman standing by the porch, the tightening in my chest lessened into a dull ache.

"Hi, Mrs. Gable," I forced the words past the sudden lump in my throat. She was the last person I wanted to see.

Mrs. Celeste Gable was the town's baker, and she had been a close friend of my mom. With her being a chronic gossip, it wouldn't be long before the whole town knew I was back.

Her eyes widened, a genuine smile breaking across her face.

"Oh, sweet child, you're back!"

She came up the driveway, hands spread wide open to embrace me. I stood stiffly as she patted my back, muttering about how long it had been.

When she pulled back, I caught the look in her eyes as she took in my short skirts, weathered boots and brown hoodie.

"My, you've changed. Put on a lot of weight there. You should try losing a few pounds, mhm? You wouldn't want to get too heavy."

She threw back her head and laughed, but I just stood there, wishing the ground could open up and swallow me.

Back in the city, I had endured a toxic ex who made fun of my weight. Being a 186 pounds, 5 foot six, plus size girl, it had been difficult to build up my self-esteem.

My ex, Derek, had shrank my confidence down to a microscopic speck, until my self-worth plummeted completely.

Now, as I listened to Mrs. Gable joke about my weight, the humiliation returned tenfold.

I forced a cheerful smile and stepped away from her. "It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Gable. How are you?"

"I'm quite alright, dear. I must say, I was heartbroken when the news of your mother's death reached me. How are you holding up?"

I gave her a fake smile. "Just getting by."

"As you should, Harper, as you should. I hope you're back to stay for good. You shouldn't let the past define how you live your life."

I nodded, hoping she would shut up and just leave. Talking about my mates' rejection was the last thing I needed.

"Come around to the bakery when you're all settled in. I'll let everyone know you're back," she said.

I was already shaking my head as she turned away. "Mrs. Gable, I'm not staying..."

My voice trailed off as she waltzed off the same way she came. I covered my face with my hands, wishing I hadn't run into her.

I didn't want anyone to know I was back. And most importantly, I didn't want them, my ex mates, to know I had returned.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside the lodge. The interior smelled like dust and old memories. Cobwebs crisscrossed the narrow hallway, and a few mice scurried past as I walked through.

I had a lot of cleaning to do, so I immediately got to work, channeling all my anxiety into physical labor.

I spent the next four hours furiously cleaning, scrubbing the floors of the common room and bedrooms, and washing the bathrooms, kitchen and windows.

By the time the sun started to sink into the horizon, I was completely exhausted.

I collapsed into one of the couches in the common room and gulped down the water in my flask. First task of the day was done.

Suddenly, the air in the room shifted. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I felt my wolf go restless, whining with a mix of fear and submission.

The temperature around me seemed to drop, and the dominant aura of a powerful Alpha flooded the entire building.

Then came the scent. Rain, cedar, and raw, intoxicating power. I would know that scent even in my dreams.

Panicking, I scrambled up from the couch and backed straight into the open kitchen, desperate to put a barrier between myself and the front entrance.

Before I could make a run for it, the front door of the lodge flew open. The air left my lungs in a sharp gasp.

There he was. Mason. The eldest triplet, exuding a raw, dominant power that made my knees tremble.

My gaze locked onto his own, and he smiled, a slow curl of those sexy lips that had once worshipped my skin.

"Hello, Harper," he murmured, his voice a low, gravelly baritone that vibrated straight into my core.

Before I could find my voice to respond, Ryder and Dallas stepped into view, flanking him on both sides.

I slowly backed away until my spine pressed against the kitchen counter. I thought I had moved on from them after the rejection, but I was wrong. They still had that absolute control over me.

They stood in the entryway, framing the door like three gods of wrath, dressed in tailored dark outfits that cost more than my entire life savings.

But there was nothing civilized about the way they looked at me.

In the center was Mason, his dark eyes glittering with a dangerous, predatory satisfaction.

To his left was Ryder, the wild, unpredictable one. A dark smirk played on his lips, but his eyes were completely wild, tracking the pulse fluttering in my throat.

On the other side was Dallas, the silent observer with heated eyes. His gaze was heavy, burning with a quiet, obsessive intensity that made it hard to breathe.

Five years of separation instantly vanished in a single heartbeat.

"You're in our territory, little wolf," Ryder purred, taking a slow, deliberate step into the kitchen.

"I have a right to be here," I gasped out, hating how breathless I sounded. "I'm fixing the lodge, and I'm selling it."

Dallas let out a low, dark chuckle that sent a shiver down my spine. "You might want to rethink that decision."

I pressed further into the counter as they edged closer. Mason stepped forward, cutting off the space between us until he was towering over me. The sheer heat radiating off his body was overwhelming.

He reached out, his large calloused palm gently tracing my jawline, forcing my chin up. His eyes suddenly bled into a piercing, feral gold.

"Five years ago, you ran from us, Harper," he whispered, his thumb pressing into my lower lip. "You completely disappeared."

"You rejected me," I shot back weakly and tried to pull away, but his grip on my chin turned firm. "I'm leaving in a month. Once I sell this lodge, I'll be out of your lives for good."

"You aren't selling this lodge, Harper. And you aren't leaving," Mason murmured, his face inches from mine as Ryder and Dallas closed in behind him, trapping me completely.

"Because effective five minutes ago, we bought this place. You don't own it anymore. We do, and we own you.”