Chapter 5

AVA

I woke up the next morning feeling like I had been hit by a truck. My body still ached from whatever had happened between us last night, and I couldn't stop thinking about the way the triplets had touched me.

But when I went downstairs for breakfast, it was like the Rose Moon Ball had never happened.

The triplets were sitting at their usual spots at the dining table, but they wouldn't even look at me. When I walked into the room, Zade actually got up and left. Roman kept his eyes firmly on his phone, while Axel stared out the window like I didn't exist.

It hurt more than I expected.

Then Hailey walked into the dining room like she owned the place. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled even though it was barely eight in the morning. She kissed Zade on the cheek and sat down next to him like nothing had changed.

"Morning, baby," she cooed. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," Zade replied, still not looking in my direction.

Kylie and Michelle arrived next, taking their spots next to Roman and Axel. They all acted like everything was normal, but there was something different in the air.

"Oh, Ava," Kylie said in her fake sweet voice. "You look tired. Rough night?"

The triplets all tensed up, but none of them said anything.

"I'm fine," I repeated.

"Are you sure? You look a little flushed," Michelle added with a cruel smile.

I could feel my cheeks burning. They knew. Somehow, they knew what had almost happened last night.

I finished my breakfast quickly and got up to leave, but Hailey stuck her foot out at the last second. I tripped, and my books scattered all over the floor.

"How clumsy of you,” she said innocently.

I waited for one of the triplets to say something to acknowledge what Hailey had just done, but they just sat there in silence.

The message was clear. Whatever had happened between us last night meant nothing. I was still nobody to them.

School was a nightmare. The girlfriends were worse than they had ever been. It was like they were trying to prove a point. During lunch, Kylie offered me a sandwich that she claimed was "to make up for yesterday." I was hungry and stupid enough to take a bite.

Within an hour, I was throwing up in the bathroom. My stomach cramped so badly that I could barely stand, and I spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office.

"It’s just food poisoning," the nurse said, but we both knew it wasn't just that.

After school, I was walking through the pack house when I heard Michelle's footsteps behind me. I turned around just in time to see her coming at me with a pair of scissors.

"I'm going to cut off all that ugly hair!" she screamed. Her eyes looked wild and crazy.

I ran through the hallways with Michelle chasing me with the scissors in her hand, screaming about how I had stolen her mate. Pack members stopped and stared, but nobody helped. They just watched it all like it was some kind of entertainment.

I finally lost her by locking myself in a supply closet, even as my heart pounded and my hands shook. I stayed there for an hour, listening to her bang on the door, threatening me.

When I finally came out, she was gone. But the message was clear: they weren't going to stop. If anything, they were going to get worse.

The worst part wasn't the attacks, though. It was the triplets' reaction to everything.

I was walking past the library that evening when I heard their voices through the partially open door. I know I shouldn't have listened, but I couldn't help myself.

"This can't be real," Zade was saying. He sounded frustrated. "It has to be some kind of mistake."

"Maybe it's a curse," Roman suggested. "Maybe someone put a spell on us to make us think she's our mate."

"An Omega can't be mated to three Alphas," Axel added. "It doesn't make any sense."

My heart shattered. They were talking about me like I was a problem they needed to solve.

"Even if it is real," Roman continued, "only the first one to mark her can truly claim her. The other two would be left with nothing."

"Which means we would have to fight each other for her," Zade said with disgust. "Fight our own brothers over her."

The way he said "her" made me feel sick. He said it like I was this gross thing he’d accidentally stepped in.

"Maybe if we just ignore the bond, it will go away," Roman said. "Let’s just pretend nothing happened."

"But it’s getting stronger," Axel pointed out. "Every time we see her, every time we smell her scent—“

"Then we avoid her," Zade cut in.

I walked away from the door as tears ran down my face. They were ashamed of me. Even the mate bond couldn't make them want me. I was still just the ugly, worthless Omega they had always seen me as.

***

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that had happened. The mate bond was supposed to be this beautiful, magical thing that was meant to bring people together.

But all it had done was make my life worse.

The triplets were horrified that they were my mates. Their girlfriends were trying to kill me. And I was more alone than ever.

I couldn't take it anymore.

At two in the morning, I got up and started packing. I didn't have much—just a few clothes, some pictures of Dad, and the little bit of money I had saved up. I stuffed everything into my old backpack and crept toward the front door.

I was going to leave. I was going to run away from this pack, from everything. I would find somewhere new to start over. Somewhere nobody knew about the pathetic Omega who was mated to three Alphas that didn't want her.

My hand was on the door handle when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Where do you think you're going?" Zade's voice was low but it still sounded dangerous.

I turned around to find the triplets standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm leaving,” I said simply.

"Like hell you are," Roman snarled, taking a step toward me.

"You can't just leave," Axel added.

"Watch me," I said, turning back to the door.

But before I could open it, Zade was behind me, and suddenly, he slammed his hand on the door to keep it closed.

"You're not going anywhere," he said. His breath felt hot against my ear.

"You don't want me here," I said, not bothering to turn around. "You made that very clear today."

"That's not—" Roman started, but he was cut off by a sound that made all of us freeze.

It was a howl. Then another. And another.

They all sounded dangerous.

"Rogues," Axel said.

The howls were coming from right outside the pack house. They sounded so close.

We were under attack.

"Get upstairs," Zade ordered, grabbing my arm. "Now."

"No," I said, pulling my hand away from him. "You don't get to ignore me all day and then order me around when it's convenient."

Another rogue howled again, and this one sounded so close it made the windows rattle.

"This isn't the time to be stubborn," Roman snapped.

"When is the time?" I shot back. "When you're not ashamed of me? When your girlfriends aren't trying to kill me? When exactly am I allowed to matter?"

The sound of glass breaking came from somewhere upstairs. Shouts filled the pack house as other members woke up and realized what was happening.

"Ava," Axel said. "Please, go upstairs and hide."

"Why?" I asked. "So you—"

Suddenly, I was cut off by the front door flying inward.

Three massive wolves crashed through the entrance. Their eyes were glowing red in the darkness and I immediately knew what they were.

They were rogues. The biggest one had scars covering his gray fur, and when he looked at me, he smiled.

Like, he actually smiled, showing teeth that were too sharp.

"Well, well," he said when he shifted back to human form. He was naked and covered in scars, but he didn't seem to care. "What do we have here?"

The triplets moved to stand in front of me.

"You're trespassing," Zade said.

"Are we?" the rogue laughed. "Or are we just here to collect what belongs to us?"

His red eyes found mine, and he licked his lips.

"Hello, little Omega," he said. "We've been looking for you."