Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose.

The stain.

Leilani.

"Attention everyone!" My father's loud voice boomed through the still air of the heavily decorated hall, forcing everyone's attention to the front of the room where he stood looking sharp in his navy blue Armani suit, with a wine glass in hand and a smile on his face.

And then he delivered the blow;

"On this special day, I'd love to announce the engagement between my favorite person in the whole wide world. My golden girl, my only daughter, Chalice Blackthorne, and the future Alphas, Kael, Caelum and Zevran Stormborn!"

I froze. My heart stopped. Like literally stopped beating as subtle ringing began to sound in my ears.

The crowd erupted into wild cheering at his words but I didn't miss the subtle jeers. The snorts and the pitiful looks that some of our pack members threw at me.

He'd just called Chalice, my twin, his only daughter. In. Front. Of. Everyone.

He'd just made the world see how unimportant I was to him, and that was the most embarrassment I've ever received.

This was nothing like the times he'd hit me in the past. Or the times he and every member of the house had taken Chalice's side when she was wrong. This wasn't like how it felt when he made me a slave in his house… and even gave his employees the authority to bully me.

This was different.

This was him putting me in my place— even though I've always known my place since I was six.

I was 6 when it dawned on me that I was the defective twin with wild blonde hair and purple eyes while every other member of my family was auburn and spotting blue eyes. 

I was 12 when I finally understood the meaning of a 'crush', and maybe I was foolish, but at that young age, I knew I liked our Alpha's triplet sons a little too much.

I liked the way their dark hairs gleamed in the sun. The way their dimples deepened whenever they smiled— even though they never smiled at me. I knew I liked the way they looked at me a second too long.

And I knew that they liked me too— I could feel it.

Until my twin, Chalice read my diary. She found out about my crush on them, and for that, due to her overwhelming desire to have everything that was supposedly mine, she befriended them. 

I wasn't so surprised though when they clung to her like everyone else did; but that didn't take away the fact that it hurt me like a bitch. I also wouldn't lie that it didn't hurt when they never dared look at me because they adored my sister.

But that's besides the case.

I was 16 when Chalice shifted for the first time, and of course, I didn't.

And at age 18, when I still wouldn't shift, I was known to be defective. Weak. The curse. A stain to my family's very porcelain reputation.

And my father, the power hungry Beta, absolute-fuckingly abhorred me for it.

So now, was this his way of repaying me? For hurting me even more than he's done in the past?

Everyone in the pack knew how much I doted on the triplets. Even my family knew that.

So what was this?

Why is he announcing their engagement to my twin… and acting like I don't even exist?

Why does he hate me so much?

First came the pain… the hurt. And then there was rage.

The blood in my ears rushed loudly, dulling all sounds into nothing but white noise. Tears blurred my vision, making it hard for me to see anything; but despite my aching heart and my trembling limbs, I managed to stand tall, even though the snickers around me were growing louder.

Even though the paparazzi wouldn't stop taking my pictures.

Then as if to mess up my already messed up life, the triplet Alphas waltzed into the party just then. They were all lovey dovey with my sister, brandishing gifts for only her, even though it was clearly our birthday. 

They treated her like she was a rare gem, a piece of porcelain. Like she was the very air that they breathed.

Until Kael stopped and took in a very deep breath.

The hall stilled. Everyone froze in fear.

Zevran did the same shortly afterwards, followed by Caelum. 

My heart thundered in my chest as I watched them prance around the hall like mad men, sniffing at giggling young girls— I knew what this was. I could feel it in their crazed expressions— and only stopping before me; 

And then like something out of a horror movie, their eyes suddenly went dark.

"Mate!" They moaned so loud that everyone gasped. To top it all, Zevran leaned in, brushing his nose against the shell of my ear as he took in a lungful of breaths.

"Mate…" he whispered again, his voice soft, almost seductive.

I closed my eyes tightly as goosebumps spread over my skin, willing my raging heartbeat to calm. Willing myself to be able to speak. But no, none of that happened. And I can swear that I literally stopped breathing.

"No!" Caelum growled. "Not the wolfless curse. We should reject her."

His words, so carelessly said, shredded whatever was left of my tattered dignity. I staggered back, my breath hitching in my chest as more tears sprung free. And when I fell to the floor, no one tried to help me. No one cared. They all just stood above me, sneering down at me like I was some stain.

"I— I…"

"Save it!" Now, it was Kael who spoke. "I do not wish to hear more words from you, scum. Stay away and do not ruin Chalice's party… and later, we'll do something about that pesky mate bond!"

My tears ran freely now. They hated me. They despised me. But why…?

Chalice was the first person amongst the audience to snap out of the momentary surprise, she weaved her way through the crowd, lodged herself between them and cried; "Kael, Caelum, Zevran? What are you saying?!"

Zevran looked conflicted. His eyes darted between Chalice and I occasionally before he said; "She's our…mate. I feel the mate bond with—"

"With me!" Chalice snarled sweetly— if that's even a thing. "I am your only mate, remember. You guys promised me!" 

"Yes, we did." Kael affirmed. "…and for that reason, no reject can take your place. You're ours as we are yours."

No reject can take her place…

I was the reject.

Their words lanced through my chest, breaking whatever piece was left of my heart. I literally had to grip on the rug to hold myself from lashing out, from crying out. I doubled over as the pain in my chest intensified.

My heart grew heavy. My chest tight, especially when Chalice leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with malicious intent. She drawled; "I know you did something to them… to make them think you're mates, but I swear to the goddess, I'll ruin it, and I'll ruin you."

The laugh that slipped out of my lips just then was dripping with sarcasm… and pain. So much pain. I shook my head even as my tears fell, and rasped out; "Who needs dumbos like them anyway? You can have them."

I saw Chalice's face fall, but she quickly composed herself. She snarled; "The same dumbos you've loved all your life." 

And that was true. That was painfully true.

And then dropping her voice until it was a whisper, she leaned back towards the triplets and drawled, "…my stomach hurts. I think I am going to be sick from arguing so much with Leilani."

The triplets turned to glare at me, but just like they were in a trance, their gazes softened when they turned back to her. They behaved like they were charmed, their very perfect smiles returning to their faces; the fussing over her returning. 

"Ignore this." Caelum spat. He didn't even have the decency to refer to me by my name. 

I guess he doesn't even know my name.

Growing up, I hoped that even though I never got my wolf, that I would find my mate. And I hoped that whoever it was would be my ticket out of this miserable life. But I was wrong.

I was wrong because the Alpha's triplets were my mates— the three men wrapped around my sister's little finger. 

And I knew I was wrong when I saw the look in their eyes.

Disgust.

I watched as they led Chalice away from me, not even caring about the sorry state I was in, their eyes occasionally darting back to me as if in a bid to keep me in check. 

The party resumed. Everyone went back to what they were doing, but I couldn't. I could never. Especially since the alphas wouldn't stop drilling holes into my skin with their eyes.

Especially since their rejection still stung, still felt fresh.

They didn't reject me. They didn't acknowledge me. And they never spoke to me again after that day.

Loss.

Leilani.

*Beep.beep.beep.beep*

The sound of the heart monitor echoed throughout the vast space, snapping me back to the present, and I wiped the tears off my face with the back of my hand as I listened to the sound of my mother's choked sob from across the hall.

A few rows away from where I sat, my sister and mother were hurdled together, sporting the perfect image of a loving family; and our elder brother, Gavin, stood to the side, his eyes red and puffy, but despite that, he still managed to throw scornful looks my way, scoffing whenever our eyes met.

He hates me.

They hate me.

I shouldn't be here…

"Doctor, how's she?!" My mother spoke up suddenly, rushing to her feet when a woman in a white scrub walked out of the ICU.

The doctor sighed, shaking her head, she whispered; "she's not good. Her condition is very bad. She may not survive this."

The world spun. Sounds dissolved into white noises in the background. Her words shattered every hope I had left in me, and I staggered backwards until I hit the wall behind me, my heart lurching in my chest as a choked sob slipped past my lips. 

Grandma was the only family who loved me— at least she tolerated me and stood by me whenever everyone seemed to be against me. She didn't deserve this.

"This is all your fault!" Gavin's voice boomed and suddenly, my head whipped to the side as something crashed against my cheek.

Tears sprung into my eyes when it dawned on me what this was… what this is. He'd slapped me, which was usual, and I was about to be blamed. Again. 

And I was right. "It's your fault that Grandma is in this condition. If you didn't pick a fight with Chalice then this would've never happened! She wouldn't have been so hurt and so stressed that her BP skyrocketed!"

"But I didn't…" I began to say, but the look in his eyes had me biting down on my lips, swallowing my words. He never listens… he wouldn't listen.

"If anything happens to her, I'll end you. I promise you. I'll kill you and I'll feed your carcass to the dogs even before father returns from his trip!"

"Gavin, ignore that reject," my mother's harsh words came next, and oh hell, it cut through me more than any knife could.

By the heavens, I should be used to it by now. I should be used to their hatred, their scalding words, the quiet way I've been exiled from this family; But I wasn't. 

It still hurts like a bitch. My heart still throbbed whenever they spoke so illy to me.

Suddenly, the main doors swung open and I was soon assaulted by the most divine scents to ever exist.

My mates. 

I smelled them before I saw them, but as usual as soon as their eyes snagged on me, they looked away. Their hatred was palpable.

Gods, I wonder what I ever did to them.

"Kael, Caelum, Zevran!" Chalice cried out softly, her tears leaking out of her eyes as she rushed over to them. "I wasn't expecting that you guys would come. Grandma… the doctor… she says she might not make it." She sobbed, playing the perfect part of a damsel in distress even though she's the reason for the distress in the first place.

I watched with a heavy heart as Kael pulled her into his strong arms, and Zevran on the other hand plucked her hands into his, bringing it up to his lips.

"We'll always be here for you," Caelum whispered to her, "anytime… and trust me, your grandma would survive. Okay?"

"I hope so." Chalice croaked. "It was all my fault. I didn't mean to… I only wanted to make peace with Leilani and she picked a fight with me. Grandma tried to separate us. She tried to… she pushed her!"

The more the lies tumbled out of her mouth, the colder the room grew. Everyone turned to me in obvious contempt, but I was used to it.

However, I wasn't so used to getting these looks from Kael, Caelum and Zevran; and for that reason, it shredded me completely. I cowered. "I didn't…" I began to say but upon realization that they probably wouldn't listen, I snapped my lips shut and looked away. 

"I really didn't."

Crack.

Now it was my mother who slapped me. 

My head lolled to the side as more tears sprung free. I shuddered, my breaths coming in short harsh gasps.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Chalice's discreet sneer. I saw the way she smirked at my misfortune. She enjoyed taking pleasure in my suffering. It was a known fact. But what always annoyed me was how no one else could see through her 'too perfect' facade.

Something about her smugness however, made me mad, and in rage, I straightened my back, looked my mother dead in the eyes, and was just about to speak when the doctor rushed out of the ICU again. 

This time, her face was grimmer than it was the last time she stepped out. She wasted no time, and didn't give any preamble. She simply said; "We've lost her. Grandma Aurora is dead."

Those simple seven words tilted my world in its axis. It shook me to my core. I stumbled back and crashed to the floor, a loud cry tearing from my throat as my tears blinded my vision.

My Grandmother is gone.

My only loving family. The unshakable force that brought nothing but kindness to me was gone.

The pain lanced through me so much that I feared I would pass out. I groaned, squeezing my chest as if to stop the pain that way, but it was futile.

There was no stopping this torment. The raw pain. This loss.

And just then, the main doors burst open again, and now my father stormed in, looking everything like the Beta that he was, and the boogeymen that he was… to me.

He snarled; "Leilani!" 

And I instantly knew that hell was about to be let loose.

My very own boogeyman.

Leilani.

By now, I was shaking… tremendously. After several years of torture, my first reaction whenever I saw my father was fear.

It was this fear for him that made it difficult to join the family during breakfasts and dinners. My fear made it impossible for me to use the library or the training room.

And now, my fear made it impossible for me to stand up from this cold hospital floor even as he sneered down at me, his eyes thinning into fierce slits as he planted his hands on his waist.

"What did you do to my mother?!" He growled, his voice so loud that it sent shivers running down my spine.

My first instinct was to cower and so I did, but when he kicked me hard in my ribs, so hard that the sound of my bones crunching beneath his boot rang through the quiet halls, I cried out, my body shaking violently as tears poured out of my eyes and blood sputtered out of my mouth.

"I didn't do anything to grandma! Chalice pushed her!" I cried, but as soon as I said those words, the temperature in the air dropped. Everyone froze, well including Chalice whose face immediately fell. 

She cried; "Why would you lie against me that way, Leilani?! You know I would never do anything to hurt grandma!"

"Oh, but you did!"

"You pushed her because you were mad at me and she stepped in to protect me. You said that Caelum, Kael and Zevran were your mates and that I should stay away from them!"

"Chalice, I didn't—!"

"Admit it Leilani, you were mad that they chose me and you wanted to hurt me, but you ended up hurting grandma in the process and now she's dead!"

I was stunned. My eyes widened, my jaws slackening because Chalice had successfully spun the narrative into something that fits her. I opened my mouth to speak but for some reason, no words could come out. I didn't even know what to say.

I had stumbled upon Chalice and grandmother arguing about something but I had no idea what it was. Then a boy whom I hadn't been able to see his face sneaked out of Chalice's room. However, as soon as grandmother saw him, she went berserk. She yelled and screamed at the top of her voice to Chalice who had been smug the entire time.

I only stepped in when she pushed grandma, but I'd been a little too late.

And now—

*Crack!*

Another slap. Another hit, as usual. Tears streamed down my face which now felt as though it had been pressed against a burning furnace.

I didn't even have enough time to recover from the first slap before another came thundering down my other cheek and I cried out, tasting blood in my mouth as I fell to the floor.

"Leilani, you'll pay for this!" My father growled, "I'll make sure you go to jail for killing your grandma. But first, I'll punish you in my own way!"

His threats made a shudder run down my spine, and gods help me, I feared for myself. Crying, I stumbled to my feet whilst using my arms to support myself as my knees wobbled too much.

"Father, I really didn't. I would never! I didn't do anything to grandma. Believe me!"

In desperation, I clung to my father's clothes but as soon as my fingers grazed his expensive suit, he angrily shoved me away with so much force that it sent me flying to the ground. Again.

The back of my skull slammed against the wall and I grunted, crying when I felt a warm liquid trickling down the open cut which I now suspected was there.

Now, my vision was blurry. I was cold and from the way tiny stars danced in my line of sight, I feared I was fast losing consciousness. But no one cared. No one bothered about me even when I slowly began to paint the floor red with my blood.

Suddenly though, Chalice stepped closer, she stretched out her arm to me as if trying to help me up but because I've known her for as long as I have lived, I instantly knew that this wasn't a gesture of kindness. I didn't move. Couldn't.

"Leilani, I know you hate me," she started with one of her usual pathetic lines— the usual sugary ones she always managed to use to turn everyone against me. "I know that you wanted to kill me earlier but I don't care. All I care about is the fact that you're still my sister, my twin… and you always will be. You cannot be mad at me forever… so come let's have that injury checked."

But still I didn't move. And frankly, it was because I was too weak to.

"You see!" Gavin snarled, "this bitch does not deserve your kindness, Chalice! I always tell you not to bother with her!" He seethed, pulling Chalice to himself as if I was some kind of disease that he was protecting her from, then like I was nothing but an insect under his feet, he kicked me again. Hard this time, that my already bleeding skull rammed into the wall.

"Die!" He grunted. "Maybe that way we'll finally be rid of you and your disgusting theatrics!"

My head throbbed painfully, and I leaned against the wall groaning. With every ounce of strength left in me, I gritted out; "I didn't push grandma. Chalice did."

But as soon as the word left my mouth, Caelum stepped over, he crouched before me until we were both on the same eye level, and I was immediately taken aback by the intensity of hatred I found swirling in his deep grey eyes.

Grabbing my face in his hands; he seethed; "What did you say?"

"I said I didn't hurt grandma." I spat, "Chalice did. She pushed her from the top of the stairs because grandma had seen her with some boy—"

*Crack*

This time, it was Gavin who slapped me and I couldn't even react anymore because by this time, my body had already gone numb. I simply smiled. "I knew you'd never believe me."

"And I knew you were always so jealous and hateful you'd say anything just to get Chalice into trouble! But shame on you!"

"Shame on you too for being so blind. It's a shame you'd be the next beta after father!" I seethed, then turning to Caelum whose hand was still wrapped around my face in a painful grip, I spat; "let go of me!"

"Caelum, mom… dad, I feel dizzy! I don't understand. My head aches…." Chalice's voice suddenly lanced through the tension in the air, and just like that, everything shifted. Everyone turned to her, their expressions shifting from enraged to concerned in a second.

No one cared that I was the one bleeding. No one cared that I was the one slipping out of consciousness. They were all focused on Chalice who was probably faking this the same way she's always faked every one of her illnesses in the past.

I watched them fuss over her, and I watched Kael pull her into his arms. They all hurdled together while they walked down the corridor, leaving me behind to die.

To rot.

However, I didn't miss the way Chalice smiled at me when no one was looking, and I certainly didn't miss the middle finger that she discreetly held out to me as they walked off.

And maybe one day, they will all see her for the monster that she really is. But that day isn't today. 

Hell, that day may never even come.

But right there and then, as my blood leaked out of my open cut, I decided that this family wasn't mine anymore. They'd exiled me, and maybe… just maybe… it was time I returned the favor.

All the love and attention.

Leilani.

I woke up to the sound of beeping monitors and shuffling feet scrambling about the room.

Slowly peeling my eyes open, I wasn't so surprised when I found myself in a hospital room, on a hospital bed. However, what surprised me was the middle aged doctor hovering over me, his brows furrowed in worry as he checked for my pulse.

"Her breathing is erratic, and her pulse isn't stable too. Also, I don't think we should take out more blood from her as she's already so pale, she might not survive this if we continue to—"

"My other daughter, the one who's more important needs the blood. So I don't care if we drain Leilani clean, as long as Chalice is saved!" My father's gruff voice pierced through the room and my heart, but I struggled not to react. 

I struggled to act like I was still unconscious too even though it took everything in me not to cry out in anguish. Even though all I wanted to do was to back myself into a corner and cry out my eyes.

"But…" the doctor began, obviously about to argue, when Gavin suddenly struck him hard, his hard eyes hardening even more as he regarded the doctor with contempt.

"Do as my father says. No one cares about this wench in the first place!" He growled, and for some reason, that hurt even more.

Whatever was left of my heart shattered into a million pieces, and whatever hope I clung to before now seemed lost as it finally dawned on me that these people didn't care one bit about me.

They never loved me.

They will never love me.

Tears trickled down the corner of my closed eyes as I listened to them berate the doctor even more, and I laid still, unmoving as the doctor did as told, dutifully draining me of more blood until I began to feel lightheaded and nauseous. And he didn't even stop when a nurse barged in and gasped;

"She's so pale! She's almost blue!"

But my family didn't care. All they cared about was Chalice. All they cared about was giving my blood to her.

What hurt the most was the fact that my mates were there too, but do you want to know what they were only concerned about? 

Whether the blood taken was enough for Chalice.

If they could be tested too to see if the doctors could take some from them as well.

My body shook, my shivering intensifying with each passing second. But I was not shaking from the cold. I was shaking from the heartache. The pain. And the betrayal.

I do not know for how long I laid there letting my body get battered by the people who should protect me, but soon, the world began to spin again. The only sounds I could hear was that of my blood rushing in my ears. All I could feel was the taste of my blood in my mouth.

Suddenly, the sound of the heart monitor picking up my erratic heartbeat filled the room and I heard as doctors scrambled around to stabilize me. But I was too far gone.

The world slowly went dark, and soon I slipped into unconsciousness.

—

I stood to the side of the cemetery with my eyes hidden behind hideous glasses as I watched the ceremony unfolding before me and my very perfect family hugging each other at the front. 

As usual, I was left out, but this time, I didn't care. For some reason, grandmother's death had hardened something within me. It finally corroded my need to feel among, quieted the inner child in me that wanted to be loved.

My heart felt heavy, but this didn't have anything to do with the fact that my skin was covered in heavy makeup to hide my scars and pain inflicted upon me by my family, but everything to do with the fact that I was being punished for a crime I didn't even commit.

I wasn't the one who killed grandma.

In fact, her murderer was standing at the front of the crowd, lodged between my supposed mates, whilst crying softly into a handkerchief.

She looked like the perfect depiction of innocent elegance, and damn, even I for the first time saw what everyone else saw about her.

I saw how innocent she looked, how fragile… if I didn't know better, I would've thought she was a saint. If I didn't know any better, I would've said I was the problem too.

The ceremony continued in solemnity, and after grandma was quietly laid to rest, the members of the pack soon began to file out one after the other, leaving just me, my family, my mates and some few other people who waited to 'console' my family— most especially Chalice.

I silently walked over to the now newly covered grave, whilst ignoring the looks from my family and focusing instead on the weird sensation now blooming in my chest. 

I didn't feel pain— mind you, my heart was shattered at the thought of grandma's death. But that was it.

I didn't feel the need to explain myself to my family. I didn't feel bad when I was obviously being secluded from them. I felt nothing.

I. Was. Numb.

Picking up a fistful of sand by the grave, I cried softly, glad that my eyes were shielded behind these sunglasses. My lips trembled as I tried to say my last words to grandma, but just as I was still trying to form the words, I felt a presence behind me.

Her sugary vanilla scent filled my nostrils before I even saw her face and I rolled my eyes, grumbling under my breath; "Not today Chalice, I do not want to play one of your games right now."

"Oh, sister…" Chalice purred, her perfectly manicured finger trailing over my hurting arm— the one covered in bruises, then makeup. "You're always playing my games, you just do not know it yet." She drawled, and when I wouldn't respond, she continued;

"So what will you do now?"

I stilled. "About what?"

"How do you intend to clear your name? Seeing as your grandma dearest isn't here to save you anymore?" She asked, but seeing as she was telling the truth this time— there was no way to clear my name— I sealed my mouth shut.

"You see, this is it, Leilani. You cannot get out of this one so easily. I never planned for things to turn out this way but deep down I'm glad it did, because now, I finally have a reason to get rid of you."

The tears I have been holding back slipped out now even though I'd tried to school it to remain at bay. My shoulders tensed, my heart raced too, but it wasn't her words that stuck out to me, it was the bite behind each word. It was the hate dripping down each syllable like honey.

"Why?" I asked quietly, my breath uneven. "Why do you hate me so much?"

Chalice chuckled low and dark, again her fingers began to trail down my arm but this time, I flinched away from her touch. This time, it burned.

She sneered; "Because what's there not to hate? First, you go ahead to be the smart one. The one loved by all, leaving me with nothing but scraps of their attention… and then to top it all, the stupid motherfucking moon goddess decides to pair you with the hottest guys in the pack—"

The laugh that wrenched free from my chest was dripping in sarcasm. I barked; "I had all the love and attention? Come on, Chalice!"

A flicker of something dark crossed my sister's features before she turned away. Ignoring my question, she spat;

"Now between us girls, you need to know that I didn't intend to push grandma that hard… All I wanted to do was to teach her a lesson, to hurt her a little bit. I never knew she wasn't even strong enough to begin with!"

"How dare you!" I growled, my anger rising as I turned to face her.

I briefly saw a smug smile flash across Chalice's face before her face morphed into a look of horror. She stumbled back, looking mortified and then fell to the floor in front of me, her face flushed as a loud pained cry slipped through her lips.

My eyes widened, I gasped. "But I didn't… I didn't even touch you!"

My family that had been busy doing 'other things' turned to us at the sound of Chalice's cry, and I vaguely heard their thundering footsteps as they approached me.

And then—

Bam!

"You monster!" My father growled as he punched me square in the face. I heard the faint sound of my bone cracking, and heard the gurgling sound from the back of my throat as my blood rushed forward. And then came the pain.

I screamed.

Mixed signals.

Leilani.

I laid down on my bed draped in nothing but one of Chalice's hand me down pyjama shorts and a tank top. My nose still felt sore from being struck by my father earlier, but now, most of the pain had dulled.

I was back to being numb. To feeling stone cold.

My hands shook as I dialed the number I had once sworn never to call, the reason being that I never wanted to leave my grandmother behind— the same grandmother who now laid cold six feet under.

I brought the phone to my ear and on the second ring, the person on the other end picked and a deep masculine voice called out; "Leilani?"

He sounded shocked, relieved even to hear from me. He was my online friend, Jarek, whose father was a well known computer analyst and medical professional in the state and the Alpha to my mates' rival pack. 

His family was responsible for the invention and development of some of the major AI software used for healthcare systems and research around town and after some years ago, when I had 'playfully' created an AI health buddy known as 'DocBud' due to boredom, because I had been too lonely and love-deprived and needed to prove myself to my family, they'd wanted me to be a part of their team.

They offered me a scholarship, intense training… and had even offered to take me out of my abusive home, but I had refused thinking that one day, my family or my mates would love me. That one day, they'll realize that I wasn't so bad and would care for me as much as they cared for Chalice.

But now, I knew better.

And with this murder allegation hanging over my head, they never would.

"Hey Jay…" I drawled, my voice hoarse due to my sore throat. "How are you?"

Jarek, who instantly noticed the difference in my voice, gasped. I heard ruffling on the other end of the call signifying movements, and then an exhale. He seethed; "Leilani, I swear if your goddamn family's done anything to hurt you, I will—"

"Can you please ask your father if that position is still open for me? I'd like to work for him now." I said quickly, interrupting his rants.

Jarek took in a deep breath as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, and after a few moments of silence, he finally drawled; "My father is dead."

I gasped, tears leaking out of my eyes as I shook my head vehemently. "No. I… I didn't— I am so sorry!"

"He died from a cardiac infection about seven months ago." His deep baritone seeped through my phone. "But it's okay, we're moving past it.

My body shook, and even though Jarek tried to convince me that it was fine, I just couldn't stop crying. Alpha Frostclaw, even though our relationship had purely been online, had always been nothing but kind to me. He'd treated me a thousand times better than my real father, and now he was dead?

Oh no.

Even my chance to work with him was—

"Leilani, what were you saying about the job position?" Jarek asked suddenly, causing my breath to hitch in my chest.

I let out a draggy sigh, tilting my head upward to stop myself from crying as I looked up at the small fancy light hanging over my bed. "I wanted to take it… but now he's dead and I don't know what to do."

"But what about your grandmother? She's the reason you didn't want to work with us then. What happened?" He asked worriedly and I had first begun to shake my head before realizing that he couldn't see me.

I answered coldly. "She's dead."

"Oh." I didn't need to say anything more. He understood. "I'm so sorry about that."

"It's fine. I'm sorry about yours too."

I was about to bid him farewell, seeing as my opportunity to work with his father had now been thrown into the wind when his voice suddenly came through the phone's speaker again. He said; "You're hired."

"What?"

"I never got to tell you because you stopped picking my calls, but after my father died, I inherited everything… including his Alpha position."

I gasped, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. "Oh..! Congratulations!"

"Yeah, thank you. Since you're certain you want to work for us, then you should. I'd like for you to resume with us by Monday, so I'll send someone to come pick you up by Saturday. Is that fine with you?" 

I nodded enthusiastically, my smile so wide it could light up a room. "Yes, yes!" I squealed, "thank you so so much. I'll start packing from today and I'll be there by Saturday!"

"Good then, have a nice day, Leilani!" Jarek replied, and with that, hung up the phone before I could say something else.

I let out a sigh of relief, my body shaking with so much joy I could barely hold my phone. 

However, my happiness soon waned when my door was suddenly pushed open and I sat up quickly, my eyes widening when I looked up to find…

"Zevran?" I gasped in shock.

None of the Alpha triplets have ever come into my room before. Hell, they never ever speak to me so coming here was a far stretch. I stood up. "What are you doing here?"

Zevran looked at me as though conflicted, his eyes lingering on my lips for a second too long and too hot. Then he glanced away. "You're leaving?" 

It wasn't a question, it was an accusation. I gulped. Hell, this man has never spoken to me before… ever since that night.  

When I still wouldn't respond, he stalked closer until we were standing chest to chest, and until his warmth was seeping through my thin tank top and sending jolts of electricity coursing through my spine.

I gulped and made to take a step back, but as soon as I moved, his hands closed around my wrists and another wild surge of sparks jolted through my body as he pulled me flush against his toned chest. 

"You're leaving, Leilani?" He growled, his mouth bearing down on mine with a speed that had me so shocked, I felt rooted in place.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to answer that."

At my response, something changed about his countenance. He looked like he was in pain, his face contorted into a look I had never seen on him before.

"I overheard your conversation with whoever it was on the phone… you're leaving." He drawled, his breath fanning against the curve of my face, but just as his lips brushed against mine…

"Who's leaving?" Another voice snarled from my open door and my breath caught in my throat when two other figures slipped their large frames into the room, their faces just as cold and stony as Zevran's.

"Caelum? Kael?" I gasped, my heart racing. 

What the Hell is happening?

Filthy Liars.

Leilani.

"Leilani is leaving. I overheard her talking to someone on the phone." 

"And do you now eavesdrop on my conversations too, besides making my life miserable?" I snapped, something like anger twisting in my guts.

For years, I hoped that they would talk to me. Many nights, I prayed to the moon goddess that they would one day look at me. But they never did because they were so blinded by their love for Chalice that they lost all sense of reasoning.

And now this?

They were acting like I had betrayed them by wanting something better for myself? For leaving?

I shook my head. "It's none of your business."

I saw Zevran freeze before Kael closed the distance between us, his fingers wrapping around my neck as he glared down at me in irritation. "You won't talk to us like that. Do you understand?"

My eyes instantly watered and my throat clamped shut as his hand closed around my windpipe, cutting the flow of air down to my lungs. 

And from his vantage, I saw nothing but hatred in his eyes.

A deep rooted hatred that chilled my bones.

"You hate me." I simply rasped out, but he didn't respond, as if to confirm my words. "But I never did anything to you."

"You don't have to do anything to us for us to hate you," now, it was Caelum who snapped from behind Kael, "…we see how hateful you are toward your twin sister, and we'd rather die than mate with a wolfless hateful bitch such as you."

That stung.

It stung so hard.

"You think I'm the hateful one?" I laughed incredulously, "then wait until you see how bitchy your Chalice can be when no one's watching!"

Zevran scoffed. "Says the wench who tried to kill her twin sister twice, and then successfully murdered her grandmother!"

Oh, that was the height of it!

I blinked back my tears and bit down on Kael's hand, causing him to let out a choked gasp before letting go of me so fast that I stumbled and hit my head against the cupboard behind me.

The pain shot through my skull like a million needles and I cried out, holding the back of my head as tears blurred my vision.

"She's not going anywhere." Caelum finally said so surely, one would think he was telling something as certain as the weather. "She only said that to get your attention, and she did."

Oh, you stupid idiots!

"Get out." I groaned, feeling the warm liquid begin to trickle down my skull and my vision go blurry. "Get out of my room now!"

Someone else rushed into my room at the sound of my screaming and I didn't need to look up to know that it was Chalice. She cast me a dark look once before looking up at the triplets, and with the sweetest most annoying voice I've ever heard on her, she drawled;

"Y'all, let Leilani be. She's still feeling so bad about grandma's death. Don't disturb her!"

Her feigned care, the way their expressions shifted at once as soon as she entered… and the way my heart squeezed in pain when Kael brought her hand to his lips with the same hand he'd used to choke me moments ago brought fresh tears to my eyes.

I growled; "GET OUT!"

But my voice was droned out by the chaos happening outside. Screams and cries flitted into the room as people rushed about in panic.

"Rogues!" Someone screamed from outside, "the pack's under attack! There are rogues everywhere!

Everywhere descended into chaos within a second, and one minute, the triplets were sneering down at me, and the next, they were shifting into their large wolves, protecting Chalice like she was the moon goddess herself.

Fighting ensued here and there, and while the triplets were actively engaged in it, some warriors came over to escort Chalice and I to safety— especially Chalice.

They pulled us into a fortified chamber where other young children and women were wrapped around each other but just as the doors were about to roll shut, four giant wolves leapt into the room, baring their disgusting teeth as their eyes latched on Chalice and I.

"Those are the Beta's daughters!" One of them growled, and in fright, I tried to run away, only to let out an agonized scream when a large wolf jammed its teeth into my shoulder blade.

My blood spurted out of the open cut, tricking down my arm but before I could respond, I was aggressively thrown to the floor and a silver blade shoved onto my neck.

I noticed from my peripheral that Chalice was in as much predicament as I was, and for some reason, that gave me a little bit of satisfaction.

"They both mean a lot to the Alpha triplets, we should kill them both!" Someone suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts and I looked up to meet one of the most ugly males I've ever seen in my life.

His lips curled into a snarl when he saw me watching and I shuddered. "I don't mean anything to the triplets. They love my sister."

"We love Leilani!" A voice suddenly said from the doorway and I stiffened when Kael came into view.

For a moment, my heart leapt in my chest. A blush crept up my cheek. Oh goddess, I even felt a kind of giddiness in my stomach until I realized what this was. 

They were putting me in harm's way just to protect Chalice.

My smile froze. I screeched; "LIAR!"

"Leilani is our mate." Caelum drawled, standing all in his naked glory. "She's the one who means the world to us."

My head was spinning, my body was trembling. No they cannot do this to me. They should not do this to me.

The filthy man holding me hostage pressed the knife deeper into my neck and I winced when it bit into my flesh, drawing blood. "Please."

But no one moved. Not even my family standing to the side, their worried gazes all on Chalice. 

They looked too scared to move, afraid that even the slightest movement would mean the blade pressing into Chalice's neck. I stiffened, my heart racing in my chest.

"Leilani is already a murderer. If she's killed, it'll be justice." My mom snickered, and every eye turned to her, most nodding in agreement while a few were just as stunned as I was. "Kill her. Let Chalice go!"

As if to buttress her point, the man pressed the knife even deeper into my neck until I cried out in anguish. But just as the blade was about to sink in, a loud bone chilling howl from the door had everyone's eyes locking towards the sound. 

And then came chaos.

I vaguely noticed when a large black wolf leapt into the room, not missing a beat as it sunk it fangs into the man holding me. Several other wolves joined in too and by the end of ten minutes, the floor was littered with blood and charred meat.

Chalice was safe.

My family and mates were safe.

The wolf which saved me was safe.

But I wasn't. 

I was bloody, beaten up. With dried blood behind my head from where Kael, Caelum and Zevran had injured me earlier. Blood on my shoulders from the rogues and a semi deep slit on my neck.

"Leilani!" A worried voice called out to me, sounding almost scared, sounding too familiar. But I knew it didn't belong to my family nor my mates; so who was it?

I blinked up in an attempt to clear my fuzzy vision, but I couldn't see anything. I was too weak. I'd lost too much blood, and my heart was aching… aching from the betrayal. From the hurt.

From the pain.