Hazel’s POV
My cheeks stung like hell.
I stared at Annie in shock, not believing that she would actually lay her hands on me.
A wave of anger surged through me. I stepped forward, ready to deliver my own slap.
But Liam got to her before me. He snatched her hand mid-air and yanked it down.
She let out a sharp cry. “L-Liam, what are you doing?”
Fury marred his face. His eyes went so dark, they were practically black.
“Who gave you permission to touch her?” He growled.
I stopped in my tracks, shocked to hear his words. My eyes widened.
Was he—was he really defending me? No, it couldn’t be!
“I asked you a question!” He snapped, squeezing her hand tighter.
She blinked in shock. “You heard her! You heard what she said. How can a lowly maid like her call herself your mate.”
“It’s true,” Melanie added, eyeing me angrily. “That dirty little thing can never be your mate. She needed to be taught a lesson.”
Levi, her boyfriend, moved towards her so quickly that she stumbled back.
I couldn’t understand what was going on. What were the triplets doing?
I waited for them to turn around and laugh at me saying, ‘Oh, so you really thought we’d defend you? Silly girl!’
Instead, they kept glowering at the girls.
Only Lucas hadn’t said a word so far. His face was hard but he was always like that so it was hard to know what he was thinking.
Kira looped her hand through his, pouting.
“Baby, Annie didn’t do anything wrong. Tell your brothers to stop,” she said in a whiny, cutesy voice.
It made me almost throw up in my mouth in disgust.
It was even worse when she started batting her eyes at him like a bat.
I waited to hear what he would say. As the eldest, he could easily shut this down and take their side.
I wouldn’t be able to say or do anything about it.
Surprisingly, he yanked his hand out of Kira’s grasp.
She stumbled back with a gasp.
“I’ll tell you this only once, Hazel is our maid. She belongs to us. We’re the only ones who can touch her. Understood?” he snapped.
The three girls paled at his words.
“I can’t believe you’re choosing that stinky maid over us, your girlfriends!” Melanie cried.
Annie nodded, starting to cry. I rolled my eyes at the dramatics. “We’re the ones who love you. We should be your mate. She will never measure up,” she added.
Their words sparked my fury again. “I don’t care about having your boyfriends as my mate!” I cried. “You can have them for all I care.”
“Are you trying to pretend that you don’t want them now because you’ve been caught?” Kira snapped.
“It’s your fault for believing Jessie’s stupid lie. I don’t want them. I’ve never wanted them. I don’t even want or need a mate at all!”
At those words, the triplets turned to me sharply.
Lucas’ eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?” He asked.
I shrugged. “I mean exactly what I said. I have zero interest in finding a mate. As a matter of fact, I hope I don’t have one!”
“That’s crazy,” Liam snapped. “Everybody cares about finding their mate.”
“Not me,” I countered instantly. “The only thing I want is to leave the Emberfang Pack as soon as possible!”
“Leave!?” Lucas exclaimed. “You can’t leave! You’re our maid. You have a debt to pay!”
I smirked slightly. “For your information, my debt will be officially paid off tomorrow, the day I turn eighteen years old.”
“You’re turning eighteen tomorrow? I never knew we shared the same birthday,” Lucas exclaimed.
“Exactly! You never knew or bothered to know. Which is exactly why I do not want you guys to be my mates whether you believe it or not.”
I turned to the girls who were watching our exchange with wide eyes.
“So you see? You have nothing to worry about, ladies. You can keep them as your mate. I don’t care.”
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Lucas open his mouth to say something.
I didn’t wait to hear whatever it was. I’d had enough.
Without a word, I ran out the door, praying that they wouldn’t try to follow me.
My work here was done anyway. The decorations were set. The caterers were ready. The DJ was ready.
I didn’t have any intention of attending the party.
What would a girl like me do at a party filled with stuck-up rich kids who would only look down on me?
Thankfully, the triplets didn’t try to follow me. The girls most likely held onto them to keep them from running after me.
Good!
I went straight home and locked myself in my room.
As I crashed into bed, I couldn’t help but remember how the triplets immediately jumped to my defense.
It still felt so strange. I couldn’t imagine what they were thinking.
I sighed, turning over. I shouldn’t read too much into it.
They just saw me as one of their properties. Like a gold watch. Or one of those Bentleys they rode around town.
They hated people touching their things. That was probably why they reacted like that.
I’m sure they were probably thinking, “Nobody can hit her except us.”
I rolled my eyes. At least, I would soon get to leave this place once and for all.
I would never have to deal with their drama anymore.
******
I didn’t know when I fell asleep. The next thing I knew was that I woke up to incredible, blinding pain.
I let out a scream, arching my back in the bed.
Panic clouded my mind. Through the haze of pain and fear, only one thought pushed through: 'What the hell is happening to me?'
There was a loud cracking sound. My leg bent the wrong way. I screamed. Before I could get over that pain, my hand snapped too.
That was when I realized it—I was experiencing my first shift.
That knowledge of that did nothing to reduce the pain. All I could do was shut my eyes tight and try to control my breathing while I waited for it to end.
Finally, the pain ceased. I found myself on the floor, shivering. How I got to the floor from the bed, I had no idea.
I gently picked myself up only to realize that I was on all fours. My fingers were gone, replaced by sharp claws. My skin was gone, replaced with shiny gray fur.
I was a full wolf.
Finally!
A scent tickled my nose. I instinctively turned towards it, realizing it was coming from outside the room. I found myself rushing out the door towards it.
It was the most intoxicating scent I’d ever smelt. My brain went blank. The only thought in my head was that I needed to get to that scent!
I followed it, tripping and tumbling over my legs in my rush. Still, I didn’t stop until I got to the source of the scent.
The place where the scent was strongest in the house.
A huge plain black door sat in front of me. An insignia of three golden crowns intertwined was painted in the middle.
I gasped.
The triplet’s private wing!
So that meant…this scent was…
A strange feeling filled my chest. I’d never felt anything like it ever before. Light and heavy. Complete and empty. All at the same time.
At that moment, I suddenly realized what this meant—the Sullivan brothers were my fated mates.