Olivia Hale
I was going to pass out. There was no doubt in my mind. I could feel the world spinning around me like a disorienting whirlpool. My heart was pounding, my breathing shallow. I tried to stand, but my legs betrayed me, collapsing beneath me as if they couldn't handle the weight of whatever had just happened. I fell back and bruised my hands and legs.
The air felt too thick, too heavy, suffocating with the sound of murmured voices and the pounding of my pulse in my ears. Everywhere seemed to be drowning.
"What's happening?" I whispered hoarsely. "Why am I… I shouldn't be…"
I was so dizzy, I could barely see straight. The sensation of the triplets' gazes bore down on me, like hot coals, scorching my skin even though they hadn't touched me. Even though all they were was a blur. My wolf... it was still there, like a pulsating heartbeat beneath my skin, thrumming with energy I didn't understand. I wanted to rip it out of me. Now I desperately wished I hadn't shifted.
"You shouldn't be doing this." Kael's voice. Low, tight, and strained. His golden eyes flicked between me and his brothers, but he didn't move.
Silas, standing beside him, clenched his fists, his body stiff. He seemed torn—like he wanted to break something, but didn't know where to start. "This isn't supposed to happen."
"You're…" Riven's grin widened, his lips curling in a wicked smirk, his dark eyes gleaming with something like curiosity and amusement. "Well, this is going to be fun."
I shot him a glare, instinctively pulling myself into a crouch, ready to bolt. My body wasn't used to this kind of power. I wasn't used to being wanted by three of the most dangerous wolves in the pack—no matter how much of a mistake it was.
"You're not supposed to be bonded to all three," Kael growled, the authority in his voice making me flinch. "It's a damn curse, not a gift."
But his words were laced with something else. Something darker.
"Calm down," Riven said, his tone dripping with amusement. He glanced back at Kael and Silas. "It's already done. We can't undo it now."
"But why her?" Silas muttered, his voice full of frustration and confusion. "Why now?"
I struggled to push myself up, the ground feeling unsteady beneath me. "I don't know what you're talking about!" I snapped, my throat tight. I was angry now—angry at them, angry at the whole damn situation. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for any of this!"
"You don't have to ask for it," Kael said, his voice still tight with something I couldn't quite place. "It's fate. And fate's a bitch."
I opened my mouth to respond, but my body wouldn't cooperate. My vision swam again, the world tilting at odd angles. Just as I felt myself losing consciousness, I was caught—by none other than Riven.
"Well, isn't this a sight?" he murmured, his breath warm against my ear as he gently lifted me up. "The freak of the pack, with the mate bond that should never have been."
I pushed against him, but my strength was gone, drained by whatever had just happened. "Let go of me," I hissed, though it sounded more like a plea.
But Riven didn't let go. Instead, he smirked. "Oh, don't worry, my sweetheart omega. I'll let you go when I'm ready."
I didn't know whether to punch him or kiss him—both impulses surged through me in equal measure, and I hated it. Hated how he made my skin heat under his touch. I should've hated him. They all were the triplets, the sons of the Alpha. They were trouble with a capital T.
"Take her inside," Kael ordered, his voice sharp. "Now."
Riven chuckled. "You're not the boss of me."
"No, but I'm the one in charge of the pack till dad gets back," Kael shot back. "So take her inside."
I was still too out of it to argue, my body too drained, too exhausted from the shift and the bond that seemed to be ripping me apart. My pulse was still racing, still aching, and it felt like the triplets' presence was anchored in my chest like a heavy weight.
"You heard him," Silas said quietly, his voice still laced with confusion and anger. "Take her."
"Fine," Riven muttered, sounding completely uninterested. But he shifted his grip on me, wrapping his arm more securely around my waist as he started walking toward the pack house.
The cold night air hit my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. I barely registered the path we were taking, too consumed by the new and overwhelming sensation of the bond thrumming inside me. The triplets' presence was everywhere, like they were a part of me.
I was trying to push them away, but it was like pushing against a flood. My body reacted without my permission, every cell in me alert to their touch, their proximity.
"Stay with me, Liv," Riven murmured as he carried me into the pack house. "Don't pass out on me yet."
"Why… why are you doing this?" I rasped, struggling to focus.
Riven grinned, but it wasn't the mischievous grin I was used to. It was something darker, something... possessive.
"Because you're ours now," he said, voice low and dangerous. "And we're not letting you go."
The tension in the air was thick. Everything inside me screamed for me to fight back, but I couldn't. Not when I didn't even understand what was happening.
This wasn't supposed to be happening.
And yet, I could feel it. The triplets—the Alpha's sons—were mine now. The bond was there. Whether I liked it or not.
What did it mean? And how was I supposed to live with this?