HATED BY MY TRIPLET ALPHAS

CHAPTER 6: D SIZES

AMARIS’S POV

Lilith’s household was in chaos on the night of the Christmas selection feast.

The tension in the air was suffocating as Vera primped and got ready for the event. It was obvious to everyone that she was going to be the star of the feast tonight.

Her posse of friends had been holed up in her fancy bedroom for several hours now, doing Vera’s hair, nails, and makeup.

Her dress for tonight was custom-made, commissioned from one of the most exclusive designers in the kingdom.

According to what I had overheard from her video call sessions with her designer, it was supposed to be a dress so perfect it could cure world hunger.

Whatever the f**k that meant.

Apparently, Vera wanted a “timeless look” that embodied her new status as Luna of the pack.

I had gotten a quick look at the dress right after it had been carted in a few days ago. While it was indeed a pure work of art, I didn’t think someone like Vera deserved to wear a dress like that.

As usual, I was stuck playing the residential housemaid. Because today was such an important day, I had been assigned a special uniform by the head of the royal catering unit.

It was the catering outfit I’d be wearing to serve guests at the feast, and it looked slightly more expensive than what I was used to.

However, despite the fact that I was supposed to be at the feast earlier than the guests, Vera had assigned me the grueling chore of dusting the furniture and polishing the floors in her room.

“Today is a very important day for me. I’ll be crowned Luna today. I want my room to be twice as clean,” she’d obnoxiously told me.

I scrubbed the French tiles of her bathroom as fast as I could. I couldn’t wait to finish cleaning up so I could head over to the feast and kick off the first step in my plans to run away with Tobias.

My hair was matted to the nape of my neck. Sweat pooled on my forehead, dripping into my eyes. I wiped it away and continued with my incessant scrubbing.

The door was slightly ajar, and from my kneeling position, I could clearly make out Vera in a silk robe. She was sitting in front of her vanity mirror.

One of her friends was putting the finishing touches on her nails while the other pinned her hair into a fancy up-do. The last girl was lying on the bed, reading a fashion magazine upside down.

I knew the third girl. Well, not personally. I just knew of her reputation at the academy.

I’d seen her in the cafeteria line a few times, usually overhearing the other students gossip about her.

Apparently, she was insanely smart—so much so that the teachers practically worshipped her brain.

And because she was pretty laid-back, nobody ever called her out for being such a snotty bookworm. Nobody even teased her about the fact that she wore glasses.

I guessed that had something to do with the fact that she was Zevran’s best friend. Or rather, only friend.

She also ran in Vera’s circle sometimes.

I should have been put off by this, but then I realized I couldn’t recall a single moment in which she had participated in Vera’s cruel treatment of me.

She may have been friends with Vera, but it was quite obvious they weren’t on the same level.

People feared Vera because of the Romanov brothers. But without their influence, she was nothing.

Unlike Salem

Even though she was friends with Vera, she was her own person. She was confident and had a presence that didn’t require validation from anyone. Most people got along fine with her.

They respected her.

“Come help me choose an accessory for tonight, Salem,” Vera beckoned, pulling out her jewelry cabinet.

Even from my spot, I could tell there were all sorts of shiny things in there.

“I’m trying to decide between my diamonds and pearls,” she pouted. “I can’t seem to make up my mind. Will you help me?”

Salem gave the items a cursory look from her spot on the bed.

“Go with the diamonds since it’s such a special occasion.”

“Right?” Vera beamed. “I thought so too.”

Salem gave her a quick smile and went back to studying the magazine.

“You look so beautiful, Vera,” one of Vera’s lackeys gushed. She had a mini camera in her clutch and seemed to be live-streaming.

“I can’t believe you’re gonna be mated to the Alpha princes tonight. Do you have any idea how much every girl wants to be you right now? You’re living out our dreams. I’m so jealous, I can hardly think straight.”

I winced from how shrill the girl’s voice sounded. And what was that about Vera living out all our dreams just because she was being mated to the Romanov brothers?

I would have vomited all over her shallow words if they weren’t so laughable.

“Vera hasn’t been selected as Luna yet,” Salem reminded her. This earned her a series of heated looks.

“Come on, Salem,” she snorted, snapping the camera shut for a moment. “The feast is just a formality. She’s the Alpha princes’ chosen mate. We all know they want her, and there’s a very high chance Vera is gonna be announced as their fated mate tonight, too.”

“There’s no need to be skeptical about the outcome of the feast,” Vera interrupted. “I have been preparing for this for most of my life. This is my moment.”

The second lackey giggled, her eyes twinkling with gossip.

“Tell us about their d**k sizes. I’m dying to know who’s got the biggest dick.”

At the mention of that, the girls all pealed with laughter. The camera was back on. Their laughter was loud and headache-inducing.

In my rush to cover my ears, I lost my grip on the toothbrush. It skittered to the edge of the tub. Quickly, I scrambled to pick it back up.

“You’ve seen all their d***s?” Salem quirked a brow, giving Vera a quizzical look.

“Of course.” Vera gave her a smug smile. “I’m betrothed to them. That automatically makes me entitled to d**k privileges.”

“That’s so scandalous, Vera, even for you,” the first lackey giggled, covering her mouth with her hands.

Vera shrugged. “Call it curiosity, but I guess I needed to see what I would be up against.”

“So, who’s the prince with the biggest d**k?” the second lackey pressed. “Who has the smallest d**k?”

“Please tell us you’ve got some pictures too,” the first lackey added, holding her breath in anticipation.

“Hmmmm.” Vera tapped her fingers against her chin, pretending to think about it.

“Come on,” all three girls squealed impatiently. Even Salem looked curious.

“What can I say?” Vera sighed dramatically. “They’re all big. I’m really gonna have my hands full with all three of them.”

Again, the girls squealed and hovered around Vera like bees.

“Oh my God, Vera. I would give anything to be in your shoes,” the first lackey exhaled dreamily.

“Girl, you’re so lucky,” the second lackey gushed.

Vera wore a patronizing smile as she applied expensive perfume to her neckline.

“So, we heard a rumor that Kade has plans to quit his flamboyant womanizing ways after the selection tonight,” Salem questioned.

Vera smiled widely.

“Yes, it’s true. As you all know, we’ve been in an open relationship for the longest time. Kade has never once pretended to be anything but wild and untamed, but he’s promised to quit all of that after our official engagement tonight. He’s willing to change his playboy ways for me. How romantic is that?”

“So romantic,” the girls gushed, pretending to swoon. “Kade is finally going to be exclusive to Vera. It’s about time.”

They squealed and gushed, continuing to make a spectacle of themselves. Someone turned on a speaker, and they began to sing along to a high-pitched song.

I snorted, unable to hold back my irritation.

It was just like Vera to pretend to fall for the charming lies of a chronic womanizer like Kade.

Deep down, I could tell she knew the harsh truth—that a guy like Kade could never be faithful to her. Yet, she was willing to pretend and sell a lie to anyone who cared to listen.

It was pathetic and annoying.

Once again, I felt relieved that after tonight, I wouldn’t have to put up with her anymore.

“Not only are you going to have Theron and Zevran,” one of her friends quipped, “you’re also gonna have all of Kade.”

I snorted. “Yeah, including all of his STDs.”

I must have said it louder than I intended because all heads swiveled in my direction.

“What did you just say, loser?” Vera scowled at me, rumpling the pristine features of her face for a second.

“What do you think I said?” I threw back at her, feigning innocence.

“Can you hurry up with the cleaning?” she snarled, shooting daggers my way. “There’s a lot more for you to do tonight.”

“I would hurry if only you’d stop trying to talk to me,” I retorted.

Vera’s excitement must have deep-fried the cruel parts of her brain because she didn’t flare up like I expected her to. Instead, she rolled her eyes and turned away from me.

“Whatever. I’m not going to react to that. We all know you’re being bitter because you’re never going to know the joy that comes with having a mate.”

Vera waved her fingers dismissively. I clenched my fists in anger, tempted to hurl the cleaning toothbrush at her pretty little head.

Just then, Lilith walked in.

Her presence was instantly commanding and zapped all the fun out of the room. Vera’s posse stopped talking immediately. They turned off the camera and hurried to school their features into neutral looks.

Lilith had that effect on most people. She was tall, cold, and intimidating. Her gaze was calculating, giving her the air of someone who was always planning something.

She was my mother’s sister. My aunt. Yet, I had never felt the illusion of a family bond between us. With how badly she treated me, she was worse than a stranger.

The only person immune to her frothy aura was her daughter, Vera.

Vera’s eyes lit up immediately at the sight of her mother.

“Mummy!” she shrieked in excitement, extending her hands to her mother.

Lilith’s face broke into a genuine smile as she gripped Vera’s fingers with her left hand. Her right hand currently held a glass of white wine.

Lilith had an endless affinity for white wine. She loved the stuff almost as much as she loved her shitty daughter.

“Hello, darling. You look wonderful. I love what you’ve done with your hair and makeup.”

“I had help from the girls,” Vera nodded at her friends, and they all raised their hands responsively.

“Hi, Lilith,” they chorused.

“Hi, girls,” Lilith responded. Her smile was patronizing at best.

She moved across the room toward Vera’s dress, playing the high-maintenance hostess as usual.

She inhaled sharply at the sight of the custom-made dress dangling from the life-sized mannequin.

“Oh, Vera honey, I can’t wait to see you in this dress.”

Vera snorted, but it was obvious she was pleased.

“Did you come in here to gush about my dress, Mummy?”

“As a matter of fact, honey, no, I didn’t. I actually overheard something that caught my attention.”

Lilith did a meticulous scan of the room. Her cutting-edge gaze came to rest on me, and my heart skipped a beat.

“Amaris,” she snapped, gripping the stem of her wine glass tighter. “Could you come here for a second?”

It wasn’t a question. Lilith didn’t make requests. She gave commands.

I dropped the toothbrush and hurried to meet her. I folded my hands in front of my uniform and took a deep, calming breath.

“Yes?”

“I overheard the things you said to Vera,” she narrowed her eyes at me, raising her wine glass to her lips. “Don’t bother trying to lie to me about it.”

Shit.

I swallowed the thickness in my throat, testing my words in my head before saying them out loud.

Lilith enjoyed slapping the s**t out of me just for saying the wrong thing. I didn’t need that tonight.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, deciding to play the docile card. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Vera will be announced as Luna tonight,” she stated. “You should know your place, Amaris.”

“I’m sorry,” I repeated.

Lilith shook her head. “An apology is not going to cut it, Amaris. For choosing to rile up the future Luna, you deserve to be punished.”

She smiled icily, dousing me with a bucket of metaphorical cold water.

“I have just the right punishment for you. Come with me.”

“No!” I tried to move away from her, but Lilith’s hand shot out and gripped my arm.

“Gotcha!” she grinned viciously and pulled me toward the bathroom roughly.

“Let me go!” I thrashed against her, but she didn’t let go. She led me into Vera’s bathroom and hurled me toward the tub.

I dropped to my knees, and she got behind me, holding me in place with her knees.

“Hold still,” she barked, picking the hand shower off its holder. She turned it on and brought scalding hot water down on my hands.

“Stop!” I cried, stifling the pain.

From the corner of my eye, I spied Vera and her friends crowding the doorway, watching in equal levels of shock as Lilith burned me.

I bit my lower lip, holding still, trying to wait it out.

Lilith turned the water off and stepped away from me. I was afraid to move my hands, afraid the skin would fall off if I so much as twitched.

“What’s the matter, Amaris? Are you pissed?” she sneered. “How about I give you something else to be mad about?”

She lowered her wine glass to my burnt hands and emptied the rest of her drink on my throbbing flesh.

I finally pulled my hands out of the tub. I cradled them against my chest and felt the inevitable sting in my eyes.