Thrice Bitten

CHAPTER 2

“Thank you for shopping with us, have a nice day,” I say chirpily.

It’s evening, the end of a work day and my happiness stems more from the fact that I get to go home than from serving customers.

It's my turn to lock up the bakery today, and after serving the last customers, I start wiping down the tables.

I quickly counted out today’s sales and put it in the safe, before turning off all the lights and changing the sign to closed.

After locking the doors, I turn around and as expected, one of the guys is outside waiting for me. It’s Lucien this time, which puts a smile on my face.

“Hi”, I grab his hand, and we start walking toward the packhouse, where we live.

He doesn’t say anything in reply, just squeezing my hands as we walk.

Lucien is the more quiet of the three brothers, but that doesn’t fool me anymore. He’s always brimming with sarcasm and has the wittiest comebacks of all the guys.

It’s been a few months since my pack was murdered and the guys took me in.

It turns out that Ethan, Lucien, and Damien are pack enforcers in BloodMoon, one of the largest and most prosperous packs around.

It took a lot of convincing, but after talking to the Alpha, I was admitted into the pack, and I’ve been living with the brothers ever since

It hasn't been the smoothest of sailing.

I couldn’t sleep for a long time because of the nightmares I kept having about the m******e, and it took me a while before I could interact with anybody from the pack.

My arrival also came with suspicion, something the guys never addressed, and I haven't pushed them too hard about it, too scared to rock the boat.

Apart from the guys, I’ve made a few friends here, and working at the bakery has made me familiar with almost all the pack members.

We get home in no time, and Lucien finally breaks the silence

“Alright, Sophie. Go wash up and then come down for dinner. It’s a full house tonight.”

“I know”, I drawl out, rushing up the stairs.

I’ve been looking forward to tonight’s dinner because my closest friend here is finally back from her honeymoon trip and I’ve been dying for all the gossip.

“Calm down midget, we don’t want you falling and splitting your skull open”, Lucien says as he laughs from the bottom of the stairs before walking away.

I take a quick shower, changing from my soiled bakery clothes into a more casual t-shirt and shorts, before pulling my hair up into a bun.

“I really should get a haircut,” I mutter to myself as I struggle with my stupid strawberry blond hair.

It doesn’t look as good paired with my pale skin and plain brown eyes, but I don’t care enough to do anything to enhance it, which the guys have commented on a few times.

I quickly rush down the stairs and towards the pack dining room, the sound of laughter and conversation like music to my ears.

“Sophie, come here.” Marjorie, my closest friend in the pack yells at me from her seat on the table. She’s kept a space for me next to her.

Marjorie is only a few years older than me at 22, but she just got married to her mate, and I couldn't be happier for her.

“What’s up? How did it go? Give me all the gossip” I plead playfully, taking my seat.

“It was magical. Paul and I spent time with his family, and then we hiked the mountains for a few days. The view from up there - I wish you could have seen it, Sophie.”

She’s practically glowing as she describes her honeymoon with Paul, her new mate and husband.

“There’s no way I would have come. You guys needed your alone time, and besides, there’s no way the guys would have let me leave.”

“Speaking of”, she attempts to waggle her brows, but it just looks like two red caterpillars trying to dance.

“Don’t laugh, I’m trying to be serious here. Is there anything new with the guys?”

“Nope. There’s nothing new, they’re just as overprotective as ever.

“I understand that they were the ones who found me after the whole ordeal, but they’re not responsible for me. I don't know why they don't see that I can take care of myself.”

As I say that, I meet Ethan’s eyes from across the room where he’s talking with the Alpha. I redden slightly, feeling guilty for talking about them behind their backs.

He quirks a brow at me, and I look away immediately, quickly changing the topic back to Marjorie and Paul’s honeymoon.

_____

The days go on as usual, with me spending my days at the bakery and my evenings at the pack house.

Sometimes I attend the self-defense classes the pack holds every evening, but I’m terrible at that, which frustrates the guys to no end.

"You have to try harder, Sweetheart. We won't always be here to take care of you." Damien tries to advise me after hearing my numerous complaints about how hard the self-defense classes are.

I'm lying in bed with my sore arms and an even sorer pride after falling on my arse in front of the whole class for the millionth time.

"It's a beginner's class, Damien. I am learning with children and I still can't get it.

"I'm hopeless. I'll just stuff my face with cake and pastries instead."

"What do you intend to achieve with that? Apart from being too big to fit through this door, I mean?"

"This is not funny. Do something about this, Damien. I can't keep embarrassing myself in front of the cute tutor."

"Paul?" Damien growls

"You think Paul is cute?"

I nod my head with my face still buried in my pillow. I'm used to the guys huffing and puffing for no reason, so I don't even try to look up at him.

"I guess he's kind of cute. And he's patient and kind too.

"He doesn't laugh at me when I fail to follow his instructions."

This time I raise my head to narrow my eyes at Damien, but the look on his face makes me pause.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you didn't sweetheart. Don't worry about the classes, I'll talk to my brothers and you can stop going to them."

"Are you serious?" I don't know what brought this on, but I'm too relieved to think about why Damien, who is usually harder on me, is indulging me this time.

"Thank you. I promise I won't stuff my face with cake."

He laughs at my words, making me smile.

_____

I’m talking to a customer, taking down their order when the door is forcefully pushed open, startling everyone.

Ethan walks in, his eyes frantically searching around before settling on me.

“Sophie, come now. Alpha’s orders.

Without waiting for me, he turns around and marches out the same way he came.

I’m as confused as the customers looking at me. But I didn't say anything, just removing my apron and rushing out of the bakery.

I see Ethan standing outside, and he doesn’t let me say anything, he just drags me along with him.

When we get to the pack house, we enter the Alpha’s office, and I see the other guys already seated with worried looks on their faces.

“What’s wrong?” I ask immediately after greeting the alpha. There’s a pit forming in the middle of my stomach, and I have a bad feeling about this.

“We found the bandits that murdered your pack.”

Hearing those words should bring me relief, but it just makes the feeling worse.

I can feel Ethan leading me to a seat. He tries to leave me, but I must make a noise of distress because he stands beside me and places a hand on my shoulder for comfort.

“They’re not just ordinary bandits, they’re members of the DarkWolf pack.”

I gasped, paralyzed by shock. The Dark Wolf pack is one of the most brutal packs, they have a reputation for being mean and bloodthirsty, cutting everything and everyone in their way because they have the strongest wolves, and they think they’re above the law because nobody can go against them.

"What…How… What did my pack do to them? Why did they attack my pack?"

"I'm sorry I don't have the answers to your questions, Sophie."

“So, there’s nothing that can be done? My father, my pack…they’re just gone like that?”

“I’m sorry sweetheart”, Ethan squeezes my shoulder but I shake him off and stand up abruptly.

“Thank you, Alpha. Please excuse me.”

And with that, I left the office and ran to my room, not bothering to shut the door because I knew the guys would follow me, not caring about the fact that I needed to be alone.

Falling to my bed, I sob uncontrollably, the memory of the m******e replaying in my head in an endless reel.

I’ve been trying to justify everything that happened in my head, but the knowledge that my pack died a senseless death just because of the whims of a group of people is more than I can handle.

As I expected, the door opened a few moments later, three large guys filling up my room and taking up all the space.

“Sweetheart, I’m sorry you’re going through this”. Damien is the first to pull me into his arms, and I fall into him willingly, needing the warmth and comfort of another human being.

“It’s just not fair”, I sob. “We didn’t do anything to them. They just came and ripped my pack up for no reason”.

Another hand lands on my back, rubbing me in circles.

“Should we tell her?” I hear someone whisper above my head.

“Tell me what? What are you guys hiding?”

I turn around to face them, my tears pushed aside by my curiosity.

I see the resolve in Lucien’s eyes, and he settles on my already cramped bed, a hand cradling my foot.

“It’s a bit complicated sweetheart, but this isn’t our first encounter with the DarkWolf pack.

“You might even say, we were once members of that pack a long time ago.”