Alphas of Raven: The Forbidden Triplets

Chapter 2

There was not much left to convince my parents about going to Ravenwood. Things had worked out just as I had hoped.

And I had Biana to thank for it.

Biana had been my blessing in disguise. Thanks to her tattling tendencies, it had only taken her a few minutes to get the news out and about, regarding me going to Ravenwood.

There was never a doubt in my mind that she would share the information with the world, after all, they didn't call her 'BBC' for no reason. What I was not sure of was in what form she would report it. Would she paint a positive picture or a negative one? Would she have claimed that I was a mess who was running away from my problems or painted me as a strong girl who was gracefully moving on?

That was a risk that I was willing to take, and in the end, it paid off. Thankfully, she had reported the independent girl narrative to the T. And that had served as a ray of hope for my father's withering PR team, who had been grasping at straws since the engagement broke.

So, despite my father's unambiguous reluctance and numerous concerns, the decision was made.

I was going to Ravenwood.

And so here I was, in my car, driving to Ravenwood, with Kia in tow and a list of stipulations from my father. Yes, my father had conditions regarding my stay in Ravenwood.

One of those terms was that Kia was to accompany me, and I was more than happy to oblige him on this one. Unfortunately, despite Kia's good academic record, she had not cleared the interview, so instead, my father arranged for her to attend one of the long-distance programs at another university. I was initially concerned about whether she was OK with the idea. I didn't want her to miss such a critical life experience as college on my behalf, but it turned out she was more than happy to be there.

While that part was sorted, it was his other stipulations that I was not very excited about. My dad, on the other hand, was dead serious about them, so much so that we wrote them down on a piece of paper.

I got that my dad was overly protective and paranoid, especially after the recent events, but these were too much. I re-read the paper, which was right now pasted on the dashboard of my car.

Rules for Ravenwood

(1) Do not go anywhere without Kia, except for classes.

(2) Keep a low profile, apart from when my PR team asks you to do something.

(3) No drinking. We do not want any scandals.

(4) Keep out of trouble or any controversy.

(5) Stay away from the Alphas of the Raven.

It was the last stipulation that bothered me the most. Not that I was running to meet them, but being Alpha White's daughter, there was a high chance that at some point in time, I would come face to face with the Alphas of Raven, especially.

You got that right, they were Alphas, there were three of them, and that, too, were triplets. Triplets were a rarity amongst our kind, and they were not just any triplets; they were Alpha Triplets, so much so that many in our society considered them an abomination. Of course, it was mostly superstitious bullsh*t, but that did not stop people from talking about it.

It was not all that made people wary of them.

They were also said to be extremely powerful Alphas, in terms of brute physical force. They were warriors in their own right, champions of every Alpha tournament that had happened in the last two decades. It was after one such Alpha tournament last year that Sole's obsessive hatred towards them reached the next level when one of the Raven Alphas beat him fair and square, and that too despite being twice his age, almost as old as his father.

That is not where their power ended. They were also Alphas of the largest pack with almost never-ending resources. Raven was always a powerful and wealthy pack, but it was the triplets that had taken it to new heights, especially with their warrior troops and rogue program.

Even their critics, like my father, were appreciative of those things.

My dad barely spoke about the Ravens, not to me anyway. The only time I had heard him talk about them, was when we spoke about the way they had trained and created their army and warriors, and the rogue program that they had initiated, the one that allowed rogues to enroll themselves in a pack. I remember my father telling me that there was a lot of resistance to the Rogue Program in the council when they first proposed it, but the Ravens were adamant about rolling it out, with or without the council's support.

'Cocky bastards."

That's what my father had called them. As much as my father supported the program, he did not like the way they went about it. Probably that was what my father had against them, that they considered themselves to be above the law.

The Ravens had done great work with the University of Ravenwood as well, but, as per my father, Ravenwood was always the most prominent university, part of their legacy, and while they had surely maintained and uplifted it, the other two things they had built from the ground up.

Despite all these achievements and all the power that they wielded, the Alphas of Raven were private and highly guarded. One hardly saw them in the papers or at society parties. Even my father only met them at council meetings and tournaments. From what I knew, only two of the brothers attended most of the events, Alpha Zaikat and Alpha York. The third brother barely made any appearances. My father, too, had only met him a couple of times. He was so elusive that I didn't even remember his name.

I wondered if this restraint was by choice, or due to how the people treated them. Now that I think about it, it was more likely that it was their own decision. Even if people were careful of them, power had a strange lure, and the kind they wielded in our world would have had people eating out of their hands.

"What are you thinking about?" Kia asked.

"Nothing really. I was just thinking about dad's last stipulation." I pointed at the paper and said, "I don't know why my father would ask me to stay away from the Alphas."

"Yeah, that is weird."

"Anyways, there is a very thin chance that I will ever cross paths with the super-private Alphas."

"Oh, but you will. Isn't one of the Alphas the university dean as well?"

Yeah, she was right, and then why did dad ask me to stay away from them, knowing very well that I was bound to bump into him? None of this made sense.

"He can impose all the rules that we want, but we are going to have a blast in Ravenwood," Kia said, unable to keep the excitement from her voice.

I was determined to do exactly that. I wanted to make the most of it this year, and just go all out. I would be lying if I said that I had not considered the possibility of meeting my mate. I knew very well that it would be soon that my parents would start the conversation around the pack inheritance, and if I had not found my mate by then, I would be forced to look for a chosen mate, to claim my pack.

Goddess, damn these chauvinistic Council laws!

"I am going to take you to all my favorite places in Ravenwood," Kia interjected my thoughts.

"Of course, you would. You spent the better part of last year here. Honestly, I was worried that you might just settle down in Ravenwood."

"Yeah, I know it is a special place. You will see. That is why I was OK with the long-distance program."

"Really? I am hurt. I thought you came for me." I replied, making my cute, pouting, sad face. "Don't tell me you found a secret lover there."

Kia went all silent at that comment. It seemed like I had hit a nerve. I wanted to know more, but I knew she would confide in me once she was ready.

"You know what, I know just the place for our celebratory drink, " Kia said, changing the topic, "There is a bar just on the outskirts of Ravenwood. You will love it! We should be there in like an hour or so."

Like Kia had said, an hour later, we were there.

The bar stood at the edge of Ravenwood, with its rustic wooden facade, and a neon sign that hung up front with the words 'Rangers' etched on it. The bar screamed cowboy!

As we entered through the creaking wooden swing doors, the scent of smoke, whiskey, stale beer, and old leather hit our noses. The dimly lit interiors gave way to walls lined with wooden paneling and adorned with the history of The Last Rangers, which spanned through the last century. The bar was made up of a long ash oak slab, with an old bartender standing behind it and wiping glasses.

This was not an upscale establishment, nor was it a sleazy place, it was a place that held and kept the secrets of its patrons and workers.

Till about two weeks ago, I could not even think of stepping into such a place, mostly because Sole preferred the posh bars and clubs. But since I was here now, I could see how I preferred this character-drenched bar to all those fancy places that we often frequented. It was just the perfect place to celebrate my college milestone.

"Most of the people here are regulars, you would hardly find any outsiders here or even reporters for that matter."

Kia was right, it was highly unlikely that I would have a run-in with one of those Society Pages reporters here.

I perched myself on one of the barstools, as Kia called out to the bartender, but

"Kia, is that you?" A girl's voice called out from behind us.

It happened before I could turn to see who it was, my wolf started pacing in my head, inclining towards what lay behind us. I smelled the most amazing thing that I had ever inhaled. A faint bouquet of oak and smoke.

As strange as this scent was, it was also the most hedonistic and wanton aroma that my senses had ever experienced.

My wolf howled as it urged my body to turn and come face-to-face with the source of our anguish and pleasure.