Chapter 3: Shattered Certainties
649 Words
The walk home felt longer than usual, the icy wind biting at Lena’s cheeks. She barely noticed, her mind replaying the events of the night like a broken record. Ryker, Ryder, and River—Alpha heirs, the triplets everyone in the pack respected, feared, or adored—had just claimed her as their mate.
It didn’t make sense.
The bond was supposed to be between two wolves. A singular, unshakable connection. It was the foundation of pack life, the core of the Moon Goddess’s gift. And yet… the way the triplets had looked at her, the weight of their words, it all felt undeniably real.
Her stomach churned as she pushed open the front door to her house. The warm glow of the Christmas lights strung around the living room should have been comforting, but it only reminded her of how drastically her life had changed in the span of a single evening.
“Lena?” Her mother’s voice carried from the kitchen. “How was the party?”
Lena hesitated, shrugging off her coat and forcing a smile as her mom appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “It was… fine.”
Her mother frowned, her sharp green eyes narrowing. “Fine? You were so excited about this party. What happened?”
“I’m just tired,” Lena lied, sidestepping the question. “I’m going to bed.”
“Lena—”
“Goodnight, Mom.”
Without waiting for a response, Lena hurried upstairs, closing the door to her room with a soft click. She leaned against it, exhaling shakily as she tried to gather her thoughts.
What was she supposed to do now?
Lena moved to her bed, sitting on the edge as she stared at the floor. Questions swirled in her mind, each one more overwhelming than the last.
Why her? Why now? And how was she supposed to handle being the mate of not one but three Alpha-borns?
She buried her face in her hands, her emotions swirling between disbelief, anger, and a strange, undeniable pull she couldn’t ignore. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she had felt something under that mistletoe. A spark. A connection.
But how could she trust it?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft ping of her phone. She glanced at the screen, her stomach flipping when she saw a message from an unknown number.
Ryker: We meant what we said. If you need space, we’ll give it to you. But don’t shut us out, Lena. This bond is as real for us as it is for you.
Her heart skipped a beat as another message came through, this time from Ryder.
Ryder: Hope we didn’t scare you off. We’re not exactly subtle, but you’ll get used to us.
And then another, from River.
River: I call dibs on the first proper date. Just saying.
Lena stared at the messages, her emotions a jumbled mess. Part of her wanted to throw her phone across the room, to pretend this wasn’t happening. But another part—a quieter, more uncertain part—felt something else.
Curiosity.
Her fingers hovered over the screen as she debated whether to respond. What could she even say? Nothing in her life had prepared her for this.
Finally, she typed a single message, her hands trembling as she hit send.
Lena: I need time. Please don’t push me.
The responses came almost immediately.
Ryker: Take all the time you need.
Ryder: We’ll wait.
River: But not too long, okay?
Lena placed her phone face down on the nightstand, her chest tight as she lay back on the bed. Her world had been turned upside down, and there was no going back to how things were.
For better or worse, the triplets had become a part of her story.
And deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.
- Writer
