My Three Hot Alphas

2: Bloody Mate!?

Liora's POV

‘Steal from the Luna!’

My impulsive mind runs through a series of uncanny thoughts. I shake the creepy idea from my head. If I ever get caught, I’ll have my fingers chopped off.

Heaving a loud sigh, I pull away and start cleaning up the kitchen. Next, I clean up Luna's bedroom which is the last floor of the four-storey mansion. Somehow, I find picking her jewelry fun. Tiny things, yet priceless. Every time I picked them, I hoped that one day it would be me. An indispensable omega.

I pull out the sheets and start dusting the area when I hear angry steps march towards this room.

Please… not again.

There's no point hiding. I stand, waiting for the lash out. The sheets are suddenly heavy, my anxiety shoots through the roof. Another angry step and the door bursts open to reveal the angry Luna.

“I see you enjoy being dumb.” She scoffs. “What now? Wasting so much time to clean a damn room.” Sticking a hand up, she effortlessly shuts me up. “Round this up in a minute and go join the event planner.”

She pauses till I mumble my response.

“The coronation needs to be perfect and exquisite.” She wriggled her neatly manicured nails. “One tiny mistake and you're dead.” Dramatic as ever, she softly clicks her heels as she walks away.

My body aches. Can today get any worse? This is supposed to be my birthday eve and it already feels like tomorrow is jinxed. I just want peace and freedom.

My knees clap as I walk out. I take the back exit to the backyard. The pack house is so big, almost half the size of the whole pack. Workers are busy around the clock as they prepare for another grand season.

I pause on seeing a familiar figure give out directives. Tall, a pretty blonde, she moves with grace.

Rhea!?

We've been best friends since childhood. Her father was my father's closest pal. Like her father, Rhea is a Beta. Her unspoken beauty and class say it, and even though we're nothing alike, she sticks beside me. After my father's downfall, hers got favored, and he helped us clear up a part of the debt. A win is a win, so my dad thinks.

Excited for a change of fate, I rush towards her and wrap her in a hug without warning.

“Jeez!” Rhea almost gags. Seeing it's me, she tries to relax but her eyes fall on my mukky dress and she makes a face.

That's Rhea. She can be a b***h sometimes, but she doesn't fake it.

“Sauce. I’m quite clumsy.” I try to laugh it off, clearing the awkward air between us. “So, came to see me?” I grin like a child. “You remembered my birthday.” I pout.

“Oh.” She gasps.

I press pause on my mood. “Oh? If this isn't about my birthday, what is it?”

“Liora,” she lays her hand on my shoulder. “I'm the event planner.”

My jaws drop. Once we were kids, always throwing surprise parties for one another… And now, reality slaps me so hard and I feel more worthless.

“Wow. That's… great.” I manage a smile. It will be pure evil not to be happy for her.

“I know right?” She grins. “Uh, Liora,” she makes that innocent face she does when she wants to get away with things. “I could have spared you but I need more hands.”

With a frozen smile, I nod. “What do you want?”

She flips her hair. “I need all seven thousand chairs in the hall, the lawn mowed, I have a few things in the trunk of my car…”

“I only have two hands.”

Her mouth forms a small circle and she smiles. “Yeah. The trick is one step at a time.” She straightens up to leave, almost nudging me aside. “Good luck.”

I turn to see her head towards Octavius who just returned from school. I look away and try not to cry. Today is all shades of wrong. I know Luna Lily is a hard nut, but Rhea is just being too much of a b***h ass right now.

*** ***

11: 00 PM

I dump the last box on the hall, adding it to the thirty heavy boxes I got from Rhea’s car. I’m exhausted and if the wind blows a bit too hard, I might collapse.

Rhea has simply zoomed off after waving at me. I brushed tears off my chin with the back of my hand and it continues to fall.

‘You’ll be fine, Liora.’ I mumble, not even believing my lies.

I walk to my room and try to rehearse my plans for my special day.

My hand stroke my favorite amber satin dress that complements my eyes. It has a sexy slit. I siphoned money from Rhea and got it, but I've never really worn it. I take my bath, style my hair in Auburn bouncy curls, and dust makeup on my face, from products that Rhea finished using. Done, I wear my sexy dress.

The urge to look in the mirror taunts me, but I don't. People say I'm ugly, Octavius especially. I'd hate to ruin my mood by my awful sight, so I brush it off.

After my first shift, I'll wander in the field. It's the only way I can have peace. Hopefully, I don't get dragged to Luna Lily or her ugly son by her dumb soldiers.

Set, I head for the field. It's usually quiet when they aren't training for war. I take the small cut in the garden, down the tall green rows, before finally disappearing into the field.

I take my shoes off, letting my feet enjoy the cool sensation of the dewy grass. Sure that no one is watching, I start taking off my dress.

The full moon settles overhead with the clock striking midnight!

In haste, I take off my dress in order not to damage it from the shifting. The odd sensation I feel spread across my body prevents me from assembling my items.

I bite my lips, preventing myself from crying in pain. The painful sensation gets to my belly, rumbling, driving me crazy. My body begins to morph. I hear my bones snap as I change form.

It's simultaneous with red fur creeping along my bare skin. Red fur?! My wolf is a red wolf?! I don't have the time to think when my claws shoot out and I spring into a small red wolf.

From a distance, wolves growl under the full moon.

‘Liora!’

I hear a voice in my head. She sounds so excited like she's waited forever to say my name.

My wolf?!

‘Yes. It's me, Elise.’ Her merry voice continues.

‘I'm Liora!’ I repeat and giggle like a child. I have company, I guess.

Oddly, it growls inside my head, shifting me from my mind as well, as it takes full control. My paws pound the moist earth as I keep running down the field with nowhere in mind.

‘Elise, what are you doing?’

My voice is shaky.

I may want to be alone, but not get into trouble. I know she’s just a merry wolf, more reason I need to protect her.

It continues racing without a care.

The start of a small cottage at the end of the field makes my eyes pop in surprise. It's cozy and beautiful. It's…

I pause, senses heighten. The scent of pine and spice intoxicated me. It's overwhelming that I drink it in.

‘MATE!’ Elise growls in my head.

She doubles her pace, hitting the tracks in full control.

I'm not sure if meeting him is a good thing, but I let Elise lead us past the small fence and into the lonely yard. I pad towards the front door and through the narrow opening.

Big feet in front of me, make me pause. I follow the set of naked legs up to a pair of white shorts that barely leave anything to the imagination. Up along hairy tatted chest to cool blue eyes… I freeze.

Octavius is my mate?!

Acting on a whim, I turn to flee but the door snaps shut. This is a trap. It has to be. Slowly, I turn to face my predator.

“Hello, Lio-rat.” He smirks.