The Imperial Triad

Chapter Four

Jana POV

This is the part we all hate the most when meeting new people. Most of my baggage was already on the table though. We hated when people ask us where we’re from. All three of us left for reasons we’d rather forget. People always wanted to know why we left and what brought us here.

“I’m from New Mexico,” Amelia says.

“New York,” Lip chimed.

“Chicago,” I said at last. Looks like we were gonna play the minimal information game.

“Baby, were you hiding in Seattle?” Carter asked me. Did he just call me baby? I can feel my cheeks heat up and I softly nod my head.

“We all kind of were in some way.” Lip adds. “It’s not something we love to talk about.”

“We understand. You don’t have to tell us anything unless you want to.”

“As far as you know, your parents are human though?” Mikhailo asked.

“Honestly, I’m not really sure. I was adopted when I was 6 months old. I don’t know anything about my birth parents.” Amelia answers him first.

“I was adopted too,” I said. Then turn to look at Lip quizzingly.

“I wasn’t even born here. I'm from Germany. My father is a diplomat,” he defends.

“But they’re your real parents?”

“Yes, they’re my real parents!”

“Okay!” Carter throws his hand up in defense.

The table falls silent after that. I decided to pick up everyone's plates and finish the last few dishes. Carter helped me carry them to the sink and started packing away the food while everyone else made their way into the living room. I washed a few dishes and sat them in the drainer to be rinsed and dried. When Carter had finished putting the food up he grabbed a towel and started to dry the dishes beside me. He stood beside me with only inches between us. “Jana, I just wanted to say that you shouldn’t worry about Neol. I’m never going to let him touch you again. I’m not gonna force you to accept me, but I want you to know you’ll be safe from here on out,” Carter said softly.

“OMG REALLY?!” I heard Amelia squeal from the living room. Carter laughed. “What’s so funny?” I asked. “Since it’s not safe for you in the city, we decided to let you all do a big online shopping spree to replace what you lost. I guess Mikhailo gave in and told her already.” He looks down and smiles at me. “You want to pay to replace our stuff?” I asked him. “Well… not to sound smug but we each own million dollar companies… So replacing your things is not a big deal.”

“Really?!” I asked. I knew they had money, but millionaires? This was a next level kind of fairytale. “Of course. You can have whatever you want. Don’t worry about the price.” He smiles at me again. Somehow, his face is now inches from mine. I pat him on the chest. “You’re gonna regret saying that. I have a shoe obsession.” I laughed and headed to the living room. I plop down by Amelia and Lip who are scrolling through a laptop. “Please tell me we're looking at shoes!” I squeak. We shop for the next hour while the guys watch a baseball game. I eventually get bored and steal the remote from them. Carter looks appalled as I giggle like a kid. “We’re watching OITNB!”

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Tobias POV

I had Dr. Pearson delayed my father's release papers until I came to see my parents. I showered and changed. Washing the dried blood off me, I had forgotten it was there. I made my way over to the hospital and up the physician's floor. My parents and sister were waiting in Dr. Pearsons office. I opened the door and was immediately met with screaming questions. My mother and sister were in my face in an insistence.

“SIT DOWN.” I said harshly. I still outrank them. They had no choice but to follow my commands.

“Tobi, why did you do this?” Teagan asked.

“Your father says you’re refusing to marry Emmeline.” My mother added. “You already announced her to the pack!”

I took a deep breath and sighed. “I found my mate. His name is Phillip.”

Teagan squeals and throws her arms around me. She secretly hoped I wouldn’t have to marry Emmeline. My mother stares back at me with her mouth agape. She shakes herself out of her trance and yells. “We can’t allow this, Tobias. You are already claimed. End of discussion!” My sister jerks away from me and glares at my mother. “You can’t be serious!” She looks back and forth between my parents. “OMG! That’s why he fought you!” She screamed, pointing to my father. “You tried to beat him again! You homophobic piece of s**t!”

“Enough Teagan! That is your father!” My mother screamed at her. “You see what you did?! You’re tearing our family apart!” She turns to me. Tears start to fall from her eyes and her face turns bright and ready. She's shaking with anger. I stared back at her. Shock was written all over my face. She really believed I was the problem. She was choosing her mate over her own son.

We’re not the villains… Orion defends us.

“Enough, Teagan.” I said calmly. “I’m not the villain here. I will be accepting my mate. You two chose not to accept me. I didn’t break this family.” I stopped and took a deep breath. “You two are banned from the packhouse. Effective immediately.” They gasp and start to argue “YOU CANT-”

“Yes. I can.” I held my hand up to silence them. “You will go nowhere near the packhouse or my mate. Tea? Would you like to move back into the pack house?” I asked her and offered a small smile.

“YES!!!” she squeals and throws her arms over me again.

Our parents started to argue but we walked out the door. “So… Do you want to meet my mate?” I asked her.

“He’s here?!” she exclaims.

I laughed and nodded my head. “Yeah, he’s at the lakehouse.”

“Yes! Let’s go!” She shouts and starts to pull me down the hall.

“BETA!” Dr. Eden calls from her office door. “I think you should see something.”

Tea and I turned and followed her to a lab. She shuts the door behind us. “I found something that might be concerning regarding your mates. I haven’t figured out why they have no smell, but I suspect it to be some kind of seal. I’ve called a witch doctor I trained with to consult on that.” I nodded my head. She turns to a computer screen and brings us the blood analysis. “This is what really surprised me… It seems your mates are not human. In fact, they’re all hybrids..”

“What?!”

“There’s more… I believe your mates fit a prophecy created eons ago. I’ve called for an Elder to meet us at the lake house.”

“What are you talking about? What prophecy?!” Teagan asked.

“The elder can tell us more. We should get back to the house.”

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Lip POV

I felt my heart skip a beat when the front door opened. I was nervous about seeing Tobias again. We hadn't spoken much since we met. Two women and an older man walked in with him.

“Lip, this is my sister Teagan. Teagan, this is Phillip, but he goes by Lip”, he says and motions to the younger woman. She throws her arms around me and squeezes me for dear life. She pulled away and quickly asked “What are your names?!” looking between the girls. “Uh Hi, I’m Amelia. Mikhailo’s mate.” She shakes her hand excitedly, “Jana” she says shyly.

“Teagan settled down.” Tobias scolded her. “The doctor has some news.”

Dr. Eden pulled the attention of the room. “I suspect that you three were placed under some sort of seal as infants. That’s why you have the white strip of hair. It seems to have grown weaker over the years. I decided to bring in a consultant so I will know more about that at a later time. I know this is going to come as a shock…” she pauses to gauge our reactions. “You’re not human… In fact you are all different hybrids.”

“Hybrids?!” Amelia squeaked

“Yes, a hybrid is a mix between supernatural species. You are all half werewolf. Amelia, you are part Fae. Lip, you are part vampire. Jana, you are part witch.”

“So that’s why you called me here.” The older man said sweetly.

“Hello, I’m Elder Jonah. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Alpha, It seems your ranking mates are The Imperial Triad.”

“What’s the Imperial Triad?” I asked.

“There’s a legend about a prophecy created eons ago. It’s stated that every supernatural species has a version of their own. Ours tells of a trio of hybrids who will find their way to each other. It’s stated that the group has to be united and meet their mates to shift. It must take place on the following full moon. There’s much more to it, but I’ve never seen it. I will have to track it down to be certain.”

“So do we have to shift in 2 days?! As in turn into a wolf?! How are we supposed to do that?!” Jana shouts.

“It’s vital that you do, young gamma. If you are indeed the Imperial Triad, then you must shift.” The elder says. “The full moon is actually at 2am, so it’s more like tomorrow night.”

“This can’t be right, my parents are human!” I argued. My parents never mention anything. I looked just like them, so there was no way I was adopted. Right? I started to feel sick realizing I would have to go back home for the first time in five years. I need answers.

“Lip..” Jana coos. “You should talk to them..”

“I don’t wanna go back there.” I sneered.

“Invite them here.” Mikhailo says. “We have human guests from time to time. Our pack members know how to act when a human is around.”

“Do you think they will come?” Amelia asked me.

“I guess it’s our only option.”

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Carter POV

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My mate was a witch? I could tell by their reactions to the news that they were truly clueless about their species. They seemed genuinely terrified about shifting.

“Is there anything more you can tell us about their shift?” I asked the elder.

“I know any wolf blessed by the gods has to shift on a full moon. Their shift will take place and they will most likely be immobilized for a period of time. They have to do it in the presence of each other with their mates there for protection. I will look for the written prophecy, but it will take some time.”

“I’ll consult with the witch. Maybe she can do something to ease their shift.” Dr. Eden adds.

“Thank you, both,” Mikhailo says. “I think our mates have had enough for today.” The elder and doctor say their goodbyes and leave. We all continue to sit in the living room silent. Lip looks like he’s going to throw up. Jana is just watching him closely.

Let’s shift for them. It might help to see it. I link Mikhailo and Tobias

“We want to show you something,” Mikhailo says and hops off the couch. He walks over to Amelia and pulls her from the couch. Tobias and I followed suit. We walked hand and hand with our mates and led them out the back to the small lake.

“I know shifting sounds scary. I won’t lie to you. The first time isn’t pleasant, but your wolf knows what to do. You just have to let go. After that, it’s like second nature. We want to show you.” I told Jana as we walked towards the water.

We strip down to our underwear and hand our mates our clothes. Jana’s face is bright red as she takes my pants from me. She keeps glancing up and down my body. I started to feel myself growing. I wanted her to see every inch.

I set back about 10 feet before shifting. I hear bones start to crack as the other shifts beside me. Fur sprouts along my arms and my teeth enlong. I open my eyes again and I’m watching from the back of my mind.

Mate!! My wolf howls. It causes the girls to jump. Mikhailo growls at me.

Kassius slowly makes his way over to Jana. He bowed his head to her. She reached out and scratched the back of our ear. Kassius drops and rolls onto his back. I laughed.

Big bad wolf and she turns you into a puppy with one touch…

Shut up! He sneers at me.

Orion, Tobias’ wolf nudged me and I rolled over to see Amelia on Mikhailo’s back. I nudged Jana and she climbed on mine. The three of us took off as our mates clang tightly to our fur.

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Mikhailo POV

Sweet giggles filled the forest as I raced through the trees. Amelia was clinging tightly to the fur around my neck. She continued to yell “Faster!” as Tobias and Carter raced beside me. I hope I can hear that laugh for the rest of my laugh. My wolf was over the moon because of her reaction to him. He couldn't wait for her to shift.

We ran for what seemed like hours before making our way back to the lake. Amelia climbed off my back. She was covered in dirt and leaves from going through the trees. Thorin decided to take a swim before giving me back control. I came up and wiped the water from my eyes just in time to see the boys back in their naked human form jumping from the dock.

Our mates squealed as they watched us from the bank. “Come on in!” I yelled.

“It’s freezing, we're gonna get sick!” Amelia yelled back. “You’re werewolves babe! You don’t get sick!” I watched as they looked back and forth between each other. I heard my mate whisper “f**k it” and start to strip. She stripped down to her bra and panties and jumped off the dock. She came up a few feet away from me and screamed “Holy s**t!!” I couldn't help the laughter that escaped my lips. “Come here” I said and pulled her close to me. “I’ll keep you warm.” I said seductively. She grew red in my arms. Sparks were lighting across my skin as I pulled her in where she straddled me. I ran my hand down the small of her back and she grinded against me in response. I could feel myself starting to grow. She looked down at my bulge poking at her s*x. “Can I kiss you?” I asked softly. Her cheeks flush red again but she nods her head yes. I leaned in softly to meet her lips. They melt into mine. Sparks shoot across my body and my wolf starts to howl with joy. I wrapped my hands around her ass and a small gasp escaped her lips. I used the small opening to nip at her lip. She opened her mouth and let me nip and suck at her lips. I gripped her cheeks and grinned at her against me. She moaned into my mouth.

“GET A ROOM” Jana shouts at us.

I swam us to shore and left the others to their mates in the water. I walked back to the house with my mate straddled around me. “Our clothes!” Amelia screeched. “We won’t need them.” I smirked and pecked her on the lips.

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