The Imperial Triad

Chapter One

*Amelia POV*

I feel bubbles rise under my skin as her soft lips trail kisses down from my ear. Stopping to suck and bite along my body, sending sparks across my flesh. A small moan escapes my lips. She continues to work her way down to my breast, stopping at my n****e. She s**ks and flicks one while rolling the other between her fingers. The euphoria causes my core to heat as every touch sends sparks across my skin. I feel the thin fabric covering my s*x become drenched in my juices, filling the room with my arousal. My lover’s eyes grow dark as she lowers her face to my weeping s*x. In one swift pull, the thin white fabric is ripped from my body…

Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I peered up from the book in my hands. I can feel my cheeks heat up and I know I look like a tomato. I quickly put my book down and tried to hide it under my drink tray. My embarrassment is clear as day.

“Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?” Jana, my roommate and closest friend, says with a cheeky grin. We started working at the same restaurant a few years ago. We had similar birthmarks of white hair and it started a conversation between us. We bonded over time and it turned out we had similar starts in the world. We were both orphaned as newborns. I was put into the system in New Mexico. I went from home to home until I was 2 years old. The Cox family, a middle-class white couple, adopted me into their home. My mother was the sweetest thing that ever walked this earth. She did everything in her power for me. She spent years learning the best ways to care for my hair. She always took extra care of it. She taught me to be strong and independent. Sadly, she passed away when I was 12. My father, who was typically never home or really involved, unraveled after her death. He became an angry drunk. I spent the next six years under his torment until I ran away at 18. I came to Seattle for a clean start.

Jana's story was a bit different. She was left on the southside of Chicago. A small family found her and ended up filing for custody of her. She always talked about how sweet and loving they were. She was their only child. They couldn't have any of their own. They died in a car wreck shortly after her 18th birthday. She had been dating a guy named Noel at the time. She moved in with him, having nowhere else to go. Like most abusers, his was slow and hidden for a long time. He almost killed her a year later and she fled. We have pretty much been inseparable ever since.

“Sorry babe, but your 7:30 party just walked in.” She said

“Oh s**t, sorry!” I shoved the book behind the counter and rushed over to my dining section.

I walked up to start the drink orders at my largest table tonight. By the time they were done and gone for the night, I would be getting off. Thankfully, the size of the table was large enough that no one else would be placed in my section.

The large table was roaring with conversation and laughter. I locked eyes with the man at the end of the table opposite to me. Oh s**t… I thought to myself. He was gorgeous. I couldn't break away from his dark ocean blue eyes. They stood out against his almond skin and dark brown hair that flopped on his head. Tattoos covered both arms and seemed to go across his chest and up the back of his neck from what I could see around his collared shirt.

Mikhailo POV

(Ma-kay-low)

We had a full convoy heading to one of Tobias' new restaurant purchases. It was in the middle of Seattle and full of humans. We normally stayed closer to the border but most of our business was here. We were going out to dinner to celebrate Tobias taking a chosen mate. Much to my detest. It didn't bother me that he had chosen a mate after waiting so long for his own. It bothered me that he chose a mate he could never love. He would never love Emmeline. I knew he had chosen a woman to keep his family happy. His father nearly disowned him when he caught him with his first and only boyfriend at 16. He was now 25 and had been alone since. Tobias came from a long line of betas; he was the only one who would carry on the bloodline. I understood why he chose this. It just pained me to know I'd never see my friend happy.

I wanted to find my mate. I was tired of being alone. As ranking members Carter and I would also have to take a chosen mate by the time we were 30. And that was nearing. At 28 I was starting to lose hope. I was tired of sleeping around and tired of every woman trying to claim her alpha. Don’t get me wrong. Tobias and Carter were amazing beta and gamma, but something was always missing. My father told me, as Alpha, I needed my Luna. I took over my pack at 21 after earning a business degree. Over the last seven years, I have grown our pack by over 36%. Bringing our numbers to just under 1,000. We were one of the strongest and most powerful packs in the northwest region.

I slept with every unmated she wolf in my pack by the time I was 23. I started having issues with my libido. I went from sleeping around every night to having no drive at all. My father told me it was because my wolf no longer wanted any other woman. He was causing my s*x drive to go down so I’d wait for my mate. It was humiliating. I was angry about it for years, but I listened to my wolf and stopped h****g around.

Carter was 29 and had only been alone for about 3 years now. He had a long-term girlfriend. They met in high school and continued to date despite not being mates. Not everyone finds their mate so they just stayed together. She found her mate when they were 26. He let her go. He didn’t want to be the reason she never got to experience that kind of love. He threw himself into his work after that. He owned an exclusive security company. He trained special ops security teams and had several high-tech security investments.

The car stopped in front of a rustic building reading ‘GIO’S’. Our large group climbed out of the cars. “Mickey come on!” Carter's little brother Rowan pulled my arm.

“I’m coming! What are you so excited about?” I shouted.

“They have lobster!” He squeals.

I can't help but laugh. He had gotten so tall. Sometimes I forget he was only 16 years old. Tobias, Carter, and I led the rest of the group into the building. All eyes go to us. Tobias’ parents, his sister Teagan, his fiance Emmeline and her parents, Carter's parents and his twin brothers, and my parents had already made a large group. With all of us being werewolves, humans naturally stopped and stared. I could sense a few supernaturals in the crowd.

We get seated at our table and a beautiful woman walks up to our table. She was the most gorgeous thing I ever laid eyes on. She was wearing a fitted black dress with a square neckline. It reached her knees and revealed a slip starting at her upper thigh. She looked over 6 feet when I noticed her 4 inch black strappy heels. She was probably 5’9. Her dark brown hair reached her mid-back in large spiral curls. Rich caramel highlights peaked through. She had hazel eyes, plump lips, and a button nose with a hoop in it. Her body was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Her breasts were plump and an ass made by gods. The toned muscles barely showed under her soft curves.

MATE! My wolf Thorin shouted. I had to fight him for control before he ran to her. I finally found her!

“Uhh.. Are you gonna take our order or stare?” Emmeline sneered at my mate. I try to suppress my growl. Tobias turned to look at me quizzingly.

“W- welcome t-to Gio’s, M-my name is Amelia, I’ll be your server this evening.” She stuttered along. I caught a hint of a southern accent and had to stifle my laugh.

“Amelia, is it?” she nods and offers a small smile. I studied her face for a minute, trying to decide how to proceed.

“Uhh okay..” Emmeline says again. She definitely senses something is up. . “I’ll start then. What is your house white wine?”

Amelia breaks my gaze and turns to Emmeline. “Roagna Pira Riserva” she says softly.

“Great. I’ll take that.” I can feel my wolf growling at her attitude. She was disrespecting her Luna. Even if she didn’t know it yet. I am thinking about how to handle this situation. My mate was human. Human mates were rare in my world. They were a weakness and dangerous to expose ourselves too. She makes her way over to me and takes my drink order. She takes a few steps back from the table and continues to type on her tablet.

“Amelia?” I said aloud. I loved the way her name felt.

“Yes? Can I get you something else?” She responds and steps closer to me.

“What?... Oh! Uh.. no. Your name is just very pretty.” I smiled. I’m a bit embarrassed at my lack of game right now. I seriously had been single for too long.

“Oh, um.. Thank you.” She says.

“How long have you been working here?”

“About 4 years now.”

“What brought you to Seattle?” I wanted to know everything about her. I was dying to know where that accent was from.

“Umm..” she hesitated “I just wanted a change in scenery. I’ll be back with your drinks.”

She retreats back to the kitchen and my attention falls back to the loud conversation. “Emmeline. I don’t allow that kind of disrespect at my dinner table.” I say. The table grows quiet and all eyes fall on me. “She’s just a human, Mickey.” She argues with me. I glared at her before breaking away. This isn't the place to argue my points. The table's volume slowly starts to rise. I decided to mind link Tobias and Carter.

I need you to listen but don't react.

Okay…

The waitress is my mate. I found our luna.

They turned to look at me wide-eyed. Don’t react! I command. She’s human. I need to tread carefully so I don't scare her. Letting everyone know would only cause problems. Tobias find the manager and asks him for his file on the girl.

You got it.

_____

Amelia POV

I didn’t like to make my past known to anyone I didn’t know and trust fully. The only people I have told since I left were Jana, and our friend Lip. I spent the first 18 years of my life growing up in my own personal hell. My mother died from cancer when I was just a girl. She left me alone to my father's torment. He was smart though. Being an upper middle class businessman meant we could be nothing less than ‘respectable’. He mentally tormented me for years as I grew. When I started gaining weight, I was ridiculed endlessly. The physical abuse started shortly after. It was always where my clothes would hide. Bruises would cover my back down to my thighs. Fingerprints would be left on my upper arms. My self-esteem was an all-time low. I felt like my mouth was sewn shut. Too afraid to say anything, if no one believes me. Even if anyone did notice. No one said a thing. No one helped me. When I hit puberty, I started to grow quickly. My weight started to distribute and my body started to mature in its curves. I started to like what I saw in the mirror, but he had to take that too. I became his plaything when he’d get so drunk he could barely walk. He would use me in every way he could think of in his drunken stupors. I still had night terrors over it. When I ran away at 16, I went to Vegas. He found me there and tried to drag me home. I barely managed to escape him again. I fled again. I ended up here in Seattle. I had met Lip when I moved into my apartment building. Phillip a.ka. Lip was a snobby prep school boy from New York. He literally dove off his high horse and landed in Seattle. He also had the same genetic mutation as Jana and I did. We all became a little family from this one little similarity. We even referred to our little group as ‘the coven.’

I walked back into the kitchen to wait for the drinks and grab a water vase. Jana and Rachel came in just behind me.

“Holy s**t those guys are hot!” Jana squealed.

“Even the older ones!” Rachel chimed. They were all too old for her. She was a 19-year-old kid.

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “You two are awful.”

“Oh please! If you paid even the smallest bit of attention to the men around you, you'd be living on a beach somewhere.” Jana sneers at me.

“It’s not that bad.”

“Girl, someone asks for your number almost everyday!” Rachel yells.

“They do not! Whatever.. if you want in, then grab a tray.”

“Really?!” They exclaim.

“Yes, now come on.” I rolled my eyes again and walked out of the kitchen.

I start to hand out drinks as Jana hands out the first course. Rachel fills up everyone's water glasses and slices some bread.

After sending Jana and Rachel back to their sections, I proceeded to go around the table punching in everyone's order. I prepared most of the desserts but left them in the kitchen while I took a quick break. I walked to the back of the kitchen and stepped out into the alley.

I sat on the ground and leaned against the building. It was chilly outside but after being on my feet for 6 hours, it was a nice change in temp. I sit for a couple minutes and mindlessly scroll through my phone.

“Amelia,” a deep voice said in front of me. I jumped back, knocking my head against the brick wall.

“Oww!” I squeak. Looking up at the man. The same dark ocean blue eyes from inside meet mine and my breath hitches.

“Are you okay?” he asked again. Offering a hand to help me up.

I go for his hand but stop, thinking back about those weird sparks. He notices my hesitation and pulls his hand back.

“So you do feel it” he pauses to gauge my reaction. I offer none. Wondering what it is…

“What are you?” he asked.

“W-what?” is all I managed to stutter out. I’m so confused.

“What are you?”

“What do you mean ‘what am I’?” I asked. This was starting to get a bit weird. I was getting a bit nervous. Chills were starting to cover my skin from the Seattle air.

He chuckles lightly. “Uh.. I’m sorry. I should let you get back to your break.”

The back door to the restaurant swings open as Jana bursts out of it. She frantically looks around before finding me. Her face pales when she sees the man standing in front of me. She storms over to me and grabs my arm. “She's busy dude” she mumbles as she drags me back into the building.

Once inside, she lets go of my arm but continues to storm off to the breakroom. I wince at the already forming bruises left on my arm from her bony fingers and continue to follow her. We walk into the break room and she locks the door from the inside out before turning around to speak.

“What did he say to you?” she says. Her face was still pale.

“Uh.. He said something about me feeling it too.. And asked me what I was… What’s going on?”

“Another guy from that table c-cornered m-me in the bathroom.” her voice cracked as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. “He asked me the same thing! He asked me what I was and why I was hiding my scent!”

“Hiding your scent? What the f**k does that mean?” my confusion just continued to grow.. “What are they talking about?”

“HOW WOULD I KNOW?” Jana screamed. As her terror turns into anger.

“Okay, okay.” I said softly. Knowing my friend too well to know she's just scared. “Let's go talk to one of the MOD’s and let them know we need to leave. We need to get away from those guys. We need to go home.”

“And what if they follow us!?” she retorted.

“Lip is home tonight. No one will bother us with him there.” I said softly. “He works with us tomorrow night too.”

Jana seems to finally calm down at the mention of Lip. We leave the break room to speak with the manager and head home. Rachel came running towards us holding a ticket book. “Look at that! You lucky b***h!”

I took the ticket book from her to examine the contents. An envelope sits in the sleeve with my name written on it. I opened the envelope to find a stack of bills containing $3,500. And a small note that says Keep the change. “They left a 500 tip.” Jana and I made eye contact before rushing back off to the staff manager's office.

____

Mikhailo POV

I made my way around the front of the building after finding Amelia in the alley. Carter is standing outside waiting for me. I could see a pained look on his face as I walked up to him.

“I think I f***ked up man..” he starts. “I scared her.. I - I t-thought she was lying.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The petite Korean girl man… She’s my mate. She doesn’t have a smell. Well, she smells humans but I noticed it more on her than her smell. I thought she was lying and trying to hide her scent.

“I don't think they know what they are..” I grabbed him by the shoulders. “We f**ked up man. Let's go inside and pay the bill. Send everyone home except for Tobias. We need to know if they're lying or are really human.

We get back to our table as everyone is finishing their dishes. I opened the checkbook without looking at the total. I placed an envelope inside the ticket book and wrote my mate's name on the front. I ushered everyone out and left. We decided we would come back tomorrow.

_____

Lip POV

After two movies, dance parties, and a bottle of tequila, I finally managed to get Amelia and Jana to let down their guard. They confided in me about what happened in the restaurant. And while I understood why they were scared, I knew the girls were a bit dramatic. In the 4 years I had known them, there was never a moment's peace. I can't help but snicker at the thought of it.

“What's so funny?” Amelia chimes, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Hmm? Nothing…” I replied with a mischievous grin.

“Tell me!” she squeals

“I was just thinking about how annoying you two are.”

“HEY!!” they both yelled at me. A pillow wacks me in the face.

“Stop it, rat!” I grabbed another pillow and jumped up from the couch.

“Stop calling me a rat!” Amelia charged after me with her pillow/

A pillow war breaks out in the living room. After knocking down the lap, we decide to call it quits and go to bed.