Imprisoned by the triplet alphas

Arielle: He was going to make it right? My dad was in the habit of always taking business trips and I had no problem with it most times because his trips brought food to our table; but then again, the duration for his travels were always unstable. My eyes stayed pinned on the door as I fiddled with my fingers, chewing my bottom while I sat in wait. I exhaled, tucking my hair behind my ears before hugging my knees to my chest. I heard the subtle sound of footsteps on our porch and I rushed to my feet. A knock soon resounded on our door and my heart soared. He was back. I quickly rushed to the door, gently opening it. "Dad." His brown hair was messy and his appearance a little shabby yet regardless, his hazel eyes glistened with happiness when he hugged me. "Princess, how are you doing?" "I'm fine dad, I was just waiting for you. I thought you weren't gonna make it." I squeaked while pulling away from him. He smiled, raising his rough palm to caress my cheeks, "you know I'd never miss something as important as it for anything. It was the major reason why I had to round up very quickly and head home." His husky voice came. He stepped into the house, dropping his mini-duffel bag on the floor before throwing himself on one of the seats with a sigh and closed eyes. "Hungry? I made mashed potatoes." "Hm?" His unsettled reply made me arch a brow. He flitted his eyes around, probably trying to figure out or remember what I had just said. He gently brought his eyes to meet mine, "mashed potatoes will be fine." "You okay?" I softly inquired. I knew he was always tired whenever he came back from those trips but this time around, there was something different about him and I couldn't quite wrap my head around it. He nodded with a convincing smile and I whisked myself away to the kitchen to get this meal, bringing it to the living room where he was. "Just like you like it." I said with my own cheeky smile. While he ate in silence, I watched him. Finally deciding that the weird and utterly uncomfortable silence was enough, I asked a question, "how was your trip?" He paused, taking a slow blink before giving me a distant smile and going back to eating. Normally, whenever I asked about his trips, he'd always tell me, giving me a detailed breakdown of all that happened. So why the silence now? He noticed my frown as sighs, "don't worry about it, Princess. I'm just very tired." He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I smiled. "So, tell me about your plans for the mating ceremony." I began telling him when he suddenly began laughing, "You know, you remind me so much about your mother. She always had that glint in her eyes and that sweet smile that was very contagious. I remember when I had found out she was my mate, she couldn't believe it. We had a frenemy relationship but I knew she liked me and so did I." I blinked at him, surprised he was talking about my mother. He rarely talked about her. "You look so much like her, baby. You have her beautiful sea-green eyes and lovely red hair. Any time I look at you, I see her and I can't believe I'd be all alone soon." He sniffled, wiping a stray tear. "I'm just so happy for you but at the same time I can't see myself letting go of you so easily because to me, you're still my little girl." I moved from my seat to perch on the armrest of his, pulling him into a warm hug, "I'd always still be your little girl, dad. No matter what." "Your mother would be so proud of you. I can almost hear her squealing and jumping around, talking non-stop about preparations to be made." He smiled. I giggled because he wasn't wrong. She was a very jovial person and there never was a dull moment with her. She was very tall and extremely pretty and though I didn't inherit her enviable height, I happened to be blessed with her beauty. Sadly, she passed away four years ago from a strange disease and it was very hard for my dad and I to deal with it. I still heard him cry in the company of darkness and it broke my heart because though he wouldn't say it, there was a hole in his heart that only my mother could fill; hence I tried my hardest to make him miss her less. I understood when he said he was having a hard time letting go of me; I was the only thing he had left. "Blake better treat you right or I'd storm right up to his door and punch his handsome face." I laughed, "believe me, he knows." **** Tomorrow was the ceremony that I was dying for and I was all over the place making sure things were set properly. Girls my age were also busy with arrangements, each eager to discover who their mate would be. My village was a small village in which everyone knew everyone. Our population wasn't so much but we made the best of it because it was rare that people got mated outside their clan. We had a tradition that was practiced, whereby the males with the age range of Seventeen to twenty, would be kept away from the females within the same age grade and allowed to meet the females on the day of the ceremony. All eligible participants were to wear white and sit round the fire while waiting for the full moon that would manifest our wolves and reveal our mates. Dad had been an emotional mess since he came back. Yesterday, we went dress shopping and upon every white dress I wore, he shed tears, saying I looked angelic. I almost regretted taking him with me because he wasn't so much help in selecting a dress. At the end of the day, I had to go with a simple, lovely white gown that flayed from my waist down. It was beautiful that it made dad shed the most tears. Today, we were flower picking. We had to pick enough floors to fill the ground we'd be sitting on. My friend, Joanne was sitting close to me gisting me about how she had gone dress shopping with her parents and all I could do was listen while picking flowers. "Do you think Blake would be the one? He's the face behind every girl's obsession." I laughed because she wasn't wrong. Blake was sought after by many girls and I happened to be the lucky one he professed his love for. I was definitely sure that I was the object of every girl's jealousy. I could see it in their eyes whenever I passed by. I knew every potential mate was putting in their best effort because they were hoping to be his mate. He may love me but it would be an entirely different story if I wasn't his mate. We were still at the field picking flowers when some hefty and dangerous looking men dressed in black stormed in the village, filing right past us. I heard them stop a middle-aged lady, Mrs Smith, asking for my dad and my heart jumped. My dad? What could they possibly want with my dad? I didn't wait to find out, I took my half-filled basket and dashed out of the field, taking a shortcut through the stream to get home. I frantically banged on the door, looking back at intervals to see if the men were coming, while waiting for my dad to open up. I heard a click and gently opened to reveal my sleepy-eyed father. "Honey, back so soon?" I didn't have time to talk, I just pushed him into the room and shut the door behind me. My dad looked at me, his expression a mixture of shock and surprise. I was a panting mess. "D-dad, some strange men are looking for you. They were dressed in black, hefty and wore a dangerous aura… I heard them ask Mrs Smith about you." My dad's eyes widened in understanding before he grabbed my hand, leading me down the basement. "Who were those people? They looked like trouble." I asked. "Some-uh, business associates." He said, while picking up a long crowbar. "Business associates? Why are they looking for you?" I asked. He blinked at the ceiling before exhaling, "sweetie, it's business. You wouldn't understand." He sounded hesitant and a bit frightful and I couldn't help wondering what he was keeping away from me. "Dad, what aren't you telling me?" I softly asked while looking him in the eye. I heard a loud bang on our door and my heart skipped a beat. They were here, they found us. I turned to my dad, frightful about the situation. I didn't know who they were or what they wanted my dad for but I wasn't going to let them have him. He was all I had left. He caressed my cheek before planting a kiss on my forehead, "if I do not come back here, use the tunnel and get away from here, Arielle. Promise me?" I did not understand anything he was saying except for the fact that he was about to do something dangerous like walk out of here and confront them. He rushed up the basement door, gently opening the door and closing it behind me. I heard his steps grow distant and for a few minutes, silence prevailed till I heard loud booming voices. My curiosity got the better of me and I stealthily tip-toed out of the basement, gently closing the door behind me. I heard their voices grow louder with each step I took till I could see their shadows. I moved closer to the edge of the hallway, peeking out from the wall. My heart nearly fell out of my chest when I saw my father in the hold of two scary-looking men. "... Why did you do it?" I heard one of the men bark at him before throwing a punch to his stomach. My dad coughed, choosing to stay quiet. "Answer me." The same man punched him again and again till another man who looked just like him, stopped him. "He's not going to talk, you know that." He said. The other man glared at father before spitting on him, "it's best you just kill him now." Kill him? Why would they even think of that? What exactly did he do? I didn't wait to think, I ran out of my hiding place screaming with tears brewing in my eyes, "please don't kill him, he's all I have." My dad's head snapped to my direction, "no, Arielle, go back inside." Another man stepped out from the crowd of men and he eyed me down mercilessly. His blue eyes pierced my skin, boring into my soul. "Is this your daughter, Richie or should I say Hound?" He asked with eyes trained on me. "Please let him go." I pleaded with tears rolling down my cheeks. "Oh? Do you know his offense?" He asked. I glanced at my dad who stared at me with worry in his eyes before turning to the man, "I do not know." He displayed a fiendish grin, "then I'd tell you. Your father is a famous assassin named Hound and killed our mother and sister." I couldn't believe him. My dad was not a murderer, much less an assassin. He couldn't hurt a fly much less a human. They were obviously lying. My green orbs stared at them in disbelief, "what?"