A Triple Bond from Mistletoe

Chapter 2

The day after the Christmas party feels like a blur, like a dream I can’t shake off. I woke up with the taste of those three kisses still lingering on my lips, the sensation of each one imprinted on my skin. It’s maddening. It’s impossible. And yet, here I am, struggling to push it all out of my mind.

I don’t want to think about Axel, Damon, and Leo. I don’t want to dwell on what happened under the mistletoe, on the way their touches left an unmistakable mark on me. It can’t be real. I refuse to believe it. They’re the Nightshade triplets, the alphas, untouchable, dangerous. They’re not supposed to look at someone like me. I’m just Rose Blackwood, the girl who’s been abandoned, left to stand on the sidelines of life.

But even with every ounce of resistance I can muster, there’s a magnetic pull inside me, an invisible thread that tugs me toward them, no matter how hard I try to fight it.

I arrive at school early, hoping to avoid them. The campus is quieter than usual, the morning chill hanging in the air like a warning. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. The silence feels too heavy, as though the world is holding its breath. I walk through the halls, keeping my head down, my eyes scanning the floor as I pass familiar faces, trying to stay unnoticed.

I don’t want to deal with them today. I don’t want to deal with any of this.

But of course, fate has other plans.

I round a corner near the gym, and there they are. Axel, Damon, and Leo. They stand together, as always, their gazes immediately locking onto mine. It’s like they’ve been waiting for me, and when I see them, something stirs deep inside me. That strange pull, that undeniable connection, courses through my veins, tugging at my chest. I stop in my tracks, my heart racing as they approach me with those confident, deliberate steps.

Axel’s gaze is the first to meet mine, and I can’t look away. He’s dressed in his usual dark attire, a leather jacket fitting him like it was made for him. His jaw is sharp, his eyes impossibly dark, and there’s a quiet intensity in the way he watches me, like he’s trying to read my every thought. “Rose,” he says, his voice low and smooth, like molten honey. “We need to talk.”

I swallow hard, trying to push past the feeling that’s beginning to rise in my chest, the one that screams at me to run, to get away. “I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” I reply, my voice a little more shaky than I’d like.

Damon steps forward, his dark eyes flicking between me and his brothers. There’s a subtle smile playing at the corner of his lips, but it’s not a friendly smile. It’s almost... knowing. “You can try to avoid us, Rose,” he says, his voice like gravel, smooth but edged with something dangerous. “But it won’t work.”

I take a step back, heart pounding as I try to make sense of the chaos swirling inside me. “I don’t know what you want from me. What happened yesterday... it’s not real.”

Leo, the most carefree of the three, grins at me from behind his brothers, his expression a mix of amusement and something more intense. “Oh, it’s very real, Rose,” he says, his tone light but with an undertone that sends a shiver down my spine. “And you’re going to have to accept it sooner or later.”

My mind spins, and I feel my pulse quicken. “What are you talking about? This... this can’t be real. The mistletoe—”

Axel steps in, cutting me off, his face serious now, the humor gone from his voice. “The mistletoe wasn’t just a tradition, Rose. It was magic. The kind of magic that binds fates together.”

“Fates?” I repeat, the word heavy on my tongue. “What are you saying?”

Damon’s eyes narrow, his usual calm demeanor giving way to something sharper, more insistent. “What we’re trying to tell you is that the three of us are bound to you. We felt it the moment we kissed you, the moment we connected under the mistletoe. The magic doesn’t lie. And neither do we.”

My stomach flips, my mind unable to process their words. “You’re insane,” I mutter, my voice trembling. “This is impossible. You’re not... you’re not my mates.”

Leo steps closer, his eyes locking onto mine with a strange intensity. “We didn’t choose this, Rose. It’s fate. And it’s not something we can ignore. You’re ours. All three of us.”

“No,” I say, shaking my head, trying to back away. “I don’t believe you. This is crazy.”

But even as I try to convince myself, I feel it. That deep, strange connection coursing through me. It’s like they’ve marked me, like they’ve branded me in some way, and I can’t escape it no matter how hard I try. Every time I meet their gazes, it’s like I’m drawn deeper into something I don’t understand. It’s not just the kisses. It’s the way they look at me, the way they speak to me, the way my body reacts to their presence.

I want to push them away. I should push them away. But it’s like my body is betraying me, like I’m powerless against whatever is happening between us.

Suddenly, a loud crash interrupts our conversation, followed by the sound of shuffling footsteps and shouting. We all turn at once, our attention snapping to the source of the disturbance. The doors to the gym burst open, and several students rush in, looking panicked.

“What’s going on?” Damon asks, his voice low and guarded, the tension in the air thickening.

“Something’s happening outside,” one of the students gasps, her face pale with fear. “There’s—there’s something on the school grounds. It’s not human.”

My heart stops, a chill running down my spine. Not human? What does that even mean?

Axel looks at his brothers, his expression hardening. Without a word, he grabs my wrist, pulling me toward the exit. “Stay close,” he commands, his voice a warning.

Before I can even react, they’re guiding me through the halls, their hands on me, protecting me, moving with precision and speed that’s almost inhuman. We burst out into the cold morning air, and the scene before me is nothing short of chaos.

A group of students is gathered near the edge of the school grounds, some of them backing away in fear, while others shout for help. But it’s not the students that have everyone terrified. It’s the creature standing just beyond them. It’s tall, hulking, and its skin is a sickly shade of gray. Its eyes gleam with an unnatural light, and its claws scrape against the pavement, leaving deep grooves in the concrete.

“What the hell is that?” I whisper, my voice shaking.

“That’s no ordinary creature,” Damon says, his eyes scanning the area, calculating, ready for action. “Stay behind us.”

Leo steps in front of me, his body tense as he assesses the situation. “It’s a rogue shifter,” he mutters, his expression hardening. “One that shouldn’t be here.”

Axel pulls out a sleek black knife, his gaze focused, never leaving the creature. “Get back, Rose. This is going to get dangerous.”

Before I can protest, the triplets move as one, their synchronized movements fluid and deadly. They engage the rogue shifter, their speed and power overwhelming as they take it down with ruthless precision. The air crackles with the force of their energy, and I can feel it—the power, the ferocity, the bond that connects us all.

I stand frozen, my heart pounding in my chest, watching them fight with a strength I didn’t know they had. Each movement, each strike is calculated, and soon the rogue shifter is on the ground, defeated.

Axel turns to face me, his eyes dark with something primal. “You’re safe now, Rose,” he says, his voice low, but there’s an edge to it. “But you need to understand—this bond between us? It’s real. And it’s stronger than anything you can fight against.”

I’m breathless, my head spinning from everything that’s just happened. The attack, the creature, the way the triplets protected me—everything is too much to process. But one thing is clear: my life is no longer the same. The connection between us is undeniable, and no matter how hard I try to fight it, I can’t escape it.

I don’t know what’s coming next, but I know that the Nightshade triplets have claimed me in a way that’s beyond my control. And now, I’m bound to them in ways I can’t begin to understand.