Chapter1
Astraea’s POV
Clang. The cup hit the floor.
“You lowly omega!” the woman whose name I didn't know, nor cared to know, screeched, her high-pitched voice turning heads toward us
“I'm so sorry,” I muttered, bending quickly to gather bits of it back to the tray.
“Sorry? You're sorry? You think sorry will fix this mess you caused
My head stayed fixated on the ground, as I fought back the urge to get snap.
“f*****g get out of here before I descend on you,” she growled.
I didn't need to be told twice before scrambling away.
“How did the Alpha give birth to such a daughter a voice scoffed.
“Hey, omega, get me a champagne,” a voice yelled from the crowd. I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me I was the one being referred to.
Quickly I rushed toward the voice. A small group of people stood discussing.
“Your champagne,” my voice came out low and tiny, I just wanted to disappear.
“What's that? Couldn't hear you,” a male voice snapped.
My body flinched subconsciously.
“Awww, come on, Matt. Don't scare the poor girl. Remember she's still the Alpha's daughter,” another voice I could barely recognize chuckled.
“More like the Alpha's mistake,” Matt replied.
They all burst into laughter. I stood still, like a vase, still gripping the tray tightly, my body trembling.
“Let me have that,” Matt snarled.
I dragged my feet closer to him. The smell of cigars and alcohol flooded my nose. I forced down the bile that threatened to rise up my throat.
You'd think that being an Alpha's daughter I'd have a powerful wolf or at least a great sense of smell. Well, unfortunately, my senses were even worse than that of a human—Daddy’s little defect, as Seraphine, my half-sister, loved to call me.
Matt closed in on me—too close for my liking.
I shut my eyes in pain, biting down hard on my lips, not making a sound, looking down Matt's soles were pressed down on my worn out ones.
He took out two wine glasses from the tray, twisting his soles deliberately. I bit down harder on my lips till I could taste that familiar metallic tang. My eyes watered, but I held it all in.
“Having fun Matt? Maybe try pressing harder, I can barely feel anything.” I taunted,
I wasn't going to let them see just how far they'd broken me. Everyone loved the power rush that came with abusing the Alpha's daughter, especially at her father's party. Ironic, right?
His face darkened. “Scram, b***h”
“Atleast I took after your mother” I scoffed and practically ran away, if he decided to attack no one was going to save me. And believe me, a human fighting a wolf never ends well.
I moved fast, blending quietly into the background like I had always done. Practice, they say, makes perfect.
“If it isn't Daddy's little defect,” that nauseatingly high-pitched voice belonging to my older sister stopped me right in my tracks.
My stomach dropped.
I turned to face her before I got punished for turning my back on her or walking away while she was still talking.
“Seraphine.” My shoulders slumped, I tugged at the collar wrapped around my neck.
“I've been looking for you, mutt. Heard you broke a cup you could never afford even if you sold your pathetic self,” she spat.
“It was a mistake,” I muttered, voice low. Not that it mattered. She'd never hear anything I say.
She scoffed. “A mistake? Like you, right?”
People were beginning to see. I wished the ground could open and swallow me right then, but I stayed mute. Talking back never helped—a fact I learned the hard way. If anything, it only made things worse.
“Pathetic,” she spat loudly enough for her rising audience to hear, closing the distance between us and leaning into me.
I rolled my eyes, “atleast being pathetic was better than being a plastic b***h” I muttered under my breath.
“What did you just say?” Her face reddened.
“Nothing”
“Father should have drowned you when your slutty mother died. At least that way we wouldn't have to pretend you exist,” she sneered, unhidden disgust in her eyes.
I bit my lips to stop myself from responding.
“f*****g return to the kitchen where you belong, and I'll ensure the price of that cup gets subtracted from your meals till it's fully paid.”
“Gladly”
The air suddenly thickened. Conversations stopped midway. Alphas who were laughing went quiet.
A force pushed me to lift my head.
Then I saw them.
Three males. Identical but different.
One with sharp silver eyes and a thin jagged scar across his cheek. The second with amber-gold eyes, leaner than the first, a scar on his brow. The third bulkier than the first two with the same thin scar across his right cheekbone.
All clad in black.
A glass shattered in the distance, followed by a mutter of “sorry.”
The first locked his silver eyes on mine, and everything stopped.
My breath hitched. My lungs forgot to breathe.
My mind wanted to move, but my legs were stuck in position. My body seemingly recognized all three of them—impossible.
The collar burned almost immediately. I pulled at it, trying to offer my neck some relief.
Before anyone could speak, the silver-eyed one was standing in front of me. I didn't even see him move.
His figure towered over me, staring at me with an expression I couldn't read—shock, hunger, fury? Something wild.
“What is your name?” he growled.
My knees went weak.
“Answer him,” the second one commanded.
The other two were now on either side of me.
I'm trapped. Surrounded on all sides. The large ballroom suddenly became small—suffocating even.
“A-Astraea,” I stammered, head lowered.
“Look at me,” the bulky one growled.
I raised my head and something snapped into place, slamming into me like a wave.
I gasped, my knees buckling.
The first caught me, his fingers burning my skin even through my thin fabric, colder than the marbled tiles I sleep on.
“No,” he growled furiously, letting go of me. He took a step back. “Not possible.”
“She's ours,” the third snarled, his hands clenching. “I can feel it.” His red pupils flickered black, his fingers unclenching.
The second stared at me intently. “She's being suppressed.”
“Your Highnesses,” Father's voice echoed.
I spotted him shoving through the crowd, the light from the chandelier making it easier to see that crooked face.
My eyes widened.
They’re the triplet kings.
Kaelith—the silver-eyed king known for his coldness.
Thalion—the amber-eyed king and brain of the Beast Kings.
Dravyn—the brute and arms of the three.
