Bought By My Alpha Mates

TENNA. I was not supposed to be grinding on a pole in front of the three men I'd been in love with since I was twelve. But there they were—Elliot, Rowan, and Torhana Pentmoon, triple alpha kings and my best friend's devastatingly hot older brothers—standing at the edge of the stage like they owned the place. Which, knowing them, they probably did. Fuck my life. The bass pounded through Club Celestial as I spun around the pole, my red hair whipping across my face. Christmas Eve in Miami was supposed to be my fresh start. My chance to make enough money to finally dig myself out of debt and maybe—finally—meet my actual mate so I could get over my pathetic obsession with three men who'd never see me as anything but Lyssa's chubby friend. Except I wasn't chubby anymore. I had curves that made men stupid—thick thighs, a tiny waist, an ass that didn't quit, and t**s that defied gravity. I'd learned to love my body, learned to use it. Just not in front of them. "Ten! Nine! Eight!" The crowd started the countdown to Christmas, and I wanted to melt into the stage floor. Elliot's ice-blue eyes were locked on me, his jaw clenched so tight I thought it might crack. Rowan looked like he was ready to vault onto the stage and throw his jacket over me. And Torhana—God, Torhana's silver eyes were practically glowing, his whole body vibrating with barely controlled aggression. "Seven! Six! Five!" This was a nightmare. They were supposed to be at the Pentmoon palace doing kingly Christmas things, not watching me dance in scraps of crimson lace that barely covered anything. "Four! Three! Two!" I met Torhana's eyes, and something in my chest clenched. "ONE! MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Midnight struck. And my entire world shattered. The bond hit me like lightning—white-hot and brutal and absolutely unmistakable. My hands slipped on the pole as heat exploded through my body, racing down my spine and pooling between my thighs. I gasped, my knees nearly buckling, as the most intense sensation I'd ever felt crashed over me. Mate. But not just one. Three golden threads snapped into place, connecting my soul to theirs, pulsing with need and possession and an overwhelming rightness that made me dizzy. No. No, no, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. The Pentmoon brothers couldn't be my mates. They were kings. Womanizers. The men who'd paraded supermodel she-wolves through their mansion while I sat in the kitchen with Lyssa, my heart breaking a little more each time. I looked down at them, and I knew—I knew—they felt it too. All three of them had gone completely still, their eyes blazing wolf-bright in the darkness. Elliot looked like he'd been punched in the chest. Rowan's mouth had fallen open in shock. And Torhana—Torhana looked like he was about to commit murder, his gaze sweeping the crowd of men who'd been watching me dance, a low growl building in his throat. Oh, shit Somehow I finished the routine. Muscle memory took over while my brain short-circuited, and when the song finally ended, I grabbed my tips and practically ran off stage. "Tenna!" Marco, the stage manager, caught my arm, his eyes wide. "Holy f**k, girl. You've got a private room request. VIP suite. They're offering fifty thousand dollars for one hour." The world tilted. "What?" He shoved a black card into my hands. Three letters were embossed in silver: ERT. Elliot. Rowan. Torhana. "Room seven. Five minutes. Don't keep them waiting—that's more money than this club makes in a week." Fifty thousand dollars. More than half my debt, gone. Just like that. All I had to do was walk into a private room with my three fated mates who I'd been hopelessly in love with for thirteen years, who'd never wanted me before, who'd probably break my heart into a million pieces. No big deal. I stared at myself in the dressing room mirror, trying to calm my racing heart. My lips were swollen from biting them, my pupils blown wide, my skin flushed. I looked like I'd already been thoroughly f****d, and they hadn't even touched me yet. The bond hummed under my skin, insistent and demanding. I could feel them—Elliot's fierce protectiveness, Rowan's burning need, Torhana's violent possessiveness. It was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure. I thought about walking away. Getting on a plane tonight, running as far as I could, trying to sever the bond before it fully set. But then I thought about my mom's hospital bills. The debt collectors who called twice a day. My empty bank account. And I thought about that day when I was twelve, crying over stolen ice cream, and three teenage boys made me feel beautiful for the first time in my life. "Anyone who can't see how beautiful you are is f*****g blind, Tenna." Torhana's words, spoken when he was fifteen and I was just a kid with a crush. I reapplied my lipstick with shaking hands, checked that my lingerie was still in place, and walked toward room seven. Whatever happened next, at least I'd finally know if they wanted me even a fraction as much as I'd always wanted them.