MATED TO MY TRIPLET BULLIES

CHAPTER 4 - SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE

VALERIE

"Is this some kind of joke?" Evans broke the silence. "Are you playing games with us because of what we did to you today?"

He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me closer to him. I wanted to cringe at his touch, but surprisingly, it made me crazy.

"Say something, you witch!" Evans barked. "How is this possible?"

I was too dumbfounded to say a word however. My heart was pounding in my chest, threatening to shatter my ribcage. I closed my eyes, willing myself to wake up from this nightmare, but when I opened them again, the triplets were still standing before me. I was not dreaming. The triplets were my mates.

"Answer me, Valerie!" Evans screamed.

I could tell from his tone that he was losing his mind and I couldn't blame him. Getting mated to me meant he had to stop fooling around with Ellen, who was undoubtedly one of the hottest girls at school, and then remain loyal to a nerdy Omega with bad eyesight and a terrible fashion sense for the rest of his life. It was a significant downgrade.

"Shouting wouldn't solve anything," Chris spoke up finally. "Look at her. She's as confused as we are."

"I'm not buying that crap!" Evans barked. "She's playing games with us."

He turned his attention to me. "Tell me you're playing games, Valerie."

I really wished I could. If only he knew that I hated him even more than he hated me. I was better off as a lone wolf for the rest of my life, than with any of them.

"We'll get to the bottom of this," Chris stated. "For now, we can't afford to fight each other. Let's all go back inside."

His commanding tone was meant to offer his brothers some reassurance that they were not tied to me for the rest of their lives, but I could see beyond the facade, and I knew that he was equally frightened by the realization of what was happening.

Surprisingly, Kyle, who seemed to hate me the most out of the three had not said a word. His almond shaped eyes bore into mine for another minute before he finally spoke.

"You're messing with the wrong family, Valerie," He said.

He turned on his heels and followed his brothers who were already retreating, leaving me alone and empty in the cold night.

This was far worse than a rejection in my books. They were disgusted by the mere thought of having me as their mate.

Tears rolled down my eyes as I made my way back to the pack house. A few minutes ago, I thought my troubles were finally over. Little did I know that things were going to get worse for me.

Why did I have to suffer such a terrible fate? Who had placed a curse on me? Was I going to keep on living like this forever - as a slave to my rejected mates?

I balled my fists as a firm resolve washed over me. Hell no! I was eighteen already and by the laws of the pack, I could get my freedom if I wanted it. Surely, Alpha Marion was a reasonable man and he would not complicate things further for me.

I made up my mind that by the first light of morning, I was going to be gone for good - gone from the pack, and from their lives. I was going to find my way to the neighboring Stone Creek Pack where some distant relatives lived. There, I was going to start my life afresh.

All through the night, I couldn't get a minute of sleep. I rolled and turned on my bed, as I thought about my plan. I considered writing a letter to inform my best friend, Lily of my plan, but I decided against it. I knew that she would try to discourage me and that was the last thing I needed at the moment. My mind was already made up and I was finally going to leave this life behind.

Before the first rays of light seeped through my small window the next morning, I was already up. I had packed my bags the previous night, and left a short note for the Alpha on my bed. He was the only one who treated me like a human and he deserved a farewell note at least.

I washed my face and packed my hair before making my way down the stairs quietly. It was a Saturday morning and I knew that everyone would still be fast asleep at that time of the day. That way, I could leave without causing a scene.

I stopped at the base of the staircase and groped around in search of the light switch. My hand found it quickly and as soon as the lights came on, I gasped in shock.

The living room was exquisitely decorated with balloons and shiny crystals hanging from the ceiling. There was a large poster that read "HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, VALERIE," hanging from the ceiling as well. Alpha Marion was standing in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest, while the triplets stood just a few meters away from me, with flowers in their hands.

What on earth was going on?

"Your friend told me everything," Alpha Marion started. "It was hard to believe that my sons would be so irresponsible but I was lucky to have access to the mall's CCTV footage. I'm really sorry, Valerie - "

"It's okay," I nodded. "I wanted to leave without causing a scene."

"I'm aware of everything, Valerie," Alpha Marion continued. "I know that you are their fated mate. I overheard your conversation in the garden - "

"It's all over," I replied, bitter. "They don't want me and I understand that."

"As the future Alphas of the pack, they would learn to treat their Luna with respect," Alpha Marion thundered.

His expression softened a bit and he added: "Only if you would give them another chance to make things right."

The triplets took his words as their cue and reluctantly, they inched closer to me, with the flowers in their hands.

"Accept us, Valerie," Chris pleaded. "We've realized our mistake in treating you poorly. Give us a second chance."

As I stared at the imposing figure of the triplets standing before me, I couldn't tell if Chris' words were sincere or just rehearsed.

What I knew for sure was that the coming years of my life was going to be a bumpy rollercoaster ride, with all three of them strapped together with me.