Slightly before dinner, the front door creaked open and closed again. I heard the familiar voices of Lucas and Levi in the hallway—muffled at first, then louder as they approached.
Levi’s brows furrowed the mont he saw curled up on the couch with a blanket draped around my legs. “You’re ho early. Weren’t you supposed to be working the dinner rush?”
It seed like Lucas noticed almost instantly. “Did sothing happen?”
Liam stood from where he’d been sitting beside and folded his arms. “Yeah. Sothing happened.”
The mood shifted in a heartbeat. Both brothers stiffened, instantly alert.
“It was Annie and her new boy toy, Joshua,” Liam said evenly, but his jaw was tight. “They showed up at Hazel’s diner. Started harassing her. Joshua knocked a tray of hot food onto her arm.”
Lucas’ eyes flashed. “He what?”
Levi’s voice dropped an octave. “Where is he?”
“He’s already been dealt with,” I said quickly.
Levi narrowed his eyes. “You an—”
“Liam punched him. Knocked him out cold,” I finished, giving Liam a sideways glance. “His friends had to help drag his unconscious body out.”
Levi blinked, then smirked. “Damn. You beat to it.”
“Trust ,” Liam said, cracking his knuckles. “It wasn’t nearly enough.”
By the ti dinner rolled around, I felt steadier, though my skin still tingled with phantom heat from the burn. The boys flanked as we made our way into the grand dining hall.
Evelyn was already seated at the head of the table, regal as ever in a tailored blazer and sharp eyes that flicked toward like I was sothing she ant to swat.
I was surprised to see Jessie beside her, her lips coated in a glossy pink sheen, smiling sweetly at the triplets the mont they entered. When she saw , her smile faded, though she quickly recovered.
“Evening, boys,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hazel. I didn’t realize you’d be joining us.”
I smiled, though it felt like dragging barbed wire across my lips.
“Funny,” I said, keeping my tone light. “I live here.”
Jessie blinked. She wasn’t expecting that.
“Right. Of course.”
I took my seat, spine straight, jaw tight. Evelyn’s eyes raked across her sons, stopping at their necks. Her lips thinned, her displeasure tangible in the stiffening of her posture.
“What’s that on your necks?”
Lucas was the first to speak. “A mark, Mother.”
“From Hazel,” Levi added, placing a hand on my thigh under the table. I felt warmth rush through .
Evelyn’s nostrils flared. “All three of you?” she asked, her voice dripping with disbelief. “Really?”
Jessie gave a light laugh. “I thought Hazel said she was planning to leave Emberfang after her debt was paid off. Guess that changed?”
Liam’s voice was sharp. “She never said it like that.”
“She did ntion leaving,” Evelyn said coolly, dabbing at the corners of her mouth with her napkin like she hadn’t just sliced open with a single sentence. “Now that her debt is magically cleared, she could walk away any ti. And you three would be left marked. Do you know the pain wolves would feel when the person who marks them leaves?”
My throat tightened. als with the family were always bad news. I felt my hands curl into fists beneath the table, fingernails digging into my palms.
She said it like I wasn’t even in the room.
Lucas sat straighter, voice hardening. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Evelyn replied. “Girls like Hazel... once they get what they want, they tend to run.”
I stared down at the polished wood of the table, then lifted my chin. My pulse thrumd in my ears. That was it. That was the last straw.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said, my voice sickly sweet despite the fury simring beneath my skin. “I have no intention of running. I might have said so things in the past, but things have changed now.”
Jessie stiffened beside Evelyn, her expression faltering for just a breath. I didn’t care.
“I’ve built a life here,” I continued. “And I intend to stay with my mates for as long as we shall live.”
The tension in the room was electric. Evelyn’s eyes sharpened into cold glass. Then ca the blow.
“This is a family conversation. Hazel, I’d like you to step outside while I speak to my sons.”
The words sliced through .
“And Jessie?” Liam asked, frowning.
“She stays, of course,” Evelyn answered. “She’ll need to hear this.”
I tried to keep my face neutral, but my chest burned. I felt like I’d been slapped—not by her words, but by what they ant. Jessie was family. I wasn’t.
“Jessie is not family,” Levi snapped, glaring at his mother. “Hazel is our mate. Our fated mate. She is family.”
Evelyn’s gaze turned icy. “Then she should act like it and show so respect.”
My stomach twisted.
“It’s only fair that Jessie leaves,” Lucas calmly said. However, the look in his eyes was icy.
“Nonsense!” Evelyn said. “Jessie is as good as my daughter.”
“Mother—”
I gently touched Levi’s hand under the table, stopping him. “It’s alright.”
“Hazel—”
“I’ll just step out for a bit. I need so fresh air anyway,” I said.
Shooting the triplets a reassuring smile, I rose from my seat. Jessie shot a victorious smile, but I paid her no mind.
The mont I stepped out into the cool night air, I took a deep breath, and my head began to clear. The soundproofed walls of the mansion blocked out whatever shouting may have been happening inside. I couldn’t hear a thing.
I slipped behind the tool shed, my fingers brushing the edge of my shirt. A run would help. I hadn’t shifted in weeks, and every muscle in my body was begging for release.
I took a deep breath and started to pull off my shoes.
Then I froze. There were footsteps behind , but I couldn’t sll my mates, so it couldn’t be them.
I barely had ti to turn when a hand grabbed my waist and another clamped a rag over my mouth.
A chemical, cloying scent filled my nose. My eyes widened in fear.
Chloroform.
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