Levi grabbed and pulled in, his canines extended to pierce my skin. As his fangs ca crashing down on my neck, I felt a surge of panic. Was he really going to mark ? Right here? Right now? In public?
My heart raced with fear, my eyes widening with alarm. The re thought of him marking scared out of my mind. My wolf, on the other hand, surged in excitent.
Just as his canines lightly grazed my teeth, he was suddenly yanked away from roughly. I stumbled forward but was caught in Liam’s arms. Dazed, I raised my head to see what had happened.
I saw Lucas holding a struggling Levi back. He was still straining to get to , his eyes dark with desire. But Lucas was stronger than him and held him easily. I almost rushed toward him too but Liam’s hold on was secure and strong.
"Levi! Snap out of it!" Lucas growled at his brother. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"
Suddenly, Levi stopped straining. He blinked and the dark look faded from his eyes. "Oh my god!" He muttered, finally coming back to his senses. "What did I do?"
"You almost marked our mate," Lucas answered, letting go of him after making sure he wouldn’t lunge at again.
"Shit! Hazel, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what ca over . It was just—it was too much to take," he whispered. "I lost control."
He sounded so devastated and sad. A surge of pain rose in my chest at seeing him that way.
"I should have handled it better. Please, Hazel, forgive ." He walked towards , his hands stretched out to show that he didn’t an any harm.
But I instinctively backed away. I saw the flash of pain in his eyes and instantly felt bad. But I was more worried about being marked by any of them right now. Not when I still hadn’t decided what I wanted to do next.
Thankfully, Levi stopped approaching. He raised his hands in surrender. "I’m sorry," he muttered again.
"It’s okay," I muttered back.
I suddenly realized that I was still in Liam’s arms. I gently disengaged myself from his arms and stepped away but I still stood close to him.
Of the three of them, he was the one I felt most comfortable with. Even when they were all still being an to , he’d treated the best. That was probably why I felt so comfortable in his arms.
Lucas sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Things are getting more and more complicated now. We need to figure things out before we lose control of the situation."
We all nodded in agreent. At the rate things were going, we needed to know the way forward. And that decision was on my shoulders. The triplets had made their stance clear. They were not going to reject . They intended to honor the mate bond. But what did I want?
I still didn’t understand how this three mates thing was supposed to work. Which of them would get my first kiss? Which of them would make love to first? Or would it be all at once? How would that even work?
"A penny for your thoughts?" Liam said, gently taking my hand, "We want to know what you’re thinking. About all of this." His touch filled with warmth. I didn’t pull away.
What were my thoughts? My thoughts were a ss. I didn’t have an answer for him. I had two options now: honor the mate bond and stay with the triplets OR reject them and follow my initial plan to leave.
But if I followed the second option, how would I survive? Yes, the debt was officially cleared as of today but I didn’t have a di to my na. Alpha Henry and Luna Evelyn never let attend school so I didn’t have a degree. I also had no skills to earn a living. How would I fend for myself?
Once I rejected the triplets, I would certainly be exiled from the pack. I wouldn’t even have a roof over my head. How would I survive?
Apart from that issue, there was also the bond constantly pulling towards them, making crave them like a drug. I wanted to put my foot down and distance myself from them but my heart kept yearning for them. My body kept yearning for them.
Liam was rely holding my hand yet my stomach was filled with butterflies. So how could I possibly force myself to leave? Could I defeat the bond? Was it even possible?
"We really think you should stay, Hazel," Lucas said when I didn’t imdiately answer Liam’s question. "Even right now, you’re hardly living a good life."
"Lucas is right," Liam said. "Even your room is practically a cupboard. If you go out into the world, things will be worse."
Levi nodded. "I an, look at your clothes. They’re old and outdated. You should be dressing better. You should be dressed in designer items. Stay with us. We can make that happen."
Their words sent a spark of fury into my belly. "Now hold on just a minute." I yanked my hand out of Liam’s grasp. "Who is to bla for living in a cupboard-sized room in the first place? Who is to bla for not having good clothes to wear?" I spat.
The answer was clear: their family! They knew it too. They looked away, unable to et my eyes.
"I’ve been looked down on, made fun of and mocked by almost all the mbers of the park because of how your family chose to treat ," I ranted.
"We understa—" Levi started to say.
"I’m not finished!" I cut him off. "Being a maid in your house doesn’t an that I shouldn’t be treated like a human! I should have been treated better!"
Levi imdiately began to stamr. "I-I didn’t m-an..." Guilt flashed in his eyes. The sa guilt was mirrored on the other’s faces.
"We totally understand how you feel, Hazel," Lucas said, once again speaking for his brothers as the eldest.
He continued, "We feel really bad for how things have gone over the years. We should have done better. We’ll keep apologizing even though we know it won’t wipe away the past."
"Take your ti to make whatever decision that is best for you," Liam added. "We promise to wait patiently for your decision."
"We won’t rush you," Levi promised, holding my other hand.
Despite my anger, a warm feeling budded in my chest. I offered him a small, tentative smile.
"Oh my god! What is going on here? Who broke my sculpture?" A voice suddenly screeched, yanking out of the mont.
I whirled around in fear, instantly recognizing that voice. "L-Luna Evel-lyn!" I gasped.
She was staring in horror at the pieces of the glass sculpture that broke earlier during my fight with lanie, Annie, and Kira. I broke into a cold sweat and began to tremble. Jessie was beside her, squinting at suspiciously.
Luna Evelyn looked up at . "Y-You! Was it you?"
"I’m sure it must have been her!" Jessie said. "She looks guilty already! She destroys everything in her path!"
"How dare you!" Luna Evelyn exclaid. "I specially ordered that sculpture for my boys’ birthday and you destroyed it. Do you know how much it costs?"
"I-It wasn’t my f-fault, Luna. I was just standing here trying to do my job when M—"
"I don’t care for your excuses, girl!" She snapped. "You must replace the sculpture!"
I gasped. "But it costs half a million dollars? I don’t have that kind of money. Please, Luna! I just managed to clear my parent’s debt after years of slavery."
She smiled coldly. "That ans there is already a perfect solution. You will continue to work as our maid until you pay off my $500,000!" She declared.
My heart sank.
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