Mated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 7: Defenders

"No! That would take years to pay back!" I exclaimed, trembling in fear and shock. freёwebnoѵel.com

Jessie shrugged, smirking at me. "Maybe you should have thought of that before being clumsy."

"Please, Luna. Don’t do this," I cried.

"Enough!" She snapped. "I don’t want to hear another word. It is settled. You’ll work to pay off the cost of the sculpture."

I knew I didn’t dare to argue further. I bowed stiffly. "Yes, Luna," I said. The truth was that a part of me was actually secretly relieved. This new development meant that I didn’t have to decide between leaving or staying immediately.

It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. But that didn’t stop the feeling of dread as I realized that I was once again bound to this family in debt. I worked so hard to free myself from the clutches of debt yet here I was, back in the same sinkhole.

Just then, the door opened with a bang and the guests for the birthday party began to file in.

"Maid, go and serve the guests immediately," Luna Evelyn ordered.

"Yes, Luna," I muttered under my breath, immediately walking away to attend to the guests as she said. Suddenly, a hand grabbed me. I was forced to stop. I turned around confused, only to see Lucas holding my hand. My eyes widened.

’What are you doing?’ I screamed at him with my eyes. I tried to yank my hand out of his grasp but his grip was too strong.

"Why are you holding her?" Luna Evelyn demanded, frowning. Jessie stared at the two of us, wide-eyed.

"I-It’s nothing, Luna," I stammered quickly. "I’m leaving."

"No," he said firmly. "You are not." He turned to his mom, standing between us. "She is not."

Luna Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. "What are you saying, honey?"

"Hazel is not a maid here today. She is a guest. Our guest," he said. His brothers stepped forward, forming a line between me and their mom. "Plus, we have party staff employed to handle this party. Let them do their job and let Hazel have some time off too," he concluded.

Luna Evelyn was shocked. Her mouth opened then closed again but no words came out. Even though I was still scared at Luna Evelyn’s possible reaction, tears actually sprung into my eyes.

This was all I wanted all along. Someone to stand up for me and treat me like a human too. And the triplets just did that for me. I waited to see how Luna Evelyn would react to the situation but before she could say a word, Alpha Henry’s voice boomed from the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for honoring us with your presence today as we celebrate the coming-of-age party of our sons!"

Everyone in the room turned towards him, including Luna Evelyn. I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I was safe, at least for now.

"I will now be inviting my sons on stage as I have a very important announcement to make," Alpha Henry boomed.

Heads turned towards us. I stealthily yanked my hand out of Lucas’ grasp, not wanting anyone to see us but he recaptured my hand with shocking speed. "You’re coming with us," he said firmly.

Luna Evelyn squinted angrily at our joined hands. I ducked, hiding my face. They started walking towards the stage together but I hung back, looking for an opportunity to break away and make a run for it.

But Levi saw my plans and stepped beside me. He placed his hand on my back and gently moved me forward. With Lucas holding my hand and Levi’s palm on my back, there was no escaping. We walked to the front of the room together.

Alpha Henry raised his brow when he saw me with the triplets but he didn’t say anything about it. He turned back to the guests. "Today, I hereby officially announce that my sons will be taking over their duties as the new Alphas of the Emberfang Pack!"

Cheers broke out in the room. It was so loud, I was actually scared the roof might come down. "All hail the new Alphas!" Someone shouted.

"All hail!" The guests chorused, bowing in sync.

The triplets raised their hands and waved at the guests, resulting in even louder cheers. I couldn’t help but feel proud of them in that moment. I smiled.

"Actually, I also have an announcement to make," Levi shouted. Lucas and Liam gave him surprised looks. Obviously, they hadn’t discussed this before. "Today is a wonderful day. It’s our birthday," he paused, looking around. "But, we are not the only ones who today is special for."

Levi’s hand on my back began to move up and down in a slow, mesmerizing motion. When it went down, he made sure to just gently graze my ass before moving up again. Heat exploded deep in my belly filling me with desire like I’ve never felt before.

My legs turned to jelly under me. I had to press my legs together to keep from melting to the floor. I blushed deeply. I couldn’t believe he was doing this to me in front of all the guests and his parents!

Could they all see the effect his touch was having on me? I could just hear them calling me a slut. I felt like one.

"As I was saying, today is also a special day for Hazel because it is also her birthday!" He announced in a way that made it clear that he expected—no, demanded a response.

The guests cheered but they looked confused. They immediately began to whisper among themselves. I could understand their confusion. They’d all seen the triplets treat me badly in the past. This change was sudden, even for me.

The triplets noticed the whispers too. Liam walked over to me and held his hand out. I hesitantly laid my free hand in his, wondering what the hell he was planning to do now. He smiled then lowered his head, placing a small, dutiful kiss on my fingers. Gasps filled the room. He winked and stepped back.

Meanwhile, Lucas continued to hold my other hand. With their actions, they signaled to the guests that the days of mistreating me were over. I didn’t know if I should be glad about that or worried, but then I caught Luna Evelyn’s eyes.

Worried. Definitely worried.

Alpha Henry cleared his throat. "Enjoy the rest of the party," he declared and the music resumed.

While the guests began to dance and talk among themselves, Luna Evelyn beckoned to us to get off the stage and follow her. Her husband and sons complied and followed her, dragging me along even though all I wanted was to escape.

She led us to a private room and shut the door. "Okay boys, you need to tell me what is going on. Why this sudden touchiness with the maid?"

My mouth went dry.

"First off, her name is Hazel, not maid. Secondly, she is our mate," Lucas announced.

Alpha Henry and Luna Evelyn’s jaws dropped simultaneously. Their eyes were as big as saucers.

"What did you say?" Luna Evelyn gasped.

"Lucas is telling the truth, mother. Hazel is our mate," Levi said. As if to prove his point, he began to slowly massage my arm. I shivered in delight.

"Absolutely not! No way! A mere maid cannot be your mate! I refuse to accept it," Luna Evelyn cried.

"It’s not yours to accept, Mother," Liam countered. "We’ve decided to accept Hazel as our mate and there’s nothing you can do about it."

"No way! Henry!" She turned to her Husband, grabbing his arm. "Say something! You can’t allow this."

But Alpha Henry simply shrugged. "The boys are now adults, Evelyn. They can make their own choices."

"How can you say that?" She cried. "How are you even sure she is their mate? Maybe they’ve just spent too much time living in the same house. Maybe—"

"Mother, stop!" Lucas said firmly. "There is no mistake. Hazel is our mate and we are happy about it."

"But—!"

"Enough!" Alpha Henry suddenly commanded. Everyone froze and went silent at his order. "We don’t need to prolong this discussion," he said, his tone leaving no room for arguments. "We have guests waiting for us, so everyone, let’s head back to the main hall for the cake-cutting. Immediately."

We followed him obediently. As we stood in front of the cake, smiling for the camera, Levi’s arm slipped down and cupped my butt. I gasped. I felt my panties get soaked. He was teasing me—I knew it. It almost felt like he was pushing me towards the edge for a reason...preparing my body for something.

A thought suddenly occurred to me. I turned to face him, wide-eyed. ’Oh my gosh, were they planning to sneak over to my room tonight?’