~Lily~
I blinked, unable to believe my own eyes.
But the biggest shock came almost immediately.
Rowan arrived too.
"Hey Row!" Lucy squealed and flung herself into his body.
To my utmost shock, Rowan did not flinch or show discomfort of any sort. It was as if they'd known themselves for years.
No, it was more like they were in a relationship already!
That was when they noticed me.
As soon as they saw me, their countenance changed. All four of them.
The triplets? Understandable.
But Lucy? I couldn't begin to comprehend.
What happened to my best friend?
"Shouldn't you already be scrubbing the floors?" Riley sneered.
"I–" My voice cracked.
It was more like I didn't know what to respond. I didn't know how to react or even what to think.
Tell me, what was anyone in my shoes supposed to say at this point?
"It was Rowan's decision to free you. Otherwise, I would want nothing more than see you shed tears of pain and blood everyday until you have paid for your crimes in full," Ryan growled.
In a heartbeat, the three of them rounded me.
Their aura was enough to suck breathe out of me.
"Oh come on, guys. Don't let her ruin your mood. I promise to make it up to you, right?" Lucy chirped.
She wrapped her arms around Rowan's neck.
As if to spite me.
She knew very much it was Rowan I was interested in.
"Part your mouth for me, baby," she whispered in a sultry tone.
Before my very eyes, she slid her tongue in, moaning hard as it waved in his mouth. Aiming to tease him, she retracted suddenly. He grunted, quickly grabbing her close and slanting his face as he went in for a full kiss.
My wolf's ferocious growl echoed deep within me.
Ryan and Riley's eyes crinkled, showing they were enjoying the whole scene.
Craving to take part, Riley slided his tongue across her earlobes, licking it. While Ryan leaned onto her neck breathing her in.
Lucy giggled, her eyes briefly glancing towards me, cockily. Thoroughly enjoying the way the three Alphas desired her. While my heart was ripping apart where I stood.
"Why are you still here?" Rowan straightened, his brows arching upward.
"My room needs cleaning and my wardrobe arranging."
I turned on my heels, ready to disappear from their sight.
Until Rowan's growl stopped me in tracks.
"Wait!"
He collected a bucket of water from a maidservant passing and emptied on me.
"This is to fully welcome you to the house," he snarled. Riley and Ryan chuckled. Lucy kept an innocent doll face. It may have been my overly sharp ears but I swear, I heard her mutter 'poor girl'.
My body was drenched and sticky. My legs, heavy and weak.
I couldn't stand there anymore. My eyes stung with tears. And I didn't want them to see me cry.
So I spun, but missed a footing and was toppling to the ground.
But as I fell, Rowan stretched and grabbed my wrist. Stopping me from falling face flat.
He promptly pulled me up. And because I didn't expect he'd reach to catch me, I slammed hard into his chest.
And froze.
It happened in microseconds but it was enough to have his mulled wine scent drifting into my nostrils.
Recovering and trying to adjust back, but his hand held onto me strong.
My heart hammered in my chest. I'd never been that close to him before. Or to any boy. Especially not a boy I was crushing on.
I wasn't short but being in the same space with him rendered me shorter than I'd normally look.
He bent and leaned into my ears.
My body quivered.
It was either my imagination was running wild. But I felt his lips slightly brush my ear.
"I told you, you'll beg for death. But it won't come easily. Welcome to misery," he muttered, darkness looming his eyes.
I yanked myself away, turned and took off.
Why was my heart beating so loud and fast?
If I had stayed there another second, I feared he'd have heard it using his wolf senses.
I only stopped after I was sure I was completely out of their sight to catch my breath.
As the scene replayed in my head, I felt my eyes watered.
Lucy betrayed me.
But why?
She was my only friend. My best friend. We were sisters.
Maybe I was mistaken. Maybe there was something else I didn't know just yet.
I could only hope that she hadn't really betrayed me. That what I witnessed was for a reason.
Wiping my eyes, I approached a guard.
"Please, where is the servants quarters?"
"You have your own special place."
A voice echoed behind me forcing me to turn around.
A girl probably around eighteen or nineteen stood before me. There was something odd about the way she smiled. It was nowhere friendly.
"I'm Elsa, head of the junior female servants."
"Hi–"
"Follow me."
She cut me short before I could respond.
Swallowing the rest of my words, I followed obediently.
She took me into the kitchen. Past a door and then stopped over a descending stairs.
"This place is your new home," she said, her face spreading into a smirk.
The basement.
My stomach churned.
For a mansion with many rooms, it was the basement of the kitchen I was given to sleep.
Rowan wasn't joking when he said he'd make my life miserable.
On another circumstances, I would have complained.
But now, I couldn't.
Because I was no longer the sheltered warrior Gamma's daughter.
"And oh–prepare some snacks and take to Lucy's room."
"Lucy's room?" The words left my mouth almost immediately. And in shock too.
She scoffed. "I see you don't know much yet. Well, you were suppossed to be rotting in the dungeon," she drawled smugly.
I felt my wolf growl. She probably wanted to pounce on her and claw off the stupid smug on her face. But I held back.
Nothing made sense.
Lucy told me she wasn't close to the Alpha triplets.
All these time she'd been lying to me? Why?
She was even staying in the pack house.
Once I opened the basement room door, I was faced with a harsher realization.
This wasn't a room. This was a dump site. A dump site for spoilt utensils and old household items.
The space I was supposed to sleep in was only enough to fit my body.
Every other place was heavily occupied.
I sneezed as the dust from the room danced into my nose. I dropped my bag and left, making a mental note to get back to sorting it out later.
My plan was to do my possible best to stay out of trouble as much as I could. And also, this could be my opportunity to finally talk to Lucy alone. I'm sure there is a reason for all this.
There was no guild or anything to direct me on what snacks to prepare. But not wanting to waste any more time, I settled for chips and crackers. And a glass of red wine. Lucy loved red wines.
I was directed to the wing where Lucy's room is by a guard. Same wing in the mansion as the Alpha triplets.
Reaching Lucy's room, I stopped and took in a deep breath.
My plan was to approach her with anger demanding for explanation.
"Or you could talk to her calmly and hear her reason," my wolf suggested.
I thought I'd go with my wolf's idea.
I inhaled one more time before I finally pushed the door.
My legs came to an abrupt halt the moment I walked in.
It wasn't just Lucy in her room. Right there on the bed as well was Rowan. His back against the bedrest with Lucy twirling her fingers over the hairs on his exposed chest.
Something painful stirred in my chest.
Not because my best friend was with the man I confided in her that I was crushing on.
But because despite this view right before me, I still believed there was a reason for her behaving this way. I still believed she was my best friend and that I was seeing wrong.
"Oh you are here," she said as she sluggishly detached away from Rowan.
She slightly stretched her hand to collect the tray.
Only that the tray dropped. With all of its content splashing on the bed.
The Lucy Brandon I knew would have yelled.
But to my biggest shock, Lucy bursted into tears.
A fuvking fake tears!
Rowan charged up from the bed.
In one flash, his palms landed on my cheeks. Stinging and pain.
"Couldn't you be more careful!" He barked, his eyes burning.
"You will be on duty for one week! No one, I repeat no one must help you out on any chores!"