Leilani.
I was 6 when it dawned on me that I was the defective twin with wild blonde hair and purple eyes while every other member of my family was auburn and sporting blue eyes.
I was 12 when I finally understood the meaning of a 'crush', and maybe I was foolish, but at that young age, I knew I liked our Alpha's triplet sons a little too much.
I liked the way their dark hairs gleamed in the sun. The way their dimples deepened whenever they smiled— even though they never smiled at me. I knew I liked the way they looked at me a second too long.
And I knew that they liked me too— I could feel it.
Until my twin, Chalice read my diary. She found out about my crush on them, and for that, due to her overwhelming desire to have everything that was supposedly mine, she befriended them.
I wasn't so surprised though when they clung to her like everyone else did; but that didn't take away the fact that it hurt me like a bitch. I also wouldn't lie that it didn't hurt when they never dared look at me because they adored my sister.
But that's besides the case.
I was 16 when Chalice shifted for the first time, and of course, I didn't.
And at age 18, when I still wouldn't shift, I was known to be defective. Weak. The curse. A stain to my family's very porcelain reputation.
And my father, the power hungry Beta, absolute-fuckingly abhorred me for it.
On our nineteenth birthday—Chalice's birthday party, if I was being honest, Father announced her engagement to the triplets. I could still remember his words, they were branded into my skull like a tattoo, etched into my soul like a mark.
I had watched him as he made his way to the front of the hall, clinking a fork against his glass, his eyes gleaming with greedy delight.
"Attention everyone!" His loud voice boomed around the room, forcing everyone's attention to the front of the room where he stood looking sharp in his navy blue Armani suit, with a wine glass in hand and a smile on his face.
And then he delivered the blow;
"On this special day, I'd love to announce the engagement between my favorite person in the whole wide world. My golden girl, my only daughter, Chalice Blackthorne, and the future Alphas, Kael, Caelum and Zevran Stormborn!"
The crowd erupted into wild cheering at his words but I didn't miss the subtle jeers. The snorts and the pitiful looks that some of our pack members threw at me.
He'd called Chalice his only daughter. In. Front. Of. Everyone.
He'd just made the world see how unimportant I was to him, and that was the most embarrassment I've ever received.
This was nothing like the times he'd hit me in the past. Or the times he and every member of the house had taken Chalice's side when she was wrong. This wasn't like how it felt when he made me a slave in his house… and even gave his employees the authority to bully me.
This was different.
This was him putting me in my place— even though I've always known my place since I was six.
First came the pain… the hurt. And then there was rage.
The blood in my ears rushed loudly, dulling all sounds into nothing but white noise. Tears blurred my vision, making it hard for me to see anything; but despite my aching heart and my trembling limbs, I managed to stand tall, even though the snickers around me were growing louder.
Even though the paparazzi wouldn't stop taking my pictures.
Then as if to mess up my already messed up life, the triplet Alphas waltzed into the party just then. They were all lovey dovey with my sister, brandishing gifts for only her, even though it was clearly our birthday.
They treated her like she was a rare gem, a piece of porcelain. Like she was the very air that they breathed.
Until Kael stopped and took in a very deep breath.
The hall stilled. Everyone froze in fear.
Zevran did the same shortly afterwards, followed by Caelum. They pranced around the hall like mad men, sniffing at giggling young girls, and only stopping before me; And then like a movie, their eyes suddenly went dark.
"Mate!" They moaned so loud that everyone gasped.
I froze. I swear I literally stopped breathing.
"No!" Zevran growled. "Not the curse. We should reject her."
His words, so carelessly said, shredded whatever was left of my tattered dignity. I staggered back, my breath hitching in my chest as more tears sprung free.
"I— I…"
"Save it!" Now, it was Kael who spoke. "I do not wish to hear more words from you. Stay away and do not ruin Chalice's party… and later, we'll do something about that pesky mate bond!"
Chalice was the first person amongst the audience to snap out of the momentary surprise, she weaved her way through the crowd, lodged herself between them and cried; "Kael, Caelum, Zevran? What are you saying?!"
Zevran looked conflicted. His eyes darting between Chalice and I occasionally before he said; "She's our… I feel the mate bond with—"
"With me!" Chalice snarled sweetly— if that's even a thing. "I am your only mate, remember. You guys promised me!" And then dropping her voice until it was a whisper, she said, "my stomach hurts. I think I am going to be sick."
And just like they were in a trance, their gazes softened. They turned to her like they were charmed, their very perfect smiles returning to their faces; the fussing over her returning.
"Ignore this." Caelum spat. He didn't even have the decency to refer to me by my name. I guess he doesn't even know my name.
Growing up, I hoped that even though I never got my wolf, that I would find my mate. And I hoped that whoever it was would be my ticket out of this miserable life. But I was wrong.
I instantly knew that when I realized that the Alpha's triplets were my mates. That the men wrapped around my sister's little finger were meant to be mine.
And I knew when I saw the look in their eyes.
Disgust.
They didn't reject me. They didn't acknowledge me. They never spoke to me after that day.