"Reject you?"
Instantly, all three of the triplet Alphas' faces fell. Cassian, of them all, had the darkest expression. He stepped forward, grabbing me violently by my cheeks, pulling my face close to his.
"Why would we grant you such mercy?" he sneered before roughly letting go, causing me to fall to the floor.
I gasped in shock, my palms bruising as they hit the floor to brace the impact. However, Cassian didn't spare me any pity―that was a luxury I didn't deserve in his eyes.
The atmosphere had gotten so heavy that even Violet scurried to one side, trying to make herself as tiny as possible, hoping not to incur the Alphas' wrath.
"Make no mistake," Rowan said, his voice cold, "we're not keeping you around to make you our mate one day."
"Rejecting you will be akin to letting you off easily for murdering Willow," Soren added. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his arms were folded across his chest.
"I told you, I didn't do it," I cried out.
Tears were already welling in my eyes, although I am unsure why. I didn't care for their pity, nor did I want their love. I had known since the very beginning that they had nothing but disdain for me, and they merely tolerated me because of Willow.
Now that I was the cause of Willow's death in their eyes, there was no reason for me to stay.
"Then kill me," I said, lifting my chin. I clenched my jaw, trying to prevent my tears from falling in a bid to preserve whatever dignity I had left. "Kill me. Be done with it. That way, you'll have sought justice for Willow, won't you?"
Rowan scoffed in disbelief.
"You think we won't?"
"Do it then," I dared. "Do it or you're a coward. Either reject me or kill me right now. Or if you don't, I'll do it myself. You'll find me on the ground floor of the packhouse come morning―"
Soren's hand flew to my lips, preventing me from saying anything more. His face was as dark as coal, and likewise, so were his brothers'.
"If you so much as try to end your punishment in advance, we will simply have to find other ways to torture you," Cassian slowly said, carefully enunciating each and every word. "That includes escaping, ending yourself, or even thinking about rejecting us."
"You don't care much for your own life, but can you really say the same for your friends?" Rowan said, his voice deep. He glanced my way, his eyes seemingly electric against the dark lighting of the room.
"Right," Cassian said with a laugh. "That's a wonderful idea, Rowan." He turned back to face me, his grin widening with pure sadistic joy. "What's her name again? That little omega who loves to help you out in the kitchens? Jessie, was it?"
My eyes widened.
"She turned eighteen just last week, didn't she?" He continued, "You know, the elders of Stormborn seem pretty interested in her. I heard their birthrate was rather low last year. Do you think they'll appreciate a breeding slave to help raise those numbers?"
I struggled against Soren's grip, fighting to free myself from his hold. When he plastered his hand tighter against my lips, I bit down, causing him to withdraw back with a hiss of pain.
However, I couldn't care less about that minor injury.
"You wouldn't!" I yelled.
"And why wouldn't we?" Cassian snorted, coldly glaring down upon me. "Who are you to tell us what we will and won't do?"
"I―" My words stopped short in my throat.
Cassian was right.
Who was I to tell them what to do and not to do?
I was their mate. But could I really claim this title and position if they refused to claim me as theirs, and I them?
Knowing there was nothing I could say, Cassian laughed. He stretched, his muscles rippling with his movement.
"Boring," he said with a yawn, strolling towards the door. "Come on, Violet. Let us wash up and head to bed."
"Already?" Violet asked. She all but flounced over to where Cassian was, immediately attaching herself to him like a parasite. "I thought the fun was just getting started." She trailed a manicured nail down his chest. "I've not had my fill yet…"
"We can continue this tomorrow," Cassian replied, gently grabbing her hand. "My mood has been unfortunately ruined."
He left the room, with Rowan following his footsteps soon after. Only Soren stayed back as I sat numb on the floor. He didn't come any closer, simply watching me impassively from one side. When I raised my gaze and met his, his eyebrow twitched ever so slightly, a movement so small that I thought I mistook it.
Then, he sharply turned his head away and headed to the door.
I thought he would walk straight out, just like Rowan. Or, maybe leave a snide comment as Cassian did.
But he didn't.
"Don't try anything funny," Soren said instead. "We will hold a funeral tomorrow for Willow."
"Why are you telling me this?" I croaked after a moment's pause. They had never bothered to invite me to any pack event before this. I had always snuck in if it was something that interested me.
"Your attendance is expected," Soren replied. I couldn't hear a sliver of emotion—both negative and positive—in his voice. "It's best if you get some rest."
With that said, he left the room as well, leaving me stewing in silence.
***
Soren hadn't lied to me.
By the crack of dawn, I was met with a bucket of cold water and Cedar's disgusted expression. I jolted up as the ice water drenched me from head to toe, gasping for air.
In no time, I was forced into chains and dragged out of my room.
The sprawling fields had been minimally decorated for this somber event. There was a casket with its lid closed, no doubt because of its lack of a body. Some pack members were already present, dressed in black.
The moment they noticed Cedar walking over with me in tow, their expressions morphed from relief to annoyance.
"What's she doing here?"
"Didn't she do enough already?"
"This must be a joke."
Their voices and murmurs grew louder and louder until eventually, a powerful voice spoke above them. They immediately stopped talking.
"She is here to pray for her sins," Rowan announced.