Once Upon Her Three Wishes

Chapter Two

Sergei inhaled deeply the alluring scent of freshly fallen leaves and the ground after a heavy rain filled his nostrils. He looked at the three girls before him, wondering how he could have gotten so lucky. Seeing no reaction from them, he realized they weren't yet old enough to recognize him as their mate. Which surprised him because he knew they were seniors. It dawned on him then that their birthday wasn't until January.

"Well, I guess I'll see you, ladies, around," he uttered and rushed into the building. He headed straight to the restroom and stared at himself in the mirror. He couldn't believe his luck. The moon goddess gave him the triplets? And they're alpha lineage on top of that, this was going to be a great year. He sighed, as he realized that it would be a long five months until they celebrated their birthday.

The girls exchanged a bemused look as the young man walked away, "Well that was interesting," Alyona said.

Isabella nodded, "Yeah, he was always kind of quiet. I wonder what got into him."

Irina shrugged. "Not sure, but from the rumors around school, his family life isn't that great."

Ally was surprised that her sister listened to any kind of gossip, "What do you mean?"

Irina shook her head, "It's not a conversation to have out here. Maybe when we get home." Irina wasn't one to repeat rumors about anyone, but there did seem to be some sort of substance to what was said about his family. She just hoped it wasn't true. That was no way to live your life.

**********

Oksana whimpered as her mate struck her again, "Please, I just wanted to be sure he'd have a good life."

The former guard sneered, "It's your fault if you think he doesn't have one now. Your last trip to the pack doctor lost me my job." He pushed her face away from him. He was seething over his mate spending that money on some smelly witch for his son's birthday.

"I said I was sorry, but my arm wasn't healing. I didn't tell them how I broke it, just that it wouldn't heal."

He looked down at his wife on the floor, her tear-stained face not affecting him. "They're not stupid, we're just lucky that Alpha Alexei permitted us to stay in the pack."

"I told you, I would never say anything! No one has ever been told how I hurt myself."

Her mate looked down at her in disgust, "See that you don't." He walked out the front door, slamming it loudly behind him. The hulking wolf was furious over the fact that they might have to transfer packs again all because his mate couldn't keep her mouth shut. If she keeps this up, they will be blacklisted from any other packs.

She sighed sadly, "Just one more night, and then it'll all be okay," she whispered to herself. She winced as she stood up and made her way to the bathroom. After giving herself a quick once over, she decided that she wouldn't go to the hospital, there wouldn't be a need to. Then the sad she-wolf made her way into the kitchen to clean up the mess. She knew that her mate wouldn't be home, and more likely than not would find another woman to meet his needs. Oksana baked her son his birthday cake and iced it with his favorite colors, blue and grey.

***************

The triplets headed to their first class of the day, one of the only ones they had together. "Hello, Mrs. Sharp," they greeted pleasantly.

"My three favorite girls! How are you today?" The kind old she-wolf returned the warm greeting.

"We're great," Alyona answered cheerily.

"Wonderful, are you all ready for an interesting year?" she asked them. The teacher knew that being of alpha blood, they would more likely than not find their mates this year. Or at least be able to sense them if they were close.

"Yes, ma'am," they answered.

"I love your classes, Mrs. Sharp," Alyona admitted. She loved history and business the most, so this would be an exciting year for them.

The matronly woman looked over her glasses, "And are you ready for this year, Isabella?"

Isabella knew exactly what the teacher was implying and she nodded, "Yes, ma'am." She adjusted her backpack, which not only helped her books, but an extra weight to help build her endurance.

Irina smiled, "It's going to be a great year."

The girls entered the classroom and chose seats. They deliberately don't sit next to each other so that the teacher can have an easier time differentiating between the three of them. The only thing that was different about them right now was their clothing styles. Alyona was certainly the most chic of the three, while Isabella chose more comfortable, but athletic-looking clothes. Irina had always preferred a subdued, demure style of clothes that resembled a woman of a more mature age. Each opened a notebook and began to note what the teacher had marked on the board.

Sergei slipped into the classroom, just after the bell, and slid into a desk in the center of the classroom. "Mr. Goloshchapov, I do hope that you aren't planning on being late every day," the teacher scolded gently. She was well aware of the rumors surrounding the student's family and hoped that they weren't true.

"No, ma'am. I apologize. I was in the restroom."

She smiled at him, "Very well, then." The teacher turned her attention to the rest of the students, "Welcome to your senior year of high school. I understand that many of you will be coming into the year and finding your mates. Please be aware, while we are understanding, of how this works. We expect you to act with a modicum of decorum. There will be no marking in the hallways and you will not mark without consent. Men, I expect you to all respect the ladies here when they enter their heats. This is no longer the eighteenth century and you will not be attempting to harm these young women because of something they have no control over. You will learn to control yourselves, just as they will." She looked sternly over the classroom. She had this conversation with every student every year. It was a shame that it had to happen, but there were a few families in the pack that used these times as an excuse to behave poorly and Alpha Alexei had tasked her and a few other teachers to encourage the changes that needed to happen.

There was a chorus of, "Yes ma'am." through the room, "Good, now this year we will be discussing the histories of pack lineage and last names as well." The murmur of excitement that rippled through the room was just enough for the teacher to smile. Some of these kids were in for a real awakening when they found out the meanings of their last names.

Sergei attempted to sneak a look at his mates. They were not seated together but dispersed across the room and he was surprised that the sweet scent he'd caught earlier was faint in the room. He allowed himself a moment of weakness and inhaled deeply.

"Mr. Goloshchapov?" The matronly teacher called. She had a feeling he'd found his mate in here.

"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Sharp," Sergei apologized sheepishly.

She cleared her throat, "That's fine, please pay attention. I was saying as someone who's only been with the pack for a few years, do you know anything about the meaning of your last name?" the stern woman indicated the triplets, "Being from the alpha line, we know that not only are they and their brother strong and will no doubt be capable leaders, wherever they go. But their surname means warrior or a fighter." She looked down her glasses at Sergei with curiosity, well aware of what his name meant.

"No, I don't," Sergei admitted, but it now had him curious. "I guess I never really thought about it. We've moved a lot since I was kid and my father never really taught me much about our name. Or even where we are really from. "

Mrs. Sharp nodded, "Then I task each of you with learning a little bit about your lineage and have an essay for me by Monday." Her instructions were met with groans of dismay. "You have an entire week, I want it to be no less than five hundred words." The bell rang, dismissing the class for their next one.

Sergei held back, trying to catch up with the triplets, but they left the room and split into two directions, with Alyona going down the east corridor and Isabella and Irina going down the west. He looked at his schedule and smiled, he'd be following Isabella and Irina. Maybe they had their next class together too. He rushed to the girls and smiled as the calming scent hit his nose again.

"Hi ladies," he grinned at them.

"Oh, hi, Sergei," Isabella returned the greeting. He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him that made her uneasy. Why was he so obsessed with them today?

Irina gave the young man a small, sweet smile, "Hi, Sergei. What do you think of our first assignment?"

Sergei shrugged as they walked towards their next class, "It is what it is, I guess. I can talk to my mother about it. She may know." He knew his father would just push the assignment off and tell him that he didn't need these classes. He'd be another guard for the alpha anyway.

Isabella nodded, and then broke off from the duo, "This is my stop," she said as she pointed to the door on her left. "See you after class, Irina."

Sergei looked at his chit, "Oh, mine too!"

Irina waved at the two of them, "See you after class." She walked down the hallway to her next class.

Isabella nodded and walked into the room, "Figures you would have this class," she chuckled. "Come on." They entered the room. It was devoid of desks, instead, it had mats lining the floors and the walls. Above the mats were shields, spears, and bows. The room had a sweaty odor that seemed to be centuries old.

"Welcome to warrior training," a hulking man greeted. "This is not gym class. We will not be playing dodgeball or volleyball here. There will be no square dancing." He took in the group of men and his eyes settled on Isabella. "Everyone here will be treated the same. If you are going to be a warrior, do not expect special treatment." He pointed to the back mat-covered wall, "Lockers are behind there. Get changed and let's go."

Isabella headed behind the wall and stripped down into her shorts and tank, not caring about the boys in the room. None of them there worried her. Sergei's body tensed with jealousy at the thought of one of his mates being seen naked by the other boys in the room. He took a deep breath and was surprised that he no longer smelled that intoxicating scent. A short jab of disappointment filled him as he thought maybe he didn't get all three girls. He shrugged, he'd be keeping this to himself for a while anyway. Maybe since they weren't able to detect him yet, it doesn't stick around.