MATED TO OUR STEPSISTER

THREE

Avery’s POV

I remembered the first time I'd fallen for a prank by the triplets. Back then, I'd been so desperate for acceptance, so foolishly hopeful that this new "family" would be the happily ever after that my mother and I deserved, only to realize that it was the beginning of the pain and suffering that I would face at the hands of my new step-brothers.

After that first incident, I’d vowed to be on guard, to never let them catch me off balance again. But like clockwork, their cruelty had resurfaced in different dimensions, each trick more vicious than the last and with only one purpose–to leave me broken.

My wrists were raw and chafed from frantic attempts to free myself, my throat parched from screaming until my voice gave out. A relentless throbbing hammered in my head, a cruel reminder of the chilling silence that mocked my pleas for help and it felt like a miracle that I could even keep my eyes open.

"Hello? Anyone?" I tried again, but the sound echoed like the previous attempts, bouncing off the walls only to be swallowed in the suffocating silence that pressed in on me. Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision.

Pressing my cheek against the rough pillar that I'd been tied against, I forced my attention around the barn, scanning for any sign of an opening, but there was none, except the tiny window that was located far out of my reach and even if I could somehow free myself and reach it, I wouldn't be able to fit through the tiny space. It was clear that darkness had descended, swallowing the world outside. Panic rushed through me like a cold fist squeezing my heart.

How long had I been here? Time had become a formless entity, measured only by the gnawing hunger in my stomach and the relentless pounding of my head.

Julian’s chilling words rang in my ears over and over again.

“But if we don't come back, then it means even your mother has chosen to abandon you, and you'll die here. Alone and unwanted.”

Did this mean that my mother had not noticed that I was missing after all this time? Or worse, had she chosen to abandon me?

Was I going to die here in this place, alone and forgotten?

Was this truly the end of the road for me?

A sob escaped my lips, a choked, strangled sound that echoed in the oppressive silence. It tore from my chest, an expression of the anguish and sorrow that had come from having to accept that no one was coming to save me.

I cried for the life I would never experience, for the dreams stolen, for the future that had been ripped away from me.

Suddenly, a violent thunderclap erupted outside, shaking the barn to its core. I flinched, the sound momentarily ripping my focus from the flood of tears streaming down my face. Rain, icy and unwelcome, began to fall through the leaky roof, sending fresh shivers down my spine. Instinctively, I huddled deeper into myself, trying to avoid the droplets but like everything else that had happened to me today, it was an exercise in vain.

Then the extraordinary happened. One moment, I was staring fearfully at the door, terrified that the barn would collapse with the way it shook from the rumble, and the next, cold slithered down my spine, sharper than any chill the storm could bring and my breath caught as I felt something clamp around my heart, squeezing the life out of it. A primal scream tore from my throat, a sound raw and feral, ripped from the depths of my being. In that same moment, a voice echoed in my head, the sound vibrating through my bones.

“Help is coming.” it rumbled, laced with a certainty that sent shivers down my spine.

Frightened, I turned, desperate to find the source, my heart pounding frantically against my ribs. But the barn remained empty, and there was no sign of any entity except me.

“What are you?” I rasped, the word barely a whisper on my parched lips. The answer, when it came, wasn't a sound at all. It flooded my mind, terrifyingly familiar yet utterly alien.

"Stay calm," the voice rumbled, a deep, ancient tremor that echoed deep in my bones. "They're coming for you."

What was this voice?

A wave of understanding hit me almost immediately I thought of the question. This primal voice, this surge of raw instinct – it had to be my wolf, trying to communicate. My mother had spent many nights in my childhood trying to prepare me for the day my wolf would finally awaken.

But a chilling doubt followed. Was this a figment of my fear, a cruel trick my desperate mind was playing on me? Or was it truly my wolf trying to establish a means of communication?

Before I could ask another question, the barn door swung open with a groan. A scream ripped from my throat as three figures materialized from the darkness, shrouded in shadows. Their voices, a guttural chorus that sent shivers down my spine, echoed one word in the large space.

"Mate."

The word hung heavy in the air, the air thick with tension and the scent of my dread.

Was this how I was going to die now? Destined to be murdered by these three shadow-like strangers?

As the shadows drew closer, I realized the figures weren't hooded–it was the triplets, all three of them shirtless, their bodies drenched by the rain.

Disbelief contorted their faces as they approached, staring at me like they had never seen me before. Nolan, usually the calm one, spoke first, his voice laced with a mix of wonder and confusion. “I don't understand. What's going on?”

Julian scoffed, a harsh sound that scraped against the tense silence. He raked a hand through his already damp hair, shaking his head in denial. "No, this can't be right. It isn't possible. Her?"

Tristan, the most volatile of the trio, was a storm cloud of fury. He growled and kicked a pile of hay, his laughter sharp and unnerving. He stalked towards me, his eye narrowing with suspicion.

"Well, well, well," he sneered, his voice laced with venom. "It seems the little witch has started playing tricks.”

Whimpering, I tried to move away as he drew closer but the unforgiving wood of the pole pressed harder into my back, a cruel reminder of my captivity.

Crouching in front of me, his hand shot out, fingers wrapping like iron claws around my throat. The world narrowed to the press of his grip, stealing my breath in a choked gasp. Air became a precious commodity, each gasp a desperate fight for survival and no matter how hard I struggled, my bound body strained against the ropes, reminding me that it was a pointless fight.

I could feel the heat of his body like a brand against mine as he leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"Listen well," he growled, his face blurring as my vision turned cloudy. "This magic, whatever trickery you've conjured, it ends now. You will not be our mate. Not even over my dead body."

Mate. That damned word again and I finally realized that I'd not misheard them the first time.

How could they be my mates? What grave sin had I committed in my past life for the moon goddess to punish me this way?

A guttural snarl ripped from him, the sound causing my body to seize up.

“That's enough, Tristan.” I heard someone say but my mind was too foggy to decipher if it was Julian or Nolan.

Tristan’s grip slackened, and I was shoved backward. The world tilted, as the push caused me to slam against the rough wood. Pain erupted across my forehead, and stars danced behind my eyelids.

The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth, mingling with the salty sting of tears that trickled down my cheeks. "f**k you," I rasped, my voice hoarse.

A snarl erupting from his lips, Tristan lunged for me, but Nolan clamped a hand on his brother's shoulder, holding him back.

“Let’s just get out of here, brother. That’s enough.”

“And where do you think you’re going to? What’s going on here?” An unfamiliar voice boomed, pulling the triplets’ attention away from me. Through blurry vision, I saw my mother framed in the doorway, Alpha Arnold beside her. Her lips moved, but the world seemed to have muted itself, all my senses overwhelmed by the banging in my head.

Ignoring the throbbing pain, I tried to rise, legs shaky and weak. A voice, foreign yet strangely familiar, echoed in my mind once again and this time instead of fearing it, I welcomed it. My wolf.

The triplets' eyes snapped towards me, wide with a mixture of shock and something else I couldn't quite decipher. Had they heard what my wolf told me?

Was this a mind-link?

Focusing on that newfound connection, I pushed my thoughts outwards, a desperate plea arrowing towards them.

“With every fiber of my being, I reject...”

The words died on my tongue, lost in the roaring silence that descended as the world faded to black.