HATED BY MY TRIPLET ALPHAS

AMARIS’S POV “At this rate, you’ve only got till February to live. I’m sorry, Amaris.” The words hit me like a freight train, leaving me momentarily speechless. Dr. Drew adjusted his square-rimmed glasses, which dangled dangerously on the bridge of his nose. He always did that, a nervous tic of sorts, but this time, I couldn’t find it amusing. “I’ve been studying your charts non-stop,” he continued, his voice heavy with fatigue, “but I still can’t seem to understand the specifics of this black fever. To be honest, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” My heart sank further with every word. “I t-thought you said that there was more time... H-How is this happening?” I whispered, though I already knew the answer. He sighed deeply. “Your condition has worsened since your last visit. I’m sorry, but your prognosis is terrible.” I gripped the handles of my seat tightly, trying to take it all in. I had what Dr. Drew called the black fever. It was the best term he could use to describe the long-term symptoms I’d been battling for as long as I could remember. The illness manifested in chronic episodes of debilitating fatigue, excruciating muscle aches, and intense chest pains that felt like my lungs were collapsing. Each episode was always worse than the last. It kept my wolf perpetually weakened; though I could still shift, it was always a strain—far more than it was for other wolves. Dr. Drew had come up with this theory that every time I shifted, my life expectancy dropped, because it required so much energy from me. Unfortunately, the sickness had robbed me of more than just my strength—it had stolen my identity as a werewolf. It was hard to tell what rank my wolf was supposed to be. I didn’t know if I was destined to be an omega or made to be something stronger, like a beta or even an alpha. The illness had never given me the chance to find out. My wolf had always been too weak to show me who I truly was. Dr. Drew handed me my latest test results, his lips pursed sympathetically. I knew that look all too well—I’d seen it dozens of times over the years. Once again, I wondered how healers managed the pressure of having to share terrible news with their patients. How did they deal with the tears and the hysterics? And then there were the occasional unhinged patients, the ones who threw the beige chair against the wall or tossed the contents of Dr. Drew’s table. My hands shook as I accepted the results. Already, I knew what they would say, yet it hardly stopped me from daring to hope. “So, I’m guessing it’s time to start planning my farewell tour?” I said, attempting a wry smile, though my voice came out more brittle than I intended. Dr. Drew gave me a sympathetic look. He gave my hands a soft pat. His kindness warmed my heart, which was ironic—my insides were pretty much frozen and shriveled up. I was surprised I could still feel any ounce of warmth. “I could brew you a new batch of medicine,” he offered. He bent over his tonic cabinet, rattling the bottles on the shelves. “It would help with the cold and, hopefully, make the dying process less painful.” “Wow. You sure know how to make a girl feel special,” I teased, rising from my seat and tucking the test results into my faded tote bag. “Here’s the fresh tonic. Take it before you go to bed and first thing in the morning when you wake up. You got that? Do I need to write it down?” I shook my head. “No, I got it. Thanks, Dr. Drew.” “There’s no need to thank me when I can’t even save your life,” he said with a sad smile. “One more thing, Amaris.” “What’s that?” “You don’t need an old geezer like me to make you feel special.” I laughed at that. The way he said it, so randomly, caught me off guard. “Oh? And why is that?” Dr. Drew smirked. “I know you aren’t exactly popular back at the academy, but there have to be a couple of wolves who are bedazzled by you.” “Hah! There aren’t any bedazzled wolves in my life.” “They must be blind, then!” Dr. Drew looked genuinely offended on my behalf. Again, I laughed. I knew what he was doing—trying to make me feel better—and I was grateful for it. “Thanks, Dr. Drew, for the tonic. Thanks for everything.” “Why does that sound like goodbye? You’re gonna break an old man’s heart, pretty girl.” I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s not goodbye yet. I’ll be back to see you as soon as I can make time. I promise.” I waved goodbye to Dr. Drew and traipsed out of his building. Once outside, the cold winter air hit my face furiously, forcing me to bundle deeper into my jacket. It was a good thing the Academy’s cafeteria wasn’t far from Dr. Drew’s practice—barely five minutes. I didn’t think I could walk much farther in this weather. I was halfway to the cafeteria when Tobias caught up with me. Like me, he was bundled up in a thick fur jacket. While mine was midnight blue with sandalwood-colored fur sleeves, his was a dull shade of gray. The matching gray fur sleeves and collar made his eye color stand out more. “Hey, Amaris. I was waiting for you to finally show up so we could make the rest of the trip together,” Tobias said, tousling my hair. He grinned when I narrowed my eyes at him. He knew I hated it when he did that, yet he did it anyway. The thing about Tobias, though, was that I could hardly ever stay mad at him. Just like me, he was an outcast at the academy. He was an omega whose parents could barely afford his place there. Because of this, he had to work at the school’s cafeteria, just like me. Sometimes, I thought his parents blamed him for their family’s poverty. A couple of years ago, Tobias was changing his shirt at the back of the cafeteria when I saw the burns and scars on his back. When I asked him about it, he broke down and told me how his father had been putting out cigarette butts on his back since he was six years old, while his mother would watch with a dead, vacant look in her eyes. Whenever he tried to fight back, his father would beat him so badly he had to be taken to a backstreet clinic for stitches. Tobias had lived a tragic life, but he was still easily the best person I knew. He was kind, sweet, and fiercely protective of me. With Tobias, there were fewer stormy clouds in each day. No matter the curveballs life continued to throw at us, we were two lost souls who had decided to stick together from the moment we met. “How was your session with Nose?” Tobias wiggled his brows at me, eliciting an eye roll. “His name is Dr. Drew,” I huffed. “About my session… well, he told me I have very little time left. At this point, I may not even make it to February.” “s**t,” Tobias swore. “That’s not the news I was hoping to hear.” “Me neither.” “You know,” he said, his tone turning determined, “I still think we should go see more healers outside the pack. I’m sure their diagnosis would be different.” I opened my mouth to oppose him, but he stopped me with a firm hand on my shoulder. “I know what you’re thinking, Amaris, but I can’t just watch you die.” He looked down at me with sad, determined eyes. “Tobias—” “I refuse to let you die on me, Amaris. I refuse to give up.” As he said it, he untied his scarf and wrapped it around my neck. He tucked the ends under my chin and gave my nose a quick pat. A burst of warmth bloomed in my stomach, the same feeling I got on rare occasions when I had a good cup of cocoa with marshmallows. Tobias was my marshmallow effect—warm, sweet, reliable, nostalgic. “I got something for you,” Tobias said, smiling at me. “I figured you could use a little pick-me-up after your doom session with Nose.” “His name is Dr. Drew. More importantly, what did you get me?” My face flushed under his intense gaze. “Here.” Tobias pulled a bouquet of flowers from inside his fur jacket—purple hyacinths, my favorite. He handed them to me. “You got me flowers.” I swallowed the lump in my throat as I accepted the bouquet. As expected, they smelled like beauty and nostalgia. I inhaled deeply, letting their scent calm me. “Yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck self-consciously. “Do you like them?” “I love them,” I said with a wide smile, hugging the flowers to my chest. Tobias chuckled. “It’s just flowers, Amaris. Don’t go falling in love with me over hyacinths.” “Someone’s pretty cocky,” I mock-glared at him. He snickered. “Relax, I’m joking.” “I know. Seriously, though, thank you. Make sure to get these exact flowers for my funeral.” Tobias balked. “What funeral? What are you talking about?” “Didn’t you hear what I said about Dr. Drew’s diagnosis? I’ve only got until February to live. Might as well start making preparations.” “I didn’t get you flowers so you could get all morbid on me, Amaris. You know what? I take it back. I don’t want you to have that bouquet anymore. Hand it over.” Tobias reached for the flowers, but I jumped out of his reach. “Hey! You already gave them to me. You can’t take them back.” “What happened to a simple ‘Oh, thank you, Tobias, for gifting me my favorite flowers right after my doctor’s appointment’? But no, all you care about is the flower arrangement at your imaginary funeral.” “It’s not imaginary if it’s going to happen,” I shot back, raising my voice while keeping a safe six feet of distance. There was no way he was getting these flowers back. “You’re missing the point, Amaris,” he said, throwing his hands in the air, clearly exasperated. “Can we stop fighting about this? We’re going to be late for work.” “I promise to stop if you stop talking about your funeral.” “Fine. I promise. Do you also promise not to take back my flowers?” “I’ll think about it,” he says, giving me a smug look. I scoff at his expense. “You’re so annoying.” “You love me anyway. And I don’t care what Nose said to you in there. You’re not going to die. You’re gonna live a long life, and I’ll be here to annoy you every step of the way.” “Thanks for being so optimistic about this.” My tone is dry. He smiles at me and tousles my hair once more. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s go to work.” Tobias and I got to the cafeteria of Firestone Academy and dispersed to our respective workstations. I was stationed at the dessert counter. I snagged my apron off the hook and waved good morning to Gladys. Gladys had an easy, motherly charm that was endearing. She was the head of the cafeteria and always had a smile and a kind word for everyone. “Amaris, is that a hyacinth stuck in your hair? It looks lovely,” Gladys said, smiling warmly. I returned her smile. “Thanks, Gladys. It was a gift from Tobias.” “Really?” Gladys giggled and winked. “Someone seems to like you.” “As if,” I rolled my eyes and finally got behind my counter. Decorations were already being hung up for the upcoming Christmas Selection Feast. Hundreds of twinkling rice lights adorned the massive Christmas tree in the middle of the cafeteria. In respect of the pack’s Yuletide tradition, sparkling apple cider had been added to the menu, along with ginger shortbread cookies. The cafeteria felt alive and bubbly with holiday cheer. It was a glaring contrast to the sadness that gripped my heart like a second skin. Against my wishes, my mind drifted to thoughts of Lilith, my aunt and guardian, and her daughter Vera. They were the closest things to family I had, but I knew they’d be delighted to hear about Dr. Drew’s grim report on my health. For as long as I could remember, Lilith had never treated me with kindness. Vera was worse. Every day at the academy, she went out of her way to remind me that I was beneath her. Her haughtiness grew worse after her betrothal to the Romanov triplets, the future Alphas of our pack, became official. Zevran Romanov. Theron Romanov. Kade Romanov. The Romanov brothers were the ultimate jewels in Vera’s self-appointed crown. It was obvious Vera would be named the next Luna of the pack during the Christmas Selection Feast. Lilith had been working on it for years. Watching Vera become Luna was her life’s goal. I shook my head, desperate to push thoughts of Vera out of my mind. I already had it bad enough—I didn’t need to torture myself further with how shitty my family was.