Triple Pressure
1177 Words
Dakota POV
“Triplets?” I repeated to Avery, who rolled her eyes and nodded.
“Yes. We are triplets.” She repeated back. “Which means if you reject one of us, you have to reject all of us. Triple the pain.” She examined her nails as if what she was saying wasn’t as important as it really was. My chest tightened at the thought of leaving Emily, but it pounded at the thought of being with Avery. I could tell Jaxton was putting the pressure on, too.
“And where are your sisters?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“They were in the kitchen last I saw them.” She responded, peering up at me.
“I still need to talk to my parents and Emily about this.” I admitted, looking over at my desk where a picture of Emily and I in front of the Eiffel Tower rested. Avery stood, brushing herself off. She wore a simple pencil skirt and a blouse with black pumps, her hair in perfect waves.
“Of course. There’s no pressure, just letting you know more details before making your decision.” She said, bowing slightly. “I’ll take my leave.” I watched her leave the room and close the door, the urge to follow her and take her on the spot very tempting. I took a deep breath, throwing a shirt on and heading to my fathers office.
I knocked on the door and entered, closing the door and turning to see my father staring up at me over paperwork. He gestured for me to sit down and began making neat and organized stacks, pushing the paperwork to the side.
“What can I do for you son?” He asked, his voice gruff with exhaustion.
“I found my mates.” I said, getting straight to the point. His eyes widened in shock and he coughed in surprise.
“Where is she?!” He asked, more animated than before. Then a sad look crossed his face. “Oh. Lord Emily. We do love her and she’s such a good girl. She’ll always be family to the pack, of course.” It was my turn to look shocked.
“What do you mean?” I asked, staring him down.
“You aren’t rejecting your mate, are you?” There was a sadness in his face when he asked that.
“That’s what I came to talk to you about.” I admitted, staring at the floor like I was a child again. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“I am a traditional man, son. You know this. Your mom was my first mate and the only mate I wanted.” He said, swiveling in his chair. “I believe you have to be with your mate. And I’m sure Jaxton would agree with me.”
The old man knows well.
I snorted at Jaxtons words, my father side eyeing me. I cleared my throat and looked at him.
“Mates.” I corrected him. His face was questioning. “Mates. With an s at the end.” I repeated and his eyebrows shot up.
“How many?” He asked, his voice strained.
“Three. Triplets.” He chuckled to himself.
“That will definitely hurt if you reject them. But you have to remember, the chances of Emily being your second chance mate are astronomically low.” I nodded at his words.
“So how do I talk to her about this?” I asked, and he shook his head.
“I would suggest doing it as soon as you leave this room. The sooner you do it, the better and easier it will be. Your mates need to transition over as well.” I nodded and stood, bowing slightly to my father and leaving his office. I made my way up to my bedroom where I knew Emily would be. When I walked in, the room was dark. Emily’s clothes were on the floor and she was wrapped in the blanket on the bed.
I laid down next to her and pulled her into my arms, kissing her head through the blanket. My hands rubbed her back as she shook with sadness. I could smell her tears and heard her sniffle as she sobbed quietly.
“Emily, I love you so much. But I’m sorry. I can’t let this pass me by. And I regret not telling you last night so we could talk sooner. And I sincerely apologize for cheating on you; it is absolutely no excuse but I have no idea what came over me.” I said, staring at the curtain on my bedpost. It hurt to see her in so much pain, but I didn’t feel for her what I felt for Avery already. And it was anybody’s guess how much I would feel for her sisters as well.
Another sob came from under the blankets and I began patting her back. I felt awful about this situation. Maybe I should have just let her mark me in the first place. Jaxton rolled his eyes in my head and huffed.
I would have never allowed that to happen anyways.
I sighed at his stubbornness. It would have saved so much pain apparently, but it was pointless to dwell on what could have been. I looked down at the sobbing mess wrapped on blanket on my arms and my chest tightened.
“Take your time please. I have another room I can stay in until you’re ready to-“ I felt her stiffen when I said another room and mentally kicked my own ass. “It’s my own room. By myself. Alone.” The words rushed out of my mouth and she visibly relaxed after a moment of sitting with those words. “Just…let me know when you’re ready. I’ll always love you, Em.”
I kissed her head through the blanket and scooted from underneath her. A loud sob escaped from her, and I began gathering my things as quickly as possible, shoving them in a bag. I looked at the shaking blanket on the bed one more time, regret filling my heart as I slid out the door. I turned down the hall and began walking up to the top floor where my parents resided. There were two rooms up there, and the other room was only used when my grandparents were visiting.
After dropping my stuff off and changing into more formal clothing, I made my way downstairs to the dining hall. As I entered a corridor, I noticed a blonde girl with long curly hair. I could see her side profile and she was amazingly gorgeous. She smelled like honey and flowers, her perfect body outlined by a soft pink sundress that hugged the right placed and flowed to her knees, her feet covered with matching flats.
She looked over at me in surprise and I gasped. She had the same color eyes as Avery’s orange one.
“Mate?”
- Writer
