Chapter 1

/-Omari-/

“Guess what, sweetheart?” My mother spoke gleefully during dinner. “In two weeks, I will be getting married!”

I almost choked on the pepper sauce.

“What?!”

Her grin grew even wider. “You heard me. And he's not just anyone but an Alpha. This will elevate our status and change our lives for good for sure!”

I continued staring at her in disbelief, unsure of how to react to the sudden news of her getting married to an Alpha. I should be happy since the last ten years have been rough for us. Hearing her sob all those nights was hell for me.

“An Alpha…” I muttered, a little skeptical.

“Yes, Alpha Tyler Simmons of Astra pack. We met about eight months ago. He'll be coming over this weekend for a proper introduction,” she told me. “I'm sure you'd like him.”

“As long as he makes you happy, Mom,” I smiled. My opinion on her choice of life partner didn't really matter but I really hoped he would treat her right.

After that conversation, the days flew by quickly with us preparing for the arrival of the Alpha. The weekend finally came and everything was already in place for his arrival.

However, what I didn't expect was the three extra people with him. They were like the younger versions of him and insanely tall.

My mother didn't mention that he had kids.

“Tyler,” she exclaimed, running into his arms. “You're here.”

“Of course I am,” he kissed her forehead tenderly. So this was Alpha Tyler Simmons. He was very handsome and looked at my mother like she was the only thing that mattered to him. That made me very happy.

His mini-versions however, were somewhat different. As I stood awkwardly, fixating my eyes on my mother, I could feel three pairs of eyes boring holes into my skin. Their heated gazes burned through me like they wanted me to evaporate.

My heart pounded heavily in my chest as a wave of unease settled over me.

My mother pulled away from the hug to introduce me. “Ty, this is Omari, my daughter. The one I told you about,” she told him then turned to me. “Oma, this is Alpha Tyler Simmons, my fiancé.”

“Nice to meet you, Alpha,” I smiled, taking his hand. He smiled back at me genuinely. After retracting my hand, my stomach twisted as I realised I was going to face the very people I had been avoiding.

“Kim, Omari, these are my sons,” Alpha Simmons started. “The green-eyed one is my eldest, Paxton, Leighton is the second with grey eyes and lastly Ashton, the one with the hazel eyes.”

It was when they stepped forward that I realised they literally shared the same face and hair. The only differences were the eyes and height differences. But they were strikingly beautiful.

“Boys, this is Kim, my fiancée and Omari, her daughter,” Alpha Simmons finished his introduction.

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” My mother spoke first, extending her hands and they all took it warmly.

Until it was my turn.

I watched the initial warmth in their eyes towards my mother fade into something chilling.

Aston was the first to extend his hand. He had on a smile that didn't reach his eyes. “Nice to meet you, Oma. I look forward to spending time with you.”

My hands trembled as I slowly reached for his. “Me too…”

It was a lie. Everything inside of me screamed at me to avoid them as much as possible.

“Yeah, let's get to know each other, sister,” Leighton coldly smirked, the word sister rolling off his tongue with unmistakable disdain.

Paxton didn't utter a word to me and simply walked in with the rest of his siblings. I glanced at my mother who was so engrossed in Alpha Simmons. Whether she ignored the exchange between the triplets and me or was genuinely clueless, I had no idea.

Dinner was agonizingly slow. My mother was invested in getting to know the triplets. I found out that they were all in prestigious colleges and only came back for the holidays and their father's wedding.

I quietly ate my food, occasionally feeling their eyes shift to me. It intently made the food in my mouth taste like ash and I ended up swallowing most of my food, just to get out of here as quickly as possible.

“Oma, would you mind showing the boys to the guestroom?” My mother suddenly asked and I choked on my juice. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Have some water,” Aston passed me a glass of water. I accepted it without thinking and gulped it down like my life depended on it.

Embarrassment washed through me almost immediately as I noticed the five pairs of eyes on me.

“If they are ready, I can take them now,” I said quickly, standing up to clear my plate. As I stood by the sink, washing my plate, someone entered, and I naturally assumed it was my mother because there was no way she would let the guests clear their own plates. But when I picked up the woodsy scent of pines, I immediately knew that something was off.

I turned rapidly only to bump right into him. He didn't even flinch as I crashed into his chest. Because of his height, I couldn't see his eyes so I couldn't exactly tell which of the triplets this was.

“I'm so sorry…” I immediately apologised as my stomach twisted. My wolf stirred again. He smelled so nice…

He didn't back away like I expected him to. Honestly, there was no way for me to go to either, because the sink was just behind me.

Rather than step back, he leaned in. My heart was beating wildly in my chest as I moved my body backwards so we wouldn't make contact.

But he didn't stop. He kept leaning closer until I couldn't bend any further.

“W…What are you doing?” I demanded, both hands up on his chest to push him back. I heard the plates drop in the sink behind me.

“You're in my way,” a calm velvety tone dripped into my ears. My cheeks stained red as I realised he wasn't trying to get close to me but to wash the plate behind me.

“How am I supposed to move when you're all over me?” I responded.

“Quiet then,” he retorted and I blinked. He turned on the faucet behind me and I knew he was indeed crazy.

What if someone walked in on us like this? What would they think? My body squirmed at the pressure of his body against mine. I was certain he could hear how embarrassingly hard my heart was beating.

“Can you just let me go? It won't kill you to step back a few meters. My back is aching,” I seethed, but he ignored me and continued washing.

My patience was fast running out as anger coursed through my veins. If this was some kind of ragebait then it was working.

“I said, back off!” I yelled, pushing him as hard as I could but the asshole wouldn't budge until he was done rinsing.

By the time he stepped back, relief washed through me, and I finally realised the breath I didn't realise I was holding. Those stunning emerald orbs pierced deep into my blue ones.

“You're annoying,” he commented, grabbing the hand towel to wipe his hands dry.

My hands balled into fists, clenching so hard that my knuckles turned white as my blood boiled.

Just in a few hours of knowing them, I already hated him.

He walked back to the living room before I had the chance to retaliate. My mother even thanked him for helping out with the dishes and he had the audacity to smile.

The triplets were ready for me to show them to their room, and for the sake of my sanity, I hoped I wouldn't have to deal with any more drama.

As I walked in front of them, I could feel their intense gazes piercing through me.

I got to the room and opened the door, stepping aside so they could go in. After the last triplet entered, I stepped into the room, watching as they observed the room.

“If there's anything else you need, feel free to let me know,” I kept my tone as friendly as possible.

Leighton sat on the bed, crossing his legs as he leaned back on his arms as support. The way those grey eyes took in every inch of me made me nervous.

“Well I am curious about you, sister,” he drawled, mischief glinting in those eyes. Then the door shut behind me and I flinched hard. I turned to see Aston standing there with a sheepish grin.

A chill ran down my spine as sweat broke out on my palms. I didn't even realise when he moved.

“Don't mind me, I'm just testing the strength of the doors,” he responded sweetly. “The room doesn't seem soundproof.”

My heart skipped a beat. “W-Why would… it be?” I stuttered, betraying the fear curling in my stomach.

He threw his hands casually around my shoulders. “Nothing, just curious. Let's chat, shall we?”