I continued to avoid the topic of kissing the Triplets and they were being exemplary in their patience. They had begun to insist I tell them exactly what I wanted for Christmas. All holidays were a sore spot for me. I had missed out on years of gifts and love. I usually had to work extra hard during Christmastime to decorate the house to the Luna’s standards and to help prepare Christmas dinner. I remembered watching the Triplets open the most extravagant gifts year after year while the Alpha and Luna looked on proudly, their arms around each other and cups of eggnog in hand. I was not given anything.
This year would be an entirely new experience. The new cooks and maids had been hired, two of each, all women in their forties or fifties and all fascinated by the handsome triplets. The new maids, Patty and Fanny, constantly reminded me of how lucky I was to have such wonderful mates. The Triplets beamed whenever they heard this. Yvette and Marlene, the new cooks, agreed with these sentiments, and thought it a travesty that I did not “care for the triplets” by doing the cooking and cleaning. I was furious. I had done that for nine years without so much as a thank you. Before I could give the cooks a piece of my mind, Felix chimed in.
“I have forbidden my bride from cooking and cleaning, ladies,” Felix said warmly.
The cooks smiled. His bride?
“She is preparing for her future as my trophy wife,” Felix added, grinning.
I rolled my eyes. December had finally come and I was on Winter break. The pack house had been decorated in silver, white and icy blue. There were wreaths and garlands hung everywhere. There was a huge Christmas Tree that the Triplets had decorated themselves. The tree ornaments were all so cute: gingerbread men, elves, Santa, Mrs Claus, reindeer, snowmen and even yeti. I had never noticed how beautiful everything looked. Twinkling lights were strung up everywhere. We were having breakfast one morning when I decided to discuss an important topic.
“How much money do I still owe you guys exactly, Alpha Romeo and Luna Ronnie?”
I did not feel comfortable addressing them any other way though the Triplets were now the Alphas. The Triples stiffened. Romeo and Ronnie looked surprised. The cooks and maids were eavesdropping nearby.
“Nothing,” barked Alex, glaring at his parents. “You owe them zero dollars and zero cents.”
“No, you still owe a lot,” said Felix, surprising me. “But I’m the Alpha now and I accept kisses as payment.”
I rolled my eyes. Calix laughed.
“I really want to know, please,” I said.
Romeo sighed. Ronnie looked at me.
“Your parents owed us about a quarter of a million dollars,” she said.
“Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, ok, and how much have I worked off?” I asked.
“We would have paid you about $500 a week,” said the Luna.
“So that’s $500 times 52 weeks a year for 9 years cause I never took my vacation or sick days,” I said, laughing awkwardly at my own silly joke.
The Triplets were not laughing.
“That’s $234 000!” I said. Wow, I had almost paid them off. The Luna smiled.
“To pay off the remaining $16 000, I’d have to work 32 more weeks,” I said.
“That’s about 8 months. If I kept working I’d be almost totally done when high school is over. I’d just have one more month to go,” I explained.
“Great math, Baby,” said Felix. “But you won’t be working anymore. I’ve already told you this. Please don’t defy me.”
I sulked. I was happy to be free of working but what if I wanted to leave after high school and they suddenly wanted their money? I was not working under the assumption that I would marry the Triplets and therefore be family so all debts were forgiven.
“What if I left after high school and went my own way, would you still feel the same about me not working?” I asked hesitantly.
The Luna was looking at her sons in an “I told you so” sort of way.
“Yes, I would,” said Felix, shocking me. “You’re done working here. You’re not obligated to be with us but your housekeeping days are over. I told you that already and I don’t like repeating myself. I’m only humouring this conversation because you’re my mate. You can ask my brothers how I act with pack members who defy me. You think you’ve seen the worst of me but I’ve went soft on you your whole life, trust me.”
Felix was even gruffer with pack members who defied him? What did he do? Kill them? Breakfast continued awkwardly. I got up without asking to be excused and just stormed out of the house, still in my pyjamas. I heard Felix roar and I knew he was coming after me. I was crunching through the snow when I was lifted suddenly. Felix swung me over his shoulder and carried me to his room. He tossed me on the bed.
“I hate you!” I screamed.
“I love you,” he said softly.
We stared at each other for a few moments. I got up and went to him. He embraced me warmly. I sighed.
“You don’t owe us anything,” murmured Felix. “Not money, and not even love.”
I was crying in his arms but my tears of frustration turned to tears of relief.
“You should have never been made to work for us. Who asks a little girl to work off her parents debts? It never made any sense. It was wrong. And I’m ashamed of it. I’m struggling, Chasity. I’ve always thought of my parents as good people but they wronged you. That’s not the kind of Alpha and Luna I want us to be. I hope you’ll stay, Baby. I need you. The pack needs you,” Felix said.
I felt my something damp on my shoulder. Felix was crying! I kissed his tear-streaked cheeks and then I pressed my lips against his. He lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He kissed me with reckless abandon. We could taste each others’ tears as they continued to fall. I was soaring and though my wolf was elated, I did not do it for her. I kissed him for me. I was out of breath when I pulled away. Felix pressed his forehead to mine. Our noses brushed. Felix was panting.
“Stay,” he whispered.
I could not say yes yet but I knew I was in deep. I just held him.
That night the pack house hosted a Christmas party to which everyone was invited. I wore a red velvet dress Alex had gotten me. It was so pretty. I slow-danced with Calix. I had never been asked to dance before. We had not danced on our birthday with all the commotion. I felt beautiful being held and twirled by Calix under the twinkling lights. He walked me out to the porch after and pointed up. I knew what was up there before I even looked. Mistletoe. I smirked at him. He smiled at me, raising his brows. I nodded.
Calix pressed his lips to mine. His movements were slow and gentle. His lips felt soft and warm. He cupped my face in his hands. I had my hands on his shoulders. Warmth coursed through me despite the freezing winds and falling snow surrounding the porch. We broke apart. Calix was grinning from ear to ear and so was I.
I noticed Alex was missing from the party so I went to look for him. He was not in his room. I found him in my old room sitting on my old cot. It was such a surreal sight. I crept in, shutting the door. He looked at me sadly.
“You don’t know how sorry I am,” he said softly, but I did because my wolf was whimpering in response to the depth of his remorse. These guys were going to make it impossible for me to say goodbye to them. I remembered my parents leaving me, dropping me off at the pack house. My heart shattered that day. Is that how the Triplets would feel if I left them. Alex pulled me to him and buried his head in my torso. I hugged him. He pulled me onto the cot. It was so cramped. He was too huge to fit on it. I laughed.
“I love hearing you laugh,” Alex said.
I was quiet, my head resting on his chest. “Look at me,” Alex said. It was not a command but I obeyed. Alex’s lips came crashing down onto mine. I was not expecting this kind of urgency from him. His hands roamed my body. I moaned into his mouth and he slipped his tongue in mine. He caressed my tongue with his. Goosebumps sprang up all over me. He tilted my head back so he could get better access to my mouth. He sat up, never breaking the kiss, with me straddling his lap. He rocked me back and forth on his lap. I could feel how hard he was and my core moistened in anticipation of him. I broke the kiss, panting, and swiftly gave him another peck when I saw him frown. He smiled.
“Stay smiling like that,” I told him. “That’s an order!” I said, laughing.
A/N: I have a F a c e book page now. It's Joanna J just like my name here. The username is @joannajwriter. :)