Chapter 8- Why Is She Here

LENA>>

"Yes," I replied softly, lowering my head in appreciation. "Thank you… thank you for standing up for me."

She looked at me and shrugged, like it was nothing. "It's okay," she said.

"I just hate bullies. Especially the ones who think they own everyone just because they've been here longer. We're all the same here — all slaves. I don't understand why some of them act like they're above the rest of us."

“And I wasn’t the only one that stood up for you. You stood up for yourself. I loved how you gave them a little piece of your mind and now they wouldn’t cross your path.” She said to me and I smiled.

I felt… grateful.

"What's your name?" she asked suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Me?" I asked, pointing at myself awkwardly, like I wasn't sure she could be talking to me

She nodded with a small smile.

"My name is Lena," I said, returning the smile without even realizing it.

"Nice to meet you, Lena. I'm Alina," she replied. "I hope we get along."

I nodded again, still smiling. Alina.

Maybe I hadn't completely been forgotten by the moon goddess after all. Maybe she'd finally given me a friend.

Does this mean I have someone now? A real friend? I thought to myself, holding back the tears building in my throat.

Someone who sees me? Someone who stood for me when no one else did?

I was still deep in thought when I felt a hand tap me. I raised my head to see that it was Alina.

She pointed forward and I followed her hand to see that she was pointing towards the head slave.

I immediately bowed my head. She didn’t respond to me, but she turned to Alina.

"Where have you been, Alina?"

"I have been looking for you," she said to Alina.

Alina immediately apologized, "I'm sorry for stressing you and making you search for me."

"Since I have found you, Alina, I want you to show this slave around. Tell her a few things about the pack and how it works.”

“Tell her everything she is supposed to know about the pack because I have to assign her a role as soon as possible, but before that, I want her to be familiar with the pack," she said to Alina, and Alina nodded her head with a smile.

She then turned to me.

"I'll be back for you in the evening to talk about your assigned role, but for now, learn more about the pack." she said to me as I bowed my head and she walked away from us.

Alina then started talking.

"You are lucky that you came a day later," she said, and I looked at her in confusion.

"The Alpha’s kids celebrated their birthday just one day ago and the work we slaves had to do was draining. Although they are still around, since the birthday had already been celebrated, we didn't do as much work."

But my mind got stuck on just one question: The Alpha's kids? I thought back to the mysterious, powerful man I'd walked in on naked — Alpha Theron. That was the only Alpha I knew of.

Wait… does this mean he already has children? And not just one, but multiple?

The word "kids" rang in my head like a bell. It didn't make sense. He looked so young, so… strong. How could he already have a whole group of children?

I was still in my own head, trying to piece it all together when Alina's voice came through again.

"But even after their birthday celebration, we need to work for one week until they travel back because there is going to be a celebration for a whole week."

A week-long celebration? For all that? Who even does that?

Alina leaned closer to me and whispered, "That means nonstop work for us. No rest. We'll be lucky to get two hours of sleep per day."

I swallowed hard. I had just gotten here, and already, chaos was coming.

"And the Alpha King wants everything to be perfect because those are his only kids."

I could barely focus. Birthday ceremony… kids… how do they all have the same birthday?

Right at that moment, she said something that felt directed at me.

"Yes, the Alpha's children all share the same birthday. That's why this celebration is important to him. It must be memorable."

Wait… what?

I blinked. Did she just say they all have the same birthday?

"Does that mean the Alpha had all his kids at once? Like… are they twins or something?"

Alina paused and smiled.

"You're almost correct," she said, "but not quite."

"The Alpha didn't give birth to twins," Alina said, her voice dramatic. "He gave birth to triplets."

Triplets? I blinked rapidly. Did I hear that right?

I faced Alina with my eyes filled with pure surprise.

"I know you're the one that just told me that the Alpha gave birth to triplets, but why didn't you look surprised?" I asked her as I raised my brow in confusion.

She chuckled a little. "That's because I already knew a long time ago, so even after I told you about it, it doesn't sound surprising to me."

I stared at her in confusion. "How?"

"I've been a slave in this pack since I was very young," she said softly. "I've seen everything… including them."

Them?

"You mean… the Alphas?"

She nodded slowly.

"Alpha Theron, Alpha Ronan, and Alpha Aldric."

My feet stopped moving.

Wait… My mind was racing. Theron? As in the Alpha I walked in on naked and made me moan?

Wait a second…

Those wolves. Those two guys who barged into Alpha Theron’s room earlier. The ones who looked almost exactly like him…

They're not just his relatives…

"They are the triplets?"

“Yes, of course, Lena. Why are you acting so silly? Everyone knows the Alpha King gave birth to triplets,” she said.

I still wasn’t believing it.

“So what are the kids' hair colors?” I asked. I knew I would sound dumb, but that was the only way for me to know if it was really them.

"The one with Fiery auburn hair is called Alpha Aldric, The one with Jet black hair is called Alpha Theron and the one with Silver threaded through dark brown curls is called Alpha Ronan" she said, and that was when it clicked for me.

“I am doomed!”

“Why is your mouth open, Lena?” I heard a familiar voice say.

This wasn’t Alina.

I raised my head to see no other person but my stepsister.

She looked at me as she smirked and gave me a disgusted look.

"Why are you here?"

“Are you here to mock me? Is mocking me before I was taken isn’t enough?” I asked her as I was beginning to get angry.

“Oooh no Lena. Do not feel so big. You aren’t worth seeing. I am here to meet my three lovers, of course."