Rejected and Claimed by her Alpha Triplets: Chapters 1–5

~Lisa’s POV

Tonight is the 25th coronation of the Alphas.

The triplets.

Kael. Rowan. Damon.

Three brothers who now lead the Silvermoon Pack.

In every pack, there is a clear order, a harsh chain of power. The Alpha rules with strength and fear. They are the pack’s leader, the one who shapes its future with iron hands. The Beta is second in command, loyal and fierce, always ready to back up the Alpha. The Delta commands the warriors, the strongest fighters, guardians of the pack. The Luna is the heart, the soul, who keeps the pack together with quiet strength. The Omega is last, weak, often scorned, and used as a target for cruelty.

And then there’s me.

I’m none of these. I’m a human, living among wolves.

I don’t know where I truly belong. My whole life, I’ve believed I’m just a weak human, lost among creatures stronger than me.

The pack treats me like dirt. I’m a slave. A shadow beneath their feet. No one looks at me as a person, just someone to serve, to use, to ignore when convenient. I carry their burdens and swallow their insults without a single word. When they’re angry, their hands find me, a shove here, a harsh slap there, like I’m nothing more than an object. Their eyes flash with contempt, their voices sharp with cruel jokes at my expense. I’m the one who cleans the dirt they track through the hall, who fetches their drinks, who stands silent while they laugh and whisper about me behind my back.

No one asks if I’m tired. No one asks if I’m hurt. I’m invisible, except when it suits them to remind me I belong beneath their notice. Even the weakest Omega has a place, but me? I’m outside the chain, unwanted, unworthy. Sometimes I wonder if they remember I have a name.

Even the youngest pups grow up learning they are better than I.

However, the entire pack was gathered to celebrate the three Alphas. A grand hall glowing with silver lanterns, rich velvet banners dancing with the breeze, the scent of roasted meat and aged wine drifting in the air. Laughter echoed, music floated, and I... I stood by the side, holding a tray filled with drinks, dressed in the plain brown dress all servants wore.

I shouldn’t have come. I knew what they would do to me. But I came anyway.

Because they would be here. The triplets. And despite everything, despite the pain and the fear and the bitter truth that I was nothing to them... I had always liked them.

Ever since I was young. Since that day, they haven’t remembered.

I stood near the entrance, gripping the tray tightly as I watched guests walk by in shimmering gowns and polished boots. No one saw me, not really, but they still found time to sneer.

"Who let that thing in here?"

"She probably spit in the wine."

"Don’t touch her, you might catch human."

Their laughter stung more than the words.

I took a deep breath and moved through the crowd, balancing the tray carefully. I whispered polite greetings and offered drinks, ignoring the hands that pushed, the glares that burned. I had done this a hundred times. Tonight wasn’t different.

Until she arrived.

Belinda.

The Beta’s daughter. Beautiful, tall, and cruel. Her silver gown hugged her perfectly, her dark hair curled like a queen’s, her smile sharp as a blade. She walked with pride, knowing every eye was on her. And why wouldn’t they be? She was meant to be Luna. Everyone said so. Betas give birth to Lunas. It was tradition.

I turned too late.

I was staring at the stage as the announcer’s voice echoed through the room. "And now, our Alphas, Kael, Rowan, and Damon!"

My eyes lifted instantly. There they were. The triplets.

Tall, proud, striking.

Kael, tall, muscular, tanned skin, sharp jawline, piercing blue eyes, looked like he never smiled. Rowan, fair skin, wavy dark hair, green eyes, always dressed in black. Damon, olive skin, short black hair, golden-brown eyes, sharp and intimidating presence.

My heart stuttered.

I forgot the tray in my hand. I forgot the world around me.

And in that moment, Belinda stepped forward.

We collided.

The tray tipped.

Red wine splashed across her silver dress like blood on snow.

It took a second for my brain to catch up, to fully understand what had just happened. The glass clattered to the marble floor, the liquid spreading like a slow, damning stain. For a heartbeat, the entire room seemed to fall silent. Even the music stopped, notes cut mid-air, as if the celebration itself was holding its breath.

Gasps filled the hall like a wave crashing into me.

I felt hundreds of eyes settle on me at once, sharp, cold, merciless.

I didn’t look up. I couldn’t.

My hands were already shaking, and my knees were hitting the floor hard. The tray rolled a little before settling beside me. My heart pounded so loudly it almost drowned out the whispers rising from the crowd.

"I’m so sorry," I breathed, my voice small. Too small for a place like this.

"I didn’t see... I didn’t mean to..."

My throat tightened as I reached for the hem of her dress, desperate to fix the mess, to scrub out my mistake like it could be undone. But it was useless. The wine soaked deep into the expensive silk, blooming like a cruel flower.

I didn’t need to look to know who I had bumped into.

Belinda.

Perfect, cruel, powerful Belinda.

She stood above me, rigid, trembling, not with shock, but rage. I could feel it rolling off her like heat from a fire.

I opened my mouth to beg again, to say something, anything, when her hand came fast.

A sharp crack echoed across the hall as her palm connected with my cheek.

Before I could even turn my head, another sting lit up my face...

Another slap.

Harder than the first.

Everything inside me went still.

~Lisa’s POV

"You filthy thing," Belinda hissed, her voice dripping with hatred. "Do you even know what this dress costs? Of course not. You wear rags."

Her words sliced through me sharper than the slap had. I didn’t respond. I stayed on my knees, my head bowed, my throat tight like I had swallowed thorns.

The red wine was soaking into the hem of my faded dress, spreading across the cheap fabric like shame. I didn’t dare move. The sting on my cheek still burned. My fingers trembled as I reached again, trying to dab the wine off her dress with the corner of my apron. I knew it wouldn’t help. I was only making it worse.

I could hear them whispering.

Not the crowd. Not the pack.

Them.

The triplets.

I didn’t have to look up to know they were watching. I swallowed hard. My hands kept moving, trying to clean the impossible stain. My heart pounded so loudly I thought everyone could hear it. I just wanted to disappear. Melt into the marble floor and never come back.

Then a voice broke the silence.

Deep. Calm. Familiar.

"What’s going on here?"

I froze.

That voice.

Kael.

His voice carried power like thunder in the distance, calm but dangerous. It rolled over the crowd like a warning. People shifted, lowered their heads.

Before I could even lift mine, another voice came, sharp and cold like a blade.

"Why is she on the floor?"

Rowan.

His tone held no warmth, only quiet irritation, as if the sight of me offended him.

Then came the third voice.

Steady. Strong. Quiet, but commanding in a way that made everyone listen.

"Belinda?"

Damon.

I looked up.

Slowly. Like I was waking from a dream, or a nightmare.

I should’ve bowed my head again. I should’ve stayed quiet. But something in me, something buried deep, wanted them to see me, not like this, not on my knees, not broken.

But it was too late.

Belinda didn’t waste a second. She turned to them, her voice high and full of fake tears.

"She... she did it on purpose!" she cried, pointing at me like I was filth. "That human! She poured wine on me just when I was walking in! Everyone saw it!"

I didn’t defend myself. What would be the point?

I lowered my head again. Of course. Of course, they’d believe her. She was beautiful, powerful, born of this world. And me? I was nothing.

Whispers stirred through the room like cold wind. I felt eyes crawl all over me, some sneering, others amused, a few pitying.

Then Kael’s voice sliced through it.

"Guards."

Just that word. Low. Firm. Final.

My stomach dropped.

I didn’t look up, but I heard the shift in the crowd, the shuffle of boots against marble, the clink of metal.

Footsteps approached.

Of course. They believed her.

Why wouldn’t they?

I was dirt in their eyes. A shadow that served. Nothing more than a walking stain on their perfect floors. The kind of mistake people step over without blinking.

"She’s to be taken out and punished," Kael said, voice cold and sharp like a blade.

The crowd murmured in approval. Some smirked. A few even laughed.

Belinda smirked too. Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction, like she had just won something big.

But then...

Before the guards could touch me, before their hands could drag me away...

It happened.

Everything stopped.

Like the world paused to take a breath.

Then it hit me.

A sharp jolt deep in my chest. Not pain, but something else. Something older than pain. Something wild and ancient, like a string being pulled inside my soul. I gasped. My hands trembled. My body locked in place.

My eyes shot open and met Kael’s.

He froze.

Rowan tilted his head, curious now, his brows drawing together.

Damon stepped forward, the amusement gone from his face. His expression was stunned, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.

And then..like a whisper shared between stars, they all said it.

One word.

One truth.

"Mate."

It wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.

The room gasped.

Belinda stumbled back, her hands flying to her mouth, her eyes wide in disbelief.

No. No. This couldn’t be happening. Not to me.

Me?

But I felt it too. That strange heat rising in me. A magnetic pull deep in my belly. My heart was racing, not out of fear, but something else. My chest ached like it wanted to explode. Like something inside me had been locked away all this time, and now, it was waking up.

Damon’s voice was barely a whisper. "She’s... human."

Kael didn’t speak. His jaw was tight. His fists clenched. His eyes-those stormy eyes, never left mine. He looked like he wanted to tear something apart or pull me into his chest. I didn’t know which.

Rowan took one slow step closer. His golden eyes looked at me like I was both a miracle and a mistake.

I stayed on my knees, too stunned to breathe, too scared to speak. Trembling under the weight of something I didn’t understand.

Mate?

The word echoed in my bones.

The room was silent. Not a single sound.

Until Belinda shattered it.

"No!" she screamed.

Damon moved first.

Before I could even think to move, his hand reached out and gripped my arm, not rough, but firm. He pulled me to my feet like I weighed nothing, lifting me out of the wine-soaked floor and into the silence of the stunned hall.

I stood there, shaky, small in front of them. I couldn’t lift my eyes.

Kael was the first to speak.

"This has to be a mistake," he said, voice low but sharp with anger. "The Moon Goddess must be playing a cruel joke."

Rowan scoffed. "A human? Of all the women in the realm, it had to be... her?"

Damon’s hand fell from my arm like he didn’t want to touch me anymore. "We’re Alphas. We don’t mate with servants."

Their words hit harder than Belinda’s slap.

I stood still, trying not to shake, trying not to cry in front of them. My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I didn’t even know what I would’ve said if I could.

The crowd was still watching. Every single eye was glued to us like a scene from a cursed prophecy.

"She’s not even wolf-blooded," Kael added, as if it disgusted him. "How can the Moon Goddess humiliate us like this?"

But then, they turned and whispered some words to themselves before turning back to me.

"We accept," Kael repeated coldly. "The bond. The mark. The mate."

"We accept," Rowan said, arms folded, as if he was forcing the words out with his pride still fighting it.

Damon’s gaze lingered on me. His voice dropped. "We accept."

"What?!"

~Lisa’s POV

I didn’t move. I couldn’t.

My heart forgot how to beat.

I could only stare, frozen in place, as the crowd around us dissolved into stunned whispers. Their voices blended into a blur, the noise muffled by the pounding in my ears. I felt like I was standing in the center of a storm.

My eyes moved from one of them to the other. Kael’s brows were drawn, his jaw clenched, as though he hated the words that had just left his mouth. Damon stood stiff as a statue, his eyes stormy with confusion. And Rowan... Rowan’s gaze was the hardest to read. Still. Silent. Watching me like I was some ancient puzzle that had just begun to solve itself.

Was I dreaming?

Part of me wanted to scream for joy. If this was true, then maybe I was finally free. No more scrubbing floors until my fingers bled. No more stolen food and cold, dark closets. No more cruel laughter echoed behind me wherever I went. I could be free.

But the other part of me, the part that had survived years of cruelty, didn’t trust this sudden turn of fate. Why would they accept me? Me, the pack’s weakest link? The one everyone spat on? Why didn’t they reject the bond like so many Alphas had in the past?

Why did they accept me?

Before I could make sense of anything, Rowan spoke. "Take her to the East Wing. She stays in the palace now."

My eyes widened.

A pair of maids hurried over and bowed before him. I could see the surprise written across their faces, too, though they tried to hide it. I stood slowly, my legs trembling. I didn’t know whether to feel honored or hunted.

As the maids led me away, I caught one last glance at the triplets. They were still staring at me. All three of them. Like I had just turned their world upside down.

Like they didn’t know what to do with me.

The East Wing of the palace was unlike anything I’d ever seen up close. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling like stars. The floors were polished so well that I could see my pale reflection staring back at me. Every corner of the corridor whispered of wealth, power, and history. I was accustomed to seeing this side of the palace from a distance, cleaning its borders and polishing silver from the outside. I never imagined I’d walk these halls like someone who belonged.

The maids opened a heavy door and gestured for me to step inside. The room was bigger than the entire quarters I used to sleep in with my father. There was a soft-looking bed with fluffy white sheets, a golden-framed mirror, and a bathtub big enough to swim in.

I stepped in slowly, afraid it would vanish if I blinked too hard.

"Someone will come by with clothes, you bitch!" one of the maids said angrily.

I nodded wordlessly, still trying to grasp the reality.

They left, closing the door behind them. I stood in the middle of the room, arms folded around myself, unsure whether to cry or laugh or collapse.

But the silence didn’t last.

The door burst open, slamming against the wall with a thunderous crack.

Belinda.

She stormed in, her heels clicking like angry thunder across the marble floor. Her hair was curled into perfect waves, her lips blood-red with fury.

"You," she spat.

Before I could speak, her hand shot out.

Slap.

My head snapped to the side.

The sting bloomed across my cheek, hot and sharp.

"You little worm!" she hissed. "You think you can steal what’s mine? You think you can just walk into the palace and take my place?"

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

My ears rang. My body froze.

"I’ve worked for years to become their Luna. Years! And you? You just show up with your dirty hands and ragged clothes and expect everyone to believe this fate-mate nonsense?"

Her eyes gleamed with something dark. Something feral.

"I don’t care what the Goddess says," she whispered, stepping closer until her face was just inches from mine. "You’ll never be Luna. You’ll always be a servant. A nobody. And if you think this palace is yours now, think again. I’ll make sure you regret the day you ever walked into this palace."

She turned and left, slamming the door so hard the mirror rattled.

I stood there, one hand to my cheek, breathing hard. The tears finally came, hot and fast, but I didn’t sob. I let them fall quietly, one by one.

I wasn’t used to people hating me for being wanted.

All my life, I was hated for being nothing.

Now, I was hated for being something.

I walked slowly to the edge of the bed and sat down. My body felt heavy, my head spinning. The velvet sheets beneath me were softer than anything I’d ever known, and yet, I had never felt more out of place.

My eyes wandered around the room, trying to focus on anything other than the ache in my heart. That’s when I noticed the cup on the small table by the window. Clear glass. Cold water. It hadn’t been there earlier. Maybe one of the maids brought it in before leaving. I hadn’t even noticed.

Thirst scratched at my throat. My mouth was dry, my lips cracked.

I stood up shakily, still hugging my arms around myself, and crossed the room. The glass trembled slightly in my hands as I picked it up. For a moment, I stared at the water, watching how the faint light from the chandelier danced across its surface.

Maybe this would help. Maybe it would calm me down, ground me. I tipped it to my lips.

Cool relief rushed down my throat. I drank all of it, not stopping for breath.

Then...

A sharp chill sliced through my spine.

My fingers lost their grip. The glass slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor.

The world tilted.

My knees buckled. The edges of my vision darkened, curling inward like burnt paper. My breath hitched once, twice, and then stopped.

The room spun.

And then....

Nothing.

Darkness swallowed me whole.

~Rowan’s POV

The hall was filled with music, clinking glasses, and forced laughter, but none of it reached me. Not truly. I stood beside my brothers, face carved in stillness, hands clenched behind my back. My wolf paced inside me, restless and snarling. Damon to my left wore his usual smirk, though it was thinner now, more brittle. And Kael...Kael looked like he could tear down the walls of the palace with his bare hands.

We were all unsettled. The entire evening had soured the moment we sensed that human girl was our mate. Our mate.

The Moon Goddess was either playing tricks or testing the depths of our patience.

I watched Kael grip his goblet too tightly. A hairline crack formed, and red wine trickled through his fingers like blood. Damon didn’t bother hiding his discomfort. He kept glancing at the doors, as if wanting to bolt.

The event dragged like an anchor through the mud. Courtiers bowed, nobles flattered, but none of it mattered anymore.

When the last of the guests finally departed, we left the hall like a storm, our silence heavy with rage. No one dared cross our path. The guards stepped aside. The servants bowed so low I feared their bones would snap. They knew what it meant when the Alphas were in a mood like this.

Kael was the first to speak.

"This is madness. A human?"

I said nothing.

"She can’t even shift. She has no wolf. The Moon Goddess must be mistaken," Kael growled, slamming his fist into a marble pillar. The crack echoed down the corridor.

"She isn’t mistaken," Damon said, his voice low.

Kael turned on him, eyes burning. "You pushed us to accept her. This is your doing."

I stepped between them, eyes narrowing. "Enough."

"He’s right," Damon said coolly, brushing invisible lint from his sleeve. "Don’t you remember what she said? The Moon Goddess? Years ago...the prophecy."

Kael glared. "That our mate would be the key to breaking the curse?"

"Do you remember now?"

I did.

We had been younger then. Kael couldn’t recognized faces, Damon couldn’t taste and I couldn’t smell.

"It doesn’t have to be Lisa," Kael spat. "Anyone else. Anyone but her."

"Where is she?" Damon asked.

"Probably still in that guest chamber," Kael muttered. "Let’s check. If she’s gone, it solves our problem."

We made our way down the corridor, the tension thick as fog. When we reached the room, Kael didn’t knock. He pushed the door open hard enough to rattle the hinges.

She was there.

On the floor.

Unconscious.

The glass cup lay shattered beside her, water soaking into the rug. Her hair sprawled around her like a halo, her face pale and too still.

"You have to be kidding me," Kael scoffed. "She’s already causing problems. Day one."

"Typical," I muttered, though my feet were already moving forward.

Damon frowned. "Was she attacked?"

"Or just weak," Kael said, but his voice had lost its bite.

I knelt beside her and touched her neck. A pulse. Faint. But there.

And just as my fingers grazed her wrist, her eyelids fluttered.

She groaned.

Then her eyes opened.

Those same eyes. The ones that had stared up at us on the ballroom floor. She looked up at the three of us, dazed, confused.

"What happened?" she whispered.

Kael turned away, jaw tight.

Damon crouched beside me. "You tell us."

She blinked. "I... drank some water. From the table. Then... everything went dark."

We exchanged glances.

My brows furrowed.

"What cup?" I asked, stepping forward.

She gestured weakly toward the small wooden table near the edge of the bed. The cup still sat there, half-full.

Damon reached for it first, sniffing it. His face twisted slightly.

Kael took it next. "That’s not ordinary water," he muttered. "That’s one of the enhancer blends, meant for us. For our kind. It enhances our senses. Strengthens the wolf."

I stepped closer, my gaze dropping to the trembling girl on the floor.

"It’s not made for humans," I said slowly. "It’s laced with nightshade extract in tiny amounts. Harmless to werewolves... but to someone like you?"

"She could have died," Damon finished with a cold smirk.

Kael scoffed. "Tch. And here I thought she was just putting on a show to get attention."

Lisa’s lips parted in shock, her already pale face turning paler.

Damon crossed his arms. "You’re lucky, little mate. Seems the Goddess doesn’t want you dead. Yet."

Kael gave a short, humorless laugh. "Maybe she’s tougher than she looks. Or just stupid. Drinking whatever she sees like a hungry pup."

Kael was the first to speak again, his voice sharp, the edge of disgust barely hidden beneath the surface.

"Do you see now?" he said coldly, stepping closer to where she knelt, her arms weak, her face ghost-pale from what she’d just survived. "That water... it was never meant for you. Just like this life...this place...was never meant for you."

Lisa’s lips parted slightly, her breath catching, but no words came out.

"Exactly," Damon added, his tone clipped and cold. "You’re not worthy, human. The Moon Goddess might have cursed us with your bond, but that doesn’t mean we have to pretend you’re equal. Because you’re not."

I crossed my arms, the truth of it all bitter in my mouth. "If anything, this little incident proved just how out of place you are. The fact that you survived? A fluke. Don’t mistake it for strength."

She looked down again, her lashes dark against her skin.

Kael smirked and began circling her, like a wolf sizing up a trapped animal. "Let’s make something clear," he said. "You’re in this palace because of a bond we didn’t ask for. A curse, not a gift. So if you want to stay breathing, if you want to survive this place and what comes next, you will obey our rules."

He stopped in front of her again. "Rule one," he said, voice low and dark, "you will prepare and serve all our meals. Every. Single. Day. No excuses. You’ll serve us with your own hands...and you’ll do it in silence unless spoken to."

Damon stepped forward, a cruel grin on his lips. "Rule two: You will sleep in the servants’ quarters. Not because you belong with them, but because even that is more than you deserve."

Lisa’s eyes widened just slightly. I saw it...the way her fingers curled into her skirt.

"But...how can I single-handedly prepare your meals..."

Damon slapped her before she could finish the statement.

"How dare you question me?!"

~Rowan’s POV

Kael let out a low growl and stepped forward, his gaze sharp as a blade, aimed directly at Lisa. "Why did you provoke him?" he asked, his voice dangerous with quiet anger. "Do you think you’re in a position to question us? To defend yourself?"

I sighed and shook my head, arms still crossed. "You shouldn’t have done that," I said plainly, eyes hard on her. "You were given a second chance after that water. Don’t waste it by running your mouth."

Lisa didn’t respond. She was too busy fighting the tears threatening to fall, too busy trying to hold on to what little pride she had left.

Kael crouched down in front of her, his voice now cold, steady, and bone-deep cruel. "Where was I? Ah, yes... the third rule."

He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with disdain. "You will be available to us at all times. You are not our Luna. You are not our queen. You’re not even our equal. You’re ours. To command. To summon. To use."

Lisa closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down her bruised cheek.

"If we call you to our bed," Kael continued, voice cutting like ice, "you come. No hesitation. No attitude. You don’t ask why, and you certainly don’t say no."

Damon leaned against the wall now, calmer but no less venomous. "And if you think this is something you can run from, think again. You’re bound to us. This bond? It’s a curse. But it still ties you to us, and trust me, human, we know how to make curses bleed."

I watched her sit there, quiet, bruised, shivering.

Something about her silence pulled at a thread inside me I didn’t even know existed. Not sympathy. Not pity. Just... irritation. She was supposed to scream. She was supposed to fight. Instead, she sat like a doll with her strings cut.

And somehow, that made me angry.

I took slow steps toward her. Each one deliberate, heavy. She flinched before I even got close....good. She was learning. I crouched low, our faces nearly level now. She wouldn’t meet my eyes, but I didn’t need her to.

I tilted my head, studying her. Her lips were dry. Her eyes were red.

I hated it. Her face.

I chuckled. A low, mocking sound. "You know," I said, brushing a thumb across her cheek, not gently, "it’s not all bad, being ours. You’re here now. You’ll be fed. Bathed. Given shelter. And if you’re obedient... You may even find we’re generous in bed."

Her breath caught. I saw it, the panic. The disgust.

I leaned in closer, my lips just inches from hers, and whispered, "You’ll come to crave us, human."

I started to move in, just to see if she’d dare stop me.

And she did.

Her hand shot up, pressing against my chest, small and trembling, but still defiant. She pushed me back....not hard, but enough to make a point.

"Don’t," she whispered, her voice barely holding steady. "Please don’t."

The word please echoed in the air between us, soft and desperate.

And it did something to me, but not what she hoped.

It didn’t make me stop. It didn’t make me pity her. It made my blood run colder.

Because that one word reminded me of how fragile she was.

My jaw clenched. I stood back, my eyes narrowing as I stared at her.

"You think you can say no to me?" I asked, my voice low, dangerous. "To us?"

She didn’t answer, but the way her lips trembled, the way her body pulled tighter into itself, gave me everything I needed to know.

I raised my hand, calmly, slowly, like I wasn’t angry, just resolved, and cracked.

The sound echoed like thunder in the stillness of the room.

Her head snapped to the side, and her body toppled with it, collapsing to the cold stone floor like something discarded. A soft cry escaped her lips...not loud, not theatrical. Just broken. Honest.

She didn’t fight back.

She didn’t beg.

She just curled in on herself, arms wrapped around her stomach, as though trying to protect what little of herself she still had left.

I stared at her. I could hear her breath shaking in her throat.

"You don’t get to refuse me," I said, my tone flat as steel. "Not me. Not any of us. You’re here because the Goddess chose you, but that doesn’t mean you’re special. You’re here to obey. That’s your only role."

Kael said nothing. Damon, still by the window, didn’t even look in our direction. His jaw was tight, his fists clenched at his sides. I straightened, letting my gaze fall on her like a hammer. She looked small. Weak. Like something that didn’t belong in this palace, in this world. Like a weed growing through a crack in marble.

"Consider that your last warning," I said, my voice sharp enough to cut.

She didn’t answer. Didn’t move. Her breathing came in short, ragged gasps...like every breath was a struggle. Not a scream and not a sob. Just... survival.

I turned on my heel, jaw tight, eyes forward.

Let her lie there on the cold marble floor.

Let her learn what it means to be ours the hard way.

Because she would learn.

"Enough of this," Damon snapped, brushing his hands together as though ridding herself of her presence. He turned to the doorway. "Maids!"

The door creaked open. Two of them stood there, nervous as newborn pups, eyes darting between us and the girl on the floor.

"She stays here," he ordered sharply. "Lock the door. No food. No water."

Without another word, they stepped in, carefully avoiding Lisa’s figure like she carried disease, and began locking the heavy door from the inside, sealing her in like a prisoner.

I was already halfway down the corridor.

Kael cast one last look over his shoulder.

"She’ll learn," I said to no one in particular as I walked out.

"She better," Kael muttered beside me. "Or she’ll die."