As I fell to the kitchen floor, the hot soup splashed across my arms. My body hurt, but I bit my lip to keep from crying. The three girls in front of me laughed so hard they could barely breathe.
"Oops," Rhea said, putting on a fake smile. Her golden curls bounced as she tilted her head mockingly. "How clumsy of you, Elara."
My hands shook as I scrambled to pick up the broken bowl pieces. The hot soup was burning my skin, but I couldn't show weakness. Not in front of them.
"Maybe if you weren't so slow, accidents wouldn't happen," one of Rhea's friends sneered. They all giggled again.
My wolf whined inside me—she was just as small and scared as I was. We both knew our place in this pack: at the very bottom.
"Clean this up," Rhea demanded, stepping over the mess. "The Alpha's sons will be here for dinner soon. We can't have this place looking like a disaster."
As they walked away, still laughing, I felt tears sting my eyes. Today was supposed to be special. Today was my eighteenth birthday. But nobody cared. Nobody even remembered.
I grabbed a mop and started cleaning up the soup. My arms still burned, but I'd learned to ignore pain long ago. Being an omega meant getting hurt—a lot.
The kitchen buzzed with activity around me. Other wolves rushed back and forth, preparing for the evening meal. They stepped around me like I was invisible. Sometimes I wondered if I really was.
"Elara!" Cook's voice boomed across the room. "When you're done mopping, go get more potatoes from the cellar."
I nodded quickly. Cook wasn't cruel like the others, but she wasn't kind either. She just wanted her work done.
The cellar was dark and cold—perfect for hiding. I sat down on a sack of potatoes and finally let myself cry. Just for a minute.
Eighteen years old today. Most wolves my age were excited about finding their mates, talking about it constantly, dreaming of that magical moment when they'd feel the bond. But who would want me? I was nobody. Nothing special at all.
A small sob escaped my lips. My wolf tried to comfort me, but she was hurting too.
"I wish things were different," I whispered to the darkness.
Suddenly, the strangest thing happened. The air around me started to feel warm and tingly, like electricity dancing across my skin. My wolf perked up, more alert than she'd been in months.
What was that?
I stood up quickly, grabbing the potatoes. The feeling faded, but something had definitely changed. I couldn't explain what.
Back in the kitchen, I tried to focus on my work, but that strange tingling sensation kept returning in waves—stronger each time.
"The Alpha's sons are here," someone whispered.
My heart started racing. It always did when they arrived. Not because I had any chance with them—that was impossible—but because they were so powerful, so perfect. Everything I wasn't.
I kept my head down as they entered the dining room adjacent to the kitchen. Through the doorway, I could see them taking their seats. Kaelen sat straight and serious, as always. Lucien was laughing with some of the other pack members. And Darius...
Darius looked directly at me.
Our eyes met for just a second, but something extraordinary happened. That tingling sensation exploded through my entire body like lightning. My wolf started going wild inside my head, practically bouncing off the walls.
I dropped the plate I was holding. It crashed to the floor, and everyone turned to stare at me.
"Sorry," I mumbled, bending down to clean up the mess again.
But when I looked up, all three brothers were staring at me now. Not just looking—really staring. Their faces showed confusion and shock.
The buzzing sensation was so intense now that my hands were trembling.
What was happening to me?
"Elara," Cook said sharply. "Stop breaking dishes and—"
She stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes went wide as she looked at me, then at the triplets, then back at me.
Other wolves started noticing too. The entire room fell silent. Even the kitchen staff stopped working.
I felt like I couldn't breathe. Everyone was staring at me like I'd grown a second head. The tingling sensation was everywhere now, making my skin feel like it was on fire.
Kaelen stood up slowly from his chair, his face pale. "This can't be right," he said softly.
Lucien jumped up too, his chair toppling backward. "Do you feel that?"
Darius was already walking toward me, his blue eyes wild and confused.
I backed away, terrified. "I don't understand what's happening."
But deep down, I was beginning to understand. The tingling sensation. The way they were all looking at me. The way my wolf was going absolutely insane.
"Mate," she whispered in my mind. "Mate, mate, mate!"
But that was impossible. I couldn't have three mates. Nobody had three mates. It wasn't possible.
Elder Mira appeared in the doorway like a specter. Her cloudy eyes found mine instantly.
"The prophecy," she gasped. "After all these years... it's beginning."
The room erupted into whispers and gasps. Some people stepped backward, away from me. Others pressed closer, trying to get a better look.
I felt dizzy. This couldn't be real. I was just Elara—the forgotten omega, the girl nobody noticed.
Kaelen's voice cut through the chaos. "Everyone out. Now."
People hurried to leave, but I could hear them talking in excited whispers as they went. When the room was nearly empty, Kaelen turned to his brothers.
"This changes everything."
"Changes everything how?" Lucien demanded.
Darius was still staring at me. "She's our mate. All of ours."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I stumbled backward until I hit the wall.
Elder Mira shuffled closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "The triple bond hasn't been seen for three hundred years. The last time it happened..."
She trailed off, but her expression looked frightened.
"What?" I managed to ask. "What happened the last time?"
Elder Mira's cloudy eyes met mine, and I saw genuine fear there.
"The last time," she whispered, "it started a war that nearly destroyed us all."