Chapter 10: Forced

Olivia’s POV

“Mate!” My wolf howled loudly in my head.

My breath hitched as I stared at the glowing cord wrapped around my wrist, extending to each of the triplets standing just a few steps away. My body froze, my mind going blank, and all I could do was dart my eyes between them.

The triplets were my mates! I was mated to all three of them!

Gasps and whispers erupted around me, but I didn’t pay attention. Instead, I just kept staring at the triplets, who seemed dumbfounded.

“No! This is not true!” I heard Anita’s loud voice, but I didn’t look away. My attention was fixed on the triplets. With a racing heart, I watched them, gauging their reactions.

“Mates!” My wolf howled excitedly, urging me to go closer to them, but my feet remained rooted to the floor.

“No!” Lennox was the first to react. He shook his wrist, trying to break the cord, but he couldn’t. No one else could. We were mates.

“I won’t accept this!” Louis followed, trying to break the thread, and my heart sank further. What was I expecting? That they would be happy about this?

Levi was next. “This has to be a silly joke!” he spat in anger.

More murmurs erupted in the hall, but I didn’t pay attention. My focus was on the triplets. I could see the anger, the disgust in their eyes.

The murmurs around us grew louder, but I barely heard them. My entire world had shrunk to the three men standing in front of me—my so-called mates—who were now doing everything in their power to reject what fate had given us. My wolf whimpered, the excitement she had felt moments ago now fading into confusion and pain.

Levi was the first to move closer to me. He stepped forward, his jaw clenched tight, eyes dark with anger. This was the same man who once told me, when we were children, that he hoped I’d be his mate.

“There’s no way in hell I’m accepting you as my mate.” His voice was low but filled with venom. “The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake.”

A sharp pain pierced through my chest, as if his words had physically struck me.

Louis scoffed, shaking his head. “I’m not accepting this,” he muttered, his lips curling in distaste. He lifted his wrist again, yanking at the cord, but it held firm. It would only become invisible if they marked me or rejected me.

Lennox, who had been silent, exhaled sharply. He wasn’t even trying to hide the frustration on his face.

“This is ridiculous.” His icy gaze met mine for a brief moment before he looked away, as if even making eye contact with me was too much. “I’m rejecting you,” he stated firmly.

“Yes, do it,” Anita pleaded, her voice thick with tears. “You love me, not her! I’m supposed to be your mate!” Anita yelled in pain, and I looked her way. She stared at me with red, hate-filled eyes. I looked away from her and back at the triplets, who had the same angry expression on their faces.

They all wanted to reject this bond, but why? Was it because my father was accused of stealing? Because I was an omega?

“Silence.” Our Alpha, the triplets’ father, ordered, and the hall went silent.

All eyes turned to him, including mine. His expression was unreadable, his gaze locked onto the triplets. I held my breath, unsure of what he would say next.

For a long moment, a tense silence filled the air. Then, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I turned slightly to see my mother, her eyes filled with concern as she squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

Alpha Damon finally spoke. “It seems Olivia is mated to my three sons, our future Alphas,” he announced, and soft whispering erupted. I could clearly notice the pack was not happy.

A heavy silence filled the hall as our Alpha let his words settle. The tension in the air was almost suffocating, the murmurs dying down as the weight of his declaration sank in.

“As future Alphas, you three cannot reject your mate,” he continued, his voice firm and unwavering. “Rejecting the mate bond is an act of defiance against the Moon Goddess herself, and it would set a bad example for the pack.”

Lennox, Louis, and Levi stiffened, their faces a mixture of frustration and disbelief. They looked like caged animals, desperate to break free but knowing there was no way out.

“But Father—” Lennox started, but his father cut him off with a sharp look.

“There will be no argument. Olivia is your fated mate, and you will accept her.” His gaze was unyielding as he scanned the room, his authority radiating from every word. “Not only that, but you will mark her tonight , and in two days, you four will be wed. She will be your Luna.”

Gasps echoed around the hall, but no one dared to speak against the Alpha’s command. My heart pounded in my chest. Marked. Married. In two days? My mind swirled with emotions—fear, uncertainty, and an ache deep inside me from the rejection I had just endured.

“No!” Anita’s voice rang out, thick with desperation. She pushed through the crowd, her tear-streaked face full of pain. “You can’t do this! I love them! They love me!”

Alpha Damon’s expression didn’t change. “The Moon Goddess has made her choice.”

Lennox’s fists clenched at his sides. Louis looked like he wanted to punch something. Levi’s lips curled in a scowl, his fury barely contained.

“This is a mistake,” Levi growled through gritted teeth. “You’re forcing us into this.”

“I am ensuring the future of this pack,” Alpha Damon corrected coldly. “If you refuse, you are unworthy of leading.”

His words were final.

The triplets had no choice, and neither did I.

I swallowed hard, my pulse roaring in my ears. The triplets were my mates, but they despised the bond. Now, they had no choice but to claim me.

And in two days, I would become their Luna.

“Mark your mate!” our Alpha demanded.

My heart pounded faster as soft murmurs erupted in the hall.

“Do it now!” he demanded, sounding impatient.

Lennox was the first to move. His jaw tightened, and without a word, he stepped forward, grasping my wrist as he lowered his mouth to my neck. A sharp, burning pain shot through me as his canines sank into my skin. My breath hitched, but I didn’t cry out.

Louis followed next. His touch was rough, filled with reluctance. His bite burned just as much, his anger obvious in the way his teeth sank into me.

Finally, Levi stepped forward, his eyes dark with resentment. He didn’t hesitate. His fangs pierced my skin, marking me as his against his will.

The moment the third mark was complete, the glowing cord connecting us vanished.

A heavy silence settled over the hall as the triplets stepped back, their faces filled with anger. With the searing pain in my neck, I held their gaze—and what I saw frightened me.

In their eyes, they had one word for me.

Torture.

I had just sealed my life of torture.