Chapter 4

As the days passed, my bond and love for my three Alpha mates continued to grow until I could not imagine a life without them. I came to know that the Mountain Pack were liberals who did not abide by the restrictive morals of the society that I grew up in at Apex Woods. 

I learned that it was normal for females here to have multiple mates, and some even had female mates. When Dominic and I eventually made love, it was as special as my time with Damian but different. 

Darius was another matter entirely; he was the first mate to introduce me to kinky sex and we always did things that would make even the wildest werewolf in the mountains blush. I was like a queen with her own harem of three insanely sexy lovers. 

Sometimes I let them make love to me at the same time, and I cannot forget one occasion when they laid me on the dining table and took me at once. I had Dominic’s cock in my mouth while Damian romanced my boobs and Darius was between my legs, fucking me savagely. 

I was living a fantasy that I didn’t even know I had. They took me to see Nana, their elderly nanny who lived in a small cabin near the village creek, and she told me adorable stories of how she raised the triplets after their mother died when they were still little. 

We spent our days exploring the mountain village and the surrounding lands, and at night, we made love through the wee hours until the next morning. This was our routine for months until… 

“I’m pregnant,” I announced to my mates as we settled down to have breakfast. It was the second month of fall and my mood was as dull as the weather outside. 

“Jade, that’s excellent news!” Said Dominic who immediately stood up from his seat to wrap me in a bear hug. “We’re going to have a baby.” 

“Whose baby?” I asked him with a raised eyebrow. 

He stepped away from me and said, “Does it matter? We are all his fathers.” 

“That’s the problem, Dom. A baby can’t have three fathers,” I said. “This child I’m carrying was created by one of you, not all of you.” 

“How far along are you?” Damian asked calmly. 

“I don’t know,” I replied. 

“Dominic is right,” said Darius. “None of that matters. The child is ours and we have equal rights over him. Case settled.” 

I didn’t like how this matter was being handled by my mates and I felt sorry for my unborn child. How awful it would be for them to grow up not knowing who their real father was even while living under the same roof with him. 

Was it fair to raise an innocent child in such a confusing environment? 

Damian must have sensed my unease because he rested his palm on my back gently and said, “I am the father and my brothers are the child’s uncles.” Darius dropped his spoon. 

“What?” 

“How can you be so certain?” Dominic demanded. 

“I was with her first,” answered Damian. 

“So what?” 

“You sound dumb!” 

“We are all the child’s fathers, there will be no uncles here.” 

“Shut up!” 

“You shut up!” 

“That’s enough!” I yelled, silencing the arguing brothers. 

I pushed my seat back and got to my feet. “I can’t do this right now. I need a break. I need to go somewhere to think and figure this thing out.” 

“Where are you going?” Dominic asked when he saw me putting on my coat. 

“Apex Woods,” I replied curtly. “I need to be far away from the three of you and this place for a while.” 

“You can’t go there, Jade. Your uncle and his daughter will only end up making you miserable as they’d always done,” said Dominic. 

“Let me worry about that,” I said to him and left the cottage before they could stop me. 

******************** 

I shrugged off my coat as I entered the palace hall. It was brightly lit and very warm, giving me relief from the cold outside. The servants were surprised to see me and they kept staring at me as if they had seen a ghost. 

I had asked to meet with my uncle and one of his attendants was now taking me to his throne room where he was holding court with some of his generals. When I walked into the room, he signalled to the four men sitting with him to excuse us and they stood up and left immediately, acknowledging me with polite nods. 

I knelt before my uncle and said, “Long may you live, my Alpha King.” “

Jade, you look well,” he replied calmly. “Have a seat.” 

I sat down with my hands folded primly on my knees. I felt like a little girl again about to be chastised for breaking a plate in the kitchen.

“To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” He asked. “What's the problem?” 

“Nothing,” I said. “I guess I was a bit homesick, so I thought I might come here and spend a few days in the palace. With your permission, of course.” 

He stared at me for several seconds before speaking again. “I see,” he said. “Your old room has been taken over by another occupant since you left but I’m sure the servants can find you another suitable room for your short stay.” 

I wondered if he would expect me to get back to work in the kitchen too but I didn’t ask. Maybe this was a good time to tell him that I was pregnant and see if that would soften his heart toward me and let me sleep in one of the grand bedrooms in the west wing instead of the dingy servants’ quarters in the east wing. 

“I am with child,” I blurted out with a nervous smile. 

“Congratulations to you,” he said with no excitement. “You can wait here while one of the servants prepares a room for you in their quarters.” 

Oh well, I thought, swallowing my disappointment. I’ll probably go back home tomorrow morning, so there was no need to extend this already awkward conversation. 

“Thank you, Uncle,” I said and leaned forward to bow down and my necklace spilled out from under my dress with the pendant dangling freely like a pendulum. I looked up and saw my uncle staring at me with wide eyes. 

“Where did you get that?” He asked in a strangled voice as if he was struggling to speak. 

His reaction to the pendant confused me but I remained calm. “It is a gift from my mates. Mate, I mean,” I corrected myself quickly.

 I wasn’t sure how he would react if he got to know that I was living with three Alpha mates instead of one and I didn’t want to find out. 

“How did he get it?” 

“His mother left it to him.” 

“No,” he whispered. “She died…” 

“Yes, many years ago. Did you know her?” 

He stood up suddenly and ran out of the room like a man possessed by demons. Something was obviously not right and I was determined to find out what it was. 

I got to my feet and followed my uncle at a safe distance. He ran outside the palace, screaming Antonio’s name. A guard met him and pointed toward the flower garden, informing him that the handsome Beta was there. 

I continued to follow my uncle and I was not surprised when I saw a messy-looking maid running out of the garden as soon as the Alpha King entered. Antonio had certainly not stopped his shady ways. 

I inched forward, making sure that I was safely hidden behind tall shrubs and I spied on my uncle and his soon-to-be son-in-law from there. 

“I need you to do something for me right now,” he said to the young Beta. “Take a few of my warriors and ride to the home of the Mountain Pack right away. I want you to kill Jade’s mate today!” 

I swallowed a gasp and felt my heart pounding wildly in my chest. What the hell was going on here? 

“Why?” Antonio asked, echoing my thoughts. 

“He is the son of an old enemy and my niece is already carrying his child. I want her dead too.” 

“Jade is pregnant? How did you know this?” 

“She is in the palace right now as we speak. You must hurry. Kill that son-of-a-bitch and bring his head to me.” 

Antonio hesitated. “Why me? What’s in it for me?” 

“You already owe me, Antonio. You have been living off of my generosity for months and you have refused to be mated to my daughter after all this time. Not once have I ever called you to order for sleeping with every female that passed in front of you. I overlooked all of your flaws because I love you like a son.” 

“But I am not your son, am I?” 

The men engaged in a stare-down contest for several seconds until Alpha Barry gave in. “Fine," he said finally. "I’ll give you my land in Knoxshire. It is fertile and largely uninhabited, so you can do whatever you please with it. However, it will only become yours after you are mated to Brianna.” 

“Fair enough,” said Antonio with a smug smile. 

He may be a bully, but he was a smart one. He knew this conspiracy meant a lot to the Alpha and he’d cleverly negotiated a sweet deal for himself in the process. 

“Now, get into the palace and kill that stupid girl for me!” 

“Why don’t you do it yourself?” 

“She’s family. The law forbids me to take her life unless she’s a threat to mine.” 

“But she is now, isn’t she?” 

“It is too complicated for me to explain right now. Get inside and kill her now!” 

“As you wish, my king,” said Antonio, stepping away from my uncle and heading in my direction.