Chapter 11: Christmas Cometh
I continued to avoid the topic of kissing the Triplets and they were being exemplary in their patience. They had begun to insist I tell them exactly what I wanted for Christmas. All holidays were a sore spot for me. I had missed out on years of gifts and love. I usually had to work extra hard during Christmastime to decorate the house to the Luna’s standards and to help prepare Christmas dinner. I remembered watching the Triplets open the most extravagant gifts year after year while the Alpha and Luna looked on proudly, their arms around each other and cups of eggnog in hand. I was not given anything.
This year would be an entirely new experience. The new cooks and maids had been hired, two of each, all women in their forties or fifties and all fascinated by the handsome triplets. The new maids, Patty and Fanny, constantly reminded me of how lucky I was to have such wonderful mates. The Triplets beamed whenever they heard this. Yvette and Marlene, the new cooks, agreed with these sentiments, and thought it a travesty that I did not “care for the triplets” by doing the cooking and cleaning. I was furious. I had done that for nine years without so much as a thank you. Before I could give the cooks a piece of my mind, Felix chimed in.
“I have forbidden my bride from cooking and cleaning, ladies,” Felix said warmly. The cooks smiled. His bride? “She is preparing for her future as my trophy wife,” Felix added, grinning.
Trolled my eyes. December had finally come and I was on Winter break. The pack house had been decorated in silver, white and icy blue. There were wreaths and garlands hung everywhere. There was a huge Christmas Tree that the Triplets had decorated themselves. The tree ornaments were all so cute: gingerbread men, elves, Santa, Mrs Claus, reindeer, snowmen and even yeti. I had never noticed how beautiful everything looked. Twinkling lights were strung up everywhere. We were having breakfast one morning when I decided to discuss an important topic.
“How much money do I still owe you guys exactly, Alpha Romeo and Luna Ronnie?”
I did not feel comfortable addressing them any other way though the Triplets were now the Alphas. The Triples stiffened. Romeo and Ronnie looked surprised. The cooks and maids were eavesdropping nearby.
“Nothing,” barked Alex, glaring at his parents. “You owe them zero dollars and zero cents.
“No, you still owe a lot,” said Felix, surprising me. “But I‘m the Alpha now and I accept kisses as payment.”
Trolled my eyes. Calix laughed. “I really want to know, please,” I said. Romeo sighed. Ronnie looked at me.
quarter
Christmas
hundred and fifty thousand dollars, ok, and how much have I worked off?” I asked “We would have paid you about $500 a week,” said the Luna
9 years cause I never took my vacation or
paid them off. The
I kept working I‘d be almost totally done when high school
be working anymore. I‘ve already told
free of working but what if I wanted to leave after high school and they suddenly wanted their money? I was not working under the assumption that I
after high school and went my own way, would you still feel the same about me not working?” I
an “I told you
already and I don‘t like repeating myself. I‘m only humouring this conversation because you‘re my mate. You can ask my brothers how I act with pack members who defy me. You think you’ve seen the worst of me but I’ve went
who defied him? What did he do? Kill them? Breakfast continued awkwardly. I got up without asking to be excused and just stormed out of the house, still in my pyjamas. I heard Felix roar and I knew he was coming after me. I was crunching through the snow when I
I screamed. “I love you,” he
I got up and went
money, and not even love.” I was crying in his arms but my tears of
It was wrong. And I‘m ashamed of it. I‘m struggling, Chasity. I‘ve always thought of my parents as good people
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*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
The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!
