[Svetlana’s pov]

I wanted to move away from them but coming to the house and refusing their so-called warm gesture was not something I could afford. Reluctantly I nodded and walked with the trio towards the left arcade. Why would the triplets offer to walk me towards my room? Something was definitely not right and I could not trust them with anything. 

Just as we walked towards the end of the arcade and were out of the sight of everyone else. A strong arm grabbed my wrist and twisted it behind my back. I was caught off guard and could not even utter anything. What the heck was happening? My arm was tucked above my butt when Raihan pushed me against the wall.

“What are you doing?” Somehow I managed to speak with my trembling lips but the confusion was written on my face. Raihan moved closer and placed his one leg between mine and forcefully spread them. I could feel my heart thumping in my ears upon seeing how dangerously close he was. Absolutely hot too!

“What do you think you are doing?” His assertive yet sexy voice rang in my ears and I felt like they would soon bleed. My eyes reflexively travelled towards the other two brothers. To my surprise they both stood there with arms folded and enjoyed the show. Zuhan was leaning against the wall with one leg tucked. 

Whereas Sahan stood there with an amusing smile as if he was mocking me. How could the guys shift their attitude like this, like chameleons? I was still in a daze when Raihan clutched my wrist more which made me wince. My attention again drifted to him and I stared into his icy cold blue eyes. He was throwing spades of anger at me. 

For some reason I could feel something in my gut for the first time. Was I feeling those notorious butterflies which girls talk about? “What…what do you mean?” My voice stumbled as Raihan’s glaring eyes continued to look at me. I was already on the verge of breaking with that unusual feeling when he bent over even more.

Raihan lifted his other hand and smashed it on the wall with force. No matter how hard I tried to appear confident and unafraid of the trio I could not. My body jolted with fright when he pulled me closer to the point that my breasts were tucked with his hard chest. My anxious eyes stared into his eyes when Raihan’s lips grazed over mine. 

“Do you really think we wouldn’t see through this sweet facade of yours?” His voice held a visible anger and resentment towards me. However, I had no idea what he was talking about but it seemed something serious. “You cannot fool us with this pretty face of yours.” He traced his knuckles on my cheek, making me gasp.

Sahan and Zuhan kept quiet as they both perhaps waited for me to say anything. Meanwhile I was stunned at his audacity and the accusation of unknown matter made me numb. “I have no idea what you are talking about. Please leave me.” With a futile attempt I tried to push him away but couldn’t as Raihan pulled me even closer.

“Leave you?” This time Zuhan spoke while Raihan lifted me and shifted the position. Zuhan walked up to me and placed both of his hands over my waist. “We didn’t hold to leave you, stepsister.” I couldn’t help but wonder why he stressed over the addressing. Now I was sandwiched between both of them when Sahan also jumped in the picture.

What were these alpha brothers intending to do with me? Sahan walked to my right side and turned my face towards him by holding my chin. “Now that you dared to actually come and be a part of our family. You cannot leave this city without our permission, not without receiving your punishment.” What were they even talking about? 

“But I didn't even want to come.” Why was I giving explanations to them? I tried to shake Zuhan and Raihan who were holding me. I could feel the warmth of their bodies and their crotch touching my body. The awkward position was making everything difficult. “What punishment? I was against this whole idea. It isn’t my fault, talk to your dad.” 

I burst out in anger because how could I let those 3 bully me once again. However, having no clue what was going to come ahead I boldly dared to offend all of them. “You! It hasn't been an hour and you are already showing your true colours. Turning us against our father, huh?” Raihan’s grip around my wrist tightened, making me wince loudly.

“What? No…I….” My words were left in between when I heard Alpha Zaro’s voice. He was walking towards the same arcade, when the boys heard him they immediately left me. My sniffles came up as my eyes got filled with tears with the pain in my wrist. But the boys were still not merciful when Raihan grabbed my jaw and glared.

“If you dared to say a word, Svetlana, I will make sure your stay here becomes hell.” He threatened while the other two moved away from me with a smirk. Alpha Zaro appeared in the arcade and I hid my wrist behind. “Oh? Your mother and I have decided that today we all are going to dine out. All of you should be ready by eight.” 

Somehow I managed to control my tears and smiled when Alpha Zaro looked at me. “We want to welcome you properly, Svetlana. This is for you, welcome to our family.” His tone was genuinely warm and I couldn’t help but wonder what bad I had done to the trio. Nonetheless, the alpha went away and I rushed towards the other corridor.

Running in my own thoughts I bumped into Saikus who appeared out of nowhere. “Watch out, sis.” He held me by shoulders and stared with affection. I wanted to blurt out everything to him just because he was my brother. Despite my tries I couldn’t do so because till the time I was there I needed to stay good. Affording a beef with the triplets wasn’t a good idea. 

“Let me show you the room. Since we are going to dinner tonight and you might not have anything to wear on such occasions; mom has already set your wardrobe.” I could hear Saikus speaking but his words seemed not to reach me properly. I was in my own thoughts recalling what just happened and it made me feel uncomfortable. 

Clutching the hem of my shirt I gulped down my fears knowing that I had to stay away from the trio as long as I was there. “Here….be ready at eight sharp. See you later, sis.” Saikus dropped me to my room, my mom’s room along with the office and dining hall were to the left. While the rooms of all children were in the right wing of the villa.

Something unsettling filled me knowing that the triplets could always approach me. However, I walked inside my room which was decorated just how I might have liked it. Not super teen stuff and not boring like an elderly lady. Pushing my body inside I closed the door and slumped in the bed. Not knowing when did I fall asleep due to tiredness. 

Waking up after a few hours I had no idea that only 10 mins were left till eight. “Oh, shucks!” There was no time to change so I hurriedly towards the attached washroom and washed my face. Combing hair I cleaned the smudge or my eyeliner when a knock occurred on the door. “Coming!” I yelled while applying lipstick hurriedly. 

As soon as I opened the door Zuhan was standing, more like leaning against the door. He stared at me from head to toe with no expression on his face. “That soon?” What? I couldn’t understand his obvious meaning. Zuhan lifted his hand and held my chin, leaving me off guard as to what was coming. Oh my goodness!

I could feel his heated stare on my lips while being oblivious to what his intentions were. Maybe I knew but didn’t want to admit it. Zuhan traced his thumb beneath my lower lip, only if I knew he cleaned the lipstick underneath. “Perfect!” His blue eyes met mine with satisfaction as he went away. I couldn’t help but shake my head in irritation. 

Nonetheless, I headed out towards the main ingress and saw everyone  there. “Come, Svetlana. We were waiting for you, Saikus will go with us, you should be aboard with the trio.” Alpha Zaro informed me as I glanced at the triplets who stood in front of a posh vehicle. Mom, alpha Zaro and Saikus were going with a driver as Saikus was underaged to drive.

I could sense that they wanted me to get along with the trio as we had a visible tension between us. “Oh, sure.” Forcing a smile on my face I headed towards the triplets and Sahan opened the door for me. As soon as I seated myself in the back Zuhan came from the other side. Raihan was driving and the whole way all of them ignored my existence. 

We reached the desired high end restaurant and the brothers walked towards the entrance. I was left alone in the vehicle assuming that this time someone will open the door too. “Shucks! I forgot the alpha isn’t here at the moment. Hah! Why would they bother with ethics?” Getting out of the car I walked towards the ingress when a woman pushed me.

“Watch out you bum!” An arrogant yelling in a fake accent resonated behind me. I immediately turned around only to see a brunette dressed in money from head to toe. Before I could respond to her she went inside leaving me speechless. Reluctantly I walked inside shaking my head. Hoping that the dinner won’t be bad enough. 

[Svetlana’s pov]

I had no clue who that arrogant bitch was but one thing was certain she was a rude ass with her botox face. Yes, I was angry at her because she pushed me and called me a pathetic bum. Fuming with rage I walked inside and looked around to see where my new family was sitting. Upon finding them I walked towards that table when Sahan got up.

He pulled out the chair for me while looking at me with a smirk. Argh! I knew that the triplets were pretending to care about me. Of course, Alpha Zaro was now there so they were obliged to follow the etiquette. “Thank you!” I smiled and seated myself, only to realise I was now trapped between Sahan and Zuhan.

It was the moment I saw that Alpha Zaro was seated beside my mum. While Raihan was opposite to me and someone was sitting beside him. That brunette! What was she doing there? That woman had been glaring at me as if she would eat me alive. Her arm slipped into Raihan’s which made me uncomfortable.

“Meet Joselyn, Raihan’s girlfriend.” Alpha Zaro saw us both throwing spades of anger at each other. Thus, he took the liberty to introduce us and tone down the tension. “They both are getting married next month. That is why Joselyn is joining us for dinner.” I knew she would be from some influential pack for getting married to him.

For some reason, hearing that made me numb and uncomfortable. Having no clue why I felt that way, I had to smile and handle the situation. “Nice to meet you, Joselyn.” She simply nodded and shifted her head towards Raihan who had been glaring at me the whole time. I hadn’t done anything wrong, his girlfriend was the rude one.

Nonetheless, the alpha ordered the food and began talking to my mum. Meanwhile Joselyn was clearly seducing Raihan right in front of me. Not that I cared about him or what he was doing but the awkwardness was increasing. Joselyn’s hand was over his thigh as she rubbed, while Raihan was immersed in his phone. How rude!

It irked me how badly he had been treating her yet she was still trying to grab his attention. I could never date anyone like him ever, and subconsciously I thought about never dating him. Why did I think of that? He was my stepbrother, obviously nothing could happen between us. Even if we weren’t blood related at all. Of course!

Everyone was talking about their own liked topics while I was sitting there like an idiot. I picked up the fork and twirled it in boredom knowing that there was time in food. “So, what do you want to do, Svetlana?” Sahan asked me out of nowhere, his tone was polite as if he genuinely wanted me to feel good about the evening.

“I…I don’t know.” As much as I didn’t want to interact with the trio, I had to respond at that moment because of being in public. Zuhan, who was sitting on my right, placed his hand over my thigh. “Shall I suggest then?” Sahan spoke again as he placed his hand too, both of the guys were driving me crazy. Deliberately!

They knew I couldn’t yell in public and they had liberty to tease me there. Worse? I was sitting in between them and they had access to my body. Terrifying? I was wearing a skirt which hung at my mid thigh. “No!” Somehow I could make my voice appear stern, which obviously did not work at them. Why would it!? Those devils.

“Refusing our courtesy?” Zuhan’s raspy voice made me turn my head, our faces were a bit away but I could feel the heat. Alpha Zaro was so engrossed in talking to his wife that he didn’t bother to see us. It was not like he couldn’t hear us, he was an alpha and had the ability. But perhaps he wished for me to deal with my mess alone.

“What do you want to do?” Shucks. Why did I say those words? A smirk appeared over his lips, for sure he perceived my words wrongly. His hand slipped upwards towards my inner thigh. The very sudden act made me jolt and I ended up snagging attention. “Are you alright?” Mom asked me and I nodded immediately.

My gaze shifted to Raihan and Joselyn, both of them stared at me with different expressions. Joselyn was smirking at me unlike her previous attitude. Meanwhile Raihan seemed to be angry at me for god knows what reason. I hadn’t done anything wrong, did I? And I was sure he could listen to us too being an alpha. Of course, misunderstood me.

I put my hand over Zuhan’s and pushed it away when Sahan squeezed my left one. “What are you two doing?” Glaring at him in a whisper I demanded an explanation. While I could feel Raihan’s intense hate towards me from his blue eyes. What had I done to incur his wrath? His brothers were messing with me, not the other way around.

The next thing I knew was Sahan and Zuhan lifting their hands off me. Maybe Raihan rebuked them with that mental link, and being the triplets their bond was strongest. Nonetheless, I was relieved that they took his scolding seriously. The food came soon after a few minutes and we all ate heartily. Not in silence but the trio didn’t bully me again.

“Um, do you wanna go to the washroom, Svetlana?” She must have heard my name when Sahan called me earlier. Joselyn asked me to accompany her and reluctantly I had to follow her. We both walked towards the left side when Joselyn grabbed my arm. “You should be careful with these brothers. They are tricky, witty and manipulative.”

What was she saying? “But aren’t you dating Raihan?” I did not want to ask but I had to, my curiosity needed to be satiated. Joselyn smiled and released my arm as we both walked inside the washroom. While I followed her, I was unable to figure out whether she was warning me against them; or frightening me about the trio.

“You have to tell me what you are trying to say.” I chased her inside and found Joselyn opening her hand bag to fix the make up. Standing beside her I noticed the calmness on her face. Although the initial impression she gave me did not align with her current personality. Was she truly trying to help me or trapping me?

“Yes, I am dating Raihan. But I am with him only because of this child.” Joselyn rubbed her flat belly in affection but her words made me uneasy. It was not that I was in love with Raihan or any such thing. But the way Joselyn made everything appear as a compulsion gave me negative thoughts. Was she being forced or what?

“Are you not his mate?” I had to ask her because of the visible sadness in her tone. If Joselyn was not being forced then she needed to stand up for her child. “Do you guys not love each other?” Joselyn looked at me with her hand still placed on her tummy when she laughed hard. Did I crack some joke or what? I was confused as hell.

“Haha, no. No, I am not his mate. In fact the triplets haven’t found their mates yet.” Somehow that relieved me but I had no clue why I felt that way. However, I couldn’t help but probe more in her relationship which seemed a scary one to me. Of course, who would be happy to date a nonchalant and rude man like Raihan. Poor Joselyn.

“Raihan doesn’t love me despite the fact that I am the mother of his child. That is why I am warning you, Svetlana. These brothers are not what they seem, they change girls like clothes. Don’t get swayed by their good looks and sweet words. Everything is just to get into your pants, I already regret the day I fell for Raihan.”

What did she even mean by that? Did she mistake that I wanted to get laid by them? Heck, no! “I think you are misunderstanding me, Joselyn. I don’t see them that way, they are my stepbrothers. Nothing like that could ever happen between us.” She placed her hand over my shoulder and walked out. Only if I could see the evil smirk on her face.

[Sahan’s pov]

You might ask me if I am having mood swings or not pertaining to Svetlana. No, I am not. But I also do not know what I feel for her is something serious or what. I have never been the type who would stick to one woman ever. Not that would consider me into a playboy list but what would I do if women are throwing themselves at me? Of course, I would take the bait and drag them to my bed. I would not say women love me for who I am individually but they seek my status, wealth and power.

Being the son of the alpha Zaro and the youngest among the triplets I had many perks. Having a playful personality and possessing the skills of sweet talking it had never been tough for me to get the girls. However, ever since we three met Svetlana she had been rejecting all our charms. We met her a few years ago on her birthday, and flew a few days prior actually. None of us had any intentions of teasing her until one tiny feud got us brothers on her hook.

It was the day that we three began to tease her in whatever ways we could do at that time. Breaking her toys, hiding her shoes, switching her shampoo and whatnot. I always believed that she was acting tough throughout to avoid admitting that she liked me. Everything was going on a lighter note until I got that evil idea. I can still remember that day, on her birthday, a few hours earlier how badly I cut her dress from various places. Why? All because she slapped me when I intended to kiss her on the cheek.

I understood now how wrong I was and what I had done. Ruining her dress for the big day and then Zuhan putting a mini cracker in her birthday cake; we sure made her day a living hell. I can still recall her tears when she glared at me and Zuhan. How proud we were at that moment because we won and she cried in defeat. But the day we all went to pick her up from the airport everything changed. The first time I saw her after all those years, suddenly an influx of emotions surged through me.

Still having no idea what I felt at that moment. But one thing was certain, I felt guilty for all those torments. Suddenly I had sympathy for her when I saw Svetlana and realised how hard it must have been for her. Staying away from her mother all these years and then her father’s death. And now she was forced to live with us as a new family. As much as I wanted to apologise to her for everything, my egocentric nature held me back. Knowing that she was not the innocent and time girl from all those years.

I still remember when she stepped in the car, her scent filled my nostrils like a rose fragrance. I could feel myself being drawn towards her but did not want her to know. It was not only me but my brothers too, we all could feel ourselves being attracted towards her. What was happening to us? Since we all could connect ourselves via mental link, we all knew what was going on in each other’s minds. It was obvious that something was wrong with all of us. That was one hell of a ride back home.

Her meeting with my father and her mother went well. I was happy that she was getting along with her mother even after all those years. However, my worry increased when Zuhan offered to show her the room. It was not that I did not trust my brothers but what our father spoke about all those equal rights stuff; my worry increased. And just as I suspected Raihan had her against the wall when I reached that arcade. Tsk, that asshole brother of mine.

Raihan believes Svetlana came with some agenda, she wants to take revenge by putting us brothers down in our father’s eyes. I mean how is that even possible? And why would she even bother to do that? Planning such a big act would eventually disgrace her in our father’s eyes too. Alpha Zaro deems her as his own daughter and given that he permitted Svetlana equal rights too. I am still sure Raihan is overthinking and in a pure misunderstanding he went ahead to warn Svetlana.

I could see fright in her eyes even though she tried hard to sound convincing. But somehow I could feel her pain and fear, I wanted to help her by butting in the moment. However, no matter what I could not afford to go against my brothers, especially Raihan. He is like a father figure for me and Zuhan, we both trust him more than anyone even though we are triplets. I could not boldly dare to go against him and defend Svetlana.

Raihan had always been calculative and firm on whatever decision he takes. His judgement had never been wrong and somewhere deep down I wanted to admit that he might be wrong for the first time. But bluntly saying that in front of him was equivalent to slapping and insulting him. That’s why I let Raihan do whatever he wished to at that moment. It was not long when Zuhan joined him too, and I was forced to play by the rules. This girl! Svetlana was doing something to me.

When dad told us about the dinner I was hoping to see her in some fancy attire. To my disappointment she was in those same clothes from morning. But what angered me was the scent over her body, I knew who it was and where the scent was coming from. Zuhan! I created a mental link with him and we both talked about it. It relieved me that he did not kiss her rather just wiped her lipstick. But the way he was speaking it was evident that too felt something for Svetlana.