The triplets and Thea went to their rooms to shower and change.

As soon as she was alone, Thea freaked out. She wasn’t sure what had just happened. Maybe she dreamed it. It wouldn’t be the first time.

The triplets were waiting for her when she left her room. They were all showered and in fresh clothes. Thea admired the view for a moment. The way their jeans hung from their hips. The way their T-shirts stretched across their broad, muscular chests. The way their identical faces lit up when they saw her. She could always tell who was who, but their hair was the only thing most people could use to tell them apart.

With his long crew cut freshly styled, Alaric leaned in for a quick kiss. She blushed, and he took her hand. It wasn’t a dream.

Conri ran his hand through his long, bro flow hair and kissed her too. “You’re never getting rid of us now,” he said. He splayed his hand around her hip, hooking a finger into one of the belt loops on her jeans.

Kai, with his messy pompadour, leaned in for his kiss. He took her hand and brought it up to his chest, holding it against his heart. They walked down the hallway—Alaric a little ahead, Conri a little behind, and Kai right at her other side.

They passed by the Alpha’s office on the fifth floor, and Thea stopped when she heard her mother’s voice full of shock and fear.

“What could have done this?” Thea’s mother, Naomi, said behind the closed door.

“Vampires? Witches? Rogues?” Luna Ada said. Her voice also held concern.

Thea motioned for the triplets to be silent and listen with her by the door.

“Rogues couldn’t do that,” Alpha Ulric said. “I’ve never heard of witches or vampires organizing a force powerful enough to massacre an entire werewolf pack overnight.”

“Then there’s the question of why,” Naomi said. “What could that pack have done to warrant such an extreme reaction?”

“They may not have done anything,” Thea’s father, Beta Walter, said. “It’s not the first pack they’ve found desolated back east. There have been several others. They find out the pack is gone when someone goes to visit a ghost town.”

“Something is taking out werewolf packs?” Luna Ada said.

“What do we know about the packs that were targeted?” Alpha Ulric said. “Any clues left behind as to who did it or why?”

“These are the questions we need to find answers to,” Beta Walter said.

“This feels like the beginning of something big. Something that’s only going to get worse,” Naomi said.

“Let’s keep this between us for now,” Alpha Ulric said. “The boys and Thea have a few months left before they shift and graduate and then take over the pack. They’re the ones who will have to deal with this. Let’s let them enjoy these last weeks of being carefree before they have to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.”

“Agreed,” the other parents said.

They heard shuffling inside the office. Thea motioned for the triplets to go, and they quietly ran down and out of the pack house.

“I’m happy to ignore what we just heard until we’re the ones in charge,” Conri said as they walked to school. He took his place next to Thea, hand on her hip.

“We will have to deal with it,” Alaric said, slipping his hand into Thea’s. “It sounds like this thing is going to affect all werewolves everywhere.”

“Our parents will get the ball rolling,” Thea said.

“And they’ll help us even after they pass the Alpha title to us,” Kai said. He took Thea’s other hand. “We don’t have to stress about this yet.”

Everyone at school stared at them as they walked down the hallways. It wasn’t unusual to see the four of them together, but they had never held hands and kissed.

No one living had seen a polyamorous relationship. It was the stuff of myth in the werewolf community. Some people slept around, but they weren’t in committed relationships with all their conquests. Wolves eventually mated with one person. They were known for it. Wolves were notoriously possessive, jealous beasts, unable to share.

The triplets didn’t break contact with Thea the whole day except for the one class they didn’t have together. Third hour, right before lunch. The triplets walked her to her room, each kissed her, then said their goodbyes.

It was a class about omegas, the lowest-ranked pack members, what their uses could be, and their role in a pack. New Dawn didn’t designate any members as omegas, but other packs did. Some had slaves. Thea wanted to change that. She wanted to learn all she could to know what needed to change.

“That’s new,” Lizzy, her blonde-haired best friend, said when Thea sat next to her. “Since when are you kissing our future Alphas?” She had one eyebrow raised.

“Since this morning?” Thea said.

“It’s about time.”

“What?”

“I guess you didn’t need the Talent Show to get their attention after all.”

“That’s why you wanted me to wear the slutty outfit for the Talent Show tomorrow?”

“Duh. Someone needed to give you all a little push. I wonder who won the betting pool.”

“That thing went dry months ago,” Tessa, another girl in their pack, said. “No one thought it’d take this long.”

“What are you talking about?” Thea said.

“The whole school has been betting on when you all would get together,” Lizzy said. “Which of you would get together, if it’d be all three sharing you, or just one or two. If there’d be fights. If you got together with one and then mated another. All the possibilities. Everything.”

“I’m so confused,” Thea said.

“About what, girl? Those boys have been in love with you forever.”

Thea stared blankly at her best friend.

“Did you seriously not know?” Lizzy said. “They’ve never shown interest in any other girl. Never asked anyone out. Never hooked up with anyone even though plenty of girls have tried.”

Jealousy surged inside Thea, but she pushed it down. The triplets turned down the advances.

“I always looked at them as brothers,” Thea said. “I thought they saw me as a sister.”

“When did it shift?”

“I don’t know. It came on gradually.”

The bell rang, signaling the start of class. “I want to hear all about this,” Lizzy said.

“We all do,” Tessa said.

“At dress rehearsal for the Talent Show?” Lizzy said.

“Maybe,” Thea said.

After class, Thea walked to the cafeteria and found the triplets at their usual table. Conri pulled her onto his lap and rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing in her scent. Alaric pulled one of her legs over his and rubbed it up and down with his hands. Kai held her hand on the other side of Conri.

People whispered around the cafeteria.

“Did you guys know there’s a betting pool about us getting together?” Thea said quietly.

“I’ve heard rumors,” Kai said.

“No,” Conri said.

“I’ll get to the bottom of it,” Alaric said. Thea turned to him and leaned in for a quick kiss. Kai tugged on her hand until she kissed him too. Conri trailed kisses up and down her neck.

“You guys have to stop, or I’m going to be wet all day,” Thea whispered. She had to prepare those herbs to mask her scent when she got home today.

“Then let us suck you dry,” Conri whispered into her ear.

She gasped.

“Move slower, Con,” Alaric said.

The triplets took turns having Thea sit on their laps in each class, the other two holding her hands on either side. Teachers gave them looks but didn’t bother to say anything since they were future Alphas. Not even when they kissed the back of her neck or caressed any part of her they could reach.

Thea kept smiling. She would enjoy these last months before shifting and becoming Beta if this was how it would go.

After school, the triplets and Thea went out to the field to lead pack training. They split into four different groups and ran drills. When they came back together for conditioning, the triplets hugged and kissed Thea, ignoring everyone else on the field.

“Woah,” one of the junior boys said. “Is this a new part of training?” He pulled his girlfriend to him and kissed her. Other people started making comments and asking questions. “Are they finally together?” “What does this mean?”

Kai reluctantly let her go but grabbed her hand. Conri had his hand around her waist, and Alaric held her other hand.

“Thea’s ours,” the triplets said in unison. She blushed. “And we’re hers. Anything you want to add?” They looked at her. She shook her head. The triplets took a moment, and each looked every person in the eye, seeing if there were any challenges to what they just announced. No challenges. Everyone was happy for them. They expected this. They wanted it for the pack. They wanted Thea as their Luna.

“Finally!” Lizzy said with her hand on her hip. “Can’t believe it took you this long.”

“Okay, okay,” Thea said. “Conditioning time.” She led the group until everyone was lying on the grass, spent. “Great job today. Let’s go chill in the common room!”

Everyone went back to the pack house. It was a giant building, like a sprawling hotel. It had six floors above ground with event rooms, guest rooms, pool, gym, balconies, dining hall, and living quarters for most of the pack. Some pack members lived further into the pack lands in private dwellings. Below ground were the dungeons. The top floor was only for the Alpha, Beta, and their families.

The Alpha owned hotels. It's how his family made their money a few generations back. Then they invested in the stock market, and the pack hasn’t worried about money since. They had pack members go to school for financial planning to manage the pack finances and investments, and others went to business school to maintain the hotels.

While Thea and the triplets went up to the top floor where their rooms were, the rest used the communal showers on the second floor. Then they all met in one of the common rooms to hang out. There were giant TVs, couches, bean bags, pool table, ping pong table, all sorts of board games, and entertainment.

“It’s so good to see you together with the future Alphas finally,” Lizzy said.

“Are you dating all three of them?” a sophomore girl said.

“I don’t know if you can call it dating if you haven’t been on a date yet,” Thea said. “I mean, it only started this morning.”

“But all three?”

“Yes,” Thea said.

“How does that work?”

“I don’t know,” Thea said. “The four of us have always been together. I can’t explain it. It feels right. I can’t imagine not having one of them.”

“Probably because you’re mates,” a freshman girl said dreamily.

“You’ll make the best Luna,” another freshman girl said.

Everyone nodded and voiced their agreement.

Thea shook her head. “That’s, no. I’m a fighter.” She hadn’t considered that. She was going to be Beta, not Luna.

The triplets came over, peaches in their hands. They started to pull Thea over to a couch, but she insisted they mingle with everyone instead of monopolizing her. The group played games until pack dinner.

The triplets tried to get Thea to sit on one of their laps at dinner, but Thea insisted it was inappropriate with all the adults.

After dinner, they each went to their rooms. The triplets stopped at their doors and looked at each other. They went in, changed into pajamas, then went to Thea’s room. She walked out of her bathroom in a towel, and all three were lying on her bed.

“Like old times, huh?” Thea said.

“Hopefully not exactly like old times,” Conri said.

She went to her dresser, pulled out underwear and pajamas, went back to her bathroom. She put on her clothes, then came out and jumped into the pile of triplets.

Hands roamed and pulled at her, but Conri managed to get her on top of him in a liplock. He squeezed her ass and pushed his erection against her. Then he flipped her over so he was on top between her legs. He aligned his hard length with her core, and she moaned when he pushed against her.

“Wait,” she said.

What the girls said to her was weighing on her. What did it mean that they were together? They were all going to shift in two months—they shared the same birthday—and then they would all be able to find their mates. More importantly, they would find out they weren’t mates as soon as they shifted. She couldn’t be with them if they weren’t mates. When they each found their mates, she would be devastated. She didn’t want anyone else to have them. She couldn’t imagine caring about and wanting anyone else. The thought of having them and losing them was too much.

“What is it?” Conri said.

“I,” she said. “I want to go slow.”

“I can take it slow, babe,” Conri said. He started kissing her neck and rubbing against her core, painfully slowly. Alaric and Kai caressed her, sending tingles and heat throughout her body. She melted into the feelings they generated and reached for them. Her legs slid up Conri’s sides and wrapped around his hips. She never wanted this to end.

She shook her head, remembering it could and probably would end in two months.

“No. I mean, this is all happening too fast. I need to slow it down.”

“Are you okay?” Alaric said. He tucked her hair behind her ear.

“What’s going on, darling?” Kai said. He rubbed her arm.

Conri scooted down and propped himself up on his elbows. “What are you thinking?”

She chewed her lip. “Are you all okay with me being with all of you?”

“We’ve always shared you. You’re ours,” Conri said.

“You don’t want to be with anyone else?” Thea said.

“We told you this morning. Always you. Only you,” Kai said.

“What about—” she couldn’t finish.

“What?” Alaric said.

“Let’s make it like old times tonight. Just sleep.”

Morning training turned into a makeout session. They made it out to the field, but Kai took her to the ground, and they didn’t do any training after that.

“We may as well have just stayed in bed,” Thea said.

Another day at school, people still whispered. Thea loved the feeling of the triplets holding and kissing her, but she was terrified it wouldn’t last. She didn’t want to let herself fall in love with them just to have them ripped away.

After the final bell, the triplets surrounded her at her locker and tried to make out with her.

“I have to go to dress rehearsal for the Talent Show,” she said, pushing them away. They pouted. “I’ll see you later.”

She ran off before they could stop her.

Thea met up with all the senior girls from her pack. They were doing a number together. Thea always went out of her way to befriend and include everyone in her pack. She made sure no one felt left out. She always said, “these are the people who will stand next to you in war. Make sure you treat them in a way that makes them want to fight for you, not let you get taken down.”

When they first started planning the number, she got input from everyone. They decided to dance and sing to a medley of songs.

“We can each wear a different Britney Spears outfit and front a different song,” Tessa said.

“Thea, you have to wear the sluttiest outfit,” Lizzy said.

“Why?” Thea said.

“You never dress slutty. It will shock everyone! It will be the hit of the show, and everyone will talk about it for ages.”

“I think you’re being a little dramatic,” Thea said.

Lizzy gasped. “You should wear the red jumpsuit from Oops!...I Did It Again, and then tear it off to reveal the sheer rhinestone outfit she wore at the VMAs.”

“I’ve always wanted to do the Thriller dance,” Thea said. “Michael Jackson wears a red jacket in that one.”

“Not the same as the red bodysuit.”

Thea sighed.

“Please?” the girls all whined together.

“Okay. Fine.”

“Good! We can have Doris make our outfits,” Lizzy said. Doris was a gifted seamstress in their pack. She never found her mate, never had children. She lived alone in a small cottage on pack lands. She would be an omega in another pack, but not in New Dawn.

When they picked up their costumes, it became clear that Thea would have to go first because the tear-away jumpsuit wasn’t going to stay on for long.

They rehearsed, did their makeup and hair, got dressed, and went backstage to wait for their turn. When it was their turn, they stepped onstage. Thea walked out front and center in the skintight red jumpsuit. Everyone gasped and cheered. She decided to forget about her worries, get lost in the performance, and just have a good time. She was out there with her girlfriends, and they were going to have fun. She turned back and looked them all in the eyes.

“Let’s have fun, ladies.” She smiled big, and they all smiled back at her, nodding.

The music started for Oops!...I Did It Again, and the crowd cheered. They started singing and dancing to the music. At the stop break at the beginning of the second verse, Thea ripped off the tearaway jumpsuit to reveal the sheer, nude, rhinestone-covered bra and pants Britney Spears wore at the VMAs. She filled it out well. No one would have guessed since she usually dressed conservatively.

The crowd went wild, screaming, whistling, howling, but three distinct growls sounded above everything. Thea couldn’t see Conri get up, intent on carrying her off stage. Luckily, Kai and Alaric grabbed him before he could make a scene.

“Let her have her moment,” Alaric said, making him sit back down.

“I can smell arousal,” Conri said. “All over this room. From everyone.” The possessiveness of an Alpha was coming out strong. He didn’t want anyone else looking at his woman.

“She’s going home with us, no one else,” Kai said.

The music changed, and the girls rearranged positions. Even as one of the backup dancers, no one could take their eyes off Thea. She had a unique charisma. Everyone knew who she was. Her pack loved her and already looked at her as a leader.

They bowed to a roaring crowd and walked offstage after they finished their routine. The triplets found Thea backstage a minute later.

Lizzy gave Thea her signature fish hook in the eyebrow look with a hand on her hip. “Told ya,” she said and walked away, laughing.

“What are you doing back here?” Thea said.

“Taking you home,” Conri said.

“We have to stay for everyone else’s performances,” she said.

“She’s right,” Alaric said.

Kai took off his shirt and tried to put it over Thea’s head.

“What are you doing?” She batted him away.

“Covering you up. This is only for us to see.”

“I have a change of clothes, Kai. Put your shirt back on. Geez, Lizzy was right.”

“About what?”

“After we walked around school kissing and holding hands, Lizzy told me she made me wear this because it would get you three to make a move on me finally. She said she wouldn’t have bothered if she knew we would already be together.”

“Hmm. She’s probably right,” Alaric said.

“Couldn’t ignore that performance,” Kai said.

“Wouldn’t have been able to resist any longer,” Conri said.

Thea smiled, grabbed a bag, took out track pants and a T-shirt, pulled them on over the rhinestone outfit.

“Hmm, that may be fun later,” Kai said.

“Where did that jumpsuit end up?” Conri said.

“I don’t know. I threw it off stage.”

“We’re going to have to find that.”

They went back to the audience between performances. They watched the rest of the Talent Show, performances from all the different packs that attended their school. It was the biggest werewolf-only school in the country. It included kids from over two-dozen packs.

It was almost impossible for the triplets to keep their hands off Thea, but they performed their duties, clapped, cheered, congratulated performers afterward. They mingled and suppressed their possessiveness as everyone complimented Thea on her performance. Conri sniffed out the red jumpsuit, and when the guy who had it saw him coming, he threw it at him, not wanting to get torn to shreds.

Kai threw Thea over his shoulder as soon as acceptable and took her back to the pack house. They went straight to her room.