Trap of the King Alpha Triplet
Chapter 6 Shattered Dreams

Content warning: This chapter contains mild language, suggestive themes, and mentions of bullying. Emily.

I'm in a hazy meadow straight out of a fairy tale, all swirling mist and twinkling fireflies. The air is thick with the scent of moonflowers and magic, and I just know, deep in my bones, that this is it. The moment I've been waiting for, the one that will change everything.

And there he is. My prince, my soulmate, standing tall and proud in the center of it all. I can't see his face, but the pull is undeniable, magnetic. My heart is doing cartwheels in my chest as I drift closer, my bare feet gliding over the dewy grass. He turns, and I catch a flash of sapphire eyes, a heart-stopping smile. Yes. Yes, this is-

Wait. No. Something's wrong. The dream wobbles like a funhouse mirror, warping and twisting until I'm staring into molten gold eyes, a smirk that makes my blood run cold. Leo fucking King.

I stumble back, a silent scream lodged in my throat. This can't be happening. He can't be my-

And then I see them. Luca and Logan, slinking out of the shadows like the big bad in a horror flick. Their eyes glitter with cruel amusement, with a hunger that turns my insides to jelly. "Hey there, baby girl," Leo purrs, prowling towards me. "Missed us?"

I whirl around, desperate to escape, but the trees have closed in, morphing into dank stone walls that seem to inch closer with every panicked breath. The triplets circle me, predators scenting prey, their laughter bouncing off the gloom. "Aww, leaving so soon?" Luca croons, his claws grazing my cheek. "But we're just getting started, sweet thing."

Logan leans in, his breath hot on my neck. "You're ours now, little sister. Forever and always."

I'm frozen, terror seizing my lungs. Their hands are everywhere, their touch searing through me like brands. I'm drowning in the stench of their cruelty, in the inescapable truth of the bond thrumming between us, dark and wrong and so, so strong-

I bolt upright, a ragged scream ripping through the silence. My sheets are a tangled mess, my tank top plastered to my skin with icy sweat. It takes a second for reality to click, for my racing heart to realize I'm safe in my room.

Holy shit.

I flop back onto my pillow, my pulse still going haywire. It was just a dream, I tell myself. A messed-up, hyperrealistic nightmare.

It's a warning. A glimpse of the hellscape that awaits me if I let my guard down for even a second. If I forget what kind of twisted games those sadistic pricks love to play.

Leo's taunt echoes in my head, as vivid as the night he first spat it in my face. "I might just choose you, regardless of what the moon goddess says."

Bile burns my throat. Oh, hell no. Being mated to that smirking sociopath? To any of them? I'd rather French kiss a silver bullet.

They are cruel, manipulative bastards. A king of shadows and mind games. I can't let him slither into my head, poison my thoughts.

I glance at my phone, the screen blurry through sleep-crusted eyes. 7AM. Fuck me sideways. Looks like I'm running on fumes and adrenaline today. Thanks for nothing, brain.

I zombie-shuffle through my morning routine, my body operating on autopilot while my mind spins like a demonic merry-go-round. By the time I stumble into the kitchen, Mom is long gone. Typical. She and Alpha Christ have been inseparable lately. Their wedding is next month.

I'm pouring a bowl of stale Lucky Charms when my phone buzzes with a text from Arya: "Code red, babes! Meet me by the lockers ASAP. You're gonna need a hazmat suit for this tea. [D."

Oh, goody. As if my day wasn't shaping up to be a total crapfest already.

I make it to school. Arya's waiting by our lockers, her pixie face scrunched with agitation. "There you are! Dude, you're not gonna believe this fuckery."

My stomach sinks like a stone. "What now? Did Tiffany Vanderbilt get another nose job?"

Arya snorts. "I wish. It's Damien."

No. Nonono.

"Damien found his mate," Arya says. "And you're not gonna believe who it is."

My stomach drops like a lead weight, a sickening sense of dread creeping up my spine. "Who?" I manage to croak out, my throat suddenly drier than the Sahara.

Arya grimaces, her dark eyes filled with sympathy. "Jasmine Delacroix."

I feel like I've been sucker-punched, the air whooshing out of my lungs in a painful rush. Jasmine Delacroix?

The queen bitch of Spring Lake High? The purebred princess who's made it her life's mission to torment us lowly halfbreeds. She's like Regina George and Cruella de Vil's love child, with the ego of Kanye West and the compassion of a hammerhead shark.

This can't be happening. It has to be some kind of sick joke, a twisted prank designed to shatter my heart into a million jagged pieces.

I lean against my locker, my knees threatening to buckle beneath me. Of all the girls in this goddamn school, why did it have to be her? Why couldn't the moon goddess have chosen someone kind and decent, someone who actually deserves a guy like Damien?

"I have to see for myself," I mutter, pushing off the locker with a sudden burst of manic energy.

Arya's eyes widen, her brows knitting together "They....they are in the playground. But I don't think that's a good idea, Em."

But I'm already moving, my feet propelling me down the hallway like I'm possessed.

I burst out onto the playground, the bright sunlight momentarily blinding me. I blink away the spots dancing in my vision, my eyes frantically scanning the crowd for a glimpse of Damien's perfect face.

And then I see them.

They're standing by the old oak tree.

Jasmine Delacroix is wearing a dress that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe, the fabric clinging to her curves like a second skin. And Damien...god, he looks like a prince straight out of a storybook, his blue eyes sparkling with joy, his dimpled smile brighter than the sun itself.

They look perfect together. Like they were made for each other.

I feel like I'm going to be sick.

"Emily?" Arya's voice startles me out of my spiraling thoughts. I didn't even hear her approach, too lost in my own misery. "Are you okay?"

I shake my head, my vision blurring with unshed tears. "No," I whisper. "I'm not okay. I'm so fucking far from okay."

Arya wraps her arm around my shoulders, pulling me into a tight hug. "I know, babes. I know."

I'm about to reply when a sudden hush falls over the playground. I look up, my heart stuttering in my chest as I realize everyone's attention is focused on Damien and Jasmine.

But something's wrong. Jasmine's face is twisted into a sneer, her eyes flashing with disdain as she looks at Damien like he's something she just scraped off the bottom of her designer shoe.

"You actually thought I would mate with you?" she scoffs, her voice carrying across the playground like a whip crack. "Please. I have standards, Damien. You think your warrior blood really makes you an alpha wolf? It's practically subterranean." Damien's face crumples. "I thought...the moon goddess chose us."

Jasmine lets out a harsh laugh, the sound grating against my eardrums like nails on a chalkboard. "Oh. The moon goddess must be off her meds, but I certainly don't. I, Jasmine Delacroix, reject you, Damien Moore as my mate. Now and forever."

I saw Damian let out a howl of pain and fall to the ground. The entire playground erupts in scandalized whispers and barely concealed snickers. Everyone's dying to be the first to spread the juicy gossip.

I can feel the tears coming, stinging my eyes like toxic sludge. Shit, "Arya," I croak. "I need to say something to Damien."

But before she can answer, before I can move, they appear.

The King triplets.

Oh, goodness. Could this day get any worse?