Marked By The Demon Triplet Alpha Kings

Author's Pov.

TWENTY YEARS EARLIER.

The air in the ward was tense as screams, curses, hisses and groans flew from different directions.

Above all, the air was heavy with high expectations...one wrong move could end it all, cutting the expectations short.

On the beds lay two heavily pregnant women, drenched in their sweat. Let's call the first woman with high rank, "Ini" and the second woman low in rank, "Vee".

"One more push, Vee, you are doing great!" Beatrice, the pack's nurse encouraged as she rubbed Vee's head tenderly and patted her shoulder, "You can do this, you are stronger than this pain."

Empowered by the encouragement, Vee shut her eyes, grabbing a fistful of the bedsheet as she pushed hard, allowing the infant to slip out of the entrance of her opening.

Exhausted, her head fell back against the pillow as she took deep breaths, struggling to recover from the intense pain that engulfed her.

"Is it out yet?" She asked weakly as if almost out of breath.

"Hold on for the placenta," The nurse answered, lowering her head as her hands spread Vee's legs wider.

Vee winced in pain, hissing and cursing as Beatrice's hand dug deep into her vagina, pulling out the placenta.

Beatrice stood over Vee with eyes filled with excitement, "Congratulations, ma'am. It's a girl," she announced.

"Can I hold her?"

"Sure," Beatrice asserted as she carefully placed the baby in Vee's arms, "But just for a moment. I will have to clean her."

Tears welled in Vee's eyes as the baby cries filled the air, changing the atmosphere.

"Aww, I love you too. Mama is here. Stop crying, little one," she whispered, clutching the baby tightly as she rocked her. As if on cue, the baby stopped crying as she fixed her brown eyes on her mother's face.

"Both of you are so cute. I'll leave you for a moment," Beatrice announced as she walked toward the other patient's bed.

Pity washed over her as she stared at Ini that looked like she was about to pass out any moment from now.

Once an energetic woman, but now as weak and fragile as lily.

She had been labouring for hours with no result.

All through Beatrice's journey as a midwife, she had never experienced a prolong labour as this.

Vee's labour wasn't as strenuous as this.

"Ma'am," Her head lowered in submission. Despite the woman's pitiful state, her powerful aura hovered around her, demanding respect.

"Are you feeling pains?"

"Just little, nothing much to worry about. I'll call you when I need you."

Beatrice's eyes widened in shock as she examined the woman, "I'm afraid, its time, ma'am," she said, swinging into action.

"I said I'm not..." The rest of the words were shoved back in Ini's throat as pain shot up in her spine, spreading like wild fire to other part of her body.

***

"You are a strong woman, you can do it, you can do anything," an extremely tired Beatrice encouraged, forcing a weak smile on her face.

It was two hours since Ini laboured, but there was no result. Beatrice was far from exhausted, all the muscles in her protested.

"Fuck!" She cursed silently as she rubbed Ini's stomach.

If only she had assistance. But it was impossible as they were short of staff and patients trooped in and out of the hospital in multitudes.

"I want to die," Ini burst into tears all of a sudden, clawing the bed and pulling out her hair.

"Look at me, ma'am. You have to believe in yourself. Do it for the baby. Please, be strong."

Beatrice was out of words, but she had no choice. She had to save the mother and the child or it would cost her life.

"Be strong," Ini repeated faintly, gasping for breath as her vision blurred.

"Less screaming, more pushing. Let's go...1, 2, 3,"

Driven by determination and with Beatrice hands in hers, Ini gathered the last strength in her, letting out deafening screams and howls as she pushed with all her might.

The tears of a baby filled the air as Beatrice finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Beatrice bowed in submission with a wide smile plastered on her face, "Congratulations, ma'am, it's a girl..." The rest of Beatrice words hung in the air as Ini let go of her hand and her head fell back, crashing hard on the pillow as she drifted into unconsciousness.

"Nurse!" Beatrice screamed in horror as she carefully wrapped the baby and place her in a cot, before dashing out of the ward to get assistance.

An evil smile played on Vee's face as she carried her baby and walked to the bed where Ini lay unconscious.

"You'd wish you never cross paths with me," she smirked. Her voice laced with hatred and jealousy.

Peeking at the door to make sure no one was coming, Vee quickly swapped her baby with Ini's baby, giving hers a unique mark before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead and waving at her.

A scorn replaced the smile on Vee's face as she held the baby carelessly. Hatred oozed out of her like a thick cloud of smoke and her face darkened with rage.

"Welcome to hell!"

*****

TWENTY YEARS LATER.

Aurora.

I let out a weary sigh when my eyes met with the huge clock that rested on the wall.

It was past 1 AM.

Yesterday's chores were heavy. Despite starting them very early before anyone was awake, I finished the next day with no break at all.

Nathalia, the Alpha's daughter was pleased to see me buried in work. She rejected anyone's attempt to assist me and punished them severely...just like she always does.

Her actions pulled people away from me as they were scared of her harsh punishments.

No one dared crossed her or they'll be sorry!

She enjoyed seeing me miserable, it was some sort of entertainment to her.

It pleased her to see that I had no one on my side.

Nathalia and I were born on the same day by different mothers. We shared the same father, but her mother was the Luna while my mother was the Alpha's mistress...or the Alpha's whore.

Twenty years of our existence, Nathalia hates me without a reason. It was understandable, my mother was her father's whore.

She never cease to make my life miserable at the slightest opportunity and also reminding me that I was a bastard who will never get accepted, the daughter of a filthy whore as she calls me.

My mother on the other hand wasn't helping matters. Her role in my life was to add to the miseries that Nathalia created. I thought a mother protects, loves and cares for her child, but my mother did the opposite.

I knew she wished she never had me and she doesn't stop telling me that every day at the slightest provocation. Soon, it became a song that I was used to, a song that never stops. But I didn't let it bother me.

Even though I acted brave and pretended it never got to me...it shattered my heart to pieces knowing my mother hates me.

I had never wronged her in anyway, I was always in my best behaviour, pleasing her even at my detriment...but it didn't change a bit of her feelings towards me.

Her love for me was as cold as ice.

Motherly love was something I never tasted...something I longed for every day of my life, but I knew i would never get it.

Though my father never showed any affection towards me, he didn't make my life miserable and sad. He never stood up for me when my mother or Nathalia were punishing me, but he didn't add to my problems. On rare occasions, when he was in a good mood, he forbids Nathalia from punishing me. I was grateful for that.

Over the years, I had stopped wallowing in self-pity and accepted it as my destiny, even if it was a horrible one.

I jumped in fright when I heard footsteps towards me, hiding behind a pillar, but relief washed over me when I saw a guard on parole.

Great! The guards and I were the only ones awake.

Thanks to that she-devil for keeping me up until this hour while she snored away on her comfy bed.

My face contorted in a frown as I dragged my weak legs across the hallway, staggering towards my room.

I couldn't wait to crash on my bed...at least, my bed didn't hate me. Every muscle in my body protested as they were sapped out of energy as a result of the work overload. With a long shower and quality sleep, I'll bounce back... except there was no room for quality sleep.

"Shit!" I cursed when I remembered the errand my mother sent me. Horror swept through me as vivid imaginations of what she would do to me flashed in my head.

The air in the hallway shifted and everywhere was suddenly hot.

The weakness I felt earlier disappeared in the blink of an eye as it was replaced with fear. My heart pounded hard against my ribs so loud that I could hear it and my hand began to tremble.

That was it. I was dead!

I hope she didn't remember. I didn't mind waking up very early before she wakes up to clear the chores. I couldn't imagine being beaten in my current state...I could pass out. Fuck. She hated not being responded to.

"Please, just this time," I pleaded to the Moon goddess, hoping she will hear me, "As early as possible, I'll go to her room and she won't even notice,"

Hope replaced my fear as I walked to my room.

Horror rushed through me when I opened the door to see the last person on my mind. My mother.

It was like a bag of ice was thrown on me as i stood rooted on a spot, unable to move with bulging eyes like I had seen a ghost.

"Come here!" She ordered sharply.

Even in the darkness, I could see a huge frown plastered on her face and I could hear her pacing.

The air in the room got tensed as her anger filled the air like a thick cloud of smoke that suffocated me.

"You'll have broken bones if I have to repeat myself," She threatened, except they were not empty threats.

She meant every word on her thin lips.

Without a choice, I walked to my death, dragging my feet against the tiles as every step I took became heavy.

"Mother, please..." My words were cut off by a resounding slap that made me lose balance, throwing me to the floor.

My head went blank for some seconds before my ears began to ring. Before I could recover, another slap landed on my cheeks and I tasted blood. The weight of the slap was so heavy, I thought I would go deaf in a matter of seconds.

"How dare you disobey me!" She roared in rage.

"I didn't, I swear..."

"Shut up, you bastard! Ungrateful little girl!" She cursed, her eyes spitting fire.

I remained quiet, biting my bruised lips from crying. Talking will just make her more mad than she already was.. My face hurt from the slaps I received and I didn't want to receive more.

My explanation didn't matter anyway.

"You brat! First you disobeyed me and now you made me wait for you?! Who do you think you are?" Her voice rang, hurting my ears.

Her voice was loud enough to wake everyone in their sleep, but she didn't care.

Her hand was about to make its way to my face when i held it unconsciously, "I wanted to iron the cloth you will wear for the arrival of the Alpha King tomorrow, but Nathalia forbids that I leave the rest of the chores. I swear, I wanted to," I pleaded, breaking down in tears.

"How dare you touch me with those filthy hands?" She asked in a dangerously low voice and chills ran down my spine.

How could I forget that she hated being touched by me. I irritated her.

"You good-for-nothing bastard!" She screamed louder, moving away from me like I was covered in vomit.

Her hands were about to throw me against the wall when she stopped, walking away from me.

"That's it. You are growing wild. Until you learn, I'll put you in timeout," She hissed and walked out of my room, "You'll spend the night there,"

"Mother, please. I'll do the chores right now if you permit me," I cried but she motioned to a guard who walked into my room watching me like a hawk watching its prey.

"Too late!" Her merciless voice rang, "Escort her out, or won't you be able to do so?" She nodded and gave a brief smile at the guard.

"Piece of cake, ma'am," He replied with a gruff voice, walking closer to me.

Shit!

I had to act fast.

"Please, mother...not the dungeon. Anything but the dungeon...." My voice shook as I knelt, tugging at her expensive gown while she kicked me. The pain that radiated my head when I hit it against the wall was excruciating, but I didn't mind. Anything but not the dungeon.

"What are you waiting for? Take her away!" She yelled at the guard in anger who sprang into action, dragging me away from my room into the place I dreaded the most.

The dungeon.

Aurora.

I drifted to sleep not long after I was thrown into the dungeon to rot throughout the night.

I could feel the worms in my stomach growl in hunger, reminding me that i hadn't eaten throughout yesterday.

I was so engulfed in chores that I didn't eat.

Nathalia made sure of that.

Despite being fast asleep, I couldn't stop my teeth from chattering in fear as I hugged my battered body tighter.

The night was going to be a long freezing one.

Panicked shot through me as I felt a pair of tiny legs scurried across my body.

It could only be one thing.

Rats!

The Moon goddess knows how much I detested those creepy creatures.

A scream tore from my mouth as I sprang up to my feet in a flash of light, running to a rat-free spot. I muffled another scream as my head hit the hard brick wall and I fell to the cold floor at once.

For some seconds, everything went blank as my head rang repeatedly.

I massaged the throbbing spot on my head as I sat, resting my back against the wall, wincing in pain.

Peeking into the darkness that surrounded me, fear clawed my heart and I quickly looked away. My heart pounded hard against my ribs and my breath became heavy.

By the Moon goddess, I hated dark places. It made me feel as if I was in the midst of gigantic monsters.

To crown it all, I was the only one in this part of the dungeon.

Quietly, I crawled carefully until I found a safe spot. I curled into a ball and buried my face in-between my palms.

Slowly, I fell into a deep slumber. That was the only way I could survive in darkness.

The last thing I heard were the repeated chattering of my teeth as my torn clothes could cover my body and the fast beating of my heart as I was petrified.

As soon as I shut my eyes, I teleported to another world.

Fear filled my heart as I walked in the midst of two women gawking at me.

My mother and the Luna.

"Mother, help," I called unto her, stretching my hand as the wind blew me away but she remained unperturbed, watching me in scorn as I struggled to get on my feet with the wind tossing me about.

"Please, mother, help me!" I screamed louder, desperately struggling to reach out to her, "Mother…"

"Don't you dare call me that!" She yelled, growling at me like a wild beast.

The Luna on the other hand stared at me quietly with compassion unlike my mother whose appearance was like that of a fire-breathing monster.

"I'm sinking! Help, mother!" I screamed, struggling with the sand that was about to swallow me and the wind that made me fall repeatedly.

"You think I care? You ruined my life, I hate you!" She spat angrily turned her back and walking away nonchalantly.

"I'll help you, dear," The Luna's smooth voice filled my ears and a gasp rolled off my mouth.

How nice!

I was about to stretch my hand to meet hers when the wind caught me and threw me off balance, burying me in the sand.

I jerked with force as I woke up from the nightmare, snapping my eyes open as my heartbeat accelerated.

The dream was so vivid, I could almost smell my mother's scent.

I had dreamt of my mother's nonchalant behaviour toward me…but there was something strange about this dream.

It frightened me.

I screamed in fear as my eyes met with the terrifying darkness.

It was as if my mother's figure was staring at me.

Despite her absence, I could feel her burning gaze hovering around my vulnerable frame.

Does she find pleasure in haunting me even in my sleep?!

I swallowed the hard lump in my throat, hugging my knees and burying my face into them.

Thinking about this would only fill me with fear. I needed to get this out of my mind.

Sleeping would help.

***

"...bitch…how dare…steal…"

I tossed in my sleep, groaning and covering my ears with my palms.

Who was making that hell of a noise?!

I couldn't make out the words as sleep still clouded my eyes. It took time to fall asleep after the strange nightmare.

"Get her…instant…"

"Just shut up already," I hissed when the voice grew loud, tossing as i sought for a comfortable spot on the cold hard floor.

"Open it, now!" The voice commanded, but I was not disturbed. I hadn't done anything wrong. Meanwhile, it was still early.

I was so engrossed in my sleep that I didn't know when my door flung open.

I was woken by a splash of water.

Turned out a bucket of water was emptied on me.

Why was that? What did I do this time?

I was still processing everything when a familiar aura hit me. My face deepened in a frown as realization dawned on me.

That bitch, Nathalia!

I should have known that she was the one screaming her head off. My head ached from the poor sleep and her annoying voice.

What does she want this time?

"How are you steal my jewelry!" Nathalia's voice rang on my ears, making me cringe.

The sleep in my eyes and my blurry vision vanished the moment I heard her words.

Did she just say steal?

I followed the direction of her gaze to be sure of who she was referring to and her gaze landed on me.

Surely, it was some sort of mistake.

"Are you deaf? Where is my jewelry?" She demanded, stretching her hand toward me.

My brows creased in confusion as my brain tried to process my last encounter with her.

She instructed me to finish the chores that ten people would do. I completed them without complaining and got myself in the dungeon.

Why was she accusing me of stealing some jewelry?

I was short of words as I stared at her with a more confused face, expecting her to burst into a pearl of laughter, telling me that it was a joke but her face remained as hard as a rock.

Before I could open my mouth, my cheeks stung from a heavy slap. Tears dropped from my eyes as my hand caressed my face. I was sure that it would be red by now.

Did she just slap me?

Anger built up in me, but I struggled to contain myself.

She was the Alpha's daughter, going against her would bring more punishment.

"But I didn't steal your jewelry," I cried, more years streamed down my eyes as I swallowed hard.

"Are you raising your voice at me?" She asked, laughing hysterically, "Are you trying to play dumb? You cheap slut. You are a whore, just like your mother!" She lashed out.

Her words doesn't get to me, but that moment, her words cut me like a hot knife, causing pain that seared my heart.

"Shut up!" I screamed, ignoring my pounding headache.

How dare her accuse me wrongly?

I wouldn't let her toss me around. I was the Alpha's daughter too!

"Don't you dare, raise your voice at me!"

Her hand was about to find its way to my face again, but I held it mid-way, refraining it from slapping me.

Satisfaction courses through me the way her eyes widened in surprise.

She didn't expect that I could stand for myself.

She pushed me against the wall.

"Get your filthy hands off me, bitch!" She yelled, pushing me away like I was covered in garbage.

"Leave me the hell alone. You made me work from dawn till dusk. I didn't even eat or take a break. You are the reason I spent the night in this hell and now you are accusing me of stealing your jewelry?!" I fired. Anger rose in my chest as I stared at her annoying face.

I was one step from pouncing on her and breaking her nose.

"The reason you stayed up late was because you wanted to steal something. You know the Alpha King will be here any moment, that was the reason you want to look beautiful with my necklace, right?"

I scoffed as her words irritated me.

Me? Steal?

"Clearly, you are out of your mind," I hissed, walking away from her but she grabbed me by my hair, flinging me against the wall.

I bit my lips from screaming. I could feel my bone break in the process. My legs couldn't support my body and I crashed on the floor, holding my side that hurt.

Good thing werewolves heal fast.

"You stole it! The mistress found my jewelry in your room while she was waiting for you. It was also reported that you left the chores once. I can tell that that was the time you hid it in your room because you felt nobody was watching," Her lips curled into an evil smile as she stared at me.

My heart became heavy as my mother walked in, confirming all that Nathalia had said.

"I swear, mother, it's not true. I only left to pee once. She is lying,"

"Silence!" My mother ordered before slapping me hard on my place, "How did it get into your room then? Did it grow wings and fly?" She asked, laughing hysterically.

I let the tears fall freely from my eyes this time as my lips trembled.

I couldn't believe my mother slapped me because of Nathalia.

She didn't even care to know the truth!

What kind of mother was she?

"I thought putting you in timeout will put some sense into you. But I was wrong. You ungrateful child! All you do is embarrass me. I hate you!" Her shot dagger at me before they softened a bit as she turned to Nathalia, "She should be punished,"

My heart shattered into a thousand pieces as her words sank into my heart, ripping them apart even more.

I couldn't believe my mother placed a stranger over me.

The dream made sense now.

"Make it quick, darling," She urged Nathalia, "She embarrassed me, she should be embarrassed!" She hissed as her eyes made contact with mine.

"Please, believe me. I never stole anything, I swear. Someone put it in my room. I haven't entered my room all day," I tried to convince her desperately.

"I didn't raise a thief!" She mumbled, looking away.

I noticed the fake smile Nathalia flashed at my mother. Not because she liked my mother, but because hating on me was the only reason they got along.

That was the only thing they shared in common.

With a heavy heart, I looked at my mother as she couldn't wait for Nathalia's punishment. I could tell she was excited.

"She will attend the meeting that we will be having with the Alpha King. But instead of attending as a part of the Alpha's family as we agreed on earlier, she will only be there as a maid, serving dishes to us," Nathalia smiled at my mother when she was done before glancing at me.

"So be it," My mother confirmed and walked away, leaving me with Nathalia and a guard.

My heart skipped two beats at Nathalia's pronouncement, making me to stagger backwards.

I couldn't believe my ears.

I was supposed to seat while the maid served us. Why would Nathalia make me the maid? Didn't she think of the shame on my part?

"I didn't steal anything!" I cried in frustration, hoping my tears would touch my mother's heart, but her ears were deaf to my pleas.

She will never believe me no matter what I say or do.

It was a waste of time trying to convince her.

That instant, I hated my life.

Maybe I should just end it all and be free from the tortured since she hated my existence.

"It will be so much fun to watch you humiliated," She smirked, her face burning with anger and jealousy.