SAMANTHA
"Twenty million dollars?"
The words exploded from a woman named Clara as soon as we stepped out of the main hall. Her eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open. "Did he really say twenty million?"
"Each son," another woman added, her voice breathless. "Can you imagine? Twenty million for one baby?"
"I would never have to worry again," Clara said, clutching her chest. "No more working. No more begging. Just me and my money, living in a mansion somewhere far from here."
A third woman, dark-haired and sharp-eyed, snorted. "You think you would get to keep it? The king would probably tax it back."
"Then I would hide it," Clara shot back. "Buried gold, secret accounts. He would never find it."
The women laughed nervously. Gossip spread through the group like wildfire as we walked down the corridor toward the slave quarters.
"Did you see the triplets?" another whispered. "They are even more handsome up close."
"Handsome means nothing if they tear your head off," the sharp-eyed woman muttered.
"Twenty million dollars would be worth a little risk," Clara said dreamily.
"Easy for you to say. You have no family depending on you."
"And you do?"
"My mother is sick. Twenty million would buy her the best healers in the kingdom."
The chatter continued around me, but I barely heard it. My mind was still spinning.
Twenty million dollars.
Such a large sum. It could change my entire life. It could buy me weapons, allies and an army. It could help me get revenge against John and Amanda. It could free my mother from whatever prison they had put her in.
But first, I would have to survive long enough to earn it.
So the rumors I had heard when I was little—the whispers about the triplets' family—they were not false. The Cunninghams truly struggled to have children. The training the king mentioned was not just about obedience. It was about survival. About finding a female wolf strong enough to carry a Lycan baby to term.
My mother had briefed me about the history once. .
"The triplets' mother died in childbirth, Samantha. The labor was too much for her body. The babies were too strong. She bled out before the healers could stop it."
"That is terrible, Mother."
"It is a warning. If you ever find yourself carrying a Lycan child, you must be prepared. Your body must be strong. Your wolf must be fierce. Otherwise, you will join her in the grave."
I shivered at the memory.
Even if a woman received the twenty million dollars, she might not live long enough to spend it.
The money may not even go to her family.
I could not help but look at Prince Jayce as the thought crossed my mind. He was standing beside his brothers, his arms crossed, his expression bored.
He was the oldest triplet. And from what I had experienced, he was also the rudest, the most brutal, the harshest.
As long as I stayed here, my life was in someone else's hands.
Twenty million dollars would mean nothing if I was dead.
While I was thinking of ways to escape, King Lionel's voice boomed across the hall.
"Ladies."
We turned and waited.
"Before you leave," he continued, "you must understand something. You are here to serve my sons. To please them. To give them heirs. Nothing else matters. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the girls answered in unison.
"Louder," he commanded.
"YES, YOUR HIGHNESS!"
King Lionel nodded, satisfied. His eyes shifted across the group until they landed on one woman. Molly Hanes.
"This is Molly," he announced, gesturing toward her. "She is the Gamma's daughter. She will be the future queen of the new king. None of you can take her place. She is reserved for the triplets. Do not try to challenge her. Is that understood?"
I thanked the Moon Goddess silently that no one knew I was mates with the princes yet. I could only imagine what would happen if that secret came out. Molly would not be pleased. The king would not be pleased. And others may try to gang up against me.
Molly stood taller under the king's words. Her chin lifted and her shoulders squared. She looked at the rest of us like we were insects crawling beneath her feet. Her lips curled into a proud, territorial smile.
She was marking her territory. Claiming what she believed was hers.
"Yes, Your Highness," we all quivered.
King Lionel seemed happy with our response. He waved his hand dismissively.
"Daisy will continue to train and take care of you. You may leave, girls."
Relief flooded through me. It was over. The inspection was over. I could go to my room. I could rest. I could try to forget the morning's horrors, at least for a few hours.
I turned to leave with the other women.
"Wait!" A voice stopped everyone cold. It was unmistakably Molly's.
Everyone froze. The other women exchanged nervous glances. Ms Daisy Bond's face tightened. Even the triplets turned to look.
Molly stepped forward. Her eyes moved across the group until they landed on me.
She pointed. "That girl," she said loudly and clearly. "She has been polluted. I doubt she is even a werewolf. She is unscented. She is not fit to please the triplets."
My blood turned to ice.
"She should be flogged," Molly continued, her voice rising with every word. "And sent out to live as a rogue. She does not belong here. She does not belong anywhere near the princes."
The hall went silent.
I could feel every eye on me.
My heart pounded so hard I thought it would break my ribs. My hands shook at my sides. I wanted to run. I wanted to scream. I wanted to disappear into the floor.
But I stood still.
Because running would prove her right. Screaming would make me look guilty. And disappearing was not an option.
Molly walked toward me slowly.
"Well?" she said when she reached me. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
I opened my mouth and nothing came out. I wanted to talk but something glued my lips shut. It seems Molly was using some kind of Alpha power on me. Why couldn't I say anything?
Molly smiled. "That is what I thought."
She turned to face King Lionel.
"Your Majesty, I request that this creature be removed immediately. She is an insult to this court. An insult to the princes. And an insult to me."