The Triplet Alphas of Astrid Thorpe

Chapter 1: ||Astrid My heart was shaking as I made my way to my father’s chambers. The echoes of my feet sent cold chills down my spine. I knew that it was going to be bad the second the maid opened her mouth to tell me that my father needed me. We were on the brink of bankruptcy at Crystal Blood Pack. We suffered multiple setbacks in our business. We were no longer on the top charts of the most influential packs in the realm and everything my father, Alpha Ramon Thorpe, did to get us to ally with other packs proved abortive. The very thought of him needing my help when I was a simple omega, with no skill at all to offer, made me uneasy. What could I offer the pack or him that could help the situation? As I got to the door of his chambers, I took a minute to calm my rising nerves and trembling fingers. Then I knocked once at the door before pushing it open. “Good morning, Father,” I said, trying my best to keep a smile on my face despite the chaos in my head. He was sitting on his bed and as I spoke, he got to his feet and came towards me. “Morning to you too, Astrid.” His voice increased the churning in my stomach and the first instinct that spread to my wolf was for me to get far away from him, but I stood my ground. I may be an omega, but I was the princess of the Crystal Blood Pack, I had to be brave. “Mary mentioned that you needed me.” He nodded his head, moving to the side drawer of his bed. He pulled out something and when he returned to me, I saw that it was a document. “This is for you. I expect we won’t have any problems.” My heart skipped a beat at his words and the document in my hands. My eyes turned blurry, and I had to blink a couple of times to stop my vision from failing me. I did a quick scan of the document in my hand and my legs started turning to jelly the further I went. Tears formed in my eyes and my heart shattered the second I got to the bottom. “You have accepted?” I squeaked, unable to believe my eyes. “You didn’t even ask for my opinion, and you accepted?” “It is for the good of the pack, Astrid. Besides, you have been useless all your life. This is a chance for you to prove your worth!” “But father, I am already betrothed to another. How can you send me off to someone else… by contract? And you signed it?” I could barely recognize my voice as the emotions overwhelmed me. I knew my father to be the most misogynist male in the history of wolves, but I never thought he could treat me like this… “Wake up from your slumber Astrid. Simeon is dead, and you need to take your duties more seriously.” He yelled, his voice sending tremors of tension around the room. Tears spilled down my cheeks and my heart felt like it would explode as I stared back at him. My heart cracked when he clapped his hands, indicating he was done with me. “You should start preparing. They are sending a vehicle over to pick you up this afternoon.” There was no single ounce of remorse or pain, if anything… he seemed very happy to sell me off to a nameless stranger. “Father, I am your child. Not an exchangeable object…” His eyes burned a low glow, his alpha abilities touching the surface as he glared down at me. “And this is my Pack. I need to do what is best for them!” He growled, his eyes burning with anger. “If you wanted to be more than just an exchangeable object, you would have come as a male or even a female with stronger abilities and not an omega!” “Father…” “Enough with those excuses. Don’t make this a big deal. You are only going there on a sexual contract. As soon as you give them a child, you may decide to return to the Crystal Blood Pack. It is all going to be left to you.” I became nauseous the second his words clicked in my head. My eyes quickly returned to the paper still in my hands to confirm what he had just said. So, the deal wasn’t even brokered for me to be their mate but, a Luna on a sex contract. “Father, I can’t do this…” My voice cracked and words failed me. His eyes softened as he stared at me and, for a second, I thought he was going to change his mind, but a dark chuckle left his lips. “You don’t have a choice in this, Astrid. I have already signed the document. If the sun sets, and you are not in the Fergusson mansion, our pack will be annihilated by morning. Is that what you want?” The crack in my heart increased, and I felt the air in my lungs get knocked over to the wrong part of my body. “You accepted this condition?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn’t have much of a choice, Astrid. We were already drowning in debt; it was only a matter of time before one of our creditors came for us. This deal was the best I could find. Don’t mess it up. The pack's fate rests on your shoulder, you should know how to choose between your privilege and your duty to your Pack.” He growled, and I knew that this was final, there was no going back. My heart swelled as the tears freely left my eyes, but I had to be strong. Not for my father’s sake, but for the innocent who might benefit from this. So, I wiped my tears and left my father’s chambers to do as he wanted. I packed a few things and waited. At exactly one in the afternoon, Mary came to inform me that someone was here to pick me up. My heart was on my feet, but I managed to pull up a smile at her. “Thank you,” I whispered and slowly made my way out of my room. I have already accepted my fate. Being an omega, my father was right, this was the only thing I could do to save my people from drowning in poverty. “Hello, Princess. I am Darius.” A middle-aged man with a dark suit said the second I got to the vehicle waiting for me. “I have been assigned to take you to the masters…”