Rejected By One Alpha, But Claimed By Three

#Chapter 3 Coffee’s There When Alcohol Betrays You

“Good morning,” a raspy voice spoke out.

I sucked in a sharp, startled breath as I shot my head from my phone screen to find a pair of light brown eyes staring back at me. The corners of his mouth were slightly pulled upward in a smile.

I didn’t have time for this. I had to get home.

I reinforced the quilt around my body and quickly moved across the room to get ready.

My heart crashed in my chest. I struggled to keep my mind from reeling any further. Meanwhile, I could feel his eyes stabbing into my back as I moved.

“So...Last night...”

“Look I really don’t have time for small talk,” I said harshly. “I need you to leave.”

The guy gave me an amused look and worked his way to the edge of the bed. The sheets graciously fell around him, exposing his incredibly fit body. I bit back a gasp. My eyes roamed over his muscular form, unabashedly.

“Holy s**t,” I hissed under my breath.

It was like he’d been carved from stone. His muscles were well-defined beneath his olive-toned skin. His broad shoulders, sculpted arms, and ripped chest—all played a part in my blacked out night.

While Draven and I were dating these last three months, we had never grown much in the physical aspect of our relationship. And it wasn’t for lack of wanting to. I was too afraid of coming off as needy, and he never made the attempt to explore that side with me.

Meanwhile, the guy was totally unabashed by the fact that his entire body was exposed. I froze as he came to rest his hands on my waist.

“I was going to say that last night was wonderful and I would be more than happy to do it again,” he said with a cheeky smile.

“That is never going to happen,” I huffed, indignantly.

There was no chance that I was going to even entertain the thought of sleeping with him again—even if his features did resemble Draven in a way.

“Now, please leave, otherwise I’m going to call the police.”

As soon as he collected his clothes and left, I hastily grabbed my phone and bag and made it out the door. On the way, I called my mom, desperately needing more information.

She's getting re-married? Again?

“Hello?”

“What do you mean you’re getting remarried?” I asked sternly.

Not only did I come from a poor family, but I was mainly brought up by just my mom. We lost my dad when I was very young, and since then, she has been struggling to keep a stable job to support us.

All I wanted was to see my mom happy.

It was truly the only main motivator that I had when sticking to my coursework. Getting offered that scholarship into the Business Administration Major felt like getting handed a possible miracle.

I knew that as long as I studied hard and kept my grades in line, I would be able to find a decent job after graduation and pay back my student loans, along with giving my mom a good life.

Ever since my dad died, my mom had gone ahead and remarried numerous times before realizing that the new man she was married to was unreliable, untrustworthy, or a liar.

Just hearing that she had plans to remarry yet again sent my nerves on edge. The last thing I wanted was for her to end up in another horrible relationship.

“Mom, I don’t know how I feel about all this,” I confessed.

“I know, it’s sudden, and I should have given you more warning. But I would really like it if you came by so that you could meet William properly. Trust me, he’s nothing like any of the others,” she explained.

“Why don’t you head over early, and you can test him to see for yourself?”

I let out a defeated sigh and ran a hand over my tired face. “Alright, I’ll be there soon," I told her.

The call ends just as I reach my car.

I sure picked a great day to have a hangover.

I got back to the house in what had to be record timing. I placed my bags down in the front hallway and heard my mom moving around in the kitchen.

“Hey!” My mom greeted me with a warm hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. William just messaged me, saying that he’s on his way now.”

I tried to put on a supportive face for her. But my nerves were already far too coiled.

My fear was that whoever this William was would eventually turn out to be just another liar and manipulator. Since we lost my father, my mom had remarried a few times, but each marriage ended in divorce.

“Are we sure that we can trust him?” I asked bluntly.

My mom’s expression sombered. “Katie, I know my record with men has been horrible, but I’m telling you, William really is different from all the others. With him, I believe that it could be true love.”

“I want to believe that. It’s just—”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Oh, that should be him!”

My mom left to answer the door while I tried to brace myself. The two of them returned to the kitchen, where I was met with a pair of soft brown eyes and a gentle smile.

William was a handsome, older man who knew how to dress himself appropriately. He wore a finely tailored suit accompanied by an expensive gold watch on his wrist.

There was something oddly familiar about his features that I couldn’t quite place.

He extended his hand for me to take. “You must be Katie,” he greeted warmly. “I’ve been wanting to meet you for so long. Your mother tells me that you’ve been accepted into Pandora’s Business Administration Major. That’s quite an impressive feat.”

I found myself blushing under his praise. “Yes. I was taken on under one of their, um...unique scholarships,” I muttered.

His expression lit up with both wonderment and concern. “How are you doing in your studies so far?”

I shrugged my shoulders and offered a smile. “The coursework is manageable. I’m currently majoring in business administration.”

His smile deepened. “That’s wonderful to hear. That was my major when I attended the academy. I was under Class A back then just as my sons are under now.”

I was starting to see why my mom was so enamored with the man. William seemed to be significantly different from the other men who tried to weasel their way into our lives. He came from a good upbringing, and his temperament naturally remained calm and collected.

I mean he looks like what the elite, A Class jerks will become.

It was oddly refreshing to have such a normal and ‘fatherly’ conversation with a person who may very well become my new stepfather. We’d moved the conversation into the living room for a more comfortable setting.

“I was told that both of your sons attend the academy as well,” I prompted. “Is there any chance that I would know either of them?”

“Certainly not my eldest. He tends to bury himself in his studies and keeps to a small group of friends,” he explained. “He can be quite closed off at times and difficult to read.”

My stomach swooped. His description sounded an awful lot like Draven...Surely, I was wrong though.

“A-And your other son?”

“He’s a bit more unpredictable. I’ve always considered him to be the invert to his brother. Always causing mischief and never being able to take things seriously.”

My nerves were growing more and more unhinged. William glanced at his phone and made the comment that his sons should be arriving any minute.

RINNGG!

My mom got up from her spot on the couch to answer the door. Behind me, I heard two deep, similar-sounding voices.

“Katie, come and greet our guests,” she said.

Just as I turned my head to say hello and properly introduce myself, I was utterly dumbstruck.

Draven had arrived, wearing his usual closed-off look of indifference as he took the seat across from me. But that wasn’t where the insanity ended. Of course not.

Next to him was the same guy whom I had found naked in my bed that morning. My eyes widened in silent shock while Draven’s gaze fell onto me.

Meanwhile, completely aloof to my burning discomfort, my mom took back her place on the couch and snuggled up in William’s arms.

She spoke with a smile. “Isn’t this great? Katie’s always dreamed of having two older brothers.”