She ate uncomfortably under the heavy gaze of the boys who stared at her shamelessly, already done with their meals. She'd been shifting in her seat for a while hoping they were gonna take the hint, but whether they couldn't understand or just decided to ignore it
Why and how they ate up their double portions before she could finish her single portion confused her greatly.
Sighing, she dropped her cutleries, facing them squarely. She really couldn't handle it any longer.
"I do not like being stared at while feeding."
"Doesn't matter." Troy said almost immediately.
"And you eat really slowly, by the way." Theo chimed.
Sighing at his brothers responses, Tristan placed his palm softly on her lap, making her jerk visibly but didn't acknowledge it. "We just enjoy watching you. Can't exactly help it."
"Well, I'd really appreciate if you guys can control it." She said, giving Tristan a pointed look, moving her thigh away from his grip.
The action made something coil in his abdomen, but he didn't let it show. He pushed too hard.
Picking up her cutlery, she continued eating, but their stares hadn't lessened at all.
She just sighed and dropped the cutlery again, folding her arms lightly across her chest.
"We can start talking." She said plainly, her voice devoid of any emotions.
"Why?" Troy asked.
"Why not?"
"You are not done eating." Theo deadpanned.
"I'm full."
"You are not." Troy clapped back.
"I am. You can come check." She said, without thinking.
"Gladly." Troy said smugly, a devious smirk lying on his face.
She just sighed inwardly in response, her eyes not leaving his.
"Y'all just enjoy fighting. Unnecessarily." Tristan said, like he was scolding his kids. Turning to Bethany, he continued.
"I'm sorry we didn't stop staring. It was rude. We are just.. nervous."
"It's okay. I'm not hungry anymore. We can talk now."
He sighed. "Alright then." He said readjusting in his seat, Troy and Theo following suit.
"I believe you've thought about everything..carefully." He said smoothly, his posture like one who sat in a conference room surrounded by board members.
"Yeah. I have." She clipped.
"Okay. And?"
She sat put for a while, cross checking her thoughts further. Sighing deeply, she nodded. "Yes. Yes, I accept."
Immediately, the temperature in the room spiked, the mate bond between them made itself very much visible. Threads of warmth like veins crawled beneath their skin, from their minds, intercepting all of their nerves, straight to their hearts, the rest of the warmth, shedding to other parts of their body.
They all sat still while this went on, the glowing red eyes of the Alphas and the glowing golden eyes of the Omega, staring into the white ceiling. In seconds they were released from Selene's grip, left to return to their lives.
Troy and Theo released audible sighs of relief while Tristan relaxed visibly, the restraint and edge in his demeanor, completely dissipated. But Bethany was in turmoil. Not exactly the bad kind.
This one was mixed.
She was beyond excited. She felt closer to them now that she had accepted them. Not close enough to know their thoughts and feelings, because they hadn't consummated the mate bond. Maria was already gone, excited to meet her mates.
But she knew what was coming. She knew that the next step coming was The Heat.
And that was what made her turmoil, bad.
What was going to be their dynamic? She wasn't in love with them yet. Of course she could feel the surge they spoke about in school, but that was it. How was she supposed to fall in love with three people for the rest of her life?
Looking up at the three of them, she noticed their eyes were clear. They held nothing but adoration, fulfilment and something else she couldn't place at the moment.
They loved satisfied and it made her heart leap. It felt so good.
'So this is what Mom feels.' She thought in her mind.
'Yeah. Ours is in 3k.'Maria said excitedly.
Sighing, she looked up at the boys who looked at her with something close to reverence. Tristan sneakingly placed his palm on her thigh again.
Turning to him, she saw something glint in his eyes, clear as day. Vulnerability in its softest form. It was like he couldn't help it, like he wasn't the guy who had just spoken to her like one of the board members in a conference room.
It's was the person behind the Alpha.
She placed her hand over his, rubbing it softly before turning to the others.
She saw the same thing in their eyes, the same rawness, the humans behind the Alphas.
It was then she knew they weren't just going to be her mates, they were her men as well.
The pillars of her heart.
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door before it was opened slightly, revealing a slim frame who couldn't be seen easily because of where she stood, but Theo recognized her instantly, his fists clenching on the table top.
Bethany noticing this action scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, turning to the door to see what had triggered his dissatisfaction.
On looking closely, she saw a lady walk in, clad in a soft pink dress that hugged her body like a second skin, her skin was as clear as glass, her legs long and curved perfectly. Her nurtured feet sat steadily in a striking white pair of heels.
Bethany looked up to see if she could recognize the lady but couldn't. Seeing how quiet and cold the room had become and how stiff Tristan's palm had become over her thigh, she contemplated leaving the room.
The lady whose presence was obviously not welcome in the room, stood pridefully, under the a small bulb that did beyond justice to her features, her left arm on the handle of a shiny leather black box, while a white purse hung on her right arm.
She acted oblivious to the temperature drop and stillness in the room. But Bethany felt she knew her type pretty well, she knew she was the kind that basked readily under such tension.
"Hi, boys." She called, her voice soft like candy, smooth like velvet and yet cut faster than water razor. "I'm back."