Chapter 6: The note

"Diana, wait."

Diana paused at the door and sighed. Her plan to leave for school unnoticed hadn't been successful. She just wanted to be alone. She wasn't ready to face her brothers.

She turned and watched as the triplets hurried towards her.

"You're leaving without us?" Alden asked, a hurt expression on his face.

"I...," Diana stuttered.

"But we always drive you to school," Asher said next.

"Are we bothering you?" Axel gently took her hand.

"No." Diana shook her head, staring at each of them in the eyes. "You could never bother me. Why would you think of something like that?"

"You've been avoiding us since last night," Axel said.

"If this is about what happened, what we tried to do...," Asher began.

"We're sorry," Alden apologized. "Maybe we got carried, and made you feel uncomfortable. We'll keep our distance now."

"No," Diana shook her head again. "I don't want you to keep your distance. I..."

She paused. It was at the tip of her tongue to tell them how much she loved them. Not just as a sister. She had fallen in love with three of them, wholeheartedly.

But she also knew it was wrong. One day, she would find her mate. And everything she felt for them now would be gone.

"I don't just understand my feelings sometimes," she said finally. "I just want to find my mate, find my wolf. And be happy."

Alden smiled in relief. If she was worried about finding her mate, then it was only a matter of time. Once she turned eighteen, she would know. She would finally belong to them.

"Come on," he drew her close into an embrace. "Let's forget about everything that happened. You know we love you, and this awkwardness between us isn't really nice."

"Yea it isn't," Diana agreed and chuckled. She turned and beckoned to Asher and Axel.

It was an awkward hug, with the three of them wrapped in each others arms. But it lightened the mood and everyone laughed.

"Now come on, you're gonna be late for school," Asher took her backpack from her and led her towards the car.

Suddenly Alden and his brothers froze. The air turned thick as they surrounded Diana with their body, protecting her from the danger they felt.

"What's happening?" Diana asked, her eyes round with fear. Why were they suddenly alert?

Alden's head whipped to the right and his eyes turned black, his canines slowly emerging. His nostrils flared and a low growl rumbled in his chest.

"Something's not right," Axel whispered. His stance was the same as Alden and Asher, eyes black, canines protruded, back stiff and ears alert.

"What is it?" Diana repeated. She couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary. Whatever made her brothers act tense must have been serious.

"Stay here with Diana," Alden said coldly, his black gaze scanning the pack perimeters. "I'll scan the forest."

Asher and Axel stood on either side of Diana, protecting her with their bodies, while Alden shifted into his large brown wolf and bounded into the forest.

"Asher what's the matter?" Diana whispered, moving closer to him.

"We felt an intruder," Asher explained, keeping his eyes pinned in the direction Alden disappeared.

"A dark smell," Axel added. "Something that doesn't belong here."

"What do you think it is?" Diana asked further, her eyes darting around, trying to single out the intruder.

Asher and Axel didn't give her a reply, and Diana had to watch too, hoping it was just a stray wolf that caught their attention. A few minutes went past and Alden finally returned.

"See anything?" Asher asked.

Alden shook his head. "Nothing. But there's a weird scent in the air."

"What kind of scent?" Diana asked worriedly.

Alden stared at her for a second, contemplating if he should tell her. He seemed to change his mind at the last minute because he smiled and lightly touched her cheek.

"Nothing you need to worry about," he said. "I'm sure one of the kids at school strayed too far. We have to go now, before you get really late."

Fortunately, Diana believed the lie and didn't question him further.

As they got into the car, Asher used the mind link and asked the question burning within him.

[What was it?]

[A rogue] Alden answered, grounding his teeth to suppress his anger.

[You don't think it is a normal rogue] Axel stated. Alden was obviously furious about something, and it wasn't because of the rogue. Something had ticked him off.

[I don't know if it is a normal rogue] Alden answered as he started the car and the porsche purred to life. [But whatever it was, it is connected to Diana.]

[How?] Asher and Axel asked at the same time, sitting upright instantly.

Diana looked up when Axel and Asher suddenly leaned forward in the car. She frowned, watching them for a few seconds, before turning back to stare outside.

[I found a note. The note read...]

Alden paused, his eyes flickering dangerously.

[Alden what did the note say?] Asher prodded him.

[Whoever it is, they want Diana. The note says Diana belongs to them, and we can't hide her anymore.]

Asher and Axel were stunned speechless for a moment. Why Diana? Was there something about her birth they didn't know?

[Let's talk about this when we return] Alden told them finally. [Don't say a word about it to Diana. I don't want her to be worried.]

Alden closed the mind link and backed out of the driveway, his brown eyes scanning the forest around them.

He didn't want to rule it off as a threat, but if indeed someone was after Diana, then they had to find out who it was and why.

As the car zoomed off, a dark figure slowly stepped out from the shadow of the forest. It was a dark wolf, fur as dark as night, eyes reflecting the darkness within it.

The wolf watched the porsche until it disappeared, and then turned and howled softly.

The trees behind it moved and a dozen black wolves stepped out, eyes and fur identical to their leader.

Rogue werewolves.

The creatures watched the mansion for a few minutes before disappearing into the forest.