Chapter 0007

Morning training turned into a makeout session. They made it out to the field, but Kai took her to the ground, and they didn’t do any training after that. 

“We may as well have just stayed in bed,” Thea said. 

Another day at school, people still whispered. Thea loved the feeling of the triplets holding and kissing her, but she was terrified it wouldn’t last. She didn’t want to let herself fall in love with them just to have them ripped away.

After the final bell, the triplets surrounded her at her locker and tried to make out with her.

“I have to go to dress rehearsal for the Talent Show,” she said, pushing them away. They pouted. “I’ll see you later.”

She ran off before they could stop her. 

Thea met up with all the senior girls from her pack. They were doing a number together. Thea always went out of her way to befriend and include everyone in her pack. She made sure no one felt left out. She always said, “these are the people who will stand next to you in war. Make sure you treat them in a way that makes them want to fight for you, not let you get taken down.”

When they first started planning the number, she got input from everyone. They decided to dance and sing to a medley of songs.

“We can each wear a different Britney Spears outfit and front a different song,” Tessa said.

“Thea, you have to wear the sluttiest outfit,” Lizzy said.

“Why?” Thea said.

“You never dress slutty. It will shock everyone! It will be the hit of the show, and everyone will talk about it for ages.”

“I think you’re being a little dramatic,” Thea said.

Lizzy gasped. “You should wear the red jumpsuit from Oops!...I Did It Again, and then tear it off to reveal the sheer rhinestone outfit she wore at the VMAs.” 

“I’ve always wanted to do the Thriller dance,” Thea said. “Michael Jackson wears a red jacket in that one.”

“Not the same as the red bodysuit.”

Thea sighed.

“Please?” the girls all whined together.

“Okay. Fine.”

“Good! We can have Doris make our outfits,” Lizzy said. Doris was a gifted seamstress in their pack. She never found her mate, never had children. She lived alone in a small cottage on pack lands. She would be an omega in another pack, but not in New Dawn. 

When they picked up their costumes, it became clear that Thea would have to go first because the tear-away jumpsuit wasn’t going to stay on for long.

They rehearsed, did their makeup and hair, got dressed, and went backstage to wait for their turn. When it was their turn, they stepped onstage. Thea walked out front and center in the skintight red jumpsuit. Everyone gasped and cheered. She decided to forget about her worries, get lost in the performance, and just have a good time. She was out there with her girlfriends, and they were going to have fun. She turned back and looked them all in the eyes. 

“Let’s have fun, ladies.” She smiled big, and they all smiled back at her, nodding. 

The music started for Oops!...I Did It Again, and the crowd cheered. They started singing and dancing to the music. At the stop break at the beginning of the second verse, Thea ripped off the tearaway jumpsuit to reveal the sheer, nude, rhinestone-covered bra and pants Britney Spears wore at the VMAs. She filled it out well. No one would have guessed since she usually dressed conservatively. 

The crowd went wild, screaming, whistling, howling, but three distinct growls sounded above everything. Thea couldn’t see Conri get up, intent on carrying her off stage. Luckily, Kai and Alaric grabbed him before he could make a scene.

“Let her have her moment,” Alaric said, making him sit back down. 

“I can smell arousal,” Conri said. “All over this room. From everyone.” The possessiveness of an Alpha was coming out strong. He didn’t want anyone else looking at his woman.

“She’s going home with us, no one else,” Kai said.

The music changed, and the girls rearranged positions. Even as one of the backup dancers, no one could take their eyes off Thea. She had a unique charisma. Everyone knew who she was. Her pack loved her and already looked at her as a leader. 

They bowed to a roaring crowd and walked offstage after they finished their routine. The triplets found Thea backstage a minute later. 

Lizzy gave Thea her signature fish hook in the eyebrow look with a hand on her hip. “Told ya,” she said and walked away, laughing.

“What are you doing back here?” Thea said. 

“Taking you home,” Conri said.

“We have to stay for everyone else’s performances,” she said.

“She’s right,” Alaric said.

Kai took off his shirt and tried to put it over Thea’s head.

“What are you doing?” She batted him away.

“Covering you up. This is only for us to see.”

“I have a change of clothes, Kai. Put your shirt back on. Geez, Lizzy was right.”

“About what?”

“After we walked around school kissing and holding hands, Lizzy told me she made me wear this because it would get you three to make a move on me finally. She said she wouldn’t have bothered if she knew we would already be together.”

“Hmm. She’s probably right,” Alaric said.

“Couldn’t ignore that performance,” Kai said.

“Wouldn’t have been able to resist any longer,” Conri said.

Thea smiled, grabbed a bag, took out track pants and a T-shirt, pulled them on over the rhinestone outfit.

“Hmm, that may be fun later,” Kai said.

“Where did that jumpsuit end up?” Conri said.

“I don’t know. I threw it off stage.”

“We’re going to have to find that.”

They went back to the audience between performances. They watched the rest of the Talent Show, performances from all the different packs that attended their school. It was the biggest werewolf-only school in the country. It included kids from over two-dozen packs. 

It was almost impossible for the triplets to keep their hands off Thea, but they performed their duties, clapped, cheered, congratulated performers afterward. They mingled and suppressed their possessiveness as everyone complimented Thea on her performance. Conri sniffed out the red jumpsuit, and when the guy who had it saw him coming, he threw it at him, not wanting to get torn to shreds. 

Kai threw Thea over his shoulder as soon as acceptable and took her back to the pack house. They went straight to her room.