The Alpha Triplets And The Rogue
Chapter 78

Erica’s POV

I have been hiding out in Chris’s bedroom all day feeling sorry for myself. I know that I cannot hide out here forever. As the evening approached I felt my stomach churn with anticipation and nerves. I am going to have to go down to dinner with the family. I have been doing my best to give myself a pep talk about how it will be okay and that the brothers will come around, with the more time that we spend together.

As I stand in front of my closet, I try to decide what to wear. All of the clothes that I had left behind are still hanging neatly in Chris’s closet. I am shocked that they weren’t thrown out by Luna Alice.

I know that I need to look my best tonight, but not only that, I need to look the part of a Luna. With Amber walking around with her perfect body and perfect face, I can’t continue to slack off.

I try on a few different outfits, but nothing feels quite right. I can’t shake the feeling that things are going to be confrontational tonight at dinner.

Sitting down on Chris’s bed, I take a few deep breaths. I know that I have to face my fears and Ace and Bryce. But it will obviously be easier said than done.

I think back to the week before I left the North Pack. It had been both a good week and a rough one. I did not leave on good terms. I convinced Ashley to pretend to take me shopping and say that I ran while she was in the dressing room. It was the perfect plan when I wasn’t planning on coming back. But here I am back in the same room where I decided that it was time for me to leave this place.

I know that I have two choices. I can spend my time here hiding from the brothers or I can get dressed and face my fears.

Putting on a simple black dress and a pair of heels, I check my reflection in the mirror. The black dress covers my body but it hugs my curves perfectly. It is both appropriate and sexy at the same time.

A low whistle breaks my concentration. I look over my shoulder and see Ashley standing behind me with a grin on her face.

“You made it a whole three weeks before one of them dragged you back here,” she says.

“It felt like the right thing to do,” I murmur.

“Are you coming down for dinner?” Ashley asks as she comes up behind me and grabs the hairbrush out of my hands.

“I can’t keep hiding,” I tell Ashley. She is gently running the hairbrush through my hair as she patiently listens to me. “I have to fix this.”

Ashley lets out a sigh and she puts the hairbrush down on the vanity in front of me. “Well, this is going to be a s**t show,” she jokes but it causes my anxiety to rise in my chest.

Ashley and I walk into the dining room and all eyes are on me as soon as we enter. I don’t miss how Ace’s eyes linger on my body as I walk across the room to my seat. Chris pats the seat beside him and offers me a cheerful smile.

I take my seat beside Chris and I notice that I am sitting directly across from Bryce. He keeps his eyes glued to his plate. Refusing to look up at me.

There is one person in the room that doesn’t have a problem looking in my direction and that is the beautiful redhead that is sitting next to Bryce. She tries to grab his hand that is sitting on the table but he quickly jerks it away from her. A scowl crosses her lips as she places her hands neatly in her lap.

“How nice of you to finally join us,” Luna Alice says with a sour look on her face. She gestures to the redhead sitting beside Bryce. “I am assuming that you have met Amber, Bryce’s new mate.”

My heart is beating loudly as I look across the table at Amber and Bryce. They don’t even look like a happy couple. Bryce is refusing to even acknowledge that Amber is sitting beside him and Amber has moved her hands from her lap and is now sitting with her arms across her chest.

“I believe that we met briefly when I arrived earlier this morning,” I say as sweetly as I can.

Suddenly Bryce’s eyes snap over to Amber’s and he is glaring at her. A growl from the other side of Bryce catches my attention and I turn to see that Ace is seething with anger.

“She was not supposed to speak to Erica,” Ace whispers under his breath at Bryce.

Amber looks down at her plate and I can see her face flushing with embarrassment. Bryce looks at Ace and shrugs his shoulders. “I can’t stay on top of her all of the time,” Bryce says with a smirk on his face.

“Yes, you can,” Amber says as her dark brown bore into my own.

I don’t miss the innuendo between the two and it stings, but I refuse to let my feelings show. I plaster a fake smile on my face as I look across the table at Bryce and Amber. Amber reaches for Bryce’s hand but this time he doesn’t pull away from her. He lets her hold his hand.

“So,” I say with a bit of a smug look on my face. “When will the Luna ceremony be?”

Bryce spits out the water that he is drinking all over the table and the food in front of him. Amber pats him on the back trying to soothe his coughing.

“We haven’t decided yet,” Amber speaks for Bryce. “You have to accept the rejection before we can proceed.”

Laughter bubbles up in my chest as I look at Bryce who is refusing to meet my gaze. “I don’t think that you have the story correct,” I tell her. “He is not the one waiting on a rejection.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Amber screeches loudly as she looks at Bryce.

Bryce lets go of her hand and looks at me like he is wounded. “Erica, can I speak with you for a moment in private?”