Chapter 2 The Bet

Erica's POV

**I let the hot water of the shower wash down my body, rinsing the grime from traveling off my skin. Turning off the water to the shower I wrap a towel around my blonde hair and I hear giggling coming from the next room.

"Oh no," I panic as I wrap a towel around my body, not bothering to actually dry myself off.

I fling the door to the bedroom open and the scene laid out before me is exactly what I expected to see.

"What are you doing?" I growl at the triplets as I watch them dig through my luggage.

"We are just helping you unpack," Chris says with a sly grin spread across his face.

"It looks like you have filled out a little bit over the summer," Bryce says as he holds up one of my bras. "Or are you filling this with tissues?"

I can't believe what I am seeing and hearing. They are nothing but perverts. "OUT!" I scream at the three of them. If I had a wolf it would have been a growl.

The triplets scramble to their feet with their arms full of my clothes and run out of the door leaving me with nothing to cover my body. The sound of them chuckling as they run down the hall with their arms full of my clothes sets my teeth on edge and I feel murderous.**

My head bounces against the cool window of the airplane causing my eyes to fly open. The dream that I just had echoes in the recesses of my mind. It is just a reminder of what the triplets are capable of. My stomach falls as I think about the years of torture that I endured and I know they will probably treat me worse without the protection of my parents.

A lump forms in the back of my throat. I know that the triplets will be waiting for me at baggage claim and they are the last people on earth that I want to see right now when my life is in shambles.

As I exit the plane and grab my luggage, I look around and try to see the triplets. I don't see them or their massive bodies anywhere I look.

"Great." I mumble to myself as I wander around the baggage claim looking for any sign of the triplets. Finally, I drag my luggage out of the airport. "They fucking forgot me."

I stand on the edge of the sidewalk and try to hail a taxi. I can feel hot tears begin to form in the corners of my eyes. I cannot believe that they forgot me. Actually, that's not true. They probably forgot me on purpose. I raise my hand trying to wave down a taxi but each one of them drives by me without even slowing down. My hand falls to my side and I can feel a rush of tears running down my face.

"I told you she would cry," a deep voice comes from behind me.

I turn around and bump into a massive chest and I know instantly that it is one of the triplets. I take a step back from the body that is standing in my way so I can look up to see which triplet's ass I need to kick.

The three brothers are standing side by side and I can no longer tell them apart. Three pairs of identical blue eyes are staring at me with an amused smirk on all of their faces. Over the years they used to dress differently or cut their hair differently so it was easier to tell them apart. Looking from one brother to the other I can see that they have all decided to wear the same light blue t-shirt and their dark hair is all cut the same. It is not until they begin to talk that I get an idea of which one they are.

"Now, now, Brother," the one on the left says. "Let's not make the little Fox cry harder."

That one must be Bryce. He was always the one to compliment me in a backhanded kind of way. He slaps a twenty dollar bill in the hand of the one in the middle.

"Can we just get out of here," the one on the right says. "I am tired of being here."

That one must be Ace. He is the one with the most level head of the three.

I wipe the tears that are falling from my cheeks and glare at the three brothers that are standing before me.

I slap the one in the middle, who must be Chris, across the chest, somewhat playfully and I burst into embarrassing sobs. Ace pushes Chris out of the way and wraps his arms around me. "I told you two that now isn't the time for a joke. She has just lost everything."

I sniff as I look up into his icy blue eyes and I notice that there are small flecks of green mixed in with the blue. "Thanks, Ace," I say as I pull myself out of his arms.

Bryce and Chris groan loudly and slap twenty dollars each into Ace's hand. I stare at them in confusion before Bryce fills in the blanks.

"Ace is the only one that thought you could tell us apart," Bryce shrugs his shoulders. "So we made a bet."

"Wait... wait..." Chris interjects before taking his twenty dollars back out of his brother's hand. "She only recognized Ace. Which one am I?"

I roll my eyes in anger. I don't feel like playing their silly games right now.

"Come on," Chris says playfully. "We won't leave until you tell us."

"Bryce, Chris, and Ace," I say pointing to each of them as I say their names. "Can we go now?"

"Damnit," Chris says as he slaps his twenty dollar bill back in Ace's hand. "I thought for sure you wouldn't be able to tell us apart after being gone for two years."

"I cut my hair for nothing," Bryce complains as we head towards the parking deck.

As we walk to their shiny, black SUV I keep my mouth shut. I don't want to end up in the middle of another one of their pranks. Luckily the three of them are so busy arguing with one another that they barely notice that I am here.

Ace loads my suitcase in the back of the SUV and slams the door shut. "Goddess, Erica." He acts like he pulled a muscle in his arm. "How long are you planning on staying?"

"Just through the summer and then I am heading back to school," I murmur as I climb into the back seat.

I wait for a few moments before I realize that Chris and Bryce and flipping a coin. Bryce climbs into the back seat with a smile on his face. "I won," he says simply.

"Won what?" I raise an eyebrow at him.

"The chance to sit beside you," he wiggles his eyebrows up and down.

"Your pretty boy moves might work on other females but they won't work on me," I groan as I plaster myself up against the door, trying to put as much distance between Bryce and I as possible. But it is no use. Bryce just moves to the middle of the back seat. He spreads his legs open wide and leans back in the seat. His leg brushes up against my own and I feel like I want to puke.

"So you are saying that you think I am pretty," Bryce laughs as he places his hand on my knee.

"Please don't touch me," I say as I squeeze myself closer to the door.

"Leave her alone, Bryce," Ace's voice is sharp as he looks in the rear view mirror at his brother.

Bryce raises his hands and scoots back to his side of the rear seat. I let out a sigh of relief and pry myself away from the door.

The ride back to the North Pack pack house is loud and obnoxious. The brothers are joking around and hitting one another as Ace races down the highway. I find myself gripping the sides of my seat in fear as Ace weaves in and out of traffic.

Suddenly, I realize that this is my life now. Until whatever issues are resolved in the West Pack with my parents, this is what the next few months of my life will be like. Me alone with the three people that I hate most in this world.