Bella:

"Why didn't you say something all this time?" Ryder asked in a loud voice, and I shrugged with a frown.

"Are you going to yell at me for remaining silent after falling off a tall building because of you?" I asked, raising my brow.

He was about to speak when the twins placed a hand on his shoulder and told him to calm down.

I did not care because all I could think about was rejecting them, regardless of how many good things they did for me.

"Look, Bella, we apologize for what we did and hope you can forgive us. I know it almost cost your life for us to apologize, and I sincerely hope we can move on," Finn said, and I stared at him silently.

Their words sound inferior to me because the last time Ryder attempted to apologize, he spilled the food, and they all mocked me. The thought of it caused untold pain in my heart, but I was not ready to talk about it.

"Thank you for the gifts," I managed to say, and everyone fell silent for a few moments.

Someone knocked on the door, then opened it.

"Hazel!" I exclaimed when I spotted her beautiful brown eyes.

She pushed aside the triplets and rushed to hug me.

"Bella, I am sorry I could not come yesterday. After what happened, it was difficult to find you, and your mother only let me leave school this morning to see you," she said in a ball, and I chuckled.

I had only known her for a few days, but it felt like forever. She pressed her body against me for a while and then remained like that.

"I could not sleep all night, Bella," she said with tears in her eyes.

"I am fine; Hazel and I will be back at school in a few days."

This was clearly a lie because, contrary to my expectations, the healing process was not smooth. My vampire was hurt, and the necklace was the only thing keeping me together.

"We wish you a speedy recovery, Bella, and we will be on our way," Ryder said, turning away with the triplets as Hazel wrinkled her brows.

This was not school, and they did not have the entire school's support while bullying her.

When Ryder opened the door, Hazel's boyfriend walked in carrying a large teddy bear and a basket.

"So, who are you supposed to be?" the triplets inquired at once, grabbing the gifts from him as he stood half bent, hands on his knees, panting.

"He is my boyfriend, and..."

"He is bringing Bella gifts," Kai said, frowning.

I rolled my eyes, wondering what they were up to at the moment.

"When did you guys start caring about Bella? Did her fall cause you to have a concussion?" Hazel inquired, and I chuckled, but the triplets maintained their position.

"And you, Kai, you prevented me from assisting Bella yesterday, so what do you care?"

"Who becomes our mate is not our choice, and everything happened prior to the reveal. Bella is our mate, and she is only supposed to see us, so you should leave!" Finn warned.

"He is going nowhere," Hazel said, and I took her hand calmly.

"For those who would easily throw me under the bus, I do not expect you to want to control my movements because we are mates. I can see whoever I want to, and wherever I want to."

"Yeah, as long as he does not have a dick," Ryder said, grabbing Noah's collar while Finn tossed the gifts on the floor.

"I was already leaving. You do not always have to be an asshole, you know?" Noah asked, slapping Ryder's hand and leaving the room.

The triplets gave me one more glance before leaving, assuring me they would return.

When they left, I let out a huge sigh of relief, and my face immediately fell.

"How unlucky can one get?" I questioned Hazel, who stroked my hand.

"It was bad enough that I had to live with them, but now I have to deal with the fact that they are also my mates," I said, and she drew me into a hug, gently parting my back.

"Look at the bright side."

She pulled away from me.

"There is a bright side?"

My eyes widened as I asked, hoping to hear the good news.

"You will be the hottest girl in Howlstone, with the three hottest guys in school at your fingertips. Fae is going to make you live under a rock."

Fae. That name elicited a wide range of emotions, many of which were negative. I wanted to end her life the same way she wanted to end mine, but I could not do it right now.

"What? I thought the frown on your face should have turned into a smile by now," she said, and I sighed.

"Not everybody wants that. I want what you and Noah have. You found one mate at the ball who adores you, but what have I found? Trouble." I sighed.

"You can make it entertaining."

She smiled, but my expression was flat.

"I do not intend to do that, and I have decided to reject them."

"What?" the triplets echoed, and I looked up to see them standing in front of the door.

My mouth dropped open, and my lashes fluttered.

"Are you insane or out of your mind?" Ryder yelled, and Hazel stood up, but I grabbed her hand.

"Please give us some space, Hazel," I said, and she squinted her eyes at everyone before leaving the room.

The triplets crossed their arms and stared at me before Finn spoke.

"Say what you need to say to us, Bella," he said, and I took a deep breath.

"We cannot be mates, so I reject you all." I said, and they all fell to their knees, groaning in pain."