300 Days With The Alpha Beta Triplets
TREE HOUSE

Bella:

My father's face fell when I said this, and I couldn't tell if he was relieved I didn't kill her or if he didn't want it to be true so he could once more uphold the award for the father of the year.

"Apparently, vampires cannot inject werewolves with a poisonous venom, and I know you are aware of this," I said, and he attempted to speak, but I held up my hand. "Bonnie's body was half-drained when I got into that room, and when I bit her, she died because someone had already killed her."

He was speechless for a moment, and the more he stared at me, the more I couldn't help the tears that threatened to fall.

"But you know, Dad, I had to live for months with the guilt until I opened up to my friends at the Frost pack. Then my best friend, Hazel, made me understand how it worked," I said, feeling the weight of my words seep into my voice, making it crack. "And what I realized about all this is that you just wanted me to be wrong. You have never loved me completely. You only love the Bella who is a werewolf, and maybe if you had accepted me fully, then you would have waited before sending me away. How hard would it have been for an alpha to open up an investigation?"

The car was silent for a while, and my father threw his head back, shutting his eyes.

"I am sorry, princess. I never meant for you to go through any of that," he said, then looked at me, but all I did was shake my head.

"That doesn't erase what I had to deal with. I was getting bullied by the Stormclaw girl and Sebastian. Also, he's your culprit. He's a fucking hybrid."

"Language!"

I scoffed at his words and threw my hands in the air.

"You know what, Dad? I just want to go back to the house. I can't even call it a home because I doubt it is still one," I said, then leaned back on the seat, taking out my phone and plugging in my earpiece.

The car moved at once, and I shut my eyes, drowning myself in music until the car came to a halt. I opened my eyes to the sight of the mansion. I was back at this house. It held a lot of traumas for me, and all I could see was the night Mom whisked me away, and my father's voice calling me a murderer. It echoed vividly in my head, causing me to take off.

I rushed into the house and made my way up the stairs without stopping until I got to my room. In my room, I slammed the door shut, then threw myself on the bed, grabbing the pillow. Frantically, my hands reached for the pillow. When I found it, I screamed into it before bursting into tears. I hated my life, and I doubted anything could remedy my situation.

**

The next time I opened my eyes, I looked out the window to see the clouds had darkened. I reached for my phone to check the time, then saw that I had a lot of missed calls from the triplets, my mom, and Hazel.

"Six," I said the time out loud, then placed my phone face down on the bed with my hand still on it.

At that moment, it vibrated, and I raised it up to see it was a text from a group chat.

"I created this just in case we don't get to spend the vacation with Bella," Ryder texted, and a smile spread across my lips.

I sat up at once, then crawled further into bed, resting my back on the headboard.

"That's a great idea," Kai added.

"Finn isn't online?" I asked, and then he started typing.

"Here."

I noticed Hazel wasn't in the group chat, which bothered me, so I had to ask.

"Why isn't Haze here?"

"Because she isn't our mate," Ryder replied, which made me frown.

Hazel is my best friend, and he was rude for nothing.

"Hey, that's an unfair way to put it." I texted back.

"Yeah, Ryder. It's pretty unfair," Kai agreed with me.

"What do you think, Finn?" I asked, then waited patiently as the bubbly box appeared.

"It's harsh, but he has a point. Would you want her to see our nudes? I mean, one can never be too careful." His words made me laugh, then I took my shirt off at once, lying on the bed.

The guys were still texting when I got a text from Hazel.

"Are you ignoring me on purpose? Because I'm going to march over to that pack and whisk you away!" I could hear her yelling through the text, which made me laugh.

"I'm fine," I texted back.

"I don't believe you. Send a pic ASAP, or I assume you're crying," she replied, and I sighed, opening my front camera to take a picture.

I took a picture that showed my cleavage a bit and sent it to Hazel. She reacted with a fire emoji.

"Still smokin' hot!" she replied, causing my face to light up.

Feeling a surge of confidence from her comment, I switched to my camera, then I pulled my bralette down and angled it just right, making sure to capture the curve of my cleavage. Tilting my head slightly, I snapped a series of pictures while my phone buzzed with texts from the guys. I sent one photo to the group chat, and the boys all began to comment, so I kept taking the photos.

Just then, my door swung open with a bang.

"Dad!" I yelped, my heart leaping as I fumbled, pulling up my bralette, dropping my phone with a thud. It skidded across the floor as I tried to cover up, my cheeks burning.

The phone landed on the ground with the screen facing up, displaying the picture in full view. Before I could react, Dad's eyes fell on it, his gaze narrowing as he took in the image. My stomach dropped as I scrambled to snatch it, but it was too late-he had already seen.

Slowly, he folded his arms, his jaw clenched as he stared at me furiously.

Dad's voice cut through the silence. "What do you think you're doing? Sexting boys now?"

His words cut through me. My cheeks flushed hot with embarrassment and anger as I grabbed my phone, clutching it tightly.

"It's none of your business. They're my mates, and I'm old enough to text who I want."

His expression hardened at my words, and the more I stared at him, the more I could tell he was barely containing his anger.

"Oh, really? Is this what your mother lets you do at her house?" He let the words hang in the air before adding, "Well, for your information, this is my house. And as long as you're here, you will behave!"

His voice came out loud and harsh in a way I didn't appreciate. I felt my fists clench at my sides, his words burning with a sting that made my stomach twist as resentment simmered beneath the surface. I couldn't hold it back.

"Leave my mother out of this!" I yelled, my voice sharp and unsteady. I tried to push the thoughts away-the memories of what he'd done to her, the hurt he'd caused-but the feeling only intensified.

I couldn't trust my mouth around him, so I took my eyes off him, but that didn't work. Anger blazed through me as I grabbed my shirt and threw it on.

Without another word, I shoved past him and stormed out of the room, desperate for space, before the memories swallowed me whole. I made my way out of the house and found my way to the backyard, staring at the old tree house Father had built for me when I was a kid.

The tree house stood nestled among thick old branches. The small windows were clouded with dust. A faded "No Boys Allowed" sign, painted in childish handwriting, still clung to the front.

Dad's voice echoed in my ears. "I am not a boy, I am your dad, so I'm allowed!" he would say as he climbed in to disrupt my tea time with my dolls.

I climbed up the spiraled steps that led to the entrance. Once at the top, I pulled myself through the entrance and threw myself onto the wooden floor, breathing in the scent of aged wood and dust. Here, hidden in this childhood refuge, I felt a flicker of calm, which served as a fragile shield against everything outside-against my father, who was once my hero.

I shut my eyes, remembering the first time the tree house was built. I had come home after visiting the tree house of a classmate that could barely contain us as six-year-olds, and I told my dad about it. The next day, he had a whole construction team building me a huge tree house that could fit about twenty girls. My relationship with Bonnie began here ten years ago.

**

The next time my eyes opened, I was lying on the ground with a duvet draped around me. The sky was slowly getting bright, and the birds in the air chirped happily. A smile spread across my lips, knowing my father had covered me up for the night. Slowly, I turned to the side to see my father lying there, staring at me.

"Dad!" I screamed, and he chuckled, causing my brows to wrinkle.

I sat up at once, and so did he.

"I am sorry about yesterday, and I know you are growing, but I am still a dad. It isn't easy to watch my little girl become a woman." He sighed, then he pulled me into a hug, kissing my forehead. "I thought about your request, and you can bring your mates over for a few weeks," he said, and my face curved into a smile, causing me to throw my

hands around him..