Fated To The Lycan Brothers
Chapter 12

Suri Nightingale

"Are all the malls here this hi-tech?" I asked Devon as we stood in front of what looked more like a spaceship than any mall I've ever seen in my life.

Devon stood next to me a little less fascinated because he's probably seen this a hundred times already.

"Only this one because my father's company built it."

I choked on my own saliva as I turned to him in disbelief. "You're joking? Keith owns this entire thing?"

Devon nodded his head. "Well, technically the Whitford Technologies do, but he is the CEO so I guess, yeah."

Bloody hell, Keith Whitford really is something else.

As we entered the futuristic mall with tiny little worker robots roaming around the place, I couldn't help but be in awe. Everything looked so pristine and thoroughly made. Keith didn't just build a mall. He built something that was obviously a huge benefit to people in this town.

I was starting to think he was more humanitarian than I originally examined him to be.

"Hey, Devon?" I called out to the guy next to me casually strolling while girls gawked at him like he was some god.

I'm pretty sure he knows they're all staring, but he doesn't seem to care.

He turned to me with a small smile. "What's up? Also, how many times do I have to say to just call me Dev?"

I chuckled lightly. "Sorry, Dev. Um... weird question, but do you like Keith?"

He looked at me and laughed like I suddenly made the funniest joke in the world and it made me self-conscious.

"Never mind! Forget I asked. That was silly." I gave him a sheepish smile and turned myself forward and pretended to be engrossed with the shops around us.

"Hey, it's fine, Suri. Seriously." Devon-well, Dev, said.

"To answer your question, yes, I do like him. He's done a lot for me. Ah, for us. My brothers and I. I'm assuming you know he's not related to us? I mean, you might have already figured it out by our features."

I nodded my head. "You three somehow look different too, but you're all... triplets? I think I heard of that biological phenomenon before, but I forgot the term they use."

"Heteropaternal superfecundation," Dev shared in a super sure tone it's like he's known it for his entire life.

"Right. That one. That's really rare, isn't it?"

It was on one of my biology tests and everyone couldn't believe it was possible to have different kids in one womb, but it happens when the mother has s e x with different guys and gets impregnated by them at around the same time. I've only ever seen twins, so triplets were even more rare. That meant... their mother had sex with three different guys at around the same time.

"Yup," Dev said unfazed. "But enough about me, you're the newbie here."

I suddenly got nervous because I didn't like being interrogated. My past is as messy as it comes and I didn't want anyone to know about it. I wanted to bury it, start a new life, and all that stuff.

I was about to deflect the topic when he said, "Is Suri Nightingale a cookie person or an ice cream person?"

Wait, that's what he wanted to know?

I couldn't help but smile at his question. "Why can't I be both?"

He shakes his head with a wide grin. "Because there's always one superior dessert. And answer wisely because I will judge you for your answer."

"Hm..." I pretended to think about it, but deep down I already knew my answer.

"Ice cream. Cookie dough. Nothing else can beat that." I said with confidence.

Dev narrowed his eyes at me like he's judging me thoroughly before a wide smile splits his face.

"I see you're a woman of culture as well. You pass... for now." He joked as he opened the door to the photography place for me and we walked inside.

An older lady greets us with a bright smile. "Devie! Oh my, you've gotten so much bigger!"

I turned to Dev with a teasing smirk and whispered, "Devie?"

He closed his eyes as he shook his head embarrassed. "I was like, fourteen, okay?"

I stifled a laugh as we approached the lady who couldn't stop gushing at how handsome and grown up Dev has become.

When she finally acknowledged my presence, she asked, "Are you Mr. Whitford's new daughter?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No, no. Noooo. Definitely not. I'm, uh-"

Wait, who the hell am I? A guest? A charity case? The daughter of his childhood crush/savior?

"She's our very important and very close family friend." Dev responded as he placed his arm around me and pulled me close to him while flashing the old lady a wide and friendly smile. "Wonderful. Well, these pictures aren't going to take themselves. Come on, child."

As the old lady ushered me into one of the photo rooms, I turned back to Dev and mouthed him a quick thank you.

He just gave me one of his swoon-worthy winks and as my pictures were being taken, I couldn't help but smile sincerely as I thought of him.

"I look like a dork," I whined as I held the photo of me in my hand.

I've never gotten my pictures taken at such a prestigious picture place. Usually it was just with a cellphone camera and then sharpened like crazy to make it usable, so this time, the high definition camera could see everything. Magnifying my weird different colored eyes.

"No, you don't. You look great. Your smile is genuine and doesn't look forced at all. I like that." Dev comments and I almost told him as to why that is, but I shut my mouth immediately.

A few minutes later, we were standing in front of probably the coolest food hall I have ever seen in my whole life with mouth-watering selections in every corner.

Each cuisine was separated from the other and decorated based on the theme. The Asian cuisine had cherry blossoms, paper lanterns, and bamboo. The European one made you feel like you were in a vineyard sipping wine in Italy. There was so much more and I was completely overwhelmed.

This was definitely nothing compared to the crappy food places I've seen, and even those ones I could barely afford to eat at.

"Are you hungry?" I turned to ask Dev because as much as I wanted to eat, I was sure I couldn't afford any of these. Well, I kind of could with the allowance money Keith gave me before, but I didn't want to spend it. I was saving it for use in the future that I am not aware of yet.

He looked at me with a grin. "We're hungry."

"Wha-"

"Don't be shy, Suri. It's my treat. Go wild." He reassured me and at first I was shy about it, but after five straight minutes of Dev assuring me that it was fine, I decided to go for it.

It's not everyday I get to enjoy so many good foods in one go and just like he said - I went wild.

"I think I'm going to explode," I commented as I rubbed my stomach in the hopes of the food melting faster.

Dev ate as much, or more than me, but he didn't look like he was full at all. This man is a beast.

"Oh we're not done yet. We haven't even gotten to the most important part." He commented and before I could decline, he took my hand and dragged me out of my seat.

I was getting ready to say no, but then we stopped right in front of a huge ice cream shop and I couldn't say anything because my jaw was on the floor.

"Holy-"

"s**t, right?" Dev finished my word for me as he looked at me with a pleased grin.

He was such a handsome guy and so far, insanely sweet. Honestly, how is he related to the other two?

Before getting pissed off remembering them, I pushed those thoughts away and focused on what was in front of me - an actual dreamland for those who loved ice cream.

"There's over a hundred flavors, but I think I know exactly what you want." With his hand still holding mine, we passed by other people until we stopped right in front of a machine designed like a cookie and had a sign that said in all capital letters, 'Cookie Dough'. As full as I was, somehow my stomach still had enough space for this and I got five scoops. Dev, on the other hand, got ten.

"Seriously. Do you have a black hole in your stomach? You can't possibly eat that much and still look as good as you do." I said to him while we were walking back to his car, done with today's errands and some other fun detour.

"You think I look good, Suri?"

My cheeks flushed when I realized what I had just confessed. Oh, f**k.

"No!" I blurted out then realized how mean that sounded so I tried to take it back. "I mean, yes, but no, but, uh, sort of?"

Dev laughed his ass off at seeing me struggle, but he eventually let it go. Thank God.

"So, I couldn't help but notice, but are you popular or something? Because everyone we've passed by always took their time admiring you like they know you or something." I finally managed to ask what's been on my mind the whole time and he didn't seem to be bothered by it.

He casually shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I guess. I know a few of them from the Academy. No biggie."

The Academy? Oh, s**t, right. The same school I'll be attending next week after the fourth of July weekend. I was not excited, but I knew I had no choice.

"I see. Well, speaking of that place. I'm starting soon. Do you have any tips?"

"Hm..." Dev looks like he's thinking hard about it before he turns to me and leans closer. I put out my ice cream to the side in fear of it dripping on either of us.

"If you want to graduate peacefully, stay far away from the QOD." He said to me quietly like he doesn't want others to hear.

"The QOD?" I repeated with furrowed brows.

"Queen of Diamonds. They're the Queen Bees of Thorne Academy. Whatever you do, don't get in trouble with them or else..."

"Or else?"

Before Dev could respond, I hadn't noticed my ice cream had begun to melt in my hand and before I could stop the disaster, the scoop had landed on a blonde woman that had also not been looking where she was going, busy talking with her friends. "AHHH!" The shriek was so loud I thought my eardrums had popped off.

"You bitch!" She whined and when I got a better look of her, I realized she looked familiar.

Wearing all pink, legs as long as model's, and hair a very loud blonde.

Oh. My. God.

It's the same girl Wes was fucking this morning!