300 Days With The Alpha Beta Triplets

THIRD PERSON POV:

"What?" they all echoed, and Hazel yanked her hand away from him as she looked him in the eyes once more, feeling nothing but visible disgust.

They couldn't imagine anything worse than that. He just had to be related to Fae.

"I get it now. Riley Storm, but without the claw. How could I have been so stupid?" Hazel questioned, sharing a glance with Bella, who couldn't tell what to feel.

She wanted Hazel to be happy, but she knew that would be almost impossible with whatever this was.

"I used to think things couldn't get worse, but it just did, and..."

"Wait," Riley cut her off before she could finish. "You're judging me for being related to Fae?" he asked.

"Yes!" both girls echoed, and he raised a brow.

"Fae might not have done anything to hurt you, but she's done that to a lot of us, and the entire school hates her. She's worse than the devil," Bella said, and Riley swallowed hard, knowing it would be difficult to get Hazel to like him.

He was genuinely interested in her, and he was mateless. He felt a spark between them, and the only way he would know if they were mates was with a shared kiss, but with the way things were going, it seemed almost impossible.

"I don't care about Fae and her schemes, but I am interested in you, Hazel. I want to know what you think about me and you," he said, and Hazel hesitated for a moment before looking him in the eyes.

"We can't work, and I'm sorry," she said, then grabbed Bella's hand to leave.

Riley attempted to reach for her hand, but Ryder grabbed his wrist.

"Hey," he said, causing Riley to turn around and face the three of them while Bella and Hazel stood still. "She's made her mind clear to you, so why won't you leave her alone?" Ryder asked, and Riley pulled his hand away from Ryder's grip, his face crumpling.

"Who are you supposed to be?" he questioned.

"Bella's mates. That makes Hazel our best friend," Kai answered, crossing his arms.

"And we're very much interested in whatever concerns Hazel. If she says you need to leave her alone, then do that!" Finn gritted his teeth.

Riley took a deep breath, then looked over at Hazel, who was walking away with Bella, and back to the triplets.

"I don't have any intention of hurting her, and I would never do that," he said, and they kept straight faces.

"Until we're sure of that, we don't want you near her," Ryder said, then they walked away, leaving Riley clenching his fists as he spotted Fae from a distance.

He could have easily confronted her, but he told himself it was useless.

"Students!" the camp director began, getting everyone's attention. "If you've gone through your manual, then you know that today's event is the Dominion Quest," he continued. "The Dominion Quest game will be played by all the schools in the four packs, and each school should choose seven students to form their separate territories and mark them with the flags provided. The packs will compete to capture and defend marked territories within the campgrounds by placing their flags and preventing enemies. There will be paint guns, and when a pack member is struck, they can no longer protect their pack. The pack with the most territories held at the end of the game wins. This game emphasizes strategy, teamwork, and quick thinking. So think outside the box, campers, and good luck!" he yelled through the megaphone.

With that, the campers all headed to their territories, keeping an eye out for their opponents. Hazel, on the other hand, couldn't shake the thought of Riley being Fae's cousin, and every time their eyes met, she imagined a million ways she could end Fae's life-but she didn't want to go to jail.

Howlstone Academy chose Ryder, Bella, Hazel, and a few other classmates, including Fae. Fae had been lying low, scheming ways to eliminate Bella, so she didn't speak to Hazel.

The team devised a strategy: three teammates would wander around while one lured the entire members of a territory out. The other two would claim the territory while the enemies were led on a wild goose chase to Howlstone's territory, where they'd be eliminated.

The plan worked perfectly until they reached Husk High's territory.

"This should be easy," Hazel whispered as she snuck into the grounds marked with Husk High's flags.

"Stop!" she heard a familiar voice and turned around.

"Hazel?" Riley asked when he saw her.

Hazel sighed deeply. It just had to be him, she thought to herself.

Riley saw this as an opportunity to talk, but as he approached, she pointed her paint gun at his stomach.

"Come any closer, and I'll shoot," she warned.

In a bold move, Riley leaped toward her, causing her to fire the paint at him, but he managed to knock her down. Just then, the sound of multiple paint guns echoed, and Hazel looked up to see five guys splattered with paint, some of it even hitting the tree next to her.

Riley had saved her from his own team, and she had shot him.

"Way to go, man," one of his teammates said, tossing his paint gun to the ground and walking away. Ryder and another Howlstone teammate hoisted their purple flag with the school logo.

Riley felt bad, but he was glad he had helped Hazel. He didn't know what it was about her, but part of him was convinced she was his mate.

"Thanks," she muttered shyly, then left with her teammates.

**

The Dominion Quest ended, and Howlstone was declared the winner, leaving the entire school in an uproar. Hazel felt the need to thank Riley, even though he was Fae's cousin.

She found him among his peers at the game grounds.

"Thanks for saving me today," she said. He gave her a faint smile as he stared at her. "It would have..."

As she spoke, Riley tried to focus, but his mind wandered to her lips. All he wanted to do was claim them. Without thinking twice, he pulled her closer by the waist, pressing his lips against hers. The word "Mate" echoed in both their

ears.