Billionaire Quadruplet Alphas

Sunday 27th September, 2020.

Noah

I did not know if I could handle anymore wrong picks but I had to for Star. I grabbed the infinity snow globe and it pulled me through darkness and back into the snow globe room. I could not afford to dawdle too much. Eli and Zaya had to go after me and the ghoul was getting hungrier and angrier by the minute.

At least I had another hint now, the wrong symbols represented fears. The infinity symbol had been wrong. I really hoped one of my other picks was correct. I looked at the fire, the crown, the beating heart and the star. One of these would still have to be eliminated. I only had three more tries. Fire could definitely be a fear. The crown could also represent the fear of responsibility. Dad loved that saying, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.” I sighed. Leadership certainly wasn’t easy.

The beating heart did not seem as though it could represent one of my fears. The star also did not seem like something fear-related. The crown kept calling to me. I grumbled to myself. I slammed my fist on the floor in frustration, cracking the tiles. I watched my bleeding palm heal seamlessly. My own heart was racing. I went out on a limb and grabbed the beating heart snow globe on impulse. I felt my stomach lurch as I was pulled into another location.

My eyes snapped open. I g*****d in frustration. I was back at the hospital where Chet and Jillian had been. Guilt flared up inside of me. Their accident had been partly my fault for getting close to Star. The curse had caused it. I reminded myself that this wasn’t real and they were okay now. I was standing in the pristine waiting room just outside of the ICU. I knew the ghoul meant for me to go inside the ICU but what could it really do if I didn’t. I could just stand out here until it let me go back to the snow globe room, couldn’t I? No, I could not. Eli and Zaya. I had to get this done quickly to save my little brothers the extra hardship.

I burst into the ICU, ready to get this over with. My heart almost leapt out of my chest at the sight before me. Jillian and Chet were nowhere to be found. Star was in one of the ICU beds and my mother was in the other. Their monitors were both beeping steadily, signifying that they were breathing and their hearts were still beating. I felt a little panicked, anxious about what was to come. I went closer to my mom’s bed. She looked like she had been in a car accident too. Her leg was in a cast and she had a lot of small cuts all over her. I smoothed the hair off of her forehead. She was sweating profusely with the effort of healing all of these injuries. It was a lot even for a werewolf’s superhuman immune system. I kissed her forehead.

“Mom, I’ll be back,” I mumbled.

I went over to Star. She was unconscious too. She looked even worse than Mom with both of her arms and one of her feet in thick casts. I covered my face with my hands and g*****d. I touched Star’s cheek. Her monitor began beeping faster and so did Mom’s. The doctors rushed into the room followed by the nurses.

“What is it?” I asked. “What’s happening?!” I demanded but everyone ignored me as they split into two teams and got to work on my Mom and Star.

“Are they gonna be ok?” I asked, my voice thick with tears.

I had an eerie feeling that someone was watching me amidst all this chaos. I slowly glanced behind me. My breath hitched in my throat. Georgianna was standing there barely a foot away pale and gaunt like a harbinger of death. She smiled wickedly at me.

“Why are you doing this?” I yelled.

She was shaking with suppressed laughter. She tossed her head back and laughed maniacally. I backed away from her. I had arrived without the snow globe a second time. Was the snow globe in her body again? I looked at the cackling corpse distastefully. She stopped laughing and shook her head as though she could read my thoughts. A chill crept through me. She pointed a grey taloned finger at Star. No. My stomach lurched and it was not motion sickness this time.

“No,” I cried.

She nodded slowly, her malicious smile widening.

“NO!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.

She vanished, leaving me with the medical teams and my loved ones. I heard it. The worst sound in the world. The never-ending beep of a flatline. They were dying.

“No, no, please,” I begged the doctors who continued to work on them.

Their hearts did not restart. Eventually the medical team announced defeat despite my pleas. No one even looked at me. They covered them with white sheets. I ripped the sheets down off of their faces. They both looked so peaceful as if they were just sleeping.

I looked at the spot where the corpse had been and there was something on the floor. A scalpel. Had one of the doctors left this behind? Instinctively I knew they hadn’t. This was from her. She had left it here for me to get the next snow globe. I looked at Star’s angelic face.

It’s not really Star, Noah, I reminded myself.

There was a strange hemispherical swelling under the white blanket. I pulled it down. I raised the hem of Star’s shirt a little with trembling hands to see her tummy. It was swollen but not like a pregnancy. There was something perfectly round in there. I felt nauseated. What kind of a monster was Heath? He was watching this with the real Star. How could a father be ok with these tasks? They were vile. Prudence was about making the right decisions. There was nothing right about this.

“I won’t do it,” I said aloud. Zaya was probably going to kill me.

“I can’t and I won’t,” I declared. “It’s disgusting and it has nothing to do with me being the right person for Star!” I screamed at the wall, tears forming in my eyes.

I knew they were behind there. A door appeared in the wall. It creaked open slowly. I tilted my head a little, trying to peer into it. Beyond it, I could see nothing but impenetrable darkness. I looked around. There was nowhere else to go. I pocketed the scalpel rather than throw it aware. I covered up Star and my Mom, kissing their foreheads. I went into the darkness through the door.

Star

I watched as Noah disappeared into the darkness. I was crying. I had been screaming at my Dad to call off the challenge. It was too sick. This was completely not what I had expected.

“This is gross, Dad!” I said again.

He would not even look at me.

“What is wrong with you? Since when do you hate me?” I asked, my voice thick with tears.

Asriel and Toby were quiet. Jonah was glaring at Dad. Zaya and Eli were watching the arena with worried faces.

“Where’s my brother?” Snarled Jonah.

Dad smirked.

“Dad! Where’s Noah? I thought that door led right outside here to us!” I cried.

Dad was shaking a little, holding back laughter. I backed away from him.

“WHERE’S MY LITTLE BROTHER?!” Yelled Jonah in his alpha voice making the whole room shake.

Dad was powerful but he was not an Alpha, he would be compelled to answer the question by wolf law. Harper had been explaining wolf law and Fae law to me of late as he would govern over both in this pack. Dad was silent, resisting the Alpha command.

“TELL ME!” Shouted Jonah.

Dust rained down from the ceiling.

“Jonah, stop!” I whispered.

Something in my voice made him look at me, his green eyes shimmering with tears.

“Jonah, Eli, Zaya, come here! Now please!” I hissed.

They came towards me worriedly.

“Make your Dad bring back Noah!” Cried Jonah.

I could not mind-link in this room. I had my phone. I typed:

That’s not my Dad.

I showed the screen to Jonah facing it away from whoever that was. Eli and Zaya flanked me protectively.

“All right. Well, that’s it then. Challenge over. Bring Noah out!” Said Zaya authoritatively.

“Noah has failed his task,” said Dad’s lookalike, his voice silky smooth not gruff. That was so unlike Dad. How could I have been so stupid? Why didn’t I notice that before? This person had graceful movements, refined mannerisms and a total lack of empathy. The opposite of Dad. Dad was all heart and impulse and unrefined jagged edges. He was a warrior with his heart on his sleeve. Once I revealed that I knew this wasn’t my Dad, things would go in another direction. Should we play along until Noah was released?

“Ok, so bring him out. The challenge is over!” I said, my voice shaking a little.

The imposter looked at me with a sly smile.

“There are four of them,” said my Dad’s imposter.

“Great math,” snarled Zaya, rolling his eyes. “We’re quadruplets. We know.”

That silky laugh echoed through the room again.

“Yes, well, one has succeeded,” said the imposter, looking at Jonah. “And one has failed,” said my Dad’s imposter, looking back at the empty arena. “There are two tasks left. If they are both done satisfactorily, that would be an overall win,” he said simply.

“Let’s say it’s an overall tie or fail,” said Eli. “Then what?”

“You can’t be with Star,” said the imposter.

“But what about Noah?” I asked.

“Do you take me for a monster?” Said the imposter.

Yes, I thought to myself.

“No, I’m not. I’m your father, Star. I love you,” said my Dad’s imposter.

His false words made me sick. He could barely get those lies out with a straight face. Where was my real Dad? Was he ok? Was Noah ok?

“Noah will return at the end of the challenge regardless of the outcome,” said the imposter.

“So where is he now?!” I asked, my heart racing.

I was terrified but I could not say anything yet. I needed a plan of some kind first.

“He’s in the arena, in the ghoul’s domain…in another waiting room, quite like this one,” said my Dad’s doppelgänger.

I looked around me. I did not believer him one bit. I knew that Noah was alive though. The Quadruplets or I could sense it. We just were not able to find him without help. I did not know anything about ghouls. I looked at Asriel and Toby.

“I don’t want to do this anymore. Take Noah out and shut down the arena and feed the ghoul!” I said to Asriel.

Asriel was hesitant. He would barely look at me. He was looking at the doppelgänger.

“Why don’t Eli and Zaya just complete their tasks?” Suggested Toby with an apologetic smile. “Then…it’ll all be over.”

“It’ll all be over?” Said Jonah.

“It’ll be complete and we can shut down the arena,” said Toby.

“You said over!” Snapped Jonah.

“I meant complete,” said Toby. “Over, complete, what difference does it make? Said Toby with a laugh.

“It makes a huge difference,” said Eli, standing in front of me. “I don’t wanna play this game anymore.”

“Eli, wait!” I cried, guessing what he was about to do.

“We know you’re not Heath,” growled Eli. “I’m not too sure about Asriel and Toby either!” He snarled.

The imposter was shaking with barely suppressed laughter again. He burst into a fit of laughter, doubling over. His eyes looked wild. I backed away from him. I ran to the door to exit this room and go back to the hallway. I tugged on the handle. It was locked.

“This door isn’t supposed to be locked!” I shrieked. “Only the arena’s door should be locked!”

The maniac was still laughing. Asriel and Toby flanked him in silence.

“Don’t you get it?” Said the imposter. “As soon as you entered the waiting room. That was it. You are all in the arena, even now,” he revealed.

I gasped. The door to the waiting room was the entrance to the arena. We had been watching the tasks from inside the same arena. We had all been trapped this whole time. No wonder we could not mind-link, even in the waiting room. It all made sense now. The waiting room was part of the arena. We were all in the ghoul’s domain.

“Let Star go!” Said Zaya. “What do you have against her? Who are you? You’re not her father. Why do you care who she is with?” Demanded Zaya.

“Star shouldn’t even exist!” Spat the imposter. “I am her father,” said the imposter mockingly. “Well, I would have been her stepfather if her w***e mother could have kept her legs closed and married who she was promised to!” Bellowed the imposter, his eyes turning black. He leapt at us.

I shrieked. Energy burst out of me, making the overhead lights surge and then rain sparks down on everyone. Eli grabbed me, shielding me with his body. A small fire had started in the waiting room. The sparks stopped forming.

“Should we put it out?” Asked Asriel, looking at my Dad’s imposter.

They were all in this together. Eli didn’t release me even as the sparks stopped falling.

“Who are you two then?” I asked.

“Star, it’s me, it’s Toby!” Said Toby’s imposter.

“BULLSHIT!” I screamed.

“Language, young lady!” Said my Dad’s imposter.

“My Dad doesn’t give a f**k about language! Who are you people? And where are Noah, my Dad, my cousin and my best friend?!” I yelled, making the room shake, surprising even myself.

“You haven’t figured it out yet! I just told you who I am!” Laughed my Dad’s imposter.

He had just called my mother a w***e. That was why I made the lights spark. I was furious. I looked at the growing fire in the corner. We needed to get out of here and teleporting did not work.

“You’re Star’s relative too,” said Jonah suddenly.

My Dad’s imposter smiled.

“You’re the cousin of her mother. You were going to marry her mother but she ran off with her mate, Heath,” said Jonah.

“And they say Noah is the smart one,” said the my mother’s cousin theatrically. “I am many, many, many people! Anyone I want to be, in fact!” Said the imposter, transforming as he said that.

In a few moments, he transformed from my Dad into the Queen. I gasped. Had he been the Queen the whole time.

“So where is my real great grandmother then?” I cried.

“That’s for me to know and you to never find out!” He snarled, transforming from the Queen into a tall muscular man with dark hair and olive skin. He bore a certain family resemblance to Harper and me.

“I am Holden,” he said with a deep bow, his smile mocking me.

“Where’s my Dad?” I cried.

“Where’s Heath?” Demanded Eli, his eyes turning black. “How long have you been him? What have you done with him and my brother?”

Holden sighed. “What is it about Heath that’s so special,” he said exasperatedly.

Eli pounced on Holden, shifting in midair in a split-second. I had never seen someone shift so quickly. In the blink of an eye, he became a wolf just before he tackled Holden to the floor. Clearly, Holden had not been expecting that as he crashed backwards onto the floor with Eli landing on top of him. Eli’s huge front paws had Holden pinned to the floor. Holden’s eyes were pitch black. He was trying to shift but finding it difficult because of Eli’s massive wolf, pressing him down. Eli went for the jugular.

“NO!” I shrieked. “We need him to find the others!”

Eli hesitated. Holden sent Eli flying across the room. Holden was using magic! I caught Eli and cushioned the fall with my magic, putting him back on his paws.

“You’re controlling this whole arena!” I said.

Holden laughed as Asriel and Toby helped him to his feet.

“I can’t take all the credit. There actually is a hungry ghoul! This waiting room is the only place it can’t enter!” Said Holden.

“And who are these two?” Snarled Johan, looking at Asriel and Toby.

Toby’s face began to bubble as if it were boiling under his skin’s surface. His features warped themselves. He grew a little taller and his body changed shape. I gasped as long blonde hair grew out of his head.

“Angie’s Mom!” I said.

“You killed my daughter!” Snarled Mrs Plastique.

“Your daughter tried to kill me!” I said in my defence.

“Either way, Star didn’t kill her,” barked Jonah. “I killed your daughter!”

Mrs Plastique looked genuinely shocked for a moment. Asriel’s face was changing too. He transformed into a man I did not recognise.

“Who the f**k are you?!” Snarled Zaya.

“This is my fiancé, Deacon. He’s Holden’s half-brother on his mother’s side of the family. She was a witch, you know,” said Mrs Plastique, smiling as though she were introducing him at a party over some champagne.

“Mr Plastique isn’t even cold in his grave,” muttered Jonah.

“What would you know about loyalty?” Hissed Mrs Plastique.

“More than you and your daughter!” Snapped Jonah.

“Don’t you talk about my daughter! You ruined her life and her chance to be Luna! And then you killed her!” Shrieked Mrs Plastique.

“ENOUGH!” Roared Holden. “My new recruits are a little temperamental,” said Holden with a glance at Mrs Plastique and her fiancé.

“Nevertheless, we have a lot to do and we can’t have you running about, spoiling everything,” said Holden, who seemed to be summoning his energy.

I braced myself for an attack, shielding myself and my mates, but he did not lash out at us. He merely snapped his fingers. The snap seemed to echo in this room. I felt my stomach lurch and then I was dragged into darkness.

I woke up on a cold hard surface. I struggled to stand up. I recognised the tiles. The snow globe room Noah had faced his task in. I looked around and spotted Jonah, Zaya and Eli’s wolf shaking off the same disorientation that I felt. I looked at the wall where the ghoul wrote messages.

This is permanence.

“That’s not one of the four,” I said to the others.

“There’s no challenge anymore. No tasks. This was the real deal behind all of it. Holden must have promised us to the ghoul,” said Jonah, pulling me to him. Eli remained shifted and stood in front of me. Zaya stood next to Eli.

“Promised us to the ghoul? So what? It can torment us forever until we go crazy!” Said Zaya.

“No,” said Jonah. “It’s hungry. Ghouls tend to play with their food first…and they eat flesh, usually of the dead but…they would settle for the living.”