𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐃 [𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐘𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐗 𝐒𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐗 𝐎𝐂]

ᴠ. ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪᴇʟᴅ ᴛʀɪᴘ

Anthea, Ethan, and Aiden stand outside the school building as Coach Finstock checks that everyone who is supposed to be there is there and fixes the school bus they are going to take on the field trip. 

The tribrid hears a buzz coming from her phone and turns it on. When she sees her father's name pop up on the screen, she immediately turns it off. 

Ethan smirks proudly. "Ouch. Stone cold. Make him suffer." 

Anthea turns to him, pressing her lips together. "I'm simply hinting that since he couldn't even bring himself to undagger me himself, but my Uncle Elijah had to instead, I have no desire to come crawling back like I'm a foolish five-year-old girl still. I have grown up. I see his patterns. It's time he realizes he has to work for it if he simply wants me to acknowledge his existence." 

Aiden smiles softly. "I would say bring him down on his knees, but it seems he is below that. He is very desperate for your attention." 

Anthea inhales sharply. "Then he shall be. I am not giving him anything except silence and dismissal." 

"Not hatred?" Ethan raises his eyebrows gently. 

Anthea turns to her cousin, pursing her lips in thought before opening her mouth to speak in a neutral tone. "I do not hate my father, Ethan. I will admit, there is a strong dislike. Passionately strong dislike, but not hatred. I hate his actions, not him." 

Aiden eyes her softly. "Well, I think it's good that you are not petty to sink to his level. You are better than him, Anthea. Don't stop that." 

Anthea nods slightly. 

All while the two alpha werewolf betas and the original tribrid talk, they are unaware of how the McCall Pack and Chimera Pack are watching them. 

***

Anthea and Aiden make the world's worst mistake on the bus. They choose to sit in front of Ethan and Danny. They hear the two boys whispering, giggling, and kissing occasionally as they watch a movie on Danny's phone. 

The tribrid and alpha werewolf share a look. 

"This is like a bad romance movie." Anthea comments snarkily. 

Aiden turns to her questioningly with raised eyebrows. "You were undaggered recently according to Deucalion, so how do you know about romance movies? When did you have time to watch them? And since when does romance interest you?" He interrogates. 

"Whoa, slow down with the questions, doggy." Anthea fires back sassily, a trait she has picked up from her uncle, Elijah. "And my aunt loves such things. Romance, love, et cetera. She has texted me and gossiped about movies. Apparently, she dislikes Twilight. She thinks Bella is worse than Elena. I don't know what that means so I just agreed with her to make her stop." 

Aiden chuckles amused. "I thought you liked her better than your father?" 

Anthea presses her lips together. "I do. But my fathers, my aunt, and my uncles have a habit of annoying the bloody shit out of me. And still, I care for them. Somehow." 

Aiden purses his lips, nodding slowly. 

***

While Aiden is asleep on Anthea's shoulder, which surprisingly doesn't irritate her. She sees him more as an annoying brother than an adopted cousin. She thinks about her first suitor, right after she became a vampire. She hadn't seen her father's controlling and overprotective ways back then. She just thought he was a loving father. She was deadly wrong and an innocent boy who courted her paid the price. She sometimes misses the day when she was sweet, innocent, gentle, and aware of the cruelties of the world. Unaware of her father's cruelty.