The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 21: Mate!

​Scarlett’s POV

​"Mate," my wolf howled again.

​My heart stuttered, then raced as her words sank in. Could it be? Was my mate here in the packhouse tonight?

​The thought sent a rush of excitement through me as my wolf urged me to go investigate, but I didn’t want to go in my wolf form. Consequently, I shifted back into my human form, and this time, the pain wasn’t quite as unbearable.

​I hurried to my closet, searching for a dress since the one I had been wearing was torn during my shift.

I picked the first dress my hand touched and got dressed.

​Taking one last glance at my reflection, I stepped out of my room, following the intoxicating scent that was pulling me forward.

​The scent was leading me toward the garden. My heart pounded in sync with my wolf’s excitement. Could it be that one of the guards was my mate?

The closer I got, the stronger the intoxicating scent became.

​The mansion was quiet, as everyone had already retired to sleep. It was past 12 a.m.

​As I stepped into the garden, my breath hitched. The air was thick with mint and dark spices; it was so intoxicating that my wolf howled in satisfaction. I moved faster, searching for him, and suddenly, I saw a shadow standing in the middle of the garden. His hands were tucked in his pockets, but his back was turned toward me.

​"Mate!" My wolf howled excitedly, but I stopped in my tracks, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. Who is this? Who was my mate, and why did his posture and his physique look so familiar?

​Slowly, and with a racing heart, I made my way toward him, trying to get a better look. The closer I got, the clearer he became. I kept moving, moving until suddenly, my eyes widened and he turned around.

​"Liam!" I exclaimed in shock. The man in the dark was Liam, the eldest of the triplets... my mate?

​"Mate!" My wolf howled loudly, confirming that Liam was indeed my mate.

​My eyes widened, my lips trembled, and my heart raced as I locked gazes with Liam, who had a blank look on his face, just staring at me.

​A moment of awkward silence hung in the air. Even my wolf was silent, as she could feel the tension. There was no noise apart from the flowers rustling in the breeze.

​I wanted to speak. I had so many things to say, so many things to ask, but I didn’t know where to begin. Liam was my mate? Did he know all this while? Of course, he did!

​"You knew," I whispered, barely trusting my voice to hold steady. "You knew all this time, didn’t you?"

​Liam didn’t answer right away. He just stood there, watching me, his expression unreadable and his eyes cold and distant. I searched his face for something—remorse, guilt, anything—but he gave me nothing.

​Then, finally, he spoke. "Yes."

​That single word felt like a blade driven straight into my heart.

​I had always imagined meeting my mate would be a moment of pure joy—an instant, undeniable connection that neither of us could resist. But here he was, standing right in front of me, emotionless, as if the bond meant absolutely nothing.

​"Why?" My voice cracked as I took a shaky step toward him. "Why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you claim me?"

​Liam scoffed bitterly, as if I had just made a silly joke, and then he raised a brow. "I should claim you? Why should I do that? I should claim the daughter of the people who had hands in the death of my mother!" he spat in rage.

​My world tilted. I felt my wolf whimper in distress.

​Liam took a step closer, making me inhale the fascinating scent radiating from him. "I was waiting for this day, Scarlett. For the past two years, I have been waiting for you to get your wolf so I could finally reject you! Reject this bond."

​The words echoed in my mind, making my wolf whimper in pain. She had just awakened, just felt the joy of finding our mate, and now—this? A rejection before we even had a chance?

​I swallowed hard, trying to steady my trembling hands and racing heart. I knew there was no need to plead with him to accept our bond. Liam hated me, and being mated to him was a curse.

​But going through a rejection just a few minutes after getting my wolf would kill her.

​"Liam, please..." My voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "I just got my wolf. She’s weak. I—" I shook my head, trying to fight back the sting of tears. "I need time."

​Liam scoffed, his lips twisting into something cruel. "Time?" He stepped closer, and I could feel the heat radiating off him, the intoxicating scent of mint and dark spices wrapping around me. My wolf purred despite the agony, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. "You want time, Scarlett? Never!"

​A lump formed in my throat. "Please—"

​"No," he cut me off coldly. "You are their daughter. You carry their blood." His jaw clenched as he exhaled sharply. "And that is enough reason for me to reject you."

​I sucked in a sharp breath. The rejection—it was coming. I could feel it in the weight of the air between us, in the anger brewing in his dark eyes. My wolf let out a distressed whine, pleading with me to stop him, to make him reconsider.

​So I did the only thing I could do. I swallowed my pride.

​"Liam," I whispered, my voice trembling with desperation. "Don’t do this. Please."

​For a fleeting moment, something flickered in his eyes. Hesitation? Uncertainty? But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced by the same cold mask.

​"You think begging will change anything?" he mocked, shaking his head. "I don’t want a mate, Scarlett. And if I did, it sure as hell wouldn’t be you."

​The words were a death blow, and this time, I couldn’t stop the tears from spilling down my cheeks.

​My wolf whimpered. "No. No, we can fix this. He’s our mate. He’s supposed to love us."

​But there was no love in Liam’s gaze. Only hatred.

​I inhaled deeply, struggling to breathe past the pain tightening my chest. "Just give me time," I pleaded again, my voice raw. "I—I just got my wolf. And—" I inhaled shakily. "She’s too weak to survive a rejection right now."

​Liam stared at me, his expression unreadable.

​Seconds felt like an eternity before he finally exhaled harshly. "Fine."

​I blinked, barely believing what I’d heard.

​He agreed?

​"I’ll give you three months," he said, his voice filled with anger, as if he were being forced to say it. "Not because I care..." He trailed off. "Once the three months are over, I am rejecting you."

​A tear slid down my cheek, and I looked away, wiping it off.

​The joke is on him... I won’t be here... In a few hours from now, I will be gone...

​"And don’t you dare tell this to anyone. No soul should ever know we are mates. The moment you do, I will end your life with my bare hands," he warned. I knew his words weren’t mere threats—he meant every single one of them.

​I swallowed my pain and nodded, my eyes fixed on the ground as I stared at my bare feet. Because of my excitement to meet my mate, I hadn’t even bothered putting on footwear.

​"Get out!" he suddenly ordered, his voice full of irritation.

​A sharp pain twisted in my chest, but I held my head high despite the tears threatening to spill. I knew begging him again would be pointless. He had already made up his mind.

​With one last look at him, I turned on my heel and ran. My vision blurred with unshed tears, my bare feet hitting the cold grass as I bolted from the garden. I didn’t care where I was going. I just needed to get away. Away from his cruel words. Away from the suffocating pain in my chest.

​I ran through the dimly lit hallways of the pack house, my breaths coming in short gasps, my wolf whimpering in agony. My mind was spinning. My heart was breaking. I barely noticed where I was until I neared my room.

​Then—

​A scent.

​A new one.

​It hit me like a crashing wave, stopping me dead in my tracks.

​The pain in my chest dulled, replaced by something else. Something warm. Something familiar.

​My wolf’s sudden excitement surged through me.

​"Mate!" she howled, her voice filled with a different kind of hunger.

​My breath hitched.

Liam was still in the garden, but the scent wasn’t coming from there.