The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 64: Caught In The Woods
Scarlett’s POV
"Scarlett is mine," Leon stated, his eyes fixed on his brothers.
My heart skipped a beat. I swallowed hard, my throat dry. Was he going to say it? Was he going to admit to the bond in front of his brothers and break this web of lies?
"I have loved her since we were kids," he continued, but the words weren’t about the mate bond. "I had it all planned. I was going to ask her to date me on her eighteenth birthday. I had it all planned out!"
Liam stepped forward, his eyes flashing with a competitive fire. "So do I! I love her, Leon. I wanted to ask her out that day, too. I was just waiting for the right moment, but then everything went to hell."
Leo let out a harsh, dry scoff from the corner of the room. He leaned against my dresser, looking at his brothers with pure disdain.
"You guys just never change," Leo said, shaking his head slowly. "I was the first one who started showing my feelings for Scarlett. I was the one who noticed her first. You two just like competing with me over everything, and now you’re doing it with this? With her?"
I stood there, swaying slightly, staring at the three of them. My wolf, Zoe, was howling inside my head, pacing back and forth. Tell them! she urged. Tell them the moon chose all of them! But the words died in my throat. I was too drunk, too hurt, and too angry.
"Both of you step back," Leo growled, straightening up and walking toward me. "Scarlett is mine."
"Hell no," Liam snapped, blocking his path.
"Never!" Leon roared.
They formed a tight, vibrating circle around me, three Alphas ready to go to war over a girl they had ignored for two years. They were claiming "love" and "childhood crushes," yet none of them were brave enough to claim the bond. None of them were brave enough to say the word Mate.
I looked from Leon’s protective stance to Liam’s desperate gaze, then to Leo’s possessive smirk. A dark, twisted thought crossed my mind. If I told them now—if I told them I was mated to all three—would they finally accept me together? Or would they tear each other apart?
I couldn’t take it anymore. The room was too small, the air was too thick with their competing scents, and the weight of their secrets was crushing me. My head throbbed from the alcohol, and my heart was tired of being pulled in three different directions.
"Leave," I whispered, my voice trembling.
They all froze, their eyes snapping to mine at the same time.
"Scarlett—" Liam started, reaching out a hand, but I flinched away, nearly dropping the bottle.
"I said leave! All of you!" I found my voice, and it came out as a loud scream. "Go back to your party. Back to your Lunas... your crowns. I don’t want any of you in my room tonight. Get out!"
Leon looked like he wanted to argue, his jaw working as he stared at the red marks on my skin that his brothers had left. Leo’s expression was dark, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to snatch me up and carry me away. But they saw the look in my eyes—the raw, jagged pain of a woman who had reached her breaking point.
One by one, they backed away. Leon was the last to move, his gaze lingering on my face for a heartbeat longer before he followed his brothers out through the balcony doors. The silence they left behind was sudden and deafening.
I didn’t even have the strength to lock the door. I let the bottle slip from my fingers, hearing it thud against the rug as I collapsed onto the bed. I didn’t bother getting under the covers; I just lay there in my underwear, my skin humming with the ghost of their touches.
My breath came in short, jagged gasps. My chest heaved as I stared up at the ceiling, the room still spinning. Zoe was quiet now, exhausted by the emotional storm, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
I was mated to all three. The future Alphas. The men who were supposed to lead this pack were currently ready to kill each other for a girl they were publicly replacing. I closed my eyes, a single tear sliding into my hair.
"What am I going to do?" I whispered to the shadows.
But the only answer was the distant sound of the party downstairs, celebrating a future that didn’t include me.
The alcohol was still singing in my blood, but my skin felt too tight, too hot. I couldn’t stay in this room. I needed to move. I needed the wind on my face and the scent of damp earth to drown out the lingering smell of three Alphas who were breaking my heart.
I stood up, swaying as I pulled on a set of nightwear—long pants and a shirt. It was one of the many things Alpha Ethan had gotten for me this morning.
I left my room and moved down the stairs. The party was still in full swing; I could hear the muffled roar of celebration and the clinking of glasses coming from the grand hall.
As I reached the heavy gates of the mansion, the guards straightened up. They saw me, but they didn’t move to stop me. Weeks ago, they would have barked an order for me to get back to the kitchens. But tonight, I was no longer a maid. I was a guest—Alpha Ethan’s guest—and I had the freedom to go wherever I wanted, at any time.
I stepped into the woods. It was dark, the shadows of the ancient pines stretching like long fingers across the forest floor, but I wasn’t afraid. I knew that once I shifted, Zoe would see everything as clear as day.
The cool air began to sober me up, but my mind was still a mess. I walked deeper into the trees, seeking the silence of the inner forest. Suddenly, a sound caught my ear—a soft, rhythmic gasping and the rustle of leaves that didn’t sound like the wind, but like soft moans.
I froze, my heart hammering. I crept closer, hiding behind a thick oak tree and peering around the trunk.
Two people were pressed against a tree just a few yards away, locked in a heated, passionate kiss. My breath hitched as I looked at the man’s back. I knew that frame. I knew the way he carried his shoulders. It was Alpha Lennox. He was still wearing the formal robes from the ceremony—the dark velvet and gold embroidery glinting faintly in the stray moonlight.
My eyes widened. Who was he kissing? I shifted my weight, trying to get a better angle, but his large, powerful frame covered the woman completely. All I could see were small, pale hands clutching at his shoulders.
The air was so filled with their arousal that it made my head spin.
As if sensing my presence, Lennox’s head snapped toward my direction. His eyes, sharp, and alert even in the dark, seemed to lock onto the shadow where I stood.
Panic flared in my throat. I didn’t wait for him to call out. I didn’t wait to see the woman’s face. I spun around and began running, my bare feet slamming against the dirt as I ran—back to the safety of the packhouse.
