The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 76: Found Me Crying
Scarlett’s POV
Footsteps thundered behind me. Someone was running. Before I could turn around, a figure blurred into my vision and blocked my path.
It was Leo.
He was breathing hard, his eyes scanning my face with a mix of shock and something that looked almost like pain. He looked at my red eyes and the tears I couldn’t stop.
"Scarlett?" he breathed out. The usual sneer was gone. He reached out as if to touch my shoulder, but he hesitated, his hand hovering in the air. "What happened? Why are you crying like the world is ending?"
I tried to push past him, but he stepped in my way again, his jaw tightening.
"Was it Ethan?" he demanded. His voice dropped, that dark Alpha growl beginning to hum in his chest. "Did that bastard do something to you?"
I looked up at him, my vision blurred by salt and grief. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to tell him that he and his brothers started this pain.
"Leave me alone, Leo," I choked out. "Just go back to your pack and your borders. I don’t need a triplet to ’protect’ me anymore."
He didn’t move. He stood there like a wall of solid muscle, his eyes darkening. "I’m not going anywhere until you tell me why you’re standing in the middle of the road sobbing your heart out. Tell me, Scarlett. Now."
I looked at Leo through a blur of tears, but I didn’t say a word. How could I? How could I tell him that the man I thought was my savior was just like them? I felt a wave of burning shame wash over me. If I told Leo that Ethan was having an affair with Elara, he would laugh at me. He would tell me I was a fool for ever believing a fake engagement could be real.
"Scarlett, look at me," Leo commanded, his voice dropping into a low, vibrating tone. "I am your mate. Seeing you like this... it’s breaking me. What happened? Did someone hurt you? Did someone touch you?"
The word "mate" felt like a sting. It was a title he hadn’t earned, but the bond between us was humming, making his distress echo in my own chest.
"Leave me alone, Leo," I choked out, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "Aren’t you worried people will see us talking? Aren’t you worried about your ’reputation’ as the new Alpha?"
Leo spat on the ground, his eyes flashing with a sudden, violent anger. "I don’t fucking care! Let them look. Tell me what is wrong, Scarlett. Now."
"I don’t want to talk about it," I snapped. I tried to sidestep him, my heart feeling heavy. I just wanted to be alone in the woods where no one could see me fall apart.
I started to walk away, but Leo moved with a predator’s speed, blocking my path again. His shadow fell over me, tall and steady.
"I’m worried," he said, his voice softening just a fraction. "Let me take you back to the packhouse. You shouldn’t be out here alone on the road." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"I don’t want to go back there," I whispered, the thought of seeing Ethan or Camila making me feel sick. "I can’t go back there right now."
Leo paused, his jaw tightening as he studied my face. "Okay. Fine. I’ll take you wherever you want to go. We can drive until the sun goes down if that’s what you need."
"No, Leo. Just go," I pleaded, trying to move past him again.
"Scarlett, I am not leaving you," he growled, his hand catching my wrist—not hard, but firm enough that I couldn’t pull away. "You are shaking. You are crying. I’m not letting you wander the streets like this. Get in the car."
He pointed to his sleek SUV idling by the curb. The coldness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a fierce, stubborn protectiveness that reminded me of the boys who used to carry me home when I was hurt.
I looked at the car, then back at the road where Ethan’s car had disappeared. I didn’t have the strength to fight Leo anymore. I was too tired. Too broken.
"Fine," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "Just... just drive."
I didn’t say a word as Leo pulled the SUV onto the road. I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window, watching the trees. My chest felt hollow, like someone had scooped out my heart and left a cold draft in its place.
Suddenly, a soft melody filled the car. I stiffened. It was an old song, a slow acoustic track we used to listen to on repeat when we were fifteen. Back when we would sit on the porch of the packhouse, our shoulders touching, dreaming of a future that didn’t feel like a nightmare.
"You still have this?" I whispered, my voice cracking.
Leo didn’t look at me. His large hands were gripped tight on the steering wheel. "I never deleted the playlist, Scarlett. I tried. A thousand times. But I couldn’t."
The music made the tears start again, silent and hot. He didn’t ask me what was wrong. He just reached over and turned up the heater, the warmth blowing against my shivering legs.
He didn’t head back toward the packhouse. Instead, the tires crunched onto a gravel path I knew by heart. We were climbing. Higher and higher, away from the village.
When he finally killed the engine at the top of Echo Ridge, the silence was heavy. The wind howled against the car, but inside, the song was just fading out. Below us, the entire territory spread out like a map.
"Why here, Leo?" I asked, finally looking at him.
"Because down there, I’m an Alpha and you’re... you’re who they say you are," he rasped, finally turning his head to meet my eyes. His gaze was dark, swirling with a storm of emotions. "But up here? Up here, we’re just us. Like before."
He got out and walked around to my side, opening the door. The mountain air was biting, different from the heat in the car. I stepped out, my legs feeling heavy. As soon as my feet hit the dirt, the weight of the day—the betrayal, the shame, the loneliness—hit me all at once.
I didn’t just cry. I broke. I pulled the thin fabric of my shirt tight around me and let out a sob that felt like it was tearing my throat open.
"Scarlett, talk to me," Leo growled, stepping into my space. He didn’t touch me yet, but I could feel his heat radiating off him. "Tell me who did this. Tell me whose name I need to erase from this earth."
