The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 90: Why All Of A Sudden
Scarlett’s POV
The silence that followed was thick. For the first time, I didn’t see three triplets playing a prank. I saw three powerful Alphas who were looking at me with something that looked a lot like protection.
"We wore the clothes and the lenses to make you laugh," Liam confessed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We thought... we thought maybe you needed to remember that even if Ethan is an idiot, you still have us. You still have the people who actually know who you are."
My heart gave a painful thud. I wanted to stay mad. I wanted to kick them out and wallow in my hurt. But looking at their matching black shirts and those ridiculous green eyes, I felt a tiny crack in the ice around my heart.
"You look ridiculous in those lenses," I whispered, a single tear escaping despite my best efforts.
Leo let out a small, relieved huff of a laugh. "I know. They itch like crazy."
Just then, the healer knocked. She walked in, and I could see the immediate look of surprise in her eyes when she saw the three of them. Even though she was almost twice their age, she bowed low. To any outsider, it looked like a glitch in reality—three identical Alphas, in matching black, with those haunting green eyes, all standing guard over me.
She walked to the bed without a word and sat down. I gave her my arm, which my wolf, Zoe, was already working on. The healer placed her hand over the torn skin, and a gold spark flickered from her fingers. The cooling sensation was instant. The pain vanished, leaving only a faint pink line that I knew would be gone by morning.
I thanked her quietly. She nodded, offered another respectful bow to the triplets, and scurried out of the room.
After she left, the air became thick and awkward. It had been over two years since the four of us had been in such a confined space together. To make matters worse, Zoe was purring excitedly in my head, her tail wagging so hard I felt dizzy. It was annoying. I looked at them, trying to find a flaw in their disguise.
Liam’s hands were tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. Leon’s arms were folded across his chest, his muscles bulging against the black sleeves. Leo’s hands were shoved into his side pockets, his head tilted as he watched me.
I stared at them and wondered how on earth they still didn’t know. I was mated to all three of them. Each brother still believed I was mated to him alone, a secret they were each keeping from one another. Should I tell them? I shook my head internally. No. There was no need. They were engaged to other women, and I was tied to Ethan. The truth would only burn the pack down.
"What are you thinking?" Leo asked, his green-covered eyes narrowing. He always was the one who could tell when my mind was racing.
"I’m thinking you people have to leave," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "The festival is barely over. You don’t want rumors spreading that the Alphas are hiding out in the traitor’s daughter’s room. People already think I’m a monster for what I did to Elara."
"Let them talk," Liam said, his voice dropping into that deep, protective Alpha tone. "We don’t fucking care."
"He’s right," Leon added, stepping closer to the bed. "Besides, if anyone has something to say about us being here, they can say it to our faces. I’d like to see them try."
I felt a lump form in my throat. They were being so kind, so protective, and it was making it so much harder to stay strong. I needed them to leave before I let another tear fall, or worse, before my wolf forced me to reach out and touch them.
"Go," I whispered, pointing toward the door. "Please. I just want to sleep. I’ve had enough of today to last me a lifetime."
Leo sighed, reaching up to finally pop one of the green lenses out of his eye. Beneath it, his sea-blue gaze was soft and full of a regret I wasn’t ready to handle. "Fine. We’re going. But we’re leaving the gold chain on the nightstand. Consider it a trophy for winning the fight."
As they turned to leave, Liam paused at the door and looked back. "He’s not in the packhouse, Scarlett. In case you were wondering. He took her back home."
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat feeling like a stone. Liam saw the flash of pain in my eyes, and for a split second, his lips curled. He smirked. My heart twisted—was he actually happy about this? Was he enjoying the fact that my relationship with Ethan was falling apart?
"Fuck you!" I sneered.
He didn’t say another word; he just smirked, turned on his heel, and shut the door behind him.
The silence of the room rushed back in, cold and suffocating.
I stood up on shaky legs and peeled off my dirty, blood-soaked clothes. The fabric was stiff with sweat and dirt from the field. I spent a long time in the bath, letting the hot water scrub away the scent of the arena, but it couldn’t wash away the memory of Ethan’s roar or the way he cradled Elara.
I came back into the bedroom, pulled on a loose, oversized cardigan to hide my frame, and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. The exhaustion of today finally settled on my bones, making me feel completely drained.
I picked up the gold chain the triplets had left. The metal was cool against my skin as I rubbed my fingers over the links.
"Why now?" I whispered into the empty room. "Why are you changing now?"
The kindness was worse than the cruelty. If they stayed mean, if they stayed distant, I could keep my heart locked away. I wanted them to be unkind. I needed them to be the monsters they were, because that made it easy to hate them. But now? Now the lines were blurring, and Zoe’s constant purring was making it impossible to ignore the bond.
I eventually drifted into a restless sleep, my mind spinning with images of them.
Suddenly, I jerked upward, my body covered in a cold sweat. I was panting, my lungs burning as if I had been running for miles. My heart was hammering against my ribs.
"What... what did I just dream?" I gasped, clutching the blankets to my chest.
Zoe was pacing in the back of my mind, her fur bristling and a low, frightened growl vibrating in my skull. She was also terrified.
