Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 3: Devil’s in disguise

Hazel’s POV

I didn’t waste a single second.

The moment Caspian disappeared from sight, I spun around and bolted to my room. My bare feet thudded softly against the wooden floor, and my breath came in shallow gasps. My hand shook as I grabbed the doorknob, and the second I crossed the threshold, I slammed the door shut behind me.

He saw me.

Beta Caspian. The second most powerful man in the Blue Moon pack. The second of the Triplets. The same man who was supposed to mate with my sister.

Saw me—the disgrace. The shame. The bruised, pathetic girl cowering at the top of the stairs in a torn nightgown and a haunted expression.

What if he tells my father?

What if Father storms up here, drags me downstairs by the hair, and finishes what he started whipping me raw right in front of Caspian?

My stomach twisted at the thought. My hands curled tightly around my gown, fingers digging into the fabric until my knuckles turned white. It was a habit I’d formed over the years clutching my dress to ground myself, to stop my body from shaking. A way to stop myself from breaking.

A skill born from survival.

Then I heard it.

An engine. Rumbling outside.

I gasped and ran to the window, heart pounding in my ears. I pushed the curtain aside and peered through the cracked glass.

There he was.

Beta Caspian stood by the car, impossibly tall and devastatingly poised. His driver had already started the engine. Sophia was clinging to him like a leech in silk, and before he could get into the vehicle, she leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek.

My stomach churned.

Ugh. Seriously?

He didn’t flinch or push her away, but he didn’t smile either. Caspian turned to shake hands with my father, expression unreadable. But then... his gaze drifted upward—straight to my window.

And our eyes met. Again.

I froze.

piercing blue eyes softened for a heartbeat. His lips curved, not into a smirk of mockery, but into something gentler... amused, maybe.

turned and got into the

the window like I’d

hell... just

He smiled at me?

He smiled at me?!

me like I was filth? Like every other

was me. Maybe he thought I was someone else.

and disappeared into the distance. I pressed my hand to my cheek and sighed before collapsing onto the worn-out bed in the corner

bedsheet and yanked it over my head, burying myself in the scratchy fabric as if it could hide the ridiculous

What’s wrong with me?

should be angry. My father literally whipped me this morning. My body was still aching, my face still throbbing from where Natasha clawed at me. But instead of thinking about how close I was to breaking... I was thinking about the man who locked eyes with me for less than five seconds and sent

Damn it, Hazel.

The door creaked open.

in the doorway, tall and silent

just tried to kill me

my

man that

nodded once.

a stiff

about the coming-of-age ceremony for him and

my

be your last chance," he continued coldly. "The final opportunity to prove you’re a true-born Gilbert. To prove

needed to be earned. Like it wasn’t something a father owed

A mechanical reaction. Like muscle

you don’t wolf out... if you don’t shift" he took a step

my throat. He didn’t squeeze, but

hissed, "you

the case... I’ll kill you myself. And no one will

the corners of my eyes, but I didn’t sob. I couldn’t. Crying never helped

to survive

turned, and walked