Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 8: The Wrong Girl

~Caspian’s POV~

What in the hell of the Moon Goddess is this?

Cayden crept beside her slowly, his every breath shaky, like he couldn’t believe what he saw. And truthfully—I couldn’t either. Too many thoughts clawing through my head like ravenous wolves, but they all came back to one thing.

Her.

The unconscious girl lying on the cold forest floor, bloodied, bruised, and horrifyingly still... was our mate?

It didn’t make sense. None of it did.

We had been following the scent for hours now through the woods, over the ridge, past the riverbank where the moonlight shimmered like glass on the water. Both of us were silent, focused, bonded by the same instinct.

Mate.

We smelled her before we saw her. The scent was soft and fresh, like jasmine and warm vanilla had wrapped around my wolf like a promise. My beast had howled, begged, and clawed at me from the inside.

And now?

Now she was lying here in front of us. Barely breathing.

"This... can’t be," I whispered, voice hoarse as I stared at her. She was limp, a ragdoll crumpled on a bed of leaves and dirt, moonlight spilling across her soft skin like a spotlight.

"She’s so beautiful..." Cayden murmured beside me, crouching down slowly. He brushed her hair away from her face with the back of his hand like she was the most fragile thing he’d ever touched.

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

His fingers trailed along her jaw, down her neck his eyes wide, lips parted in something like awe.

"She’s exquisite. I’ve never seen anyone like her," he said, breathcatching. "It’s like the moon sculpted her herself."

"Let’s help her," he added, gently lifting her into his arms.

He didn’t know. He couldn’t know. Not yet.

His wolf was practically foaming at the mouth, vibrating with the need to protect her, to claim her. I felt it too. That maddening pull. That invisible thread tying our souls to hers. But I couldn’t move. I was rooted to the spot, frozen, nauseous.

her mates," Cayden grinned

before. She must be from one of the lesser packs. Maybe an Omega’s daughter—Not a former Beta’s child?

former," I said flatly, my voice a shard of ice in

Cayden frowned. "What?"

because she’s a

Silence.

widened. "A Gilbert? As in... Marcus Gilbert’s

I nodded slowly.

sister?" His voice

"Yes."

back, staring at her like he was seeing her for the first time.

human," I said, my

He flinched.

Werewolves don’t get mated to humans. That’s not how the Goddess

"Open your eyes, Cayden."

don’t get pulled into the mate bond. It’s not even possible. And besides—look at

nothing but perfume. No wolf. No shift. No energy. Just skin and bones and blood. She’s not healing. Her wounds—still fresh.

be one of us. Maybe her wolf hasn’t surfaced

her go," I growled, shoving him

I recognized her the moment I saw her face. Her scent didn’t

at me. He grabbed my collar and slammed me against a tree. "Say it again. Say she’s human

"She. Is. Human."

and flung

back slammed against a tree trunk hard enough to crack it down the center. Bark and leaves exploded around

wrong!" he roared. "She has to be one of

What kind of werewolf loses consciousness mid-Mate Party and doesn’t stir? She’s

turned back toward her, knelt

time, his

right," he whispered. "She has

I nodded silently.

He looked back at me, devastated. "She’s

"Yes."