Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 20: The Rooftop pain

~ Cayden’s POV ~

Daggering my brother was never a choice.

It was mandatory.

A cruel, bloodstained necessity I’ve had to live with every single day for four years. NovelFire

Cyrius wasn’t always like this. Gods, no. As kids, he was the softest of the three of us—the one who always tried to mediate, to patch us up after our fights, the first to laugh and the last to hold a grudge. He was the most excited about the prophecy, about the three of us taking the Alpha throne together.

He believed in the bond between brothers. In the idea of us.

But when the moon chose me—me alone—something in him snapped.

He didn’t just distance himself. He didn’t walk away. He turned rogue. Not in the traditional way—not with claws or violence or open rebellion. No, his betrayal was quieter. More venomous. He turned to the witches. To Crescent magic.

And if anyone ever finds out he’s still alive...

It’ll burn.

Everything.

The pack. The council. Our name.

And I’ll have to kill him. Properly this time.

The beer in my hand sweated in the night air. I stared out at the moon, trying to quiet the noise in my head.

Then Caspian landed beside me on the rooftop. He didn’t say a word. Just dropped down beside me like his spine had given up. His face was blank, but I knew that look. The way his jaw tensed. The twitch behind his eye. He was processing the kind of truth that changes a man forever.

I poured him a cup. He took it without hesitation.

One gulp. And then a scowl.

He coughed. "What the hell did you put in that, you bastard?"

I snorted, already feeling the heat in my limbs. "Look at my perfect Beta," I teased, "brought to his knees by one bottle of alcohol."

"Shut up and help me get up," he grunted, trying to push himself upright. He managed about two inches before sliding back to the floorboards.

I doubled over laughing. "We’re getting married tomorrow," I wheezed. "To our mates. And here we are. Puking on the roof and unable to move our limbs."

He glared at me. "You drugged the drink."

"In my defense," I said, raising a finger dramatically, "you took it from me. Voluntarily."

He reached over, grabbed my hand, then immediately yanked it away like I had thorns. "It’s not every day you find out your long-dead brother is actually alive, Cayden," he muttered, bitterly.

I sobered a little.

"Are we still hung up on that?" I tried to play it off.

His glare burned through me. I poked his side. His scowl deepened. Then, reluctantly, it cracked—and he burst into a laugh he clearly didn’t want to have.

It was brief. But real.

just need time," I

nodded, staring into the sky. "Cyrius should remain there.

been said. Full of trust, too—trust that

alcohol took

Just laid there side by side under the stars, the world silent except for our slow

broken wolves pretending, just for one night, that the world outside this

---

"Are you two serious?"

father’s voice snapped through the morning

groaned. The sun stabbed into my eyes like punishment. My mouth was dry. My bones felt like bricks. I tried to move,

stirred beside me, groaning

arms crossed. "And this

sitting position, his hair a mess, his shirt half untucked. "Father,

a thumb at me,

Caspian didn’t answer.

I almost said it.

blurted the truth

I had dropped a bomb on Caspian’s shoulders—resurrected a ghost that should’ve stayed dead. That this wasn’t a drunk night of wedding

But I didn’t.

Father would

pure rage before hearing us out. He would make it worse. He would destroy everything

So I stayed quiet.

We both did.

apologies, and climbed down the stairs. Hungover.

bottom of the

supposed to be

with laughter, proud parents, cheering pack members, and giddy anticipation. But as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, tightening the collar of my

had been combed back, a fresh cut to sharpen my already severe cheekbones, and my cuffs bore the crest of our lineage: a wolf

Like I was about to walk down an aisle made

wasn’t excited.

I would be marrying a

He didn’t care that she wasn’t like us—didn’t care that her life would be a blink in our eternal

He wanted her. Desperately.

The memory of her body under mine was carved into me like a wound that refused to scab. It wasn’t even about

matter how my wolf clawed at the

all I had to survive. Sixty years, and her fragile human body would give out to

years... that weren’t really

an updo that screamed grace and dominance all at once. She looked at me with those eyes that could still pin me in place

lips—gently, but full of meaning. Then

her. Her voice was laced with desperation and pride,

my hands. "Give this to Natasha when

I nodded.

without waiting for

chamber,

a leaf in a

room as

be late—he’ll be late.

held him by the shoulders. "Go. Get everyone

"But—"

know where he

halls were silent as I walked. Everyone else had gathered near the ceremonial grove, preparing for the grand entrance. The air was thick with anticipation, but my feet carried me in