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.

need time,"

sky. "Cyrius should remain

been said. Full of trust, too—trust that my brother, even in the face of betrayal,

alcohol took

by side under the stars, the world silent except for

broken wolves pretending, just for one night, that

---

"Are you two serious?"

father’s voice snapped through the morning like a

into my eyes like punishment. My mouth was dry. My bones felt like bricks. I tried

beside

arms crossed. "And this is

struggled into a sitting position, his hair a mess,

a thumb at me, "but you? You were supposed to keep him in check.

Caspian didn’t answer.

I almost said it.

blurted the truth right

shoulders—resurrected a ghost that should’ve stayed dead. That this wasn’t a drunk night of wedding nerves, but the result of

But I didn’t.

Father would

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

So I stayed quiet.

We both did.

the stairs. Hungover. Sore. Sobered

didn’t say anything as we parted at the bottom of the staircase. Caspian turned left. I

supposed to be joyous,

as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, tightening the

silver, the same colors our ancestors wore when pledging to their fated mates. My hair had been combed back, a fresh cut to sharpen my already severe cheekbones, and my cuffs bore the crest of

the layers of tradition and regal fabric, I felt empty. Like I was about to walk down an aisle made of glass,

excited. Not

I would be marrying

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.

of her body under mine was carved into me like a wound that refused to scab. It wasn’t even about the mistake. Not anymore. It was about how my body had betrayed me... how it still ached for her,

touch her again. No matter how my wolf clawed at the walls

told myself. That’s all I had to survive. Sixty years, and her fragile human body would give out

weren’t really

from my thoughts. Mother entered, dressed in elegant pale blue, her silver hair swept into an updo that screamed grace and dominance all at once. She looked at

the lips—gently, but full of meaning. Then she whispered, "Please... is there any way you can not kiss the human

laced with desperation and

could answer, she shoved a small bouquet into my hands. "Give this to Natasha when she walks down the aisle. Try to look

I nodded.

without waiting

my chamber, chaos

was twirling like a

the room as he yelled Caspian’s name

he?! We’ll be late—he’ll be late. Oh my gods—he’ll ruin

him by the shoulders. "Go.

"But—"

where he

halls were silent as I walked. Everyone else had gathered near the ceremonial grove, preparing for the grand