Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 47: Pain of a monster

*~Hazel’s POV~*

I stormed into my room, my chest heaving like I had just run a mile through mud. I don’t know what I thought—that they would believe me? Me? The helpless human girl whose voice had never mattered in a room full of wolves. One strange observation and I thought it would finally count for something?

It never has.

Caspian didn’t follow me. He didn’t even try. He just stood there, watching me walk away. Or maybe he’d already turned his back by then. I didn’t go to his chamber this time—I went to mine. I wanted to be alone, where the silence wouldn’t try to argue with me, where I didn’t have to pretend I was still brave.

The moment I shut the door behind me, the weight of everything crashed down.

I collapsed into the bed without even pulling back the covers. I lay there as the hours passed, unmoving, my body heavy and my mind louder than ever. At some point, the room began to dim. Evening gave way to night, and moonlight crept through the slits in my curtains, casting silver streaks over my skin.

The glow touched my face. I didn’t move. I just turned to my side and touched my stomach, rubbing slow circles.

I gasped softly. A soft movement NovelFire

It was faint. So faint. But I felt like...

My child.

And then the memory returned. The thing I saw. The thing no one wanted to believe. The thing with his eyes. The way he looked, the power around him, the way something ancient had flickered across his skin for a split second. What is he? Who the hell did I get pregnant for?

Before the thought could consume me again, a sound cut through the stillness—a knock. But not on my door.

Tap. Tap.

I sat up sharply. My head whipped toward the window.

Another knock.

I crawled to the window and peeked through the glass. My breath caught. A small folded letter was pressed to the outside, pinned with a silver thumbtack. I opened the window slowly, letting the cool breeze brush past me, and took the letter.

Scrawled in dark ink:

"Meet me at the rooftop."

My heart stuttered.

Who? Why?

But curiosity? Yeah, it had always been the death of me.

I didn’t think—I just moved. Slipped out the back of my chamber and snuck through the silent halls. Up the winding stairwell that led to the roof of the high-house.

When I finally pushed open the rusted door, the night air kissed my skin, and my eyes found him.

Sitting near the ledge, his posture relaxed, but everything about him screamed tightly wound chaos. His long black hair blew gently in the breeze, a few strands sticking to his sharp cheekbones. He had a trimmed beard now, darker than the last time I saw him this close. And those eyes—goddess, those eyes, blood red, glowing faintly under the moonlight.

Cayden.

catching me in his gaze. And then, slowly, he patted

sat in one hand. Another empty cup in the other. As he

I didn’t move.

froze.

sit next to him. Not after what I’d said. Not after the way

calm and collected. But that didn’t

forward. The memory of his face when I called him that. The pain in it, like a mirror of something he’d seen before. His mother looked

something

slowly and sat beside him, careful not to brush

me the

I flinched.

quickly masked with a scornful half-smile. "I forgot," he muttered, "humans don’t like sitting near

" I stopped, then took the cup from him gently. I placed it back on the ground, between us. "I can’t drink

He raised a brow.

said, rubbing my belly like it would prove my words.

then he chuckled. A real, low sound that rumbled from

said, taking the cup back and downing it in one long gulp. "I’m used to

"People like me?"

shifted toward the stars.

know how to answer that. But then he turned to me fully, his

quiet, almost gentle... Almost? "That made you call me

stinging with everything I hadn’t said for weeks I’ve stayed in the high-house. My voice trembled, but

why I called you

me,

I began, counting on my fingers, "you

eyes flinched just

got me

but

Called it illegitimate like

eyes dropped

possession. Five" I inhaled sharply, voice shaking now. "You started acting all weird. Possessive.

my voice dropped, lower, softer, like it might break

I had the

He didn’t look up.

crawling under your skin. This terrifying power bursting out of you like something

Silence.

Then, a whisper. "What?"

said, first you

something wild flashing in them. "The

My heart thudded.

in your body. And this weird power was surging through you.

when his face

flickered in his soft