Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 77: Burial

**~ Cyrius POV ~**

Day three.

It’s been three days of searching for Dahlia...and still, she’s nowhere to be found.

I’ve followed traces of her magic. Faint trails, flickers in the air, whispers in the wind. They always lead to something—a burned leaf, a twisted sigil etched into stone but never to her. Every time I think I’m getting closer, it all disappears like smoke.

And to make it worse... I’m traveling with babies.

No one warned me how exhausting this would be. No one said anything about diaper changes, sleepless nights, and random crying fits over absolutely nothing.

I can’t even remember the last time I slept for more than two hours. My back aches. My eyes burn—my patience... thin.

But still...I keep them close.

I’ve grown fond of them. Strangely.

Heather, for one, has a personality already. She doesn’t like being fed while lying down. She’ll scream bloody murder unless I hold her upright, facing me. And then there’s her brother still nameless, still observant. He doesn’t cry much unless she does, or when he’s hungry. He stares a lot. Like he’s thinking. Judging me.

We’re still in New Orleans. I know it’s dangerous. I should have fled by now. But something in my gut tells me Dahlia is still here. Her tracks though faint are rooted in this city.

And surprisingly... everything is quiet.

Cayden and Caspian haven’t launched a full-scale search yet, or if they have, they’re doing it quietly. No bounty hunters. No scent trackers. No wolfs clawing at my heels.

Just silence. Just me and the babies.

Like now.

I sat under a tree near the edge of the French Quarter, worn down and tired. The twins were curled against me...Heather was still wide awake, tugging at my hair like it was her toy, and the boy, already fast asleep in the crook of my elbow.

The breeze was warm. The streets hummed in the distance. For once, things were... still.

And then I heard voices.

A group of men passed nearby. Their conversation was light, casual, and I wouldn’t have paid them any mind if not for one word.

"Marcus."

My head snapped up. That name...

That was it.

That was the name Dahlia had mentioned to me when I first woke. Through my pain, through the haze of resurrection, she’d whispered a name..Marcus. I’d been struggling to remember it since. But now it echoed, loud and clear.

And then I heard the rest.

"Yeah, they’re burying him today. Alpha Cayden killed him and his last kid... brutal."

"Very brutal, to think he was the pack’s former beta."

My chest tightened. My pulse froze.

Killed?

Marcus... is dead?

forward, straining to hear more. My entire body

family got locked up. The girl too. They’re all done for. Alpha ordered a public burial. Guess it’s happening

dropped into my stomach. Everything

shielding their faces from the slanting ash-yellow sunlight. Heather whined in protest, but I ignored it.

Marcus was dead.

get what I wanted. He knew things, secrets about the babies, about

now... he

Murdered by Cayden?

started moving..quietly but quickly, trailing the men at a distance through the streets. The twins bounced gently against my chest, but I cradled them tight.

My mind spun wildly.

would Cayden kill

did Marcus know that got him

toward a small square near the edge of town—a public cemetery built for pack warriors and honored elders. I followed carefully, staying among the shadows, avoiding

still playing with the

She didn’t know what was going on. Neither did her brother. But

all of

them or Hazel

to

hear what

at that funeral

led me to a barrier right at the center stone of

crowd was

of wolves or maybe

what was happening. The tension in the air was sharp electric.

A burial.

center, two wolves emerged from the fog..dragging

Heavy. Covered in claw

other... smaller.

My throat tightened.

It was obvious.

Marcus. The

felt a chill run down

their hands over their faces as they muttered prayers. But not everyone. No.

spat from

even

Thank the Goddess she’s dead

My heart froze.

Wait....What?

wrinkled and bitter, stood with his chest

deliberate,

witch?" I asked

me under the hood. "You must be new around here. Marcus was working with Dahlia. That serpent. She’s dead now. Found her body empty

caught in my

Dahlia. Dead.

No, no, no....It

legs locked, knees threatening

again. That I’d become Crescent. That I’d get back everything that was stolen from me. That these babies would unlock something no other

they’re