Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 79: She’s awake!

**~ Hazel’s POV ~**

"Is she awake?"

"Hazel...?"

Voices. Familiar ones..muffled, cracking through the pounding in my skull like the aftermath of an explosion. Aurora’s silhouette hovered beside me, her hand carefully tipping a spoon toward my lips, whispering something I couldn’t quite catch.

Caspian’s hands were wrapped around mine, thumbs tracing soothing circles over my knuckles like he was holding onto a lifeline. Or maybe I was his.

My head throbbed. My chest ached.

My breath hitched, and my fingers trembled. I felt it. That pain. That... weight. The cold grip in my chest had loosened.

Wait...was that an emotion?

Did it come back?

Caspian’s grip on my hand tightened as his gaze met mine and his eyes shimmered. No, more than shimmered. They glowed with tears that clung to the corners, refusing to fall, but threatening with every breath.

"Oh my god," he whispered, a desperate grin cracking through his stunned face. "Hazel... it’s you. You’re back. It worked!"

Before I could even process it, he pulled me into his arms like he never wanted to let go again. His hold was warm, trembling, frantic.

Aurora exhaled a breath she must’ve been holding for days. Her shoulders dropped, eyes fluttering closed as if the entire war she’d been carrying eased in one moment.

And then everything came crashing back.

Like a tidal wave slamming into my soul.

The pain.

The sorrow.

The screams.

The bodies.

The blood.

The hurtful things they said.

The hurtful things I said.

The people I killed

It all came flooding back and it hurt. Oh god, it hurt so much. My chest heaved. My lungs burned. And then I whispered

Caspian’s name.

"Caspian," I choked, tears now freely falling. "I’m a monster."

wide with fierce denial. "No. No, you’re not.

am! I did those things! I let it take over..I hurt people—I.."

"I need to see him. I

confused. "Hazel... what are

his memory. But before she did... he loved me. Even if it was just for a minute. He loved me. He was going to run away with her..but she stopped him. She

Panic was crawling its

hope I haven’t.." My breath hitched.

gently, his hand

just unconscious. Hazel, listen to me..your mom will wake up

on to that—just

"As for your father...

stopped. I didn’t even need to ask. My

say a word.

the one who

But Ariel?

staggered up. "No," I

to reach for me again, but I shoved

two steps and grabbed Cayden by the shirt, slamming

face. "Why

didn’t answer. He didn’t even

hard.

No expression. No guilt. No pain. Just...

She didn’t even get to

echoed in the

Monster.

had said it out loud. And then... it

I stumbled back.

Monster.

Bitter. Because suddenly, it wasn’t just

Innocent people who were just doing their jobs, trying to protect their Alpha. I had blood

my knees,

whispered. "I’m also

again, but

when Cayden

know what it feels like. When your actions don’t feel like

looked up at him through

and can do nothing about it. That’s been my life.

couldn’t read him. Not anger. Not pain. Just...

had it easy," he added. "You turned your emotions off. You got to disappear from the pain. But me? I’ve always been awake. I’ve always remembered. I’ve always had to live with

turned to Caspian, his voice

going to wake Lilith. We need to find the babies. And we need to alert the

he walked

They stayed behind with

sat there, frozen, replaying every syllable. Every

been wrong about him

as a monster that I never saw the

really a whisper to me. It echoed loud in my ears, like she was saying it to

should give her space... privacy to breathe and sink into everything. She’s going through too much right now. She’s a paranoid mother who hasn’t

them sliced through me. He didn’t want to leave—his whole body screamed to stay. But Aurora tugged at him again. This time, he gave in. Quietly.