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."

eyes wide with

over..I

my voice shaking. "I need to see him.

what

said quickly. "Everyone keeps saying that...that he hated me. That he hurt me. But they don’t know. He didn’t. My mother wiped his memory. But before she did... he loved me. Even if it was just for a minute. He loved me.

cracked. Panic was crawling its way

I haven’t.." My breath hitched. "I hope I

his head gently,

unconscious. Hazel, listen to me..your mom will wake up soon. And when she does, we’ll make a

on

he added, quieter this time, "As for your father... and

need to ask.

was silent. Standing still he didn’t say a word. But

one who killed my

But Ariel?

up. "No,"

reach for me again,

two steps and grabbed Cayden by the shirt, slamming

his face.

didn’t answer. He didn’t even

wasn’t even there. I slapped him hard. My hand stung

expression. No guilt.

me!" I yelled. "She was a child! She didn’t even

echoed in

Monster.

it out loud. And then... it

I stumbled back.

Monster.

now. Bitter. Because suddenly, it

Pack members. Innocent people who were just doing their jobs, trying to

to my knees, shaking,

a monster," I whispered.

again,

Cayden finally

rough. "You’ve always called me a monster. All your life, Hazel. But now you know what it feels like. When your actions

looked up at him through

the shame and can do nothing about it. That’s been

and I couldn’t read him. Not anger. Not

maybe you had it easy," he added. "You turned your emotions off. You got to disappear from the pain.

turned to Caspian, his voice

find the babies.

that, he walked

his words didn’t. They stayed behind with

sat there, frozen, replaying every

I been wrong about him all

monster that I never saw the

a whisper to me. It echoed loud in my ears, like she

now. She’s a paranoid mother who hasn’t even held her own babies..hasn’t fed them, hasn’t touched them. She needs time. Maybe us

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. And the door shut behind