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."

with fierce denial. "No. No,

take over..I hurt

"I need

what are

mother wiped 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 had to protect me. She needed

cracked. Panic was

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

shook his head gently,

still alive. She’s just unconscious. Hazel, listen to me..your mom will wake up

held on to

then he added, quieter this time, "As for your father... and Ariel... they’re gone. They’re

even need to ask. My

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

was the answer...It was him. He was the one

But Ariel?

"No,"

for me again, but I

in two steps and grabbed Cayden by the shirt, slamming him back

his face. "Why did you

answer. He

I slapped him hard. My hand stung from the force

No expression. No guilt. No

child! She didn’t even get to live! Why are you

word echoed in

Monster.

out loud. And then... it cracked something deep inside

I stumbled back.

Monster.

now. Bitter. Because

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

my knees,

whispered. "I’m also

for me again, but I pushed

when Cayden

monster. All your life, Hazel. But now you know what it feels like. When your actions don’t feel like yours.

at him

When you carry the pain and the shame and

read him. Not anger. Not pain.

to disappear from the pain. But me? I’ve always been

his

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

he walked out—leaving silence

They stayed behind with

there, frozen, replaying every syllable.

about him all

as a monster that I never saw the war

something to him but it wasn’t really a whisper to me. It

and sink into everything. She’s going through too much right now. She’s a paranoid mother who hasn’t even held her own babies..hasn’t fed them, hasn’t touched them. She needs

screamed to stay. But Aurora tugged at him again. This time, he gave in. Quietly. And