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."

pulled back, cupping my cheeks, eyes wide with fierce denial. "No. No,

over..I hurt people—I.." my voice broke, breath

father," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I need to

"Hazel... what

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. He was going to run away with her..but she stopped him. She had to protect me. She needed to keep me safe. Where is she now?

Panic was crawling its

haven’t.." My breath hitched. "I hope

shook his head gently, his

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

on to that—just

time, "As for your father... and Ariel... they’re

heart stopped. I didn’t even need to ask. My eyes snapped across the

still he didn’t say a word.

one who killed my father. Killing my

But Ariel?

up. "No,"

me again, but I

and grabbed Cayden by the shirt, slamming him

his face. "Why did you kill her?

answer. He

even there. I slapped him hard. My hand stung from the force

No expression. No

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

word echoed in the

Monster.

had said it out loud. And then...

I stumbled back.

Monster.

tasted different now. Bitter. Because suddenly, it wasn’t just about

were just doing their jobs, trying to protect

to my knees,

I whispered. "I’m

reached for me again, but

when Cayden

Hazel. But now you know what it feels like. When your actions don’t feel like yours. When you can’t stop it, even though you want to.

at

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

at me, and I couldn’t read him. Not anger. Not pain.

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

Caspian, his voice

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

with that, he walked out—leaving silence

his words didn’t. They stayed behind

there, frozen, replaying every

about

as a monster that I never saw the war he was fighting within

it wasn’t really a whisper to me. It echoed loud in my ears, like she was saying it

to breathe 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 time. Maybe us hovering is only

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