Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 81: Sacrifice

**~ Cyrius’s POV ~**

They told me to stand back as they lit the candles around the half-fallen tree—where they had placed the babies. The air shifted, thick with incantations and strange power. The atmosphere was no longer natural; it had turned darker, heavier.

Then they started crying.

First Heather, then her brother.

Sharp, guttural cries. Cries that pierced through me like daggers.

I stepped forward immediately, heart racing, but one of the witches held me back.

"Don’t worry," she said quickly, her voice calm but her eyes watching me closely. "They’re fine. It’s just the beginning of the sacrifice. I’m sure they’ll survive it."

Survive it? The hell did she mean by that?

She could see it in my eyes—I wasn’t playing around. I didn’t care how powerful their little spell was. I wasn’t about to let these babies suffer.

They’re like mine now.. I’ve been with them since birth. I know their cries, habits, what makes them calm down, and what triggers them. I kept my damn sanity because of them.

But the witches didn’t stop. They began circling the tree stump, forming a tight barrier around the twins until I could no longer see them. Only their cries echoed back to me, muffled, but real. Painful.

I gritted my teeth.

"Calm down, Cyrius," I whispered to myself. "This is for the greater good. Think about the future. Think about the power."

But my heart was pounding like war drums. My whole body was on edge.

"Are you sure nothing’s going to happen to them?" I turned to the witch who was still standing beside me.

"I’m sure," she nodded softly. "You just need to breathe. If you need a break, take one—"

And then Heather let out a scream. Not just a cry.

A scream and it was high-pitched. Guttural. Painful. Before I even realized it, I snapped.

I shoved past the witches, ignoring their protests. I tore into the circle and grabbed both babies from the half-tree, wrapping them into my arms. Their cries began to settle immediately as I cradled them against my chest.

"You idiot!" one of the witches shouted. "You ruined the sacrifice! We’ll have to start all over!"

"I don’t give a damn," I snapped, glaring at them. "I said no pain. I meant it."

Their chanting stopped. I walked away from the circle, still holding the twins close. Their bodies were warm against mine, still a little shaken, but safe.

pouch at my side and brought out the coconut milk. Heather nuzzled her face into my chest while her brother—still unnamed—looked up at me with

whispered, feeding them slowly.

behind me. "You’re quite the passionate

turned, already on edge, but it was the same witch from earlier. The one

hands. "If anything, I should be afraid of you.

be sitting so close,"

She offered a hand, then

right. You’re a bit occupied."

at this," she admitted. "That was, you know, until you kidnapped them. But they’re quiet. Calm. Well-fed. You’d be a

Hazel’s babies," I said after a pause. "She’s

head. "So you

nodded. "The girl is

breathed,

boy, still

about... Sebastian?" she

"It feels right. That scowl? He’s definitely

"I’ll

we’re cruel. We’re not trying to harm the babies. The scream you heard from Heather? That wasn’t pain—it was power. We were removing magic from them. Draining some of it. They’re too

was right. They looked fine now.

survive it. But you—" she looked me dead in the eye, "you’re going to need to decide if you’re strong enough to finish what you started. Because this won’t

looked down at

Heather. Sebastian?

wasn’t sure yet what I’d become. A

expected, she wouldn’t let anyone else touch her—she was stubborn, just like her mother. We returned to the

won’t interrupt the spell again," one of them snapped,

laid the babies back down. Heather whimpered slightly, and it took everything in me not to snatch her

sharply. The atmosphere turned electric and heavy—like the very air was pulsing. I stiffened. Something didn’t feel right. I sensed

beside me. Her bow was already in her hand, her fingers tense

said under her breath. "They’ve found

"How?" I hissed. "We cloaked the

jaw clenched. "It must be that damn Aurora... or that

My old home. My prison. "They’d figure it

nodded grimly and gave a quiet signal. I watched the witches spring into motion—scaling trees, blending into the shadows. I joined her atop one of the thicker branches, crouching

they spotted us?"

Not yet," I said.

it—the scent. That familiar softness laced

of the three of us, I had always preferred him. And yet he knew... he knew they were going to