The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 20: Ripe

Scarlett’s POV

​I bit his lip hard, the awful taste of his blood filling my mouth.

Leon groaned, a sound filled with frustration and pain, and finally pulled back.

I braced myself, my heart hammering against my ribs. I expected him to lash out, to scream, or to pin me back against that stone wall until I told him what he wanted to hear.

​But he didn’t.

​He just stood there, his chest heaving, his thumb swiping the blood from his lower lip. He looked at me with an expression that made my skin crawl; it wasn’t anger. It was a dark, terrifying promise.

​"Leave," he said, his voice low but vibrating with rage. "Leave, Scarlett. But don’t think for a second that this is over. I’ll be seeing you soon."

​I didn’t stay to ask what he meant. I didn’t dwell on his words or the way his eyes seemed to glow. My only thought was escape. My body was screaming, every joint feeling as if it were being pulled apart by hot wires. The shift was coming, and I had to be away from him—away from all of them—before it hit.

​I scrambled for my gown, my fingers shaking so badly I could barely pull the fabric over my burning skin. I didn’t bother with the buttons. I just held the fabric to my chest and bolted out of his room.

​I burst through the door of the servants’ quarters, my gown clutched to my chest. Every breath felt like inhaling fire, and my skin was so sensitive that even the fabric felt like sandpaper. I just needed to reach my room. I just needed to survive the next two hours.

​But as I rounded the corner toward my door, a shadow stepped out of the dim hallway.

​"Scarlett."

of my late father’s—or at least, he had been before the execution. Now, he was just another high-ranking wolf who looked at me like I

to steady my voice. "Please, I have

fifties, his hair graying at the temples, but he was still a powerful warrior. His eyes trailed over my disheveled state, lingering on my bare shoulders and the

dear Scarlett?" he asked softly. The way he looked at me made my stomach churn. It was a

excuse me; I

body against mine, his weight heavy and suffocating. He didn’t care that we were in the

one," he murmured, his breath smelling of stale ale and meat as he leaned into my ear.

the way he spoke, as if I were a

offer for you," he continued, his rough fingers tracing my jawline. "Be my third mistress. I’ll speak to the Alphas for you.

in closer, his thumb grazing my lower lip. I

All expenses covered." His smile turned darker, more predatory. "You’ll live like a queen.

fever. "I won’t... and I

said. You’ll come crawling back. The triplets will never stop punishing you, Scarlett. But I can

exactly where Leo had just kissed me—lingering over the hickey that had sent Leon into a rage.

hissed, his grip tightening on my wrist until I winced. "The triplets aren’t the

worst," I snapped, finding a sudden burst of strength

let go, laughing low in his throat as I scrambled

door, my heart pounding like a drum. I collapsed onto my small, worn-out bed, the heat in

staring at the ceiling, my mind refused to quiet down. The weight

more hours...

would be twenty. If I was lucky, I’d get my wolf, and maybe—just maybe—I’d find my mate. A small part of me dared to hope that he

the triplets? The thought made me shudder. No. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t be that cruel...

shut, pushing away the terrifying thoughts. Slowly, my body relaxed, and before I knew