The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 24: Birthday Celebration

Scarlett’s POV

​It was 8:00 a.m., and the pack house was buzzing with activity. Servants were rushing back and forth, arranging the garden which would serve as the venue for our late Luna Olivia’s memorial.

​As I assisted in carrying the heavy flower vases, hot tears gathered in my eyes, blurring my vision. Today was my twentieth birthday, but to the pack, it was a day of mourning. To me, it was a day that never felt worth celebrating anymore. On this day years ago, I had lost everyone who mattered. I lost my parents; I lost Luna Olivia—who had been like a godmother to me—and I lost the triplets, who used to be my best friends before they turned into my tormentors.

​Lost in the suffocating weight of my memories, I didn’t look where I was going. My foot caught on a stone, and I tumbled forward, crashing into a large flower vase. The ceramic didn’t break, but the water and blossoms scattered across the cold ground in a messy heap.

​The servants nearby all stopped, shooting me dead glares filled with irritation. I ignored the sting of their judgment, kneeling quickly to gather the wet stems and rearrange them back into the vase.

​"Scarlett..."

​I heard the voice of Lucy, the personal maid to Lana. I turned, and she gave me a blank, unreadable look. "Miss Lana wants you in her room. Immediately."

​I nodded silently, finishing the flowers with trembling hands before standing up and making my way toward the high-ranking wing of the house.

​When I entered Lana’s room, I froze. My heart skipped a beat in pure confusion. Lana was seated at her vanity, leaning into her makeup mirror, carefully applying a bold shade of lipstick. I looked stunned. This was her mother’s memorial; she was supposed to be in mourning, draped in black and heavy with grief.

​Instead, she was dressed in expensive, vibrant clothes, her face perfectly done up. She caught my eye in the reflection, turned around, and beamed at me.

birthday, Scarlett!" she

by a wave of confusion I couldn’t

She stood up and pulled me into a tight hug. Before I could pull away, the door swung open. Jameson and Jane, the twins, entered the room carrying a beautifully decorated cake. They were singing "Happy Birthday"

the day their mother died.

a wish!" Jameson urged,

Jane stepped forward,

mind spinning. Slowly, I closed my eyes. I wish to be happy, I whispered in my mind. Just truly happy. I blew out the candles, the smoke swirling

"Now, don’t go anywhere. Lyra wants to talk to you on

the Alpha of the Crimson Pack. A few months ago, when she and Lana had their eighteenth birthday party, Alpha Henry had attended as a guest. That was when they discovered they were fated. Although they weren’t officially married yet, she spent most of her time at his side, visiting home only once in

dialed the number. A second later, Lyra’s face appeared on the

birthday, Scarlett!" Lyra’s voice boomed through the speakers. "I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there to give you

at the screen, a small, fragile smile finally touching my lips. Despite the darkness of the night before—the rejections from Liam, Leo, and Leon—this moment felt like a

I managed to say. "How is

me," Lyra said, her expression turning a bit more serious.

Lana, Jameson, and Jane, who were all watching me with curious, expectant

wolf," I managed to whisper, my voice trembling. "Her name is

the lingering traces of the triplets that still seemed to haunt my skin. "I knew it! I can feel her, Scarlett. She’s