The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 37: Not A Slave

​Scarlett’s POV

​But the touch never came.

Not to my waist... not to my legs.

Instead, I felt his fingers brush against the sensitive skin of my throat.

My eyes snapped open in shock. He wasn’t reaching for my buttons; he was reaching for the metal choker.

​I heard a soft click—a sound more beautiful than any music—as he used a small, intricate key. The heavy weight that had been crushing my soul and severing me from my wolf suddenly vanished. He pulled the collar away, tossing the metal onto the nightstand.

​I gasped, my hand flying to my neck, feeling the bare, bruised skin. For the first time in hours, I felt the faint, flickering warmth of Zoe deep inside me, waking up from the magical sleep.

​Ethan stood up, putting several feet of distance between us. He looked down at me, his expression still unreadable.

​"You’re not a slave in this house, Scarlett," he said, adjusting his cuffs as if he hadn’t just terrified me to death. "Now, go wash the scent of those filth-ridden rogues off your skin. The maid will bring you clothes and food."

​He turned to leave, then paused and glanced back at me. "Don’t you dare think of doing anything stupid," he warned before leaving.

​I stayed curled on the edge of the bed for a long time after the door clicked shut. My fingers traced the raw, red line where the metal had dug into my skin, but all I could feel was the silent, steady thrum of Zoe’s presence returning. She was weak, whimpering in the back of my mind, but she was there.

​A few minutes later, a soft knock preceded an older maid who walked in carrying a tray of steaming food and a stack of expensive-looking clothes. She didn’t say much, only bowed her head and pointed toward the ensuite bathroom, which was larger than my entire room back at the Full Moon mansion.

forest and the lingering, oily scent of the rogues. As the steam filled the

buy me? If I wasn’t a slave...

simple silk tunic and leggings that smelled clean and new, I sat by the large window overlooking the estate. The territory was breathtaking—mountains surrounded the valley, and the air felt sharper, more electric

I closed my eyes, I saw the Rogue King’s face, and then Ethan’s cold, gray eyes. I felt like a bird that had been moved from a wooden cage to a

and tested the door. To my surprise,

for the ticking of a grandfather clock downstairs. I made my way to the balcony overlooking the

guarded by my strongest guards. You wouldn’t make it to

jumped, my heart leaping into my throat. Ethan was standing in the shadows of the library doorway below, a glass of red liquid in his hand. He hadn’t even looked up

I

to them, Scarlett. Don’t lie to me," he said, finally

​"Them?" I stiffened. "Who?"

small, almost imperceptible smirk touching his lips. It was the first time his

and walked to the foot of the stairs. "Sleep. Tomorrow

​My heart skipped. "Where?"

he didn’t answer.

to step back...

But I didn’t move.

stand still as he

a few steps away, I took the chance to study his

to say it, but he