The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 43: Sneaking In

Scarlett’s POV

​I stood in the center of the guest suite, my arms wrapped tightly around my middle as if I could hold the pieces of myself together.

​Alpha Ethan stood by the door, already pulling his shirt back on, though he didn’t bother with the buttons yet. He looked at me with an expression that was impossible to read—neither kind nor cruel, just purely calculating.

​"I have to check something," he said, his voice dropping into that authoritative Alpha tone that brooked no argument. "Don’t be scared. Stay here and don’t move around the house. I’ll be back soon."

​I bit my lip, nodding slowly. The thought of wandering these halls alone, potentially running into the triplets or their fathers, made my stomach churn.

​"And Scarlett," he added, pausing with his hand on the handle. He looked back at me, his gray eyes softening just a little. "I’ll tell a maid to arrange another room for you. You won’t be staying in here tonight."

​My breath hitched in a tiny sob of relief. "Thank you," I whispered. The idea of passing the night here had been troubling me.

​He didn’t acknowledge the thanks. He just turned and stepped out.

mind was a whirlwind of the

are cowards, Zoe," I whispered to my wolf. She didn’t howl back this time. She just curled into a

and paced to the window, looking out over the rain-soaked grounds. I could see the dark silhouettes of guards patrolling the perimeter, their silver spears glinting. This was supposed to be my home, but I

but from the balcony. A soft scuff

I backed away from the glass, my eyes wide, searching for anything I could use as a weapon. The French doors creaked open just an inch, letting in a gust

​Rain and pine.

​"Scarlett?"

doors swung open, the heavy velvet curtains dancing in the sudden gust of wind. A shadow stepped into

I breathed, my voice

answer with words. He moved with a sudden, desperate speed that caught me off guard. Before I could even raise a hand to push him away, he was there, his arms wrapping around me with a crushing intensity. He pulled

widened, staring at the wall behind him in total shock. I was speechless. This was the same man who had walked past me in the hallways for two years without a

his scent—that rain-drenched pine—hit my senses, she stopped her moping and let out a soft, pathetic purr of contentment. My own body betrayed me, too; the tension in my body began to

back, Scarlett," Leo whispered into my skin, his voice cracked and raw. "Scarlett... I was so scared. I thought we

hole in my soul. But as I stood there in his arms, the memory of what happened a few hours ago flashed through my mind—the way he had stood in a line with his brothers and let Alpha Ethan claim me without saying a single word to