The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 46: His Declaration

​Leon’s POV

​Today. I have just today to stand in front of everyone and declare that Scarlett is my mate. She didn’t just challenge me; she dared me. But how do I stand before the entire pack and say it out loud—that the so-called "traitor’s daughter" is mine?

My jaw clenched. The pack will mock me. My brothers will laugh at me. And my father? I could already see the disgust in his eyes.

​Why do you still care, Leon? My wolf snapped inside my mind. Do you love her or not?

​"Of course I do," I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. I’ve always loved her, even when I tried not to. Even when I ignored her and walked past her like she meant nothing while she suffered. Guilt burned in my chest, but this was different. This was war with my family, my name, and everything I’ve been raised to protect.

​Stop acting like a child, my wolf growled. You’re about to become an Alpha, yet you don’t even have the backbone to claim your own mate? The words hit harder than any blow. I was supposed to lead and protect, yet I hesitated.

​You watched another man put his hands on her, my wolf reminded me, his presence heavy. You watched him call her his woman and said nothing.

​"I know!" I snapped, my voice echoing in the empty hallway. The following silence was suffocating because he was right. I leaned against the wall, dragging a shaky breath into my lungs. One day. She gave me one day. If I fail, I lose her forever.

​My throat tightened, but then something shifted inside me. Fear and doubt were still there, but beneath them, something stronger began to rise.

​"I won’t lose her," I said quietly. My wolf stilled, then growled in approval. Then prove it.

​Hours later, we were all seated for breakfast. The dining hall was unnaturally quiet. Father Lennox sat at the head of the table, his face calm, but I could see the tension in his jaw. Liam and Leo were silent beside me; no one was eating. Ethan, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed, like he didn’t feel the tension in the room at all.

​"I want her here," he said casually, reaching for his drink. "Send a maid to get Scarlett."

​Father’s eyes snapped to him immediately. "This is a family breakfast."

at him. "I know." Then he leaned back

Father to shut it down, to remind Ethan whose house this was. But

wasn’t normal. Father never hesitates. He never backs down. So why now? I looked at Ethan again, really looked at him. The way he sat there, calm, like he already knew how this would end. And

to the

waiting for his permission. Father nodded at her before she hurried away. I exchanged glances with Leo and

She looked confused, her eyes instantly finding mine. That one-day clock in my head started ticking louder,

to the

hesitated, her gaze flickering to me—her fated mate—sitting like a coward while another man claimed her. My wolf was screaming at me to move, to pull that chair out for her, to tell the table exactly who she was to us. But I was

He moved with a practiced, possessive ease, piling her favorite fruits and a slice

glance at Liam and Leo; they were both staring intently

you," Scarlett whispered, her

It was the smile of a man who knew he was winning a game we hadn’t even

silence. "How long exactly do you intend

month," Ethan replied casually, leaning back as if he hadn’t

month? The silence was shattered by the sound of Liam’s fork

spat, his voice thick with a sudden anger. "You’re an

Liam. Managing the strongest pack in the north is exhausting work." He paused, his eyes flickering to my father and then back to us. "Unless, of course, you’re trying to drive

us. He knew we were trapped, and he knew Father was paralyzed

Father Lennox muttered, but he didn’t command him to

​I looked at Scarlett.

her shoulders slightly hunched, like she was trying to make herself smaller...

tightened. This was wrong. Everything about this

was sitting here...

drink, completely unbothered by the tension

my vacation," he said casually, like he was talking about the weather,

​My brows furrowed.