The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 69: Something’s Strange

Scarlett POV

I ​froze, my eyes widening as Ethan’s face came into focus—his lips pressing firmly against mine. This wasn’t a chaste peck or a polite gesture; it was a possessive claim. His hand was warm and demanding on my waist, pulling me flush against his hard, shirtless chest.

​The shock lasted only a second before the adrenaline from the fight and the lingering anger at the sisters boiled over. I reached up, my fingers curling into his damp hair, and kissed him back. I poured every bit of my emotion into it.

​Whistles and shocked whispers erupted across the training yard. The air practically hummed with the collective gasp of the pack, but I ignored them all. What I couldn’t ignore was the suffocating, mountain-high wall of Alpha rage radiating from the center of the field. I could feel the triplets’ anger—it was thick, acrid, and obvious. None of them moved, but I knew they were vibrating on the edge of a shift, their inner wolves howling at the sight of another man marking their mate in front of the world.

​Ethan finally pulled back, his gray eyes dark with a mixture of triumph and admiration. He reached up, gently tucking a stray chocolate-brown hair behind my ear.

​"I’m proud of you, Scarlett," he murmured, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

​I felt a deep blush creep up my neck. Was this real for him? My heart raced. Was he truly falling for me, or was this an act to annoy the triplets?

​He didn’t give me time to overthink it. He flashed a devastating smirk and gestured to the open mat. "Since you’ve already warmed up, do you want to train with me? For real this time?"

breathed, needing

go easy on me, but the "training" felt more like a dance.

spun me around, his chest hitting my back. His arms wrapped around me for a split second longer than

from nearby. I didn’t have

Liam’s voice hissed in my head, raw with

he caught me before I hit the sand, pulling me back up into his arms. Our faces were inches apart. He leaned

his hand sliding

voice erupted in my mind, dark and

his tone uncharacteristically sharp. "Scarlett,

fury, their faces

from their view with his broad shoulders. He grabbed my hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing my

doing great, Scarlett," Ethan whispered, his eyes gleaming. "Let’s give them

as Ethan’s lips found my neck again, I caught sight of Elara, Gamma George’s daughter, standing near the edge of the training mats. My heart sank a little. Unlike the other high-ranking girls who had spent the last two years making my life a living hell, Elara had actually been kind. She was one of the few who had slipped me extra bread in the kitchens or looked the

she was staring at us with a look that left me confused. Her eyes weren’t just angry; they were burning with a mix of betrayal and raw, obvious

me like that? Did she think I was a social climber now? I wanted to reach out, to ask her what was wrong, but Ethan’s hand tightened on my waist, pulling my focus back