The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 83: Why Him

​Scarlett’s POV.

​My heart didn’t just sink; it felt like it had been submerged in ice water. Of all the names in the pack—hundreds of warriors, scouts, and males—the universe had a sick sense of humor.

​Alpha Ethan.

​The man I had just had a fight with.

​I looked at the triplets on the dais. Leo was leaning forward, his sea-blue eyes burning with a desperate hope that I had pulled his name. Leon was watching me through narrowed lids, his tongue darting out to touch the scab on his lip where I’d bitten him. They were all waiting. The silence of the field was deafening.

​I looked down at the slip of paper again, hoping the ink would change, but the name stared back at me in his arrogant, bold scrawl. Why was his name even in the box? As a high Alpha, he was supposed to be overseeing the event, not running through the mud and blood with the rest of us.

​The Elder cleared his throat, the sound booming in the expectant silence of the field. "Scarlett? Who is the male the Goddess has chosen for you?"

​I opened my mouth to speak, to announce that my partner wasn’t even present—hoping, praying that his absence would force a redraw. I could pick a scout. A warrior. Anyone that I wouldn’t feel awkward being around. But before I could, Ethan strolled in, looking devastatingly composed. He wasn’t in his usual tailored suit; he was dressed for the hunt in dark, tactical gear that hugged his broad shoulders and powerful thighs. Two of his personal guards walked a respectful distance behind him, but his eyes—cold, sharp, and lingering with the fury of last night—found mine instantly.

​He didn’t look like a man who had walked out of my room in a fit of guilt. He looked like an Alpha ready for the hunt.

​I swallowed hard, my fingers crushing the parchment. The Elder gestured for me to speak. I had to do it. I had to claim him in front of the whole pack, including Elara, who was watching me with a look that could kill.

​I took a shaky step forward, my voice barely audible at first. "I have drawn..." I cleared my throat, forcing my gaze to stay level. "Alpha Ethan."

​A collective gasp rippled through the large field. I heard a low, pained growl from the dais—Leo. I didn’t have to look to know he was vibrating with jealousy.

front of me. The scent of him—expensive cologne mixed with the dark musk of

at him, my chin lifted in defiance despite the way my knees wanted to give out. "You’re in the box, Alpha?" I whispered, my voice laced with a bitter edge. "I thought you were too busy with your... private business in the

muscle jumping in his cheek. He didn’t answer. Instead, he

of humor, doesn’t she, Scarlett?" he smirked, his voice a low vibration that only I could hear. He leaned in closer, his nose brushing against

he wanted. His grip tightened just

full of

dragging me toward

his eyes were dark with a temper he was

shadow. If both of you are pushed out of the

his arm, wearing a red leather outfit that looked more like a costume than combat gear. She caught me looking and blew a bubble with her gum, her eyes cold. She thought she

calling me his property

Beta-class warriors. They weren’t Alphas, but they were fast,

I said, my voice sharp. "I know

hot. "But in the ring, you have to move with me. If you try to be

wanted to tell him that I didn’t want to move with him at all. But the Elder

and Scarlett!

Ethan led me into a large circle drawn in the white chalk and dirt. The ground

like mirrors of each other—short hair, lean muscles, and hungry smiles. They didn’t see me as a threat. They saw me as the weak link they could use to

the Elder shouted. "Last team in

​The horn blew.

Mark lunged for Ethan. He wasn’t trying to knock him out; he was trying to tie him up. Mira, the sister, darted around the

​"Scarlett, back!" Ethan commanded.