The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 84: The Cliff

​Scarlett’s POV

​I was panting, my chest heaving, sweat dripping down my neck. Ethan stood over me, his face covered in dust, his eyes glowing with a dark, satisfied smirk. He reached out and wiped a smudge of dirt from my forehead with his thumb. The touch was lingering—too long for a fake partner.

​"Not bad, little partner," he murmured, his voice dropping so low the crowd couldn’t hear. "But if you ignore my lead again, I’ll throw you out of the circle myself just to keep you from getting hurt."

​"You don’t care if I get hurt," I snapped, pulling away from his touch. "You just don’t want to lose."

​The look of pride in his eyes vanished, replaced by that cold, stony mask. "Exactly," he said, his voice flat. "Keep that in mind for the next round."

​We walked out of the ring, but as we did, I saw the other brothers.

​Leo was standing by the water barrels. He was crushing a tin cup in his hand, his eyes fixed on the way Ethan had touched my face. He looked as if he wanted to kill someone. Leon was being forced to walk back into the ring with Elara. He caught my eye and looked at the bite mark on his lip, then at the dirt on my clothes. He looked disgusted—not at me, but at the fact that Ethan was the one getting to touch me.

had failed. Sarah, Liam’s partner, was sitting on the grass crying because she had been pushed into the mud. Liam was standing over her, looking like he wanted to shift and run into the woods just to get

Gather!" the Elder shouted. "The first cut is made. Thirty pairs are out.

the edge of the field. My hands were already shaking. I looked at Ethan, and for the first

six-foot rope. If one falls, the other carries the weight. If the rope snaps, or if both of you touch the grass before reaching the summit, you are

the heat of his body radiating against my back as he looped the rope around my waist. His fingers were quick and efficient, tying a knot that felt as secure as

down, and don’t try to out-climb me," he muttered, his breath ghosting over the shell of my ear. "We move in a rhythm. Left hand, right

know how to climb, Ethan," I snapped, though my heart was hammering. "I used to scale the

than necessary. "Your father’s oaks didn’t have fifty-foot drops onto solid

pairs lining up. Liam looked like he was about to explode. He was paired with Camilla because Sarah had a broken arm. Camilla was already complaining about the grit under her fingernails, her face pale as she looked up

a mask of quiet, focused neutrality. She didn’t look at me. She didn’t look at anyone. She just stood there, waiting for Leon to finish the

​"Go!" the Elder roared.

muscles rippling under his

It was just a ladder of stone. But as we climbed higher, the