The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 115: The Rejection

Ethan’s POV

​When I walked inside, the bell above the door chimed, and I saw Elara already seated. She was halfway through a plate of expensive pasta, her eyes glued to her phone. She looked up and gave me a smile, but it wasn’t the kind of smile that reaches the eyes. It wasn’t the warm, soul-deep light I saw whenever Scarlett looked at me. It was a cold, calculated expression—the look of someone seeing their bank account walk through the door.

​"You told me you were here already," she said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. "Where did you go?"

​"Something came up," I replied shortly, sliding into the seat across from her. It was obvious the news of Scarlett’s death hadn’t reached her yet, and for once, I was glad for the silence of the pack.

​My wolf stirred in the back of my mind. Try one last time, he whispered. Fulfill all righteousness so we can leave this bridge burned behind us.

​I took a breath and reached across the table, taking her hands in mine. Elara didn’t squeeze back; she actually frowned, a small flicker of annoyance crossing her face before she hid it.

​"Elara," I said, keeping my voice steady. "I want this bond to work... I really do. Let’s try. Give us a real chance to be what the Moon Goddess intended."

​She immediately pulled her hands away, leaning back as if I’d tried to burn her. "I have already told you, Alpha Ethan, I love someone else. My heart is taken." She sighed, looking bored. "But I told you we can still have our fun. We can fuck; we can see each other. Isn’t that enough for you?"

​A wave of relief washed over me. The final box was checked. I had offered, and she had refused. My conscience was clear.

​"The money," she said, her tone changing to something more urgent. "You haven’t sent it yet. You promised."

​"Right. The money." I pulled out my phone. I didn’t just send her the amount she requested. I typed in a figure that would change her life—and ensure she never had a reason to bother me again. I hit send.

​A moment later, her phone chirped. Elara picked it up, and I watched her eyes widen. Her mouth literally fell open as she stared at the screen.

​"Ethan..." she gasped, her voice trembling. "You sent me three million dollars? Are you serious?"

serious," I

into a massive, genuine smile—the first real one I’d seen all day. She started rambling immediately, her mind already miles away. "Oh my goddess, I can get that house in the city... and the car... and the vacation to the coast! I can take Karl to the islands!" She looked at me, beaming. "Tonight, I’ll take you to

needed," I said,

the other customers had been politely asked to leave, and the

is going on? Why is it so

I said, leaning forward. "You don’t want the bond, and I don’t want it anymore

hands clutching her phone as if it were a

Luciano, Alpha of the Obsidian Pack, reject you, Elara Malvern, as my mate and future

panicking. "You can’t! We can make this work!

ATM with an Alpha title," I said, watching her squirm. "I don’t want you for myself, and

because of Scarlett, right?" she hissed, her greed

Scarlett," I lied easily, though the thought of her was the only thing giving me strength. "It’s because of you. It’s because of us. Our bond was a mistake of the fates, and

losing a fortune. "No, Ethan! Please! Okay, fine, I’ll leave Karl! I’ll

a second, something twisted in my chest—not pain, not regret... just the ghost

scared

wasn’t going to accept it willingly. She was going

do it the

the tables. My shadow seemed to grow, and my eyes shifted to a piercing, angry glow. People don’t call me The

tone. "If you refuse this rejection, I will make your life—and the lives of your family and your precious lover—a living hell. I will strip you of every cent I just sent you. I will

as she looked up at

table until our noses almost touched. "And you will

as if she could protect the three million dollars inside it. She looked at me, then at the door,

this time, heavier with Alpha authority, "reject

room shifted, thick and suffocating. My aura pressed down on her, forcing the words

"Accept. It."