The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 135: The Spell

Leo’s POV

​I ran through the crowded streets, pushing past people until I reached the edge of the village where the border inn stood. My lungs burned—not from the run, but from the weight of a hope I was too terrified to name.

​I burst through the heavy wooden doors of the inn, my Alpha presence making the room go silent. I didn’t care about being polite. I scanned the room until I saw a man packing a leather bag in a corner.

​"Mat?" I growled.

​The man jumped, dropping a bundle of furs. "Yes, Alpha? How can I help you?"

​I didn’t waste time. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the thread bangle I had taken from the market stall, holding it right in front of his face. "Where did you get this? And don’t tell me ’Nigeria.’ I want to know exactly who made it."

​Mat swallowed hard, his eyes darting to my raw, bloodied knuckles. "It was... it was from a small village in the mountains of Nigeria, Alpha. A local market. I bought a whole batch of them because they were so unique."

​"Who made them?" I pressed, my voice dropping—low, tight, almost unwilling to ask. "Was it... a young woman?"

​Mat shook his head quickly. "No, Alpha. It was an old lady. A healer, I think. She said the pattern was ancient."

​No.

to be her.

had been dunked in ice water. An old woman. Of course. What was I thinking? I was a fool. Scarlett had been dead for three years. I had seen the "remains" after the rogue attack; I had listened to the seers tell me her spirit had

one who knew the

I said, my voice sounding hollow. "Did she have

confused. "I don’t know about a book, Alpha. She was just a lonely old woman selling her crafts

I snapped, tossing the bangle back to

thinking? Was I really hoping that a piece of string meant she was still alive? I was an Alpha, yet I was

struggling enough, and I didn’t want to give them a false hope that would only end in more pain. Scarlett was dead. I had to accept that once and for all. I

with exhaustion. I skipped the anniversary lunch entirely, went straight to my wing of the house, and took a long, cold bath. I needed the ice-cold water to numb my skin and quiet my racing thoughts. Afterward, I lay on the bed and forced myself to close my

to consciousness. I felt hands moving over me—soft, but they felt like spiders

wrong—thick, bitter, like something

herbs. I realized immediately that she was casting a spell on me. My wolf, Shadow, growled low in my mind, sensing the dark

played on me a year ago. But she had no idea that my brothers and I had spent the last twelve months fortifying ourselves. We had trained our minds and

the spell were working. I wanted to see exactly how far she would

"I command you to stay still

mouth. It was a compulsion spell, meant to strip away my will. She leaned down,

wave of pure rage and bitterness washed over me. Looking at her, I felt a disgust so deep it made my blood boil. I didn’t just want her away from me; I wanted her gone. Every second her skin touched mine felt like a violation

lips could touch mine, something inside me

her shoulders—hard—and drove my full Alpha strength into