The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 152: Deceiving Leo

Scarlett’s POV

​His arms were wrapped tightly around me, pulling me so close I could feel every heavy sound of his heart against my ribs. I hugged him back just as hard, burying my face in the crook of his neck. The smell of him—rain, forest, and the scent of our shared heat—swirled around me, making my head spin.

​I couldn’t understand it. We were no longer mates. So why was this love still so heavy? Why did it feel like my soul was still anchored to his?

​Then it hit me, a cold realization that made my blood run chill. We loved each other even without the bond. The fated connection was gone, but the natural love—the years of growing up together, the shared secrets, the deep-rooted affection—was still there. It hadn’t died with the bond.

​And that was exactly what scared me.

​If Leo could still love and want me this fiercely despite being married, despite having a new mate, then his brothers would be exactly the same. Liam and Leonard were just as stubborn, just as loyal. If they saw me now, they wouldn’t care about their new lives or their new mates. They would drop everything to claim me.

​That was the trouble. That was why I had to stay hidden.

​I needed to give them those two years. I had to hope that in that time, Liam and Leonard would truly fall in love with their wives. I wanted them to have pups, to build families, to create lives so solid that when I finally revealed myself, I would just be a memory returned—not a wrecking ball to their happiness.

​"I have to go," Leo whispered, though he didn’t loosen his grip. "If I don’t leave now, I’ll never walk out that door."

I breathed, forcing my arms to

do you stay, Scar?" Leo asked, his voice low and desperate as he finally pulled back an inch. "What pack

as I told the half-truth. "I live in the Silver Back pack. I stay with the Alpha and his family in the packhouse. Just come there... I’ll

memorial is over, I’ll give an excuse to the others and come straight to you." He paused, his thumb brushing my cheek. "What do

I whispered, the truth of my desire catching in my throat. "I want

me, a promise sealed in passion. "I’ll be back," he said. Then, his

in his eyes. It was terrifying. Was it really possible for a man to

well up in his eyes, and I

I

pleaded, his voice a panicked whisper. "Please don’t go away

to go. From here in Nigeria to London, it will take you about six hours in your private jet. You need to get moving if you’re going to

the

every muscle of his naked body as he began to dress. God, I didn’t want him to go. I could see it in the way he fumbled with his buttons—he didn’t want to leave me either. Every piece of clothing he

dressing, he climbed back onto the edge of the bed. He pulled me into one last, deep kiss that tasted

before you know it,"