The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 168: Found Her Again

Leo’s POV

​I stood in the center of Leonard’s hotel room, my heart broken into pieces. I had spent the last thirteen hours fueled by a desperate, panicked need to track Scarlett down. I had scoured Nigeria, terrified she had vanished into some dark corner of the world where I could never reach her—only to come back to Australia empty-handed and exhausted.

​And now, here was my brother, barking orders and demanding truths I wasn’t allowed to speak.

​"What I do is none of your business, Leonard," I snapped, my voice filled with annoyance. "I have a life outside this circle. Respect that."

​"Respect?" Leonard laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "You’ve been acting like a weirdo since you returned from Nigeria. You lie about where you’re going; you lie about what you’re doing. We are triplets, Leo. We are supposed to be a unit, but you’re treating me like an outsider."

​"Maybe because you’re acting like a child!" I roared, the frustration of losing Scarlett finally boiling over. "I don’t owe you an itemized list of my every move. If I want to fly across the globe to clear my head, that is my right. Stop suffocating me!"

​"I’m not suffocating you; I’m calling you out on your bullshit!" He stepped closer, his Alpha aura flaring to challenge mine. "Something happened in Nigeria. You came back different. And then you lie about New Zealand? What are you hiding?"

​"Nothing!" I lied, even as the weight of my secrets was suffocating me. "Get over yourself, Leonard. I’m going to my room."

​I didn’t wait for his reply. I turned and stormed out of his suite, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the frame. I needed to get away from him before I said something I couldn’t take back. I started down the long, quiet hallway, my boots thudding against the carpet, my head down as I rubbed my temples.

​Then, the air changed.

hit me. It was faint—sharp, floral, and chemical—the fake scent of Scarlett. My wolf went from zero to a hundred

in a simple hoodie stepped

breathed

thud of my footsteps because

​"Le—"

a flash, slamming my hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. I looked back toward Leonard’s door, my heart racing. If he

voice a low, urgent vibration. "We have to

into her hand, snatched the keycard, and swiped it. The light flashed green. I pulled her inside, shoved the

I just stared. For the past thirteen hours, I had been imagining every horrible thing that could have happened to her. I thought she had vanished. I thought I’d have to spend the rest of my life

at me like I was a ghost. She looked small in

to leave. I can’t keep

she ran. I knew she was trying to protect herself—and maybe even me—from the mess our lives had become. And surprisingly, I wasn’t angry. Looking at her now, I realized I had no

she kept whispering, tears starting to well

her finish. I stepped forward, cupping her face in my hands, and pulled her into a kiss. It was deep, passionate, and filled with all the words I couldn’t say. She froze for a second, then melted against me, her hands clutching at

away just an inch, our foreheads resting

her eyes wet and

the pain I let you go through. I was supposed to protect