The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 171: Can’t See Each Other

Scarlett’s POV

​"Leo, I mean it. We can’t see each other again until I return," I said, my voice trembling as I clutched the sheets to my chest. "We can talk on the phone, but I need you to respect my decision. It’s just two years."

​"No," Leo snapped, his jaw tight. "Two years is a lifetime, Scarlett. I just found you. I’m not letting you vanish again."

​"You have to!" I cried, the frustration bubbling over. Did he think this was easy for me? Every time I looked at him, I felt a crushing weight of guilt. I was seeing him behind his brothers’ backs, keeping a secret that would shatter Leonard and Liam if they ever found out. "This is my decision, Leo. You said you could get your brothers to start families—fine. Work on that. But we are not meeting like this. Not until the time is right."

​"You’re asking me to go back to a life of pretending you’re dead," he growled, pacing the small space of the hotel room.

​"And you’re being selfish!" I yelled back. "You’re only thinking about what you want, not the war this will start if we’re caught."

​"Yes, I’m selfish!" he roared, turning to face me with a feral intensity in his eyes. "I’m your mate, Scarlett. I’ve spent three years in hell. I’m not going back."

​"We are no longer mates, Leo," I whispered, the words tasting like poison. "You marked someone else. You have a wife. I can only imagine the pain she’s in right now, feeling what we just did through your bond."

eyes, a look of pure coldness crossing his face. "Bianca means nothing to me. That mark is a scar, nothing

not seeing each other again until the two years are over. I won’t be looking over my shoulder every

you once," he said, his voice dropping to a frustrated, low pitch. "I’m not losing you again.

space, defying the Alpha aura he was throwing off. "This is my life. My choice. If you truly love me, you’ll let me go until it’s

tension and the lingering scent of our tryst. We went back and forth until finally, the

face with his hands. "I’m

I couldn’t. My

sounding defeated. "How do we contact each other? You said no meetings, but I need to hear your voice. I need

don’t have a phone yet," I said softly. "But

personal line. Only I answer it." He handed it to me, his fingers lingering against mine. "Scar, I’m respecting your decision. I’ll stay away. But listen to me: if I don’t hear from you in two days, I

understand," I whispered.

hard, desperate hug. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply, before

you," he breathed. "Call

hesitated at the door, looking back one last time with a look

had given me, but my mind was a wreck. What had I done? Having sex with Leo behind his brothers’ backs once was a mistake, but twice? It wasn’t just a mistake anymore; it was foolishness. I