The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 183: Where Have You Been

Ethan’s POV

​The silence that followed my confession was heavy, broken only by the sound of our ragged breathing. Rebecca’s jaw dropped, her sea-blue eyes searching mine with a mix of shock and desperation.

​"You’re lying," she whispered, though I could see the realization already dawning in her gaze. She was looking at my stance, the raw authority in my eyes, and the way my wolf’s power rippled under my skin—things she had mistaken for a warrior’s strength. "You can’t be... he’s supposed to be... I was told..."

​I didn’t let her finish. I leaned in and captured her lips again, but this time, the kiss was deep, claiming, and filled with a terrifyingly beautiful certainty. I was marking her soul before I ever touched her skin with my teeth.

​"I am Alpha Ethan," I growled against her lips, letting my true aura flare out—the heavy, golden weight of a pack leader. "And now that you know... do you still plan on running from me, Princess?"

​Her strength seemed to vanish. She broke down, her forehead thudding against my bare chest as she let out a sob of pure relief. She wrapped her arms around my waist, clinging to me as if I were the only solid thing in a world that had just turned upside down.

​"I thought I was losing you," she choked out through her tears. "I thought I was going to be forced into a bed with a stranger."

going to do it," I murmured, stroking her blonde hair. "You would have ruined your reputation, your throne, and your name... all for a bond with a man you thought had nothing to give you but

pulled back slightly, her face flushed and her eyes shining with a fierce, honest light. "I don’t care about status, Ethan. I don’t care about crowns or alliances. I wanted you. I felt the pull the moment I saw you across the field. If being with you meant being a nobody,

saw me and not just

curious look crossed her face, and she wiped a tear away. "What if I really were just a maid?" she asked softly, her voice testing me. "What if

I smelled you, the marriage with the Princess was dead," I said firmly. "I would have walked into that hall tomorrow, canceled the treaty,

tugging at her lips. "Too bad I’m the Princess, then," she teased, though her voice was thick with emotion. "I guess you get

again, hugging me so tightly I could feel every curve of her body pressed against mine. "Where have you been?" she whispered into my skin. "I’ve waited

buried my face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of roses and woman. "I’m sorry," I whispered, my voice thick with a year’s worth of loneliness finally fading away. "I’m so sorry for finding you this late.

just enough to look at her, my eyes dark with a different kind of hunger, but I forced my wolf to stay back. I needed to do

the restraint I was forcing on myself. "Let’s

back, lifting her into my arms. Rebecca let out a soft gasp that turned into a radiant smile, her arms instinctively winding around my neck.

carrying a girl dressed in a messy maid’s uniform. But none of them dared to speak. Not