The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate

Chapter 211: Hurt

Scarlett’s POV

​I swallowed hard, waiting for him to explode. I braced myself for shattered glass, roared threats, or the violent flare of his Alpha aura that would bring the rest of the pack running to my door.

​But the explosion never came. Instead, the silence grew heavier, thicker, stretching out until it felt like a physical weight crushing the air right out of my lungs.

​Liam didn’t move. He stood perfectly still in the center of my dimly lit room. His chest was heaving, his breath hitching painfully as he stared at me. The golden glow of his inner wolf flared behind his dark eyes—not in fury, but in deep, agonizing sorrow. The beast inside him was mourning.

​"A one-night thing," Liam repeated. His voice didn’t shake, but it was hollow, completely stripped of the warmth and affection he had showered me with all evening. "While you were on the run... with a stranger."

​Every single word felt like a dagger dipped in poison because I knew the truth. It wasn’t a stranger. It was his own blood.

​"Liam, please," I whispered, tears finally stinging the corners of my eyes. The guilt was eating me alive. Seeing him look so broken—so utterly defeated—was worse than seeing him angry. "I was gone for years. I thought you all hated me. I thought the bond was a curse."

​"I stayed pure for you, Scarlett," he choked out, the raw heartbreak finally cracking through his cold mask. He took a single, agonizing step backward, away from me, away from the bed. "For five years, I didn’t let another woman touch me. My wolf wouldn’t even allow me to look at anyone else."

​A tear slipped down my cheek, hot and heavy. "I’m sorry," I sobbed, gripping the navy fabric tighter against my chest. "I’m so sorry, Liam."

​He closed his eyes, tilting his head back as he took a deep, shuddering breath. I could hear the low, painful whine of his inner wolf vibrating in his chest. The possessive Alpha instincts inside him were tearing him apart from the inside out—wanting to claim me, wanting to erase the scent of another man, yet shattered by the knowledge that he wasn’t my first.

​When he opened his eyes again, the golden light was gone, replaced by a dull, dead look that terrified me more than anything else.

he?"

heart stopped. "I... I told

Alpha voice rattling the glass windows of my room. The raw authority in his command made my legs tremble, but he instantly reined it in, clamping his jaw shut as if disgusted with himself for yelling at me. He ran a frustrated, trembling hand through his

before the sun rose. I had to stick

"It was in a crowded club. It was dark. I was weak, Liam. I just wanted to forget the prophecy, forget the

strategist, and I could see the wheels turning in his head. He knew something wasn’t right. He could smell the deep terror and guilt rolling off me, but he attributed it to the shame of

out a long, defeated sigh that sounded like a man giving

barely a whisper. He turned his back to me, his broad shoulders slumped in a way I had never seen

toward the door, his movements stiff and robotic. He paused with his hand on the doorknob, not turning around to look

​"Good night."

the door and

the edge of the bed, pulled my knees to my chest,

had kept himself pure for me, guarding his heart for a fated mate he wasn’t even sure was still alive. Now, I was back, but I carried the secrets of someone else’s touch. The guilt felt like a

up, took a long, hot bath, and let the warm water wash away the tension of the night. Once I dried off, I slid into a simple, comfy night set—a loose black silk tank top and matching

defeated look in Liam’s eyes before he walked out

couldn’t just leave him like that. Not after how sweet

The whole pack house was fast asleep. The hallways were dark, lit only by the silver moonlight coming through the big windows. I closed my eyes, took

front of a heavy wooden door. I hesitated

moments passed.

made my heart skip a beat. He had taken off his fancy clothes and was only wearing loose, dark grey sweatpants that hung low on his hips. He was completely shirtless, showing off his broad chest and muscular body. The dark tattoos wrapping around his arms and shoulders moved slightly as he held the edge of the door. His dark hair was messy,