Betrayed By One. Bound To Three-Chapter 75: Tell Us

The three brothers on hearing the footsteps approaching stood guard, arming themselves with their various weapons.

Eight warriors appeared from the woods their boots crunching over the forest floor.

Each carried a weapon, long blades glinting faintly under the moonlight, forming a tight circle around the triplets.

The triplets needed no introduction to know that they were sent by Alpha Silas. Their eyes were cold and certain, filled with duty and obedience.

"Release the princess. This instant," one of them barked, stepping forward. The tip of his spear pointed directly at Kael. His voice was sharp and left no room for argument.

Kael’s lips curved into a slow, mocking smile. "Come and get her," he said, his voice low but deliberate. His hand brushed against Selena’s arm, steadying her, protective.

Not one of the warriors moved. The circle tightened slightly, but no one stepped closer. Another voice broke the tense quiet, a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"We do understand that you are rogues," the man said, his eyes scanning the triplets. "But Kidnapping a dying princess was the lowest you could go... shame on you."

Selena stirred then, shifting where she had been resting on the blanket. Slowly, deliberately, she pushed herself upright. Her hair fell around her shoulders, her eyes shining, vibrant and unbroken.

"I am not dying," she said, her voice steady and strong, carrying across the forest like a ripple of calm defiance. "And I was not kidnapped."

The warriors blinked. Murmurs spread through their ranks. Some of them exchanged glances, disbelief twisting their faces. One of the men took a cautious step forward. "But Alpha Silas—he said—"

"I am fine," Selena interrupted, lifting her chin, a faint defiance in the curve of her lips. "Tell him I am well."

There was a pause, a heavy silence as the soldiers reevaluated what they were seeing. The princess before them was alive, whole, and far healthier than they had been told.

The fear and urgency they had carried melted into confusion.

Another warrior cleared his throat, his grip on his spear tightening. "You will come with us. Alpha Silas has sent us for you."

Selena’s eyes swept across the triplets, resting briefly on each of them. "I will return," she said slowly. "But I will do it on my own terms. Tell Alpha Silas that I will come back to the pack... to continue with the marriage ceremony. When I am ready."

The words hung in the air, sharp and deliberate. Kael, Edris, and Ronan exchanged a glance, their expressions carefully neutral, though the muscles around their jaws tightened slightly.

Hearing their mate speak so openly about a wedding with the Silas, the same man who had nearly cost her life, stung in a way they did not show.

The warriors murmured among themselves, restless. The tension in the circle remained, but their leader finally gave a subtle nod. "She doesn’t appear in any sort of danger" he muttered to the others. "We will go and tell alpha Silas what she has said."

And just like that, the formation loosened. Blades lowered, footsteps retreating. The soldiers disappeared into the trees, the rustling leaves marking their departure, leaving only faint echoes of their presence behind.

Selena sank back onto the blanket, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked at the triplets, her gaze steady but distant, as though she were holding a storm inside her chest.

Kael, who had been closest to her, exhaled slowly. "What was that?" he asked, voice low and controlled, though there was a hint of sharpness beneath it. The wedding. After everything, you are still considering going through with it?"

Edris stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "I do not understand, Selena. Why would you even say that to them? To Silas? After all he has done?"

Ronan’s hands were clenched loosely at his sides. "We have protected you through fire and shadow, and now... you are talking about marrying him? Tell us you did not mean it."

Selena met their eyes, her face calm, but there was a flicker of something unreadable behind her gaze. "You would not understand," she said softly.

Kael blinked, taken aback. "We would not understand? We do not understand because you have not told us anything." His voice rose slightly, frustration creeping in. "You have been through so much, Selena. We have been at your side every step of the way, and you still hide everything from us?"

Edris stepped closer, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. "We are mates. Your guards. Your one true family. And you think we would not understand?" His voice was gentler now, but the weight of it pressed into her like the forest itself.

Selena’s eyes flicked between them, her lips pressing together. "It is not that simple," she whispered. "There are things you do not know, things that change everything if I tell them."

Ronan leaned in slightly, his voice rough with quiet insistence. "Then tell us. We cannot help you, cannot stand with you if you keep holding it inside. Selena... you have to trust us. You are our mate. Do not shut us out now."

She swallowed, and for a moment, her defiance faltered. "There is something I have been hiding from you," she admitted. The words were soft, almost fragile, but carried the weight of truth and fear in equal measure.

The three brothers shared a quick glance, their expressions a mixture of concern, curiosity, and warning. Kael’s hand brushed hers lightly, an unspoken reminder that they were there, steady and unyielding.

Edris’s eyes were fixed on her, silent but demanding honesty. Ronan’s jaw was set, his shoulders tense, but he did not speak, letting her choose the moment to speak the rest.

Selena’s lips pressed together, her fingers tightening slightly in her lap. "I did not tell you before because I was not ready. I needed to be sure. I needed to know I could trust you with it."

Kael’s voice was soft now, almost a whisper. "We have always had your back, Selena. Always. You can tell us anything. Anything at all."

Edris added, firm but calm, "You do not have to carry it alone. That is what we are here for."

Ronan’s eyes, dark and steady, never left hers. "Whatever it is, whatever you have hidden, it does not change anything. You are our mate. And we will follow you anywhere."

Selena finally looked up at them, her gaze strong and unflinching. "Then you need to hear it now," she said. "Because what I am about to tell you... it will change everything."

The three brothers shifted closer, forming their protective circle again, though this time without the fear and tension of imminent attack.

There was only trust, only readiness. They waited, each heartbeat stretched long in the cool evening air.