Revenge After Rebirth: Fated To The Triplets I Hate-Chapter 71: His Soft Spot For Her

Iris’s POV

The air in the Crescent Chamber was filled with tension as Cade’s fist collided with Zane’s jaw. Zane’s s dark eyes blazing with fury. Cade loomed over him, his fists still clenched, ready for another strike. My heart pounded in my chest, my wrists still stinging from where Zane had pinned them against the wall moments ago. I stood frozen, my arms crossed tightly over my half naked body, trying to cover up.

"Stop acting like a beast, Zane!" Cade snapped, his voice low and guttural, his eyes flashing with a fire I hadn’t seen before. His usually calm demeanor was gone, replaced by a protective rage that made his jaw clench and his muscles tensed.

Zane scrambled to his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. His smirk was gone, replaced by a scowl that twisted his handsome features into something menacing. "Stay out of my way, Cade," he spat, his voice dripping with venom as he squared his shoulders, stepping closer to his brother. "She’s my mate too, and I’ll handle her how I see fit."

Cade didn’t budge, his body backing me as he covered the space between me and Zane. His hands flexed at his sides, his knuckles still red from the punch. "You won’t touch her like that again," he growled, his voice steady but filled with a dangerous edge. "Not while I’m here."

I pressed myself against the wall, the cold stone biting into my back through the thin nightgown. My breath came in shallow gasps as I wondered what Zane would have done to me if Cade hadn’t interfered, my eyes darting between the two brothers as they faced off. Zane’s dark hair was disheveled, a strands falling over his forehead, and his chest heaved with barely contained anger. Cade, taller and broader, stood, his stance wide, his eyes never leaving Zane’s face. The air felt heavier, as if the walls themselves were closing in around us.

Kael, who had been standing silently near the door, finally stepped forward as he approached them nonchalantly.

"Don’t be cowards. You can’t fight over her." He said.

His eyes were filled with disbelief. But his words did nothing to ease the tension between his two brothers. "Enough!" he yelled, his voice sharp enough to cut through the tension now. He wedged himself between his brothers, his hands outstretched, palms up, as if he could physically hold them apart. "What’s come over you both? This isn’t how we do things!"

Zane shoved Kael’s hand away, his lips curling into a cold sneer. "Don’t play peacemaker, Kael," he said, his voice low and mocking. "She’s our mate. I don’t need Cade or you telling me what I can do with her."

Cade’s eyes narrowed, his fists tightening again. "She’s my mate too, Zane," he said, his voice steady but cold, each word deliberate. "And you’ll do as I say, or you’ll have me to contend with."

The words hung in the air. My throat tightened, a sob rising in my chest as I watched them, their anger was a storm I couldn’t escape. My heart trembled as I covered myself tightly with my arms. I couldn’t stay silent anymore. The weight of their words, their claim over me, pressed against my ribs and then I spoke courageously with the courage I do not know how I got them.

"Stop it," I said, my voice breaking, barely more than a whisper at first. Tears stung my eyes, hot and unwanted, as I stepped forward, my bare feet cold against the stone floor. "Please... I don’t want to be the reason you’re fighting."

Zane’s head snapped toward me, his dark eyes flashing with irritation. "No one asked for your opinion, Iris," he snapped, his voice sharp enough to make me flinch. He took a step toward me, his hand twitching as if he might reach for me again but he held himself as I I stumbled back, my heart racing, my voice shaking as I tried to find the words. "I... I don’t want to share a room with you all," I stammered, my tears spilling over now, hot against my cheeks. "Not tonight. Not even the future nights."

Zane’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as he closed the distance between him and me in two quick strides. Before I could take a step back, his hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around my neck, not tight enough to hurt, but firm enough to make my breath catch. "You don’t get to decide that," he said, his voice low and dangerous, his breath warm against my face. "You’re our wife, Iris. You’ll do as we say."

Panic surged through me, my hands flying up to push against his chest. My vision blurred with tears, my body trembling as I tried to twist away. "Let me go," I whispered, my voice barely audible, my throat tight under his grip.

Swiftly, Cade’s voice snapped out. "Zane!" Cade’s voice roared, and in an instant, he was there, his hand clamping down on Zane’s wrist and yanking it away from my neck. He shoved Zane back, hard, his strength sending his brother stumbling. "What’s wrong with you?" Cade demanded, his voice shaking with fury. His eyes burned as he stepped between us. "Have you lost your mind?"

Zane caught himself against the edge of the four-poster bed, his hand gripping the carved wooden post as he glared at Cade. "She’s ours," he said. "You can’t keep her from me."

I couldn’t stay there, couldn’t stand the suffocating weight of their anger and their claim. I grabbed a pillow from the bed and clutched it against my chest and a bedsheet. The bedsheet trailing behind me as I moved toward the door. I didn’t know where I was going, I didn’t know my way around the pack’s sprawling castle but I couldn’t stay in that room, not with them.

I reached the door, my hand on the heavy iron handle, when something made me pause and I turned to face them, my tears still wet on my cheeks as I realised if there’s anyone to leave the room, then it’s them. "You leave," I said, each word a struggle against the fear choking me. "This is my room. You’re the ones who need to go."

Zane’s eyes widened, a flash of disbelief crossing his face before his lips curled into a sneer. He opened his mouth to snap back, but Cade cut him off. "Enough, Zane," he said, his voice hard, his eyes locked on his brother. "If she wants us out, then we should leave."

Zane’s jaw dropped, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "You’re joking," he said, his voice rising with incredulity. "You’re letting her dictate..."

"I’m not letting her," Cade interrupted, his voice low and commanding, his alpha power rolling off him. "I’m ordering you. I’m the eldest, Zane, and you will listen."

"You were bone a few minutes before me doesn’t give you any right to crown yourself as the elder."

Cade said no word. Instead, his face got darker as he placed his both hands into his pockets and took a few steps to Zane, his cold gaze boring into Zane’s.

Zane’s face twisted, his dark eyes burning with defiance, but Cade’s authority was undeniable. The room seemed to hum with the weight of his command, the alpha power pressing against us all. Zane’s shoulders tensed, his hands clenching and unclenching as he glared at Cade, then at me. For a moment, I thought he might refuse, might lunge at Cade or me but then, he turned on his heel, as he stormed toward the door, yanking it open with enough force to make the hinges creak. He didn’t look back as he disappeared into the corridor, the door slamming shut behind him with a resounding thud that echoed in my bones.

Kael hesitated, his eyes flicking between me and Cade. His expression was softer, conflicted, his hands twitching at his sides as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. "Iris..." he started but he stopped himself. He gave me a small, apologetic nod before turning and following Zane out, his footsteps softer, less angry.

Cade waited. His hands still clenched at his sides. He turned to me, his eyes searching mine, and for a moment, I thought I saw something like regret, maybe, or something softer, something that made my chest ache in a different way. But he didn’t speak. He just held my gaze for a few seconds, his jaw tight, his expression unreadable.

"Thank you." I said but without a response from him, he turned and walked to the door. His hand rested on the handle for a moment, before he pulled it open and stepped into the corridor. The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving me alone in the Crescent Chamber. I stood there, the pillow and bedsheet still clutched against my chest, my tears drying on my cheeks.