The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 20: Ripe

Scarlett’s POV

​I bit his lip hard, the awful taste of his blood filling my mouth.

Leon groaned, a sound filled with frustration and pain, and finally pulled back.

I braced myself, my heart hammering against my ribs. I expected him to lash out, to scream, or to pin me back against that stone wall until I told him what he wanted to hear.

​But he didn’t.

​He just stood there, his chest heaving, his thumb swiping the blood from his lower lip. He looked at me with an expression that made my skin crawl; it wasn’t anger. It was a dark, terrifying promise.

​"Leave," he said, his voice low but vibrating with rage. "Leave, Scarlett. But don’t think for a second that this is over. I’ll be seeing you soon."

​I didn’t stay to ask what he meant. I didn’t dwell on his words or the way his eyes seemed to glow. My only thought was escape. My body was screaming, every joint feeling as if it were being pulled apart by hot wires. The shift was coming, and I had to be away from him—away from all of them—before it hit.

​I scrambled for my gown, my fingers shaking so badly I could barely pull the fabric over my burning skin. I didn’t bother with the buttons. I just held the fabric to my chest and bolted out of his room.

​I burst through the door of the servants’ quarters, my gown clutched to my chest. Every breath felt like inhaling fire, and my skin was so sensitive that even the fabric felt like sandpaper. I just needed to reach my room. I just needed to survive the next two hours.

​But as I rounded the corner toward my door, a shadow stepped out of the dim hallway.

​"Scarlett."

​I froze, a small gasp escaping my throat. It was Warrior Jose. He was an older man, a friend of my late father’s—or at least, he had been before the execution. Now, he was just another high-ranking wolf who looked at me like I was something to be used.

​"Sir Jose," I breathed, trying to steady my voice. "Please, I have to get to my room. I’m not well."

​He stepped closer, a slow, cocky smile spreading across his face. He was in his late fifties, his hair graying at the temples, but he was still a powerful warrior. His eyes trailed over my disheveled state, lingering on my bare shoulders and the way I was trembling.

​"How are you doing, my dear Scarlett?" he asked softly. The way he looked at me made my stomach churn. It was a perverted, lustful gaze that felt as though he were undressing me right there in the hall.

​"I’m fine, Sir Jose. If you please, excuse me; I have to leave," I said, trying to push past him.

​But Jose was faster. He grabbed my wrist, pinning me against the rough stone wall. He pressed his body against mine, his weight heavy and suffocating. He didn’t care that we were in the hallway where anyone could walk by.

​"I heard you’re turning twenty tonight, little one," he murmured, his breath smelling of stale ale and meat as he leaned into my ear. "That means you’re finally ripe."

​I swallowed hard, forcing back the bile. I hated the way he spoke, as if I were a piece of meat.

​"I have an offer for you," he continued, his rough fingers tracing my jawline. "Be my third mistress. I’ll speak to the Alphas for you. I’ll make sure you’re no longer a maid. No longer a traitor’s daughter."

​He leaned in closer, his thumb grazing my lower lip. I shuddered in disgust, my skin crawling where he touched me.

​"I’ll set you up in a nice place, far from this packhouse. All expenses covered." His smile turned darker, more predatory. "You’ll live like a queen. My queen. But only if you’re willing to be my fucking whore."

​My anger flared, cutting through the haze of my fever. "I won’t... and I never will," I spat at his face.

​Jose just chuckled, unfazed. "That was the same thing my other two mistresses said. You’ll come crawling back. The triplets will never stop punishing you, Scarlett. But I can set you free."

​His fingers traced my neck, lingering exactly where Leo had just kissed me—lingering over the hickey that had sent Leon into a rage. Jose’s eyes darkened when he saw the mark.

​"You should be careful," he hissed, his grip tightening on my wrist until I winced. "The triplets aren’t the only ones who can make your life miserable."

​"Do your worst," I snapped, finding a sudden burst of strength to shove against his chest.

​He let go, laughing low in his throat as I scrambled away. "Oh, I will, Scarlett. You’ll see."

​I didn’t look back. I dashed into my room and locked the door, my heart pounding like a drum. I collapsed onto my small, worn-out bed, the heat in my chest becoming an explosion.

As I lay there staring at the ceiling, my mind refused to quiet down. The weight of everything pressed on me.

​Just a few more hours... I thought.

​In less than two hours, I would be twenty. If I was lucky, I’d get my wolf, and maybe—just maybe—I’d find my mate. A small part of me dared to hope that he would be strong, powerful enough to take me away from this nightmare of a life.

​But what if my mate was someone like Sir Jose? Or one of the triplets? The thought made me shudder. No. The Moon Goddess wouldn’t be that cruel... right?

​I forced my eyes shut, pushing away the terrifying thoughts. Slowly, my body relaxed, and before I knew it, sleep took me.

​I didn’t know how long I had slept, but a sudden, overwhelming heat in my chest yanked me from unconsciousness. My eyes shot open, my body stiffening as a strange sensation rippled through me. It was unlike anything I had ever felt before—a deep, restless energy surging under my skin, like a fire begging to be unleashed.

​Then, it happened.

​Pain. Sharp, all-consuming pain shot through my bones, making me gasp and curl in on myself. It felt like my body was breaking apart, piece by piece, only to be stitched back together in a way I couldn’t explicitly explain. My fingers clawed at the sheets as my spine arched off the bed.

​"It’s time."

​The voice echoed in my head—strong, powerful, and sounding exactly like mine.

​"Who are you?" I managed to ask through the mind-link, my breath ragged.

​"I am you, Scarlett. Your wolf. My name is zoe."

​Zoe. My wolf. She was finally here.

​I barely had time to process before another wave of pain crashed over me. My skin burned, stretched, and shifted. A crack echoed through the room as my bones realigned. My arms gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor, panting.

​Then, silence. The pain was gone.

​I blinked, lifting my head, and as I did, I caught sight of my reflection in the small mirror across the room. I was no longer human.

​A sleek red wolf with glowing sea-blue eyes stared back at me. My fur shimmered under the dim moonlight slipping through the window, and I could feel every inch of my new form—the strength in my limbs, the heightened senses, the sheer power coursing through me.

​And then, as if the universe itself had been waiting for this moment, a scent hit me.

​Mint. Dark spices. A scent so intoxicating it made my head spin. My wolf perked up, her ears twitching, her excitement bleeding into my own.

"Mate!" Zoe howled excitedly in my mind.