The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 74: Regret

Scarlett’s POV

​I woke up with the sun hitting my face. Ethan was still there, his heavy arm draped over my waist, but he was already stirring. As he opened his eyes, the soft, drunken warmth from last night was gone. It was replaced by a sharp, painful look of regret.

​"Scarlett... about last night," he began, his voice rough and full of regret. "I was drinking. I shouldn’t have—"

​"Don’t," I cut him off. I didn’t want to hear an apology for something I felt so good about. I sat up, pulling the blanket to my chest. "Just don’t."

​I heard the rustle of his jeans as he pulled them on. He was moving fast, like he couldn’t wait to get away from me. The man who had whispered that I was his world was gone. In his place was a guilty Alpha who couldn’t even look his "fiancée" in the eye.

​He made it to the door, his hand on the handle.

​"Alpha Ethan?" I called out, my heart sinking.

​He froze. He didn’t turn around. His shoulders were so tense they looked like they might snap.

​"Is there something you want to tell me?" I asked. I was thinking about his drunken words: I wish it was really you. "About what happened... or about why you were drinking?"

​The silence in the room was so heavy I could barely breathe. I waited for him to say it. I waited for him to tell me he had found his mate, or that he was in love with someone else.

​"No," he said shortly. His voice was cold. "Not now, Scarlett. I have things to do."

​The door clicked shut, and I was alone. I felt hollow. I felt used. I felt dirty.

​I dragged myself to the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as I could stand. I wanted to scrub the smell of him off me. I wanted to scrub the feeling of his fingers out of my skin. But as the steam filled the room, a sharp, cruel voice sliced through my mind.

​"You let Ethan touch you again," Leo growled through the mind link. I could practically see his sneer.

​"Shut up, Leo!" I snapped out loud. My voice echoed off the bathroom tiles. I slammed my mental shields up, cutting him off.

​I dressed in a simple shirt and pants. I didn’t want to look pretty today. I didn’t want to be noticed. When I finally made it downstairs, the house was too quiet. The dining hall was empty.

​I stood in the middle of the room and sniffed the air. The spicy, forest scent of the triplets was there, but it was fading. They were gone. They were Alphas now. They had borders to run and packs to lead.

​I walked toward the kitchen, my stomach growling, but my mind was still on Ethan’s back as he walked out the door. He was hiding something. Something big. And I had a feeling that when the truth came out, it wouldn’t just break my heart—it would burn my whole world down.

​I pushed open the heavy swinging doors to the kitchen. I was starving, but the moment I stepped inside, the smell of burnt toast and expensive perfume hit me.

​Camila was standing by the large wooden island. She was dressed in a tight white dress that highlighted all her curves.

She was humming a song, but she stopped the second she saw me. Her eyes traveled down my messy hair, my tired face and stopped right on my neck.

​I froze. I had forgotten to check the mirror for marks.

​"Well, well," Camila purred. She put down her coffee cup with a loud clack. "You look like you had a very busy night, Scarlett. Or should I say... a very busy morning?"

​"I’m just here for breakfast, Camila," I said. My voice was flat. I moved toward the pantry, trying to ignore the way she was staring at me.

​"Breakfast is over. The Omegas already cleared the table," she mocked. She stepped closer, her heels clicking on the stone floor. "The triplets are out at the North Ridge. It’s the First Hunt, you know. Only the strongest wolves go. I suppose that’s why you’re still here... in the kitchen. Where you belong."

​I gripped the edge of the counter. The "First Hunt" was a big deal. It was a day of racing through the woods, shifting under the sun, and showing the pack that the new Alphas were strong. I used to dream of running beside the triplets. Now, I just wanted to hide.

​"Why are you still here then?" I bit back. "Shouldn’t you be out there cheering for your ’future’ husband?"

​Camila laughed, a sharp, mean sound. "Oh, Liam asked me to stay behind. He said it’s too dangerous today. There are rumors of rogues near the border. He wants me safe."

​She walked around me, sniffing the air like a predator. "You smell like him, Scarlett. You smell like Alpha Ethan."

​She smirked and leaned in close to my ear, her voice dropping to a hiss. "Oh honey, you couldn’t keep any of the triplets, and now you also can’t keep Alpha Ethan."

​I frowned. "What do you mean?"

​She scoffed and patted my cheek, her rings cold against my skin. "The Alphas have a meeting with the Silver Lake Elders this afternoon. You know... to discuss our marriage contracts."

​My stomach wasn’t growling anymore. It was turning. A meeting with the Silver Lake Elders? That meant the arrangement was moving forward.

​But that wasn’t really my main concern. My concern was, what did she mean by I can’t even keep Ethan?

​"Camila, what do you mean by I can’t keep Ethan too?" I demanded, my voice trembling.

​She smiled, and it was the cruelest thing I had ever seen. "Oh darling, I just can’t wait to see the tears on your face when you find out the truth. You really think you’re the special one?"