Mated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 32: Back to Reality

I stood at the edge of the yacht, watching the island shrink in the distance. It had been a wonderful holiday, but now, we were heading back to the pack lands.

Back to whispers. Expectations. Complications.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around myself, the wind tugging at my hair. I didn’t even hear Lucas until he was beside me.

Softly, he said, “We’ve already started looking.”

I turned to him, confused for a second.

“Into your parents,” he added, his eyes fixed on the waves. “Levi pulled some strings, and I reached out to a few old contacts. If there’s anything left out there—records, stories, people who knew them—we’ll find it.”

My heart squeezed. “Lucas...” I reached for his hand, gripping it gently. “You don’t have to do that.” His jaw clenched a little, but he didn’t speak.

“I mean it,” I said again, more firmly. “You guys have already done so much. This isn’t your burden to carry.”

He finally looked at me, his green eyes serious and unwavering. “It is our burden, Hazel. Because you matter. What hurts you, hurts us too. You don’t have to walk through this alone.”

I looked away for a moment, staring at the sea, trying to blink away the sting building in my eyes. His words touched something deep inside of me. I had long accepted being forgotten, even by my own blood.

“It means a lot,” I said quietly. “Just knowing you care enough to try... that’s enough. I’m not in a rush. I’ve made peace with not knowing for so long, it doesn’t scare me anymore.”

Lucas leaned closer, brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “Still. You deserve answers.”

His hand squeezed mine reassuringly. I leaned my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes for a few seconds, listening to the sea and the steady beat of his heart under his shirt.

“I’m scared of what we’ll find,” I whispered. “But I think I’d rather know than keep wondering.”

“We’ll find the truth,” he said. “And whatever it is... we’ll face it.”

By the time we pulled up to the packhouse, the sun was already low in the sky, casting everything in a warm, golden glow. It should’ve felt like coming home, but instead, it felt like walking back into a storm I wasn’t ready to face.

The festive music could be heard before we even stepped inside. Streamers were everywhere, balloons floating in the breeze, and the smell of roasted meats and desserts filled the air. Laughter and chatter echoed from the courtyard, where a large crowd had already gathered.

There was even a banner strung across the main hall: Welcome Home, Alphas, Lucas, Liam, and Levi.

Lucas noticed me stiffen and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. “Relax,” he said under his breath. “We’ve got this.”

Just then, Alpha Henry and Luna Evelyn made their way through the crowd. Alpha Henry wore his usual calm, detached expression, but Evelyn... looked thrilled.

“You’re back,” she said, eyes scanning over her sons, lingering just a little too long. “Perfect timing. Everyone’s been looking forward to welcoming you home.”

Then she turned to the crowd and raised her voice. “Let’s give a huge round of applause to the person who put all of this together—Jessie!”

The applause was immediate. Jessie stepped forward, playing shy, though I caught the satisfied gleam in her eyes. Her dress clung in all the right places, her hair styled to perfection. Every move she made screamed “look at me’’.

My stomach twisted, but I forced a polite smile. I wasn’t going to give Evelyn or Jessie the satisfaction of seeing me bothered.

Evelyn smiled down at her like she was very precious. “Such a lovely girl. Always so helpful. Always around.” She looked at a nearby pack member holding a camera. “Why don’t we take a photo? Something to mark the moment.”

Then, just a little too loudly, she added, “Jessie, dear, go take a photo with the boys.”

Jessie giggled, already stepping toward them. “Only if they don’t mind...”

Lucas, Liam, and Levi all turned their heads toward me in unison. They didn’t say anything but their eyes widened with alarm.

I swallowed the uncomfortable lump in my throat and gave a small nod. Only then did they walk up to the photo area and stand beside her.

Jessie positioned herself right in the middle, glowing like she’d just won a prize. The first photo snapped. I turned away as the camera flashed.

But then I heard a little giggle. I looked back.

Just as the third photo was being taken, Jessie slipped her arms through both Levi’s and Liam’s, looping them tightly.

My chest tightened, breath catching in my throat.

She leaned in closer, tilting her head like she was made to fit between them. Her hand brushed Levi’s chest, not by accident.

She knew what she was doing. Judging by the flash of discomfort on Liam’s face and the stiffness in Levi’s posture, they knew too.

Still, they didn’t pull away fast enough before the camera clicked.

Jessie smiled like the image had already been framed and mounted on her future bedroom wall. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

And I stood there, burning inside.

Jealousy flared in me. The mate bond screamed inside my bones. I knew what she was trying to do. And I wasn’t about to stand by and let it happen.

I felt the heat crawl up my throat, my jaw tightened as I watched Jessie clutch Levi like her life depended on it. My wolf stirred beneath my skin as annoyance flared through me.

Mine.

That word echoed over and over again in my head, loud and clear. The camera flashed again.

Levi shifted, trying to free his arm without making a scene. Liam was quicker. He eased himself out of her hold with an awkward laugh, stepping back just enough to break the contact.

But Jessie only tightened her hold on Levi. Her fingers curled possessively around his bicep as she laughed softly, her voice dripping with sweetness.

“Oh, this one’s definitely going to be my favorite,” she said to the photographer as if the triplets were her personal photo props.

She tilted her head toward Levi, brushing just a little too close to his chest. I felt like clawing out her eyes.

Luna Evelyn stood nearby, watching with a pleased expression. It suddenly clicked—her plan was just to wedge Jessie into the triplets’ circle.

To replace me!

Levi looked over at me. The moment our eyes met, the tension in his shoulders dropped a little. He looked trapped—not by Jessie, but by his mother’s firm gaze.

That was all I needed. I moved towards them and the crowd parted for me.

Levi’s eyes tracked me the whole way, his lips parting slightly. “Hazel—”

I didn’t let him finish. Instead, I closed the space between us. Reaching out, I grabbed the collar of his shirt and forced his lips down to meet mine in a kiss.

Levi reacted immediately, deepening our connection. His tongue pried my mouth open and pressed closer against me. I smiled against his lips as gasps rang through the crowd.

I made sure everyone watching—Jessie, Evelyn, the whole damn pack—understood that Levi belonged to me.