The triplets tensed up, casting wary glances at one another.

My heart raced, and I eagerly rushed to the window, peering past the bars with a hopeful expression on my face. Maybe it was Willow’s wolf returning, and I would be able to clear my name. Or it could be Lucien, ready to rain hell on the triplets for daring to kidnap and imprison me. It would be difficult for him to fight all of them at once, but I still desperately wanted it to be him.

I wanted to see him so badly my soul ached with want. As I was staring outside, I failed to notice the faint expression of hurt that crossed Rowan’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Cassian grabbed me and tried to pull me away from the window, while I held on the windowsill for dear life. "Don’t you dare think about escaping, you little―"

The bushes rustled again, and a wolf emerged.

But the wolf that appeared wasn’t Lucien’s wolf. Nor was it Willow’s bedraggled wolf that I had caught sight of earlier. It wasn’t even Jessie.

No. I recognized that other wolf all too well. My face twisted in disgust.

Since I was looking out the window, I didn’t realize that the triplets had similar expressions of disappointment on their faces. They watched as the wolf swiftly shifted into the form of a beautiful woman, albeit slightly caked in leaves and dirt after traveling through the forest all night long.

Her gaze went straight past me to look at the triplets behind. I turned, just in time to see the furrow of their eyebrows and the look of displeasure on their faces. It caught me by surprise. That was not the expression they should be wearing at the sight of their supposedly beloved chosen mate.

Even Cassian, who was closest to Violet ever since Willow’s death, looked a little frustrated by Violet’s appearance. He looked as though he had swallowed a fly.

Rowan sighed, turning around so that Violet could not see his expression.

"Cassian, go get her," he said.

"But―" Cassian tried to argue, but was swiftly cut off by Rowan once more.

"Now."

Surprisingly, Cassian didn’t utter a single word of argument any further. He looked unwilling, but that was all. Cassian tossed me one last scathing glare before storming out of my bedroom, presumably to get Violet before she froze to death outside in her birthday suit. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Now that Cassian was gone, the room was a lot quieter. I coldly glared at Violet before my gaze landed on the two curtains at the side. Without saying anything, I pulled the curtains shut. The room instantly went dark. I hadn’t switched on the lights, and the only source of light prior to this had been the moonlight from outside.

In the darkness, I could barely see a thing. It took me a while to get used to the lack of light. But the moment I did, I realized that Soren was already standing right in front of me. His eyes were slightly glowing, and they narrowed in on the base of my neck.

He reached out, gently combing my hair to one side. His fingers left a slight tingle across my skin when he accidentally grazed me, and I shivered instinctively.

"What’s this..." he muttered under his breath.

However, before he could fully move my hair away, Rowan snatched Soren’s hand, holding it away from me.

"Don’t touch her," Rowan said. His voice was a low growl, just one step away from becoming an Alpha’s command.

Both Soren and I jerked at the sudden change of his tone. In the darkness, both Rowan’s and Soren’s eyes were slightly glowing gold. Their wolves were already surfacing, and by the sound of Rowan’s voice, he was on the verge of losing control.

"I was just trying to see what’s on her neck," Soren said, trying to maintain an even tone.

"It’s a mark," Rowan flatly replied. He continued, his voice carrying a hint of possessiveness, "Have you not seen a mark before?"

As much as it tickled me pink to see the triplets tearing each other apart, especially after everything they had put me through, I didn’t want them to shift and get into a brawl while I was still inside the same room― the same extremely cramped room that most definitely could not fit two fully grown Alpha wolves and a human girl.

"That’s enough," I said, slowly pushing Rowan to one side.

I made sure to follow him, and surprisingly, Rowan was very pliant. My hand was against his chest, and every step I took forward, he automatically moved back, following the direction I was guiding him towards.

I chanced a quick look over my shoulders. Even though I could barely make out the outline of Soren’s face, I could still see his eyes. The golden light was slowly starting to fade, but I caught a faint trace of hurt darting across his eyes before the light dimmed.

Once I had pushed Rowan to the other side of the room where the door was, I reached for the light and flicked the switch. The room instantly lit up with a warm yellow light. I winced, slowly blinking to adjust. Noticing my action, Rowan slightly shifted his body so that I was in his shadow instead.

The action was surprisingly thoughtful of him, but I found it difficult to mutter a word of thanks. Instead, I simply stared at him in surprise before looking away.

I failed to notice the corner of Rowan’s lips slowly turning up into a small grin as he watched me.

It didn’t take long before Cassian came back with Violet in tow. This time, she was dressed in an oversized bathrobe, probably belonging to one of them, considering her clothes would’ve been torn from shifting back and forth.

She stepped in with a bright smile, her eyes welling with tears when she gazed upon Rowan and Soren. Conveniently, she avoided meeting my gaze the entire time.

"Alphas..." she said with a slight sob to her voice.