The Triplet Alphas' Regret

Surprisingly, Cedar said nothing more in rebuttal. Instead, he merely glared daggers at me before he opened the door with a loud bang and stormed off.

"Wow, I can’t believe that worked," I said. I turned to Samuel and said, "Aren’t you at all worried that the Beta of your pack is actually so easy to manipulate?" I asked. "Seems like he will eventually lead you all to doom no matter how capable your Alphas are."

After all, the pack’s Beta was the second-in-command. In the event that all the Alphas are missing from the pack, Cedar would be in charge. He had almost as much authority as the Luna did― and Goddess knows that she wasn’t good for the pack either. With Violet’s personality, she would eagerly doom the pack if it meant getting adoration from the Alphas.

"He technically is the Beta of your pack as well," Samuel said without flinching.

"For now," I said. "Not for long."

Samuel’s lips twitched. "Either way, I am sure he only left because he got summoned by one of the Alphas. He’s not that stupid."

"At least he’s gone now," I said, quickly closing the door behind me before going to Willow’s cupboards, where the rest of her tea leaves were. I opened the cupboard door. "Let’s get you the samples first―"

I paused. My eyes widened in disbelief as I registered what was in front of me.

Or more accurately, what wasn’t in front of me.

The tea blends were no longer present. There was only an empty space where her tea blends used to sit.

"What’s the matter?" Samuel asked curiously.

"The tea’s gone!" I exclaimed. I was starting to feel frantic, and I began rummaging through all the cupboards, thinking that perhaps Cedar might have put it somewhere else in a bid to make room for his own belongings.

I had to think that way; if not, I might break down. I was so close to gathering the one piece of crucial evidence that could shed light on this conspiracy and protect my sister, but now, my best lead had simply vanished right before my eyes!

"Wait, don’t make so much noise," Samuel cautioned. "You’re going to draw undue attention. Stand in the corner and calm down. Was the tea blend supposed to be here?" He pointed at the first cupboard I opened.

I nodded. "Yes, you have to believe me, I’m not lying, it was there! I took a small sample, and there was plenty of it left behind. Who could have taken it?"

Samuel went to the cupboard and took a long sniff, his nostrils flaring. Then he turned towards me. "I smell a familiar scent surrounding this area, and the scent is relatively fresh. We need to ask your brother if anyone else entered this room, other than the both of us."

"Alright," I nodded, my stomach twisting into knots.

My mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario― that Cedar didn’t see anyone who entered the room, because the person responsible actually took it away during the time he wasn’t present.

Suddenly, Ralph’s face floated in my head. Did he have something to do with this?

But Samuel didn’t detect the scent of a stranger. He said the scent was familiar. Ralph’s scent definitely wouldn’t be, since he didn’t belong in this pack to begin with. He was a new face in the pack who rose quickly in the ranks, most likely to help gather information for Lucien as a spy.

But what if Ralph’s scent was considered familiar to Samuel since Ralph had been visiting Willow? After all, I only caught him once. Who knew how often he had visited Willow before in secret? What had he done to her while my sister slept on, unaware?

The churning in my stomach worsened, and I felt my knees weaken. Samuel grabbed me by my elbow and sat me down on the chair next to Willow.

"Rest. You look worse than your sister," he instructed.

"I just can’t believe the entire tea set is missing," I whispered, my voice wretched with unease. "Who could have done such a thing?"

"The culprit," Samuel said simply. "No one else would have known about the true importance of the tea leaves, unless they were the ones who tampered with them in the first place."

"You’re right," I agreed, smacking my cheeks with the palms of my hands to force myself to stop panicking.

I had to look on the bright side of things― now, finding who moved the tea set would lead me straight to the culprit that poisoned my sister, instead of merely finding out where the wolfsbane came from.

"Truthfully, I’m more perplexed by your sister’s recovery than the missing tea leaves," Samuel added, and I whirled around to stare at him. "It wasn’t an exaggeration when I said it was miraculous― it was almost illogical!"

"Why would you say that?" I asked warily. "Isn’t that a good thing? Maybe my family is simply blessed with improved healing abilities, or Willow finally got the Moon Goddess’s blessing."

"Of course it is, but miracles do not happen without rhyme or reason," Samuel said, a furrow growing in between his eyebrows. "Normally, this kind of accelerated recovery only happens when one spends time with their fated mate. Since the Alphas are not her chosen or her fated mate, I suppose a miracle is the best way to put it."

"A fated mate..." I repeated in shock. Suddenly, the dots were forming a damning picture in my mind. I recalled the only unwelcome visitor I remembered seeing in Willow’s room.

The only individual that could be my sister’s fated mate was... Ralph.

He was a stranger to the pack, so there was no way my sister would have found him before she went missing. It would also explain why Ralph was hanging around her room, sticking to her like glue instead of looking for me.

It made sense, but part of me didn’t want to accept it.

Unless my sister met Ralph in person, and flat out recognized him and acknowledged him as her fated mate, I would still be suspicious of him. I would rather believe that the Moon Goddess healed Willow.

***

[CASSIAN POV]

"Cassian?" Violet weakly called out from the bed, coughing a little.

She was tucked in, her hands trembling as she lifted them up from the mattress to reach for me. However, she wasn’t able to keep her hand up for long before it eventually dropped back down.

A small cough erupted from her throat, and the maid who led the way quickly rushed over to the bed to pour her a cup of warm water, bringing it to her lips.

"Luna," she said. "Please drink something to parch your throat."

Violet took the water, carefully sipping it before handing it back to the maid. She turned and glanced at me with wide, watery eyes.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, entering the room.

The maid quickly stood up to make way for me, allowing me to sit by Violet’s bedside. She quickly darted out of the door, closing it gently behind her to give us some private space.

"Better now that you’re here," Violet said, smiling. Her lips were pale, and the rims of her eyes were a little red, as though she hadn’t been sleeping soundly.

Slowly, she struggled to sit up. However, even that small task seemed too big for her to handle. The seconds dragged on, and she didn’t seem any closer to being able to sit up properly.

Then, she suddenly stole a glance at me, waiting.

I raised an eyebrow as realization struck me. Was she waiting for me to help her sit up?

Rigidly, I reached forward and assisted her, puffing her pillows and placing them against the headboard for her to rest on. Violet settled in, adjusting her body a little before she smiled at me.

I stared at her face, studying her expression. Violet’s skin seemed paler than usual, and her lips weren’t as brightly red as they usually were. It had just been one day, and all of a sudden, she looked as though she was a human who suffered through the plague and was at the end of her days.

For some reason, I couldn’t help but compare Violet’s condition to Briar’s. Briar’s cheeks were hollow, and her lips weren’t exactly ruddy all the time. However, her eyes were filled with fire and life. She resembled a stubborn weed who was determined to grow even in the most impossible places.

On the other hand, Violet was a delicate flower who had to be cared for exactly by the book. One small mishap and all of a sudden, she was tied to the bed.

Unknowingly, my frown deepened. Why hadn’t I ever noticed that Violet was such a weak-willed woman? What could’ve possibly happened to her in the span of one day to cause her to be bedridden?

"Cassian?" Violet gently called out, causing me to snap back in attention. She carefully asked, "Is there something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

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