The Triplet Alphas' Regret

"Hi," I said dumbly, my focus entirely on Soren’s rapidly swelling cheek.

I couldn’t believe Violet had actually, genuinely, slapped Soren with practically all her strength. Violet had, not to my knowledge, ever hit any one of the Alphas before, not even as a joke― let alone hitting them hard enough to actually hurt them!

Usually, her hatred and anger were directed at me, and she tended to favour scheming to hurt me. To think she would slap Soren in the face, especially when she was in the midst of currying favor with them, was unheard of.

My mouth fell open as I continued to gawk, my brain trying to register what I had just seen, compared to what I knew of Violet.

Did I accidentally wake up in an alternate universe after sleeping for three days?

Or maybe this was indeed Violet’s clone after all. That would certainly explain why she acted so brashly, and why the triplets — at least Rowan and Soren — seemed to be avoiding her like she was the plague.

"Are you alright?" I asked cautiously. "Your cheek... What happened here?"

I didn’t know if I wanted to know, but now that Soren had seen me, it would be too heartless for me to turn around and pretend I hadn’t seen him, especially after he had gotten slapped. Be it the mate bond or not, I felt a whole lot of unexplained emotions churn within me. Seeing him injured caused my heartstrings to tug a little, even if just for this moment.

At my words, Soren smiled brightly at me; his enthusiasm was completely at odds with the angry handprint on his cheek. The relief in his eyes when he saw me standing and walking was apparent, and his eyes darted to the juncture between my neck and shoulder, where his failed mating mark sat.

I realized that he must have thought I hated him. When I took the initiative to speak, I could see how his shoulders relaxed incrementally.

"Briar, I’m glad to see you. And don’t worry about this." He pointed to his cheek as he shot Violet a disdainful look from the corner. "It’ll heal in no time."

"That’s not what she asked," Rowan said, glowering beside me. He narrowed his eyes at Violet. "Why did you slap my brother?"

Violet looked absolutely pale. She glared hatefully at me, unable to hide her burning emotions for a mere split second. But that split second was all I needed to catch it across her face. Even after she had schooled her expression into a pitiful one right after, it didn’t change the glimpse that I had seen.

It allowed me to realize something― Violet definitely knew that I was standing right there. From her angle, she would’ve been able to catch a glimpse of me before Soren could. Even if she hadn’t, I would’ve assumed that she would’ve caught my scent coming.

However, she didn’t seem to have realized that I was accompanied by Rowan. Perhaps being in Rowan’s room for three whole days had allowed our scents to intermingle with each other, and she thought that only I was present, not both of us. Thus, Rowan being here seemed to have genuinely caught her off guard.

"Alpha Rowan..." she trailed off, her lips wobbling slightly as she glanced at Rowan. She swallowed anxiously, her eyes flickering everywhere as she frantically searched for a way to explain this mess. "I..."

"I’m waiting," Rowan growled out, sounding more displeased with every second that ticked on without an answer.

Violet’s face paled further, and she seemed to shrivel into herself, looking as though she wanted to melt into the floor to avoid his interrogation. I couldn’t deny the satisfaction I felt, watching Violet squirm like a worm on a fishing hook.

As though Rowan could sense my thoughts, he stepped closer, looming even more intimidatingly over her. One of his hands reached out to hug my waist, pulling me closer to him so I could watch Violet panic in sharp detail.

Her eyes narrowed in on the small movement, and I could see the look of displeasure that flickered across her features. Her eyebrows were furrowed ever so slightly, and the corners of her lips twitched, threatening to turn down into a frown. However, unlike before, she caught herself, careful not to show her emotions too openly. After all, Rowan was watching her like a hawk.

"I..." she said, stuttering. "I just..."

"It’s not her fault."

To my surprise, Soren spoke up for her. Even Violet herself looked surprised. She turned over and glanced at Soren, her eyes widened to the size of saucers. For a second there, there were stars in her eyes, and they began to well up with tears.

"She just lost her temper," Soren continued. "Irrational, I know."

Rowan, however, didn’t seem too pleased about the turn of events.

"I was asking her," he said. "Not you."

"I know," Soren replied. "But considering I was the one who got slapped, I ought to have a say in this matter, don’t I?"

My eyes darted back and forth between Rowan and Soren, my emotions clashing together in conflict. On one hand, I couldn’t deny the thrill and rush of satisfaction I got from Rowan speaking up for me and putting Violet in her place. It was long overdue. On the other hand, my chest crunched together painfully hearing Soren seemingly come to Violet’s defense, even though she had just hurt him― quite physically, too.

Perhaps whatever I thought previously was wrong. Soren hadn’t forgotten about Violet entirely after all. It was all an act he had put up just so he could mark me, and now that he did, he had reached his goal, and there was no more need for him to put on an act. Even if the mark was only half-made and not a complete one, I supposed that was good enough for him. My mouth twisted as I recalled Rowan’s blistering comments about Soren’s carelessness.

I guessed he was careless, since I wasn’t that important to him after all. Maybe he wanted to mark me not out of any huge affection, but out of misplaced pride. He didn’t want to lose to Rowan.

Just the thought of that made my mouth sour. I raised my hand and rubbed the mark, pinching my lips tightly together at the sore feeling that rushed through my flesh upon contact.

The mark was tucked right under the collar of my shirt, not a spot that was easily seen. But the action still caught the attention of both Rowan and Soren. I could feel their gazes on me the entire time.

"That’s right..." Violet suddenly said, her voice starting off a little shaky and hesitant, but quickly gaining confidence. "Alpha Soren and I merely had a disagreement. I apologize, Alpha Rowan. I shouldn’t have acted so impulsively."

I took a deep breath, not wanting to stay here a moment longer. The tension was getting too thick for me to breathe properly.

"Let’s go," I said to Rowan. "I want to see Willow."

I didn’t say it out loud, but I didn’t want to be here any longer, with the glorious company of Soren and Violet. Both of them were making me sick, and being in their presence only made me more and more uncomfortable. I should have known Rowan had a good reason for wanting me to ignore the crying. I had effectively walked into this mess with my own two feet, but it wasn’t too late to take myself out of it.

As if Soren had noticed the disgust in my eyes, he took a step forward, his eyes widening slightly.

"Briar, it’s not―"

"I don’t want to talk to you," I said, cutting him off.

Soren pursed his lips. "Let me just explain. I’ve not seen you since―"

I gritted my teeth when Soren grabbed my forearm desperately. Shrugging him off, I said, "I don’t need your explanation. Don’t touch me."

"Alpha Soren," Violet said, her voice radiating with affectionate gratitude that sounded so saccharine that goosebumps formed on my skin. She slid up to Soren’s side the moment I managed to worm free of his hold. She grabbed his arm, pressing her chest flush against his bicep, almost as though she was hoping to lock his entire upper arm into her cleavage and hold him captive there. "I apologize for my actions earlier. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you―"

"Yes," Soren snapped, furrowing his eyebrows. "Let go of me."

I shook my head, not wanting to stay here any longer. This was a soap opera I didn’t sign up for. I looked at Rowan without saying a word, wanting to gesture at him to leave. With just one look, he seemed to understand what I wanted to say perfectly.

Rowan nodded, using his hand on the small of my back to guide me forward. However, before I could take more than three steps, Violet suddenly rushed in front of me, blocking my path.

"Where do you think you’re going?" she asked, scowling.

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