Chapter 129
Scarlett’s POV
For hours, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling until the shadows in the room grew long and dark. My phone was still clutched in my hand, the screen glowing with that wedding photo. I couldn’t stop looking at them.
“I wish you all the happiness in the world,” I whispered into the empty room. My voice was thick and broken. “Maybe in our next life, we won’t be this unfortunate. Maybe then, the world will let us be together p>
I closed my eyes, but I could still see the image of them standing at the altar. Suddenly, Zoe, my wolf, stirred deep inside me. She wasn’t crying anymore. She sounded confused.
“Scarlett, don’t you feel that? Something is strange,” she said, her voice pacing in my mind.
“What do you mean?” I asked tiredly. “Everything is over, Zoe p>
“The bond,” she insisted. “I don’t think it’s broken. Usually, when a mate marks someone else, the old bond snaps like a dry branch. It’s supposed to hurt like a physical wound. But this… this feels wrong. Not broken… just empty. Like something is still there, but hidden p>
“We can’t feel it because our bond is under a spell, remember?” I reminded her bitterly. “We are no longer their mates. We didn’t feel them marking those girls because the magic is suppressing us. We are nothing to them now p>
“Yes, but I still feel something strange,” Zoe muttered.
Before I could argue with her, my phone began to ring. The loud vibration made me jump. I looked at the screen and saw a name I hadn’t expected: Alpha Ethan.
I took a deep breath, wiped my eyes, and answered. “Hello p>
There was a long silence on the other end. I could hear the wind blowing and the faint sound of cars. Then, Ethan spoke.
“You have been crying,” he said. It wasn’t a question. He knew me too well.
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. If I spoke, I knew I would start sobbing all over again.
“I attended the wedding,” Ethan said, his voice soft. “It’s done, Scarlett. They are married and marked. You are free now. You can stop hiding in France. You can come out of the shadows and start living your life again p>
I let out a long, shaky sigh. “Not yet, Ethan. I want to stay low. I want to finish my art course here. To be honest… I don’t think I ever want to see them again. It hurts too much p>
Ethan was silent for a moment. “So you want them to keep believing you are dead? Forever p>
“Yes. For now,” I replied, staring out the window at the Paris lights. “Maybe one day, when I am strong enough to look at them without falling apart, I will face them. But today is not that day p>
He didn’t push me. He never did. “Okay, Scarlett. I understand p>
We sat in silence for a while, the only sound being our breathing over the phone. Two years ago, when I fled England, Ethan was the one who helped me. He was the one who told me he would wait for me to heal.
“Alpha Ethan?” I asked softly. “Are you still waiting for me?” I asked softly, even though I wasn’t sure I deserved the answer.
The silence on the other side grew heavy. I knew he had kept his word for two years. He had never pressured me, never asked for more than I could give.
“Yes, Scarlett,” he finally said. “I am still waiting for you p>
“What if I’m never ready?” I asked, my heart aching. “What if I can never love anyone else p>
“I will still wait,” he said without hesitation.
I tried to find the right words to say, but then I noticed another call coming through on my screen. It was my parents. I felt a surge of coldness in my chest.
“I have to go, Ethan. My parents are calling. I’ll call you back p>
I used the excuse to end the call quickly. I wasn’t ready to talk about the future with Ethan when my past was still bleeding. I pressed ’accept’ on my parents’ call.
“Hello?” I said, my tone turning cold.
“Scarlett? How are you, honey?” My mother’s voice sounded worried, but I couldn’t find it in myself to be soft with her.
“How do you expect me to be, Mom?” I asked. Ever since I found out how my parents had helped hide the truth and played a part in the mess that forced me away, our relationship had been broken. They had apologized a thousand times, but apologies couldn’t fix the two years I was abused, mocked, and hurt.
“Luna Olivia just contacted me,” my mother said, ignoring my sharp tone.
I scoffed. Luna Olivia—the triplets’ mother. “So, what do they want this time? Do they want my life? Haven’t they taken enough p>
“No, Scarlett,” my mother whispered. “They are pleading for you not to come out yet. They are asking if you could keep a low profile for at least one more year. They want to make sure the triplets’ bond with their new mates is fully established and strong before they find out the truth p>
I laughed, but there was no joy in it. It was a bitter, hollow sound.
“Tell them they don’t have to worry, Mom,” I said, my eyes hardening. “I’m not coming back. I’m not going to ruin their perfect plan. Tell them their ’Alpha sons’ are safe from me. Goodbye p>
I hung up the phone before she could say another word. I tossed the phone onto the bed and curled into a ball on the floor.
I just lay there in the dark, trying to force my brain to turn off. But then, Zoe growled. It wasn’t a sad growl this time; it was a warning. Her ears were up, and her fur was bristling.
“Scarlett, someone is outside,” she sensed.
I froze. I stopped breathing so I could listen. At first, there was nothing. Then, I heard it—the soft, metallic sound of someone trying to unlock my front door with a tool p>
My heart began to race. I wasn’t expecting anyone. Chloé was at a party, and Ethan was in England. I stood up quickly, my eyes darting around the dark room.
Two years ago, when Ethan got me this apartment, he was very worried about my safety. He was an Alpha; he knew how dangerous the world could be for a girl everyone thought was dead. He had built a secret safe room for me behind my wardrobe. If you just looked at the wardrobe, you would never know a space was behind it.
I rushed over to it, my hands trembling so badly I almost missed the hidden button.I pressed the tiny, hidden button near the base—a button so small no stranger would ever find it. The back of the wardrobe clicked and swung open. I scrambled inside, pulling it shut just as the sound of the front door opening echoed through the apartment.
I stood in the tiny, dark space, breathing through my mouth to stay quiet. I leaned forward, peeping through a small, hidden hole in the wood.
The bedroom door opened. Three men walked in. They were wearing dark clothes and masks over their faces. And in their hands… were guns.