Chapter 60
The triplets—Leo, Leon, and Liam—stood before the full-length mirrors, draped in the dark velvet and gold embroidery of their ceremonial Alpha robes. They looked like kings, but they felt like sacrificial lambs.
The door creaked open, and the heavy, authoritative scent of the older generation filled the room. Alpha Levi and Alpha Lennox walked in, followed closely by Alpha Louis, who had been away on a mysterious journey for over two months.
Despite the tension, a flash of genuine relief crossed the brothers’ faces. They had always been close to their father, Alpha Louis.
“You’re back,” Leo said, stepping forward to pull the older man into a brief, firm hug.
But as Leo pulled away, his nostrils flared. A scent hit him—something that didn’t belong to the dusty roads or the cold northern winds. It was the sweet, distinct aroma of honey mixed with the sharp warmth of nutmeg. It was a scent that had been buried in the earth years ago.
It was the smell of their late mother.
Leo’s brow furrowed in confusion, his eyes searching Louis’s face. Why did he smell like a dead woman? He shook the thought away almost as quickly as it came. Louis had likely spent the morning in the old wing of the house, perhaps looking through her things because he missed her. He brushed it off, letting the grief explain the anomaly.
“I am so proud of you, my sons,” Alpha Lennox said, his voice unusually thick with emotion. “I know you will do so much better than we did p>
Alpha Levi swallowed hard, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. The air turned frigid as he spoke the words that would shatter the morning. “We are announcing your engagements immediately following the coronation ceremony. The Silver Lake daughters are already in the hall p>
The reaction was instantaneous.
“Father, I am not accepting this marriage,” Liam snapped, his eyes flashing with annoyance.
“I won’t do it,” Leo added, his voice low and growling.
Leon stepped forward, his jaw set like stone. “Father, never. I will not stand there and claim a woman I don’t want p>
The three older Alphas stood in a row, their faces blank. They knew this was wrong. The weight of forcing their children into a loveless political alliance was a knife in their own hearts. In truth, the fathers were suffering more than the sons. They were trapped in a web of secrets and threats that their children couldn’t possibly understand. They were doing this to keep the triplets alive, but they couldn’t say a word.
Levi’s face hardened, his eyes turning cold to hide the guilt. “You three will accept that engagement, or you will be stripped of your Alpha titles. Think about that very carefully p>
Without looking back, Levi turned and walked out. Lennox lingered for a heartbeat, staring at his sons who were seething with silent fury. He wanted to pull them into his arms, to tell them he was sorry, to explain the danger they were all in. But he couldn’t. He turned and followed his brother.
Alpha Louis was the last to leave. He paused at the door, his eyes lingering on the three young men. “We are your fathers. Trust us,” he said softly before the door clicked shut behind him.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
“I am not accepting this,” Liam roared, his fist hitting the stone wall with enough force to crack the mortar.
“Wait,” Leo said, his eyes narrowed as he looked at the closed door. “I have an idea p>
His brothers turned to him, their chests heaving.
“Let us accept the engagement for now,” Leo proposed, his voice calculating. “Once the crowns are on our heads and we are officially made Alphas, we will have the highest authority in this territory. Our fathers will no longer have the power to command us. Once we are the law, we will look for a way to sever those contracts and get rid of the Silver Lake pack forever p>
Liam and Leon shared a look of grim understanding. It was a dangerous game, but it was the only way to keep their power—and the girl they were secretly fighting for.
“We play along,” Leon whispered, his mind flashing to Scarlett’s face.
The triplets walked into the ceremony hall, and the loud crowd stunned them. The room was full of high-ranking guests from nearby packs, all dressed in fine dresses and fur. The air smelled of expensive cologne, roasted meat, and the soft buzz of excited whispers.
At the front of the hall, near the raised platform, they saw the three Silver Lake sisters. Camila, Bianca, and Talia stood there in heavy velvet gowns of deep blue and silver. Their hair was styled high and decorated with shining jewels. They looked like perfect future Lunas, graceful and beautiful, but something about them felt fake and unnatural.
The brothers did not care about the grand setting or the guests. As they stepped onto the long carpet leading to the throne, their eyes were not on the women waiting for them. Instead, they searched the room, looking past the crowd, trying to find one person.
They were looking for Scarlett.
Leon’s heart pounded hard in his chest. He had left her in the woods earlier, and guilt still sat heavy inside him. He expected to see her somewhere in the hall, maybe standing quietly at the side or hidden among the crowd.
But she was not there.
Liam’s jaw tightened as he scanned the left side of the room. His wolf was restless inside him. He needed to see her. He needed to tell her, even without words, that this engagement was not real, just something they had to do to claim the crown.
Leo, who was usually the most observant, felt a strange unease crawl up his spine. The faint scent of honey and nutmeg from earlier still lingered in his mind, but now it was buried under the strong mix of many people. He glanced toward the entrance, hoping to catch even the smallest sign of her.
“Where is she?” Liam muttered quietly, almost lost under the sound of the trumpets.
“I don’t see her,” Leon replied, his voice low and tense. “She should be here p>
At that moment, the large doors at the back of the hall slowly opened again. A hush fell over the guests near the entrance, and the silence spread through the room like a wave.
The triplets turned at the same time, their breaths catching.