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Alora’s POV:

The thoughts were relentless, swirling in my mind like a storm that wouldn’t settle. I couldn’t help but question my actions.

Maybe I had been too extreme in rejecting them. Nobody deserved rejection, especially not from the one they were fated to spend their life with.

I knew the sting of rejection all too well, the ache of being unwanted, the void left behind by neglect.

I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone, let alone my fated mates. The idea of hurting them made my chest tighten with guilt.

They had left when they were eighteen, and I was only fifteen at the time.

Back then, I had been too young to feel the mate bond fully.

For werewolves, the bond only became apparent at eighteen, during the mating ceremonies designed to help newly awakened wolves find their destined partners.

But the rumor from six years ago was still fresh in my memory—they hadn’t found their mate at the ceremony.

Could that have been because of me?

Could they have known back then, while I remained oblivious? Or perhaps they hadn’t felt the bond at all until recently?

The questions were endless, each one more confusing than the last. No matter how hard I tried to make sense of it all, the answers eluded me. It was maddening.

Only they could tell me the truth.

Sleep was still far from my reach, so I got up from the bed and stretched my stiff limbs.

Hoping to ease my restless mind, I moved through a series of yoga poses, letting the gentle stretches release the tension in my muscles. But even that didn’t help.

I paced the room, my bare feet brushing against the cool wooden floor. Nothing seemed to quiet my thoughts.

Desperate for distraction, I grabbed a book from the shelf and sprawled on the bed, trying to lose myself in its pages.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, my eyelids grew heavy. The words on the page blurred together, and sleep finally claimed me.

~~~

My sleep was anything but peaceful. My body burned with an unbearable heat, my skin slick with sweat.

My limbs felt like lead, weighed down by some invisible force. I couldn’t move, no matter how hard I tried. My toes curled as waves of pain radiated through my body, and my chest tightened as though I were suffocating.

The sensation was excruciating, unlike anything I had ever felt before. It was as if my very soul were being torn apart.

Tears streamed down my face, and I whimpered in helpless agony.

The door creaked open, and the sound of approaching footsteps reached my ears. I wanted to call out, to plead for help, but my voice was caught in my throat.

A hand brushed against my cheek, and the pain ebbed away, replaced by a tingling warmth that spread across my skin.

The touch sent sparks racing through me, igniting a new sensation that left me breathless.

My clit throbbed, and I felt a wetness pooling between my thighs. The pleasure was overwhelming, consuming me entirely.

I didn’t want it to stop.

My eyes fluttered open, and I was met with a pair of dark, penetrating eyes.

“Kade,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

He didn’t respond, but his gaze held mine with an intensity that made my pulse race.

My body ached for his touch, craving the sparks that had ignited under his fingertips. But just as quickly as he came, he pulled away, leaving my wolf howling in anguish.

I writhed on the bed, unable to contain the frustration that coursed through me.

My gaze shifted, and I saw Keziah and Thorne standing nearby, their dark eyes fixed on me.

The air in the room was thick with tension, and their presence only heightened the ache within me.

All three of them were here.

Was this a dream? It had to be. Nothing else could explain the surrealness of the moment.

Before I could say anything, Kade scooped me into his arms. My breath hitched as his scent enveloped me—a heady mix of pine and cedar that made my wolf stir with longing.

“Mate,” she whispered, her voice filled with yearning.

Kade carried me to the bathroom.

I barely registered what was happening until I felt the icy shock of cold water against my skin.

My body jerked in response, but his hold remained firm as he lowered me into the tub.

The cold water soothed the fire raging within me, cooling my heated skin and calming the storm inside.

I looked up, my vision blurry, and saw the triplets watching me. Their gazes were dark, their expressions unreadable.

As the hours passed, the unbearable heat dissipated, replaced by an unfamiliar calm. My eyelids grew heavy, and I succumbed to the pull of sleep, my body finally at ease.

~~

The blaring sound of my alarm jolted me awake. My eyes snapped open, and I was greeted by the familiar sight of my bedroom ceiling. For a moment, I lay still, my mind replaying fragments of the dream I had just experienced.

It had felt so vivid, so real. The memory of their touches lingered on my skin, and I shivered at the thought.

But it was just a dream.

I tried to sit up, but something held me in place. My body stiffened as I felt an arm draped across my waist. Slowly, I turned my head, my breath catching in my throat.

Kade was lying beside me, his eyes closed, his face peaceful.

Panic surged through me as I looked to my other side. Thorne was there, his body relaxed as he slept.

This couldn’t be happening.

My gaze darted around the room, and that’s when I saw Keziah, sprawled comfortably at the foot of the bed.

My heart pounded in my chest as I took in the scene. I glanced down at myself and realized I was no longer wearing my nightgown. Instead, I was dressed in a pair of soft pajamas.

My hands flew to my chest, covering myself instinctively as my thoughts raced.

If this wasn’t a dream, then… what had happened last night?

Before I could make sense of it all, Kade’s eyes fluttered open. He smirked, his expression smug and infuriatingly calm.

“Good morning,” he said, his deep voice sending shivers down my spine.

I opened my mouth to respond, but the sound of approaching footsteps froze me in place.

“Alora,” a familiar voice called, and my blood ran cold.

Alpha Mathias.

My gaze darted to the triplets, who remained unfazed by the intrusion.

The doorknob turned, and I could do nothing but stare as the door creaked open. My heart pounding in my chest.