The Triplet Alphas (Reynold’s POV).The courtyard air shifted when that hand caught hers.Denise froze, her claws gleaming in the sunlight, an inch away from striking Natasha. For a heartbeat I thought the world itself had stopped turning.And then, in that stillness, I saw him.Alpha Rowen.My father.He stood tall behind her, his grip steady around Denise’s wrist. There was no tremor in his hand, no hesitation in his voice when he spoke.“Now that’s enough Denise,” he said, low and sharp, the kind of voice that silenced even the birds in the marsh.Denise stiffened. Her lips curled, ready to spit back something venomous, but the weight of his hold pinned her in place. She tried to tug free, but it was useless. He didn’t raise his voice, didn’t need to. His presence alone was enough to bend the air.Natasha’s eyes widened. She looked from his hand to his face, her breath unsteady, her chest rising and falling as though she had been underwater too long. For a moment, it was almost as
The Triplet Alphas (Reynold’s POV.)The morning had broken with a kind of quiet that unsettled me. The house was never truly silent—the creak of wood, the distant shuffle of servants, the restless call of birds from the marshes—but still, there was a hush in the air that pressed against my ears.I stood by the window of my room upstairs, leaning against the frame, my gaze falling onto the courtyard below. I told myself I wasn’t waiting for her. I told myself I wasn’t watching for her. But my eyes found her anyway.Natasha.She was already outside, a tin watering can in her hands, tilting it carefully over the roots of the flowers that lined the garden. The water glittered in the light, streaming down into the soil until it darkened with life. She moved with a patience that I never understood—kneeling, brushing dirt from her hands, adjusting the angle of the leaves as though they could feel her touch.Her dress was plain, worn thin in places, the fabric clinging to her as she bent and
Erica’s POV.Denise’s hand curled around the cabinet handle. The silver gleamed faintly under the chandelier light, her fingers delicate but steady. I could hear my own breath catching, sharp and shallow, as if the air itself had grown thin.The moment stretched.Her lips curved into a smile that wasn’t really a smile, the kind of curve that promised nothing good. And then, without warning, she tugged the door open.The hinges creaked.I felt my body tense so hard my shoulders ached, my fingernails digging into the rag in my palm. The bucket beside me trembled as though it shared my fear. Heaven didn’t move. She stood like a statue, only her eyes giving her away, wide and fixed on her mother.Denise’s head tilted slightly as she peered inside.For a single heartbeat, her eyes widened. Surprise flickered there—so quick I almost thought I had imagined it. Her face was angled away from me, but I caught the faintest shift in her breath, the tiniest pause.I thought she saw.I thought it w
Erica’s POV.The warmth of her touch still lingered on my skin when the sound of heels echoed down the hallway.Each click on the marble sent my pulse racing faster.I didn’t even need to see her face to know.Denise.My stomach twisted. My hand gripped the bucket so tightly my knuckles turned white. Heaven felt it too—I saw her shoulders stiffen, her head snap toward the door.The handle turned and the door swung open.There she stood—Denise.Her presence filled the room like smoke choking the air. Tall, elegant, wrapped in a gown so dark it swallowed the light, she looked every bit the queen she thought herself to be. Her eyes swept over me first, lingering on the rag in my hand, the way I knelt near the bucket, then slid to Heaven standing much too close to me.Her brows lifted slowly, deliberately. “Heaven.” Her voice was sugar lined with steel. “Why are you in here with…” her lips curled, “…that?”That. That’s all I was to her. A thing.I didn’t lift my eyes. I kept them fixed on
Erica’s POV.The words dropped into the air like a stone falling into still water.Her voice was calm, almost tender, but it left a sharp sting in my chest. I froze with my hand still on the doorknob. My heart skipped and then started to pound hard.I looked at her properly—Heaven, the young teenager who had been in this mansion far longer than me. She stood in front of me, tall, graceful, her dark hair tied loosely at her back, her eyes carrying something heavy I couldn’t quite name.I forced a breath. “What do you mean?” My voice was small.Heaven had stepped into the room without asking, her eyes moving quickly toward the cabinet where I had shoved Daisy. My stomach tightened. Did she hear Daisy? Did she know? But then she turned back to me, her face soft, her lips trembling with words that seemed to fight their way out.“I mean…” She swallowed hard. “That I am not just Heaven. I am more than what you think I am.”I pressed the rag tighter in my hand. My knees felt weak. “You’re co
Erica’s POV.The bucket was heavier than it looked. My arms trembled slightly as I carried it down the long corridor, the water inside sloshing with each step I took. The sound echoed against the marble floors, sharp and cold, reminding me of who I was now. Not a guest. Not family. Not mate. Not even someone who belonged. Just a maid.The rag hung over the side of the bucket, dripping tiny trails that stained the clean floor, and I found myself wiping them quickly with the tip of my dress before anyone could notice. My pride hated that—hated how careful I had become with even the smallest mistakes, hated how I moved quietly now, like a shadow that didn’t want to be seen.The office I was sent to clean was large, lined with tall shelves filled with books that smelled like dust and old paper. The curtains were half drawn, letting streaks of sunlight cut across the dark wooden desk that once felt like a place of power. For a moment, standing there with the bucket in my hand, I could almo