Masuk"This is a test," she said. "You're testing whether I'll stay.""No." Alaric's voice was firm. "This is us giving you real power. Real choice. What you do with it is up to you."She stood up. Walked to the window. Looked out at the grounds.She could leave. Could walk out the door. Could go back to her mother. Could rebuild her life.The contract would be dissolved. The obligation would be gone. She'd be free.But the bond...The bond would hurt. Would pull at her. Would make every day away from them feel wrong.And next month, when the full moon came, they'd suffer without her. She'd feel it. Would know they were in pain. Would know she could help but chose not to.Could she live with that?"This is cruel," she said quietly. "Giving me this choice. Making me decide between my freedom and your suffering.""This is fair," Alaric corrected. "This is you getting to choose what your life looks like. Not us choosing for you."She turned to look at them."If I stay," she said slowly. "If I
"I'm not forgiving.""You're still here." Aiden's voice was quiet. "Still in this bed. Still touching us. Still checking to make sure we're okay. That looks like forgiveness to me.""That's not forgiveness. That's exhaustion. I'm too tired to fight.""Then rest." Alaric stood up. "I'll have food brought up. You need to eat. Recover. Take care of yourself.""I can take care of myself...""Let us take care of you." His voice was firm. "You took care of us all night. Now it's our turn."He left before she could argue.***An Hour LaterThey'd showered. Separately. Melina had insisted.Now she was in clean clothes...her clothes from Alaric's closet....sitting on the couch in his sitting room. Food laid out on the coffee table.All three brothers were there. Dressed. Looking normal. Like last night had never happened.She picked at her food. Not hungry. Too much in her head."We need to talk," she said finally."About?" Alaric asked."About what happens now. About what last night means. Ab
Melina's POVShe woke up slowly.Body aching. Sore everywhere. Between her legs. Her hips. Her shoulders where Archer had bitten her.The memories crashed back.The collapse. The desperation. The way she'd helped all three of them through the night. The positions. The intensity. The absolute necessity of it all.She opened her eyes.Morning light streaming through the windows. She was still in the center of the bed. Still surrounded.Alaric was awake. Sitting up against the headboard. Watching her."Good morning," he said quietly.She looked at him. Really looked at him.He looked better. Completely better. No fever. No pain lines. No exhaustion. Like the curse had never happened."How do you feel?" she asked. Her voice was hoarse."Better than I have in nine years." His hand touched her hair gently. "Thanks to you."She looked at the other side of the bed. Aiden was still asleep. So was Archer at the foot of the bed."What time is it?" she asked."Almost nine. You slept for about sev
Archer groaned from the floor.He was the worst. Still on the floor. Barely conscious.She went to him. Dropped to her knees beside him."Archer. Archer look at me."He couldn't. His eyes were closed. His breathing shallow.Terror shot through her. "Archer please...."She stripped him. Pulled off his clothes with shaking hands.Then she positioned herself over him. On the floor. Carpet rough under her knees.Took him inside her even though he wasn't fully hard. Wasn't responding."Come on," she whispered. "Come on Archer please...."She moved. Desperate now. The bond screaming at her. He needed more. Needed all of her.She leaned down. Pressed her body against his completely. Skin to skin everywhere she could manage.Her lips found his neck. His pulse was racing. Erratic."Please," she whispered against his skin. "Please don't do this. Please don't...."His arms came around her suddenly. Held her tight.His hips thrust up. Once. Twice.He was responding. Finally responding."That's it
Melina's POVThey collapsed.All three of them. Simultaneously.Melina screamed.Ran to Alaric first. He was closest. Slumped in his chair. Head back. Eyes closed. Breathing shallow."Alaric....Alaric please...."She touched his face. He was burning up. Fever so high she could feel the heat radiating off him.His eyes opened. Barely. Silver eyes glazed with pain."Melina..." His voice was broken. Hoarse."What do I do? Please tell me what to do...""Close...need you close...."She looked at Aiden. He was on the couch. Curled on his side. Shaking.Archer on the floor. Not moving.Panic clawed at her throat. This was worse than she'd imagined. So much worse.And the ache in her chest...the pull....was unbearable now. Screaming at her to help them. To fix this. To do something."I don't know what to do!" Her voice was breaking. "Please someone tell me what to do!""Touch..." Aiden's voice from the couch. Barely audible. "Touch helps...proximity..."She went to him. Knelt beside the couch
Hours LaterMelina lay in Alaric's bed staring at the ceiling.He was beside her. Not touching. Just there.She'd spent the last four hours processing. Pacing. Demanding more answers. Getting some. Not believing most of them.Mates. Fated bonds. Supernatural curses.It sounded like a fantasy novel. Like something made up.Except she'd seen the symptoms. Had watched all three of them get progressively worse over the last four days. Had seen the fever. The pain. The exhaustion.That was real. Whatever was happening to them was real."I still don't understand," she said into the darkness. "How can three people share one mate? How does that even work?""It's rare," Alaric said quietly. "But not unheard of. Triplets especially. We share everything else. Why not this?""That's not an answer.""It's the only answer I have." He turned on his side. Looked at her. "I don't know why the universe decided you belong to all three of us. I just know that you do. We felt it. All of us. The moment we
Melina's POVThe stable door was open.Morning light slanted through in those same golden bars she'd come to associate with safety. With quiet. With the one person on this entire estate who didn't make her feel like she was drowning.She stepped inside.Edmund was with Silver. Brushing her coat in
Melina's POVShe made it through breakfast by not going to breakfast.Six AM came and went. She stayed in her room with the door locked and her back pressed against it listening for footsteps in the corridor that never came.Aiden didn't come looking for her.That should have been a relief.It felt
It wasn't a request.He walked. She followed because his hand was on her wrist and her bag was still on her shoulder and she didn't know what else to do.He led her through corridors she recognized. Up one floor. Down another. To a door she'd never been through before.His room.He opened it. Pulle
Edmund stopped brushing. Looked at her properly."Is that how you feel?""Sometimes." She looked at her hands. "I came here with a plan. I knew exactly who I was and what I needed to do. And now I don't know anything anymore.""That's not always a bad thing.""It feels bad.""Change usually does. D







