All Chapters of CONSUMED IN THE TRIPLET ALPHAS' HEAT : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

LIRAI sat in the back of the van and tried not to think about what was waiting for me at the end of this ride.My bag was on my lap. Not that there was much in it. Just rags. Old clothes that were more holes than fabric. And at the bottom, wrapped carefully in cloth, the moonshade paste I had managed to take.I had gone into the garden before we left and grabbed as much of the herb as I could carry without being noticed. Crushed the leaves in my hands and stuffed them into several pouches and prayed it would be enough.I did not know if moonshade grew in Wildfangs. Did not know if I would be able to make more paste when this ran out.If I could not, the mark would start glowing again and then they would see it and then I would die.So I had to make it last and hope.Lady Astoria had come to see me one last time before I left.She had cornered me in the servants' quarters while I was packing and her smile had been sharp and knowing."Remember what I told you," she had said. Leaning aga

LiraWe were almost at the entrance when I heard a high-pitched squeal that cut through the air like a bell."Popsy!"A little girl came running out of the mansion, her pigtails bouncing as she ran. She could not have been more than five years old and she was heading straight for Kain.I watched as his entire face changed. The stoic expression melted away and what was left was something soft and warm and completely unexpected.He dropped to one knee just as she reached him and she climbed onto his shoulder like she had done it a thousand times before."Where did you go?" she demanded, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Why didn't you come back last night? I couldn't sleep without you!"She was kissing his face all over and he was letting her and I could see something in his expression that I had never seen before.Pure, uncomplicated love. "I'm sorry, honey ," he said quietly and his voice was gentle in a way that made my chest ache. "I had to take care of some business. But I'm back

LIRAI woke up slowly and for a moment I did not know where I was.The bed was too soft. The air smelled different, and cleaner, without the stench of rot and fear that had always clung to Blackwood.Then it all came back and my chest tightened.Wildfangs. The Alpha House. Three mates I could not have.I sat up and saw a tray of food on the small table beside the bed. Bread, cheese, some kind of meat, fruit, and a cup of water.My stomach growled so loudly it hurt and I realized I had barely eaten in two days.I grabbed the tray and ate quickly, not caring that the food was cold. It was still better than anything I had eaten in months and I finished every bite, even scraping the plate clean with my fingers.It was late evening now. The light coming through the window was soft and golden and I could hear voices and laughter drifting up from somewhere below.A knock on the door made me jump."It's just me," Tova's voice called. "Can I come in?"I stood and opened the door and there she w

LIRAI barely slept that night.Every time I closed my eyes I saw them. I felt them. I wanted them.And every time I forced myself awake, my body ached with need and my chest burned with the mark trying to break through my control.By morning I felt like I had been run over by a horse-drawn cart. My head pounded. My stomach twisted with nausea. My hands shook so badly I could barely button my shirt.This was bond rejection sickness. I knew it from the stories my grandmother had told me. When a mate denied the bond, their body started to break down. Slowly at first, then faster.Loss of appetite. Insomnia. Pain. Weakness.If I kept fighting it, I would die.But if I accepted it, I would die anyway. Just faster and more violently.I stared at my reflection in the mirror and barely recognized myself. My face was pale and drawn. Dark circles under my eyes. My lips cracked and dry."I feel nothing," I whispered. "I have no wolf. I feel no bond."The words felt hollow now. Like lies I could

LIRAI could not stop thinking about Riven.About the way he looked at me in the garden. About the boots he gave me. About the way he said, "You can't run from this forever."It scared me more than anything Jax or Kain had done.Because Riven seemed like he could see through me. Like he had some kind of gift, some foresight that let him read the lies I told and the secrets I kept.And if he figured it out, it would not matter that there was this pull between us or that my wolf howled for him or that his touch made my skin burn.He would have to kill me.They all would.This was the ultimate taboo. A woman fated to three Alphas, carrying the cursed mark that had destroyed every pack it touched.The consequence was always the same. Death. It did not matter that I felt something when they looked at me. Did not matter that Jax made me smile or that Kain's presence made me feel safe or that Riven's voice did things to me I could not explain.None of it mattered because at the end of the d