All Chapters of CONSUMED IN THE TRIPLET ALPHAS' HEAT : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

After dinner, they followed me to the small sitting room off the main hall.All three of them.I could feel it in the air. The competition. The way they circled each other without actually circling. The way each one tried to position himself closer to me without making it obvious.It was subtle. But it was there.I sat in the corner chair and picked up one of the books Riven had given me before I ran. I opened it and pretended to read, even though the words kept blurring together.The brothers were talking. About leadership. About border disputes. About something Kain needed to handle with the Council. But I could tell none of them were really paying attention to what they were saying.They were paying attention to me.Kain sat across from me, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked tense. Not nervous exactly, but uncomfortable. Like he was carrying weight he wasn't sure how to distribute. Being Alpha Primus was supposed to be an honor, but watching him now, it looked m

LiraMy legs felt like lead as I headed into the house after training with Kain. My throat was so dry it felt like I'd swallowed sand, and sweat stuck my shirt to my back. I took slow steps leading to the family wing, glancing at the portraits lining both walls, generations of Alphas staring down with stern faces. Most of them looked like they'd never smiled a day in their lives.Elora's portrait was larger than the others, hung in a burnished gold frame near the end of the hall. The painting showed her in a blue dress with gold embroidery. Her hair fell in perfect ginger waves over her shoulders. Everything about her looked refined, like she'd been born knowing exactly how to hold herself and speak and be the kind of woman men like Kain married.The frame had a thin layer of dust on it. For some reason, I wanted to clean it. A rag sat on a nearby table, probably left there by one of the servants, so I grabbed it and wiped the glass clean. The dust came away easily and left the portrai

RivenThat afternoon, needing somewhere quiet to think, I went to the library. It was my day off from official duties.Before seeing her, I smelled her.Curled in the window seat, Lira was so absorbed in whatever she was reading that she didn't hear me approach.Watching her for a moment, I noticed the way she bit her lip when concentrating. The way her fingers traced the words on the page like she was memorizing them. The way the light caught in her hair and made her look like something out of a painting.Finally sensing me, she looked up with wide eyes and tried to hide her face behind the book.After touching each other intimately, after bringing her to climax with my hands and my mouth, she was still shy."I'm not disturbing you, am I?""No." Lowering the book, she added, "I was just reading.""What are you reading?"Showing me the cover, she revealed one of the romance novels I'd given her weeks ago.Smiling, I sat down across from her. "Any good?""Very."We sat in comfortable si

LiraTwo days later, I was in the library reading one of the romance novels Riven had given me when shouting erupted from somewhere in the house.Zuri's hysterical voice carried through the halls. "It's gone! Elora's necklace is gone!"My first instinct was to stay hidden. Nothing good ever came from Zuri's dramatics. But Tova appeared in the doorway, breathless."You should go see what that banshee is up to."Reluctantly, I followed her to the main hall where Zuri stood with three servants. She held an empty jewelry box in her trembling hands while tears streamed down her face."Elora's necklace. The one she wanted Angie to have when she was older. Someone stole it."The servants looked uncomfortable, shifting their weight and avoiding eye contact. Then Zuri's gaze landed on me and everything clicked into place.This was a setup."Search her room." Zuri's voice was cold now, the tears still flowing but her eyes calculating."What? No. I didn't take anything.""Then you won't mind if w

Lira That same evening, Kain's voice echoed through the house with an authority that made my stomach drop."Lira. My office. Now."Tova was with me in my room and grabbed my hand. "I'll come with you.""No. This is something I have to face alone."Walking to Kain's office felt like walking to my own execution. When I entered, the tension in the room was thick enough to choke on.Zuri stood there with the necklace in her hand and tears on her face. Jax was already there, pacing like a caged animal. Riven leaned against the wall with his arms crossed."Close the door," Kain said.Doing as he asked, I turned to face them."I didn't take it.""It was in your dresser, you liar!” Zuri fired."Someone put it there."Zuri's tears flowed harder. "First the sewing room. Now this. She's obsessed with replacing Elora."Jax spoke immediately. "She wouldn't steal. We know you planted it."Gasping, Zuri said, "How dare you—"Riven's calm tone cut through the tension. "Do you have proof, Zuri? Beside