The Triplet Alphas' Curse: Rejected by the Wolfless Luna.

He gestured sharply toward her clothing.

”And where exactly were you planning to go dressed like this?”

Adele folded both arms tightly across herself. ”From Tabitha,” she answered instead.

Torak frowned faintly.

”My clothes,” she clarified flatly. ”I got them from Tabitha.”

Torak exhaled once slowly.

”Now,” Adele continued tightly, ”if you would kindly allow me to leave, I would deeply appreciate it.”

Torak turned away from her entirely when he wordlessly understood what she meant. He paced once across the chamber before stopping near the far wall.

”There should be another way,” he muttered lowly.

Adele’s face hardened instantly. ”There isn’t.”

Torak shut his eyes briefly. He knew exactly what she had been trying to do tonight, and he did not even want to hear her say it aloud.

Adele’s voice softened unexpectedly afterward. ”You know what my father is planning.”

Torak remained silent.

A bitter laugh escaped her softly when he said nothing. ”Of course you do.” She pushed, hoping she doesn’t sound crazy.

Torak’s jaw flexed faintly.

Adele looked away afterward. ”Surely the Moon Goddess would not bless a man with a mate already soiled by another.”

Torak looked sharply toward her instantly. ”No.”

Adele blinked faintly.

Torak stepped toward her slowly now. ”No,” he repeated firmly. ”That is not how this works.”

Adele frowned. ”You don’t know that.”

”I do.”

”You’re not a woman.”

Torak’s eyes sharpened instantly. ”Men without mates visit the brothels every single day.”

Adele froze slightly.

Torak continued calmly. ”And unless miracles happen nightly, I assume they are not sleeping with themselves.”

Adele swallowed once.

”Yet those men still receive mates,” Torak finished quietly.

Silence filled the chamber briefly.

”A man does not possess the power to soil a woman.” he added softly, hopping she listens.

Adele stared at him silently afterward. No one had ever spoken to her like that before, not once.

Every lesson taught to noble daughters since childhood centered around purity, obedience, virtue, and her future mate.

They had always said, ”Woman ruined too easily. A man never is ruined at all.”

Adele looked away slowly.

”You don’t understand,” she whispered.

Torak’s expression softened faintly.

”You never will,” she continued quietly. ”You are not Adele Blackfen.”

Pain flickered briefly across Torak’s face before disappearing again.

Adele laughed softly afterward, though nothing about it sounded happy.

”If Lucien rejects me after mating...” her throat tightened slightly, ”...my father would rather bury me than survive the embarrassment. And I’m sure my father might force our union.”

Torak hated hearing fear inside her voice. Especially fear connected to her own father.

”There are other solutions.”

”There are not.”

”There are.”

Adele shook her head harder now. ”You do not understand noble women at all.”

Torak’s voice lowered slightly. ”Then explain it to me.”

Adele stared at him. She really stared at him, and suddenly anger returned again with full force.

”You could help me.” She reminded him, incase he was forgetting.

Torak froze faintly.

The room went still.

Adele’s eyes remained fixed entirely on him now. ”You know exactly what I meant.”

Torak looked away sharply. ”I can’t.”

Adele laughed lightly. ”Coward.” She mocked.

Torak’s expression darkened instantly.

She went on. ”You would rather watch me handed away like livestock than touch me once.”

”Adele.”

”No.” She stepped toward him now. ”No, let’s speak honestly tonight.”

Torak remained completely still.

”You look at me like you already belong to me,” she whispered sharply. ”But when it matters, you become honorable.”

His jaw tightened visibly.

Adele’s breathing quickened faintly. ”I hate honorable men.”

Torak looked at her slowly then. She looked beautiful while angry.

Adele stepped around him suddenly toward the hidden door. Ahe fixed her hoodie back on. ”Fine.”

Torak did not move.

”I’ll find someone else before dawn.”

That did it.

Torak grabbed her arm instantly before pulling her back against him.

Adele stumbled slightly before stopping directly in front of him, and landing into his chest. She sucked in a sharp breath.

Both of them went silent afterward.

Torak stared directly into her eyes as he towered above her. And suddenly the room felt unbearably small.

Adele’s breathing slowed faintly.

Torak’s fingers loosened slightly around her arm. Neither moved, or speak, as he turned her around gently to face him fully.

The tension between them shifted slowly into something softer.

Torak reached up carefully afterward.

Adele’s eyes followed the movement instinctively.

His fingers touched the edge of her hood first.

Slowly, he pulled it back completely.

Dark curls spilled fully across her shoulders.

Adele sucked in a quiet breath.

Torak’s eyes lowered briefly toward the loose strands stuck against her forehead from running through the corridors.

Very gently.... far too gently for a man like him, he brushed them away.

Adele’s breath caught instantly.

Torak’s fingers lingered briefly near her temple before lowering again. His gaze returned fully into hers afterward.

Everything inside Adele went frighteningly still. She had no words to describe the look in his deep green eyes, but she could tell he genuinely meant it when he said he loved her.

The realization nearly shattered her.

Adele leaned forward slowly.

Torak did too. Their breaths mixed softly between them now, waiting for then to push closer again, and they did.

Adele’s lashes fluttered faintly. She softly met his eyes, then returned her gaze to his lips again.

Torak’s hand almost reached for her waist when he suddenly stopped. He pulled back sharply before their lips touched.

”No.” He murmured, his breath fanning her lips.

The word came out rough.

Adele froze completely. Cold shock spread slowly through her chest.

Torak stepped backward afterward. ”No,” he repeated, quieter this time.

Adele stared at him silently. Humiliation burned slowly beneath her skin.

She nodded once. ”Right.” Her voice sounded too calm suddenly, completely unaffected. ”That was over.”

Torak looked like he wanted to say something, but he but everything back in. He felt a feeling of deja vu all over again. He couldn’t explain why, but he knew they would forever be emotionally irreversible to each other.

No fate would ever stop hm from finding his way back to her, even when he thinks he deserves better, and doesn’t want to.

Adele licked her lower lip slowly before straightening fully again.

”Now,” she said coldly, ”I need to leave the castle.” She reached for her hood again calmly. ”Surely I can still find someone decent enough to take my maidenhead before dawn.”

Torak’s entire expression changed instantly.

Jealousy crossed his face so violently it almost startled her.

His jaw tightened hard enough to crack bone. ”I’ll walk you to your room, Adele.” He told her, as if she hadn’t spoken.

Adele blinked once, then she laughed softly in disbelief.

”You truly are daft.” She pulled the hood back over her head. ”I am leaving the castle.”

Torak cut her off immediately. ”That will not happen!” he rejected sharply, his chest heaving in urgency to fix this.

Adele’s eyes narrowed sharply when he yelled.

Torak stepped closer again slowly. ”I will drag you back to your chambers myself if necessary.”

Adele stared at him. She blinked in disbelief. Her whole system shut down and she couldn’t help instinctively taking a step back.

”And if that fails,” he continued calmly, ”I will station guards outside your door until your father finishes speaking with King Elijah.”

Her expression shifted instantly.

Torak’s voice lowered further.

”And then,” he finished quietly, ”I will tell him exactly how I found you attempting to flee the castle tonight.”

Silence swallowed the room completely afterward.

Adele stared at him like he had struck her. Her eyes softened first then slowly, her eyes broke.

”Torak?”

The way she said his name nearly destroyed him.

Torak looked away immediately. He knew he had pushed this too far. He wasn’t supposed to yell.

The jealousy went to his head, and he couldn’t stop. He did not trust himself at all to let her go and pretend he’d be fine with the thought of her being with someone else.

”You’ll have a decent mate someday,” he said quietly. ”I promise.”

The words sounded empty even to him.

Adele’s throat tightened visibly.

”You should wait for that.”

Torak swallowed once. ”I promise you,” he whispered, almost pleading. ”a scandal would not be worth this.”

Adele stared at him silently for several long seconds, and nodded in acceptance.