The Triplet Alphas' Forbidden Temptation

The silence was deafening.

For the first time that evening, Killian’s carefully controlled expression cracked. The corner of his mouth lifted. Kieran stared at Yuki. Then, unexpectedly, he laughed.

The sound was low and brief, but it echoed through the tense chamber. Several people visibly stiffened. A few council members exchanged confused glances.

Lord Kieran Ravencourt had laughed. Yuki’s eyes widened for half a second before she looked towards him. Kieran shook his head, amusement flickering in his grey eyes.

”Big brother?” he repeated in a low voice.

Yuki’s smile became almost wicked. ”Yes,” she calmly replied.

Kieran’s quiet laughter returned. Killian’s smile grew. Kaden, however, did not laugh. He couldn’t even look at her. His gaze remained fixed somewhere across the hall, his jaw clenched so tightly that a muscle jumped beneath his skin. Inside him, his wolf was becoming increasingly restless. The bond was reacting. Kaden’s fingers curled into fists.

Fucking bond.

He hated it. He hated the way his body reacted to her words. He hated the way something inside him seemed to recoil at the thought of letting her go. And most of all, he hated that he could not control it.

Yuki turned back towards Alexander. Her smile remained firmly in place. ”I have always dreamed of saving lives with my medical skills, even if I do not possess natural healing abilities,” she continued. Her voice became more sincere. ”I want to study. I want to work. I want to become the best doctor I can possibly be.”

She paused, allowing her gaze to travel briefly across the room. ”And honestly, I don’t think I will have the time to become tangled in pack politics.”

A few people chuckled softly. Even Maddox’s lips twitched. Yuki’s gaze returned to Alexander. ”When the time is right, I will find someone who is compatible with a dreamer like me.”

Her words were decisive. Her voice did not tremble. She stood there with her head held high, making it clear to everyone in the room that the triplets were not the only ones capable of walking away. She did not need them. Or at least, that was what she wanted them to believe. Yuki took one final breath.

”So, Alpha,” she said respectfully, ”please grant me the right to chase my dreams and find my own happiness.”

The throne room fell silent. Alexander stared at her. There was something in his eyes that Yuki could not decipher. Then, slowly, he nodded. ”I will respect your decision.”

Yuki bowed her head. ”Thank you, Alpha.”

She straightened. Then she turned towards the three brothers. Her gaze moved over them one by one. These three men had somehow become entangled with every part of her life.

The men who had hated her because of her face. The men who had rejected her before she had ever been given the chance to prove herself. The men who had become her fated mates. And now, the bond between them would end. Today. Here. In front of everyone. Yuki drew herself up. Her voice rang through the chamber.

”I, Miyuki Donovan, reject my fated mates, Lord Killian Ravencourt, Lord Kieran Ravencourt and Lord Kaden Ravencourt.”

The moment the words left her mouth, something inside her snapped. Yuki’s wolf stirred violently. The bond screamed. Killian’s entire body jerked. Kieran’s fingers trembled. Kaden’s head snapped towards Yuki.

Their wolves clawed desperately for control, fighting against the rejection with a force none of them had anticipated. Veins rose along their necks. Killian sucked in a sharp breath. Yuki’s legs nearly buckled.

The pain came without warning. It tore through her body with such violence that she could not breathe. It felt as though an invisible hand had reached into her chest and wrapped itself around her heart. Then it pulled. Yuki gasped. Her hand flew to her chest.

Killian was the first to speak. His voice sounded strained despite his efforts to remain composed. ”I, Killian Ravencourt, First Lord of Ravencourt, accept your rejection, Miyuki Donovan.”

The bond between them appeared. A golden thread shimmered into existence between their wrists, glowing brightly enough that several people gasped. For one brief moment, it stretched between them. Then it snapped. The backlash hit Killian instantly. His body jerked backwards.

”Fuck!” He stumbled, one hand flying to his chest as a violent cough tore through him. Blood spilled from his mouth. The entire throne room erupted in shocked whispers. Yuki’s eyes widened.

”Killian!”

But she barely managed to say his name before the pain struck her again. A scream tore through her throat. Her wolf howled inside her. Yuki’s knees gave way.

She crashed onto the cold marble floor. Pain exploded through her chest as dark blood spattered across the stone beneath her. Her body convulsed violently, another wave of blood forcing its way from her throat and nose.

”Yuki!”

Aevia shot to her feet. Her chair scraped violently against the floor as she moved towards her sister. But Alexander’s voice thundered across the chamber.

”Do not help them!”

Aevia froze. She turned towards him in disbelief. Alexander’s expression remained grim.

”This is a sacred rejection ceremony. The bond must be severed by the bonded parties alone.”

”But she’s bleeding!” Aevia cried, her voice breaking with panic.

”I know,” he said firmly.

Alexander’s gaze moved towards Killian, who was still struggling to breathe, then towards Yuki. His expression hardened. ”They must complete it.”

Aevia’s hands trembled at her sides. ”Yuki.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Rejecting a mate was the same as one dying. And the stronger the mate’s wolf, the more painful it was.

Yuki lay on the marble, struggling to breathe. Her entire body shook. The pain was unbearable. And she still had two more rejections to survive. Across the hall, Kieran stared at her.

For the first time that evening, the perfect calm on his face was gone. His chest rose and fell rapidly. Kaden looked worse. His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails had broken the skin of his palms. Their wolves were screaming. And suddenly, neither brother looked as though they wanted this anymore.

Maddox’s voice came quietly through the stunned silence. ”Lord Kieran.”

Kieran’s head lifted. His eyes met Yuki’s. She was barely conscious. Blood stained her lips. Yet somehow, she still managed to smile weakly at him. A tiny, broken smile. The sight shattered something inside him.

”Kieran,” Killian rasped from where he stood, blood staining his mouth. ”Finish it.”

Kieran’s eyes snapped towards his brother. Killian’s breathing was ragged. ”Do not hesitate now,” he whispered, still clutching his chest.

Kieran’s jaw tightened. His wolf roared.

’Don’t do this.’

For the first time, the voice inside him wasn’t demanding that he reject her. It was begging him to stop. Kieran stared at Yuki. She had wanted this. She had chosen this. And yet, as he looked at the blood pooling beneath her, one terrifying thought entered his mind.

What if they had made the wrong decision?

His fingers trembled. Then Yuki’s weak voice reached him. ”It’s okay.”

Kieran froze. Yuki’s eyes were barely open.

”Finish it.”

The words were almost soundless. But he heard them. Kieran closed his eyes for one brief second. Then he stepped forward.