The Triplet Alphas' Forbidden Temptation

Aevia’s fists clenched at her sides until her nails cut into her palms. She barely noticed the blood seeping between her fingers. Her entire attention was fixed on Yuki, who could hardly keep herself upright. Blood continued to roll down her nose, staining her lips and smearing across her mouth in dark streaks.

Kaden took an involuntary step back. He could feel it through the bond. His heart was pounding so violently that it felt as though his chest might split open. His wolf was frantic, clawing at the inside of him, desperate to rip his heart from his chest just to stop the pain.

Kaden’s fingers curled into fists until his knuckles turned white. He wanted to rip something apart. He wanted to make the pain stop. But he didn’t. Pain wasn’t new to him. He could endure it, he thought.

Kieran’s attention remained fixed on Yuki. He watched her struggle to stand, his expression becoming increasingly grim as another streak of blood slipped from her nose.

”Perhaps you should recover first,” Kieran said quietly, his voice low and controlled, though a faint edge of concern slipped through.

Yuki’s head lifted with visible effort.

Kieran’s voice remained calm, but there was something different in it now, a reluctant honesty that had not been there before. He might not want the bond, but that didn’t mean he wanted Yuki to die.

Yuki stared at him for a moment, her vision swimming. Kieran looked away, a muscle jumping once in his jaw. Maybe it was pity. Maybe it was simply his principles refusing to let him stand there and watch someone die. Or perhaps it was something else entirely, something he wasn’t ready to admit to himself.

Yuki’s vision blurred at the edges. The room seemed to tilt beneath her feet, and she had to close her eyes briefly to steady herself. Drawing in a slow, painful breath, she forced herself to focus. Her hand moved to the left side of her chest, where she could feel her wolf’s agony.

’Hold on,’ she whispered silently to her. ’We will survive this.’

Her wolf didn’t answer. Yuki’s heart clenched, but she knew she was still there. That was enough. She pushed herself upright. Her knees trembled beneath her, but she refused to fall again. Wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, she turned towards Kieran, her voice sharp with deliberate contempt.

”I don’t need your pity, brother.” She dragged the last word out slowly, twisting the knife. ”Let’s get this over with. I’m sure you don’t want to remain bonded to your sister any longer than necessary.”

Something flickered across Kieran’s face, a brief flash of surprise followed by a hardening of his expression. Yuki had managed to hit exactly where she wanted. Whatever pity he had felt for her disappeared.

”Of course not,” Kieran replied dryly, a short, humourless laugh escaping him. ”I wouldn’t want to hold back the great dreamer.”

Yuki’s eyes narrowed. Kieran’s expression settled back into its usual calmness. He had always been the one with the best self-control, and even now, with his wolf fighting desperately against the bond, he revealed almost nothing. He stepped forward, his posture rigid.

”I, Kieran Ravencourt, Second Lord of the Ravencourt Pack, accept your rejection, Miyuki Donovan.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the throne room changed. The air seemed to thicken with magic. Kieran’s body went rigid. His wolf made one last desperate attempt to stop him. His claws extended beneath his skin, and his fingers curled into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

’No.’

The voice thundered through his mind.

Kieran’s jaw tightened. ’Let her go,’ Kieran commanded his wolf.

The golden bond appeared between them. Yuki’s breath caught. This thread was different from the one that had connected her to Killian. It shone brighter, pulsing with a strange intensity as it stretched between their wrists. A few people gasped.

Yuki stared at it. Her heart twisted. Her bond with Kieran had always felt different. Perhaps it was because her feelings for him had been genuine. She had barely spoken to him since arriving at Ravencourt, yet that hadn’t stopped the secret crush she had carried for more than a year. She had admired him from afar. His composure, his intelligence and quiet strength.

She had never expected him to become her mate, and she had certainly never imagined that he would be the one to break her heart.

Yuki stared at the thread. Her heart didn’t want to sever it. But Kieran had already accepted her rejection. There was nothing left to save. The thread stretched thinner. Then it snapped. A blinding flash exploded through the throne room. Yuki was thrown backwards. Her body struck the marble floor with a sickening crack.

”Yuki!”

Aevia’s scream tore through the chamber, raw with panic. Yuki coughed violently. Blood spilled from her mouth in dark rivulets. Her entire body convulsed as another wave of pain tore through her. Her wolf howled inside her, not from anger or fear. It was a cry of pure grief.

Yuki couldn’t take it anymore. She curled in on herself, one arm wrapped around her stomach as her body shook uncontrollably. The entire throne room fell silent. No one moved or dared speak. They had witnessed rejection ceremonies before, but never one this severe. Not even when Alexander had rejected Estelle after decades of marriage had the backlash been this violent.

Yuki struggled for breath, her lungs refusing to fill properly. Her wolf was crying inside her, mourning the loss of something that had once felt precious.

Yet strangely, the unbearable agony that had followed Killian’s rejection and Kieran’s rejection suddenly disappeared. There was still an emptiness, a hollow ache. It felt as though something inside her had cracked. But it wasn’t the same.

Yuki slowly lifted her head. Her terrified gaze found Kieran. He was still standing. His face was pale, but he hadn’t stumbled. He hadn’t even fallen to one knee. Yuki stared at him, unable to understand how. Kieran looked down at her. For a brief moment, their eyes met. Then he smiled. It was small, almost gentle. And before anyone could stop him, Kieran turned around.

”Kieran.”

Killian’s voice was strained, thick with blood and disbelief. Kieran didn’t stop. He started walking towards the doors. No one moved to stop him. Yuki stared after him. Something felt wrong. Very wrong. Killian’s face suddenly drained of colour. He could feel it. Kieran’s wolf was fading.

’How could you?’

Killian’s voice thundered through the private mind-link, sharp with fury and fear.

’What did you do?’ Killian asked, despite having a very good idea.

Kieran’s lips curved faintly, but he didn’t turn around. ’She can’t survive three rejections alone.’