The Triplet Alphas' Forbidden Temptation

Yuki stood rooted to the spot, her fingers tightening around the handle of her walking stick as she stared at the familiar woman. For a moment, everything around her seemed to blur, leaving only that face she had not seen in almost a year.

”Aunt Lydia?” she repeated, disbelief softening her voice.

Lydia’s stern expression immediately eased into a small smile. She was a petite woman in her mid-forties, with wavy brown hair that framed her face and sharp features that often made her appear far more intimidating than she actually was. Lydia had never been the type to plaster a fake smile across her face or pretend to like someone she didn’t. She could be blunt, stern and frighteningly observant, but beneath that cold exterior was one of the warmest people Yuki had ever known.

”You sure have grown, Yuki,” Lydia remarked warmly, her eyes travelling over her with obvious affection. ”It feels like forever since the last time I saw you.”

Yuki finally found herself moving again. ”It’s been almost a year,” she replied with a small laugh, remembering the last time she had seen Lydia during the end-of-year holiday. She had returned to campus afterwards, and everything had changed so quickly that she had barely had time to think about home.

”Are you planning to stand there all morning?” Aevia teased from her seat, amusement curling through her voice. ”Come and sit down before your aunt starts wondering whether you’ve forgotten how to eat.”

Yuki glanced at her sister. The knowing smile on Aevia’s face made everything click into place. ”This was the surprise,” Yuki murmured, her eyes widening.

Aevia simply smiled and gestured towards the empty chair beside her. ”Now you understand why I refused to tell you.”

Yuki’s lips curved into a genuine smile as she carefully made her way towards the chair. She lowered herself into it, setting her walking stick against the side of the table. She barely had time to settle before Lydia’s entire demeanour changed. The softness disappeared from her face, replaced by the stern expression Yuki remembered all too well.

”So,” Lydia began, folding her hands on the table. ”Are you going to explain why you haven’t sent a single proper message home?”

Yuki blinked. ”I have sent messages.”

”Two,” Lydia corrected immediately, raising one eyebrow. ”Two messages in nearly a year. One of them was a photograph of your lunch.”

A few people around the table snickered quietly, but Yuki could only stare at her aunt. ”I was busy,” she defended, trying to sound convincing.

”Busy enough to forget that people worry about you?” Lydia asked, her voice calm but pointed.

Yuki’s smile faltered. ”I’m fine, Aunt Lydia.”

Lydia leaned closer, her eyes narrowing as she examined her face. ”You’ve lost weight.”

Yuki instinctively straightened. ”And why are you using a walking stick?” Lydia continued.

The question landed harder than the others. Yuki’s fingers curled beneath the table. She couldn’t exactly tell Lydia that she had been attacked, rejected by her mates, caught in a dangerous mess involving the Ravencourt family and had nearly lost the use of her legs.

”It was just a minor accident,” she answered lightly, forcing a smile. ”Nothing serious.”

Lydia stared at her. Yuki stared back. The silence grew uncomfortable. ”A minor accident?” Lydia repeated slowly.

”Yes,” she said immediately.

”With enough damage to make you walk with a stick?” Lydia drawled.

Yuki’s stomach twisted. She glanced helplessly towards Aevia, silently begging her sister to rescue her from the interrogation. Aevia’s lips twitched.

”Lydia,” she chuckled, lifting her glass. ”It’s breakfast, not an interrogation.”

”I’m asking because I’m concerned,” Lydia retorted.

”And I know,” Aevia replied warmly. ”But you’re frightening her.”

”I am not frightening her.”

Aevia sighed. ”You are doing the exact face you make whenever you think someone is hiding something from you.”

Lydia’s stern expression deepened. ”Because she is hiding something.”

Yuki almost groaned. Aevia laughed softly before spreading her hands across the table helplessly. ”This was supposed to be a surprise, remember? So, surprise. I invited Lydia for the wedding.”

Yuki’s eyes immediately lit up. ”You did?” she asked brightly.

A genuine smile finally broke through Lydia’s stern features. ”Of course I did. I wasn’t going to miss your sister’s wedding for anything.”

Yuki’s smile widened. ”I’m glad you made it.”

”So am I.” Lydia’s gaze softened as she studied Yuki again. ”But honestly, you seem different.”

Yuki’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second.

”Different how?” she asked carefully.

Lydia tilted her head, studying her. ”I can’t put my finger on it,” she muttered.

Yuki swallowed and reached for her glass. ”I’m fine,” she repeated quietly.

A brief silence settled over the table before a deep teenage voice suddenly cut through it. ”So, I guess I don’t exist anymore?”

Yuki blinked and turned towards the voice. A boy was sitting beside Lydia, leaning back in his chair with an exaggeratedly wounded expression. Yuki stared at him for several seconds before her eyes widened.

”Terry?”

Terence grinned. ”Finally.” He rolled his eyes.

Yuki’s mouth fell open. ”Oh my goodness,” Yuki gasped.

The last time she had seen him, he had been sixteen. Now, he had shot up several inches and looked almost completely different. His brown hair was slightly longer, his features sharper and his shoulders broader from what had clearly been a sudden growth spurt.

”You changed,” Yuki admitted, staring at him in disbelief.

”It’s been a year,” Terence replied with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. ”What did you expect?”

”I didn’t recognise you.”

Terence placed a hand dramatically over his chest. ”And here I thought I was your number one lackey.”

Yuki’s lips twitched before a soft laugh slipped from her lips, and for the first time since waking up from the coma, some of the heaviness in her chest eased. A loud clearing of a throat suddenly interrupted them.

Alexander.

Yuki’s gaze shifted across the table and landed on him. He had been quietly observing the reunion, but now he lowered his glass and gave the table a polite smile.

”Not to interrupt the family reunion,” Alexander said mildly, his voice surprisingly gentle, ”but perhaps we should start breakfast before everything gets cold.”

Lydia immediately realised how much she had been carried away and straightened in her seat. ”Oh, forgive me,” she apologised, dipping her head. ”I got distracted.”

Alexander waved the apology away with a relaxed gesture. ”There’s nothing to apologise for. Please, eat.”

Kaden’s head snapped towards his father. His fork paused halfway to his mouth. He had never heard Alexander speak to an outsider with that much warmth. Not even close. Kaden’s jaw tightened as he lowered his fork onto his plate. His eyes briefly flickered towards Lydia before returning to his father. Something about the entire scene rubbed against his nerves.