Mated to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: Chosen Mates

Leo’s words hung in the air. My eyes widened into the size of saucers.

“But... I thought...” My voice trailed off.

Leo looked up, his eyes meeting mine. “We were chosen mates, Hazel. Not fated.”

“Chosen mates?” I repeated, trying to make sense of his words.

“Yes,” Leo nodded slowly. “Helena and I chose to be mated to each other. I have never met my fated mate.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I know what chosen mates mean. I just thought...”

I thought that Leo’s obsession with me stemmed from losing his fated mate—my twin sister, Helena. I thought that the pull of his bond with her was what drove him to such an insane idea of having me replace her. I thought that he was consumed by his grief.

But a chosen mate did not have the same bond as a fated mate. While he would still feel immense pain from losing his chosen mate, it wasn’t nearly the same as if Helena had been his fated mate. The bond wouldn’t be the same.

The pull of a fated mate would always be stronger. That was why many werewolves chose to wait for their fated mates. Or, if they had a chosen mate, they would often eventually leave their chosen mates for their fated mates.

If Helena was his chosen mate, he would grieve losing her. But he would eventually heal and possibly even move on.

And not remain so obsessed with the thought of her.

“And Helena has never met her fated mate?” I slowly asked, my eyes never leaving Leo’s face for even a second.

“No,” he said. “And she didn’t want to. Or at least, that was what she told me.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly. A strange thought crossed my mind. I had multiple mates—triplets. Beforehand, I never knew I had a twin sister. But now that I knew of Helena’s existence, I couldn’t help but wonder if Helena was also meant to be fated to the Sullivan triplets as well.

Just like how I had three mates because they were triplets, they could also have two mates just because we were twins.

But that theory could never be verified. Helena was dead.

“How did she...” I hesitated, observing Leo’s expression. He remained impassive as ever. I swallowed. “How did she die?”

Leo’s face hardened immediately. The muscles in his jaw tightened, and his eyes darkened with what I recognized as deep pain. He stood up abruptly, turning away from me.

“You need to rest,” he said curtly, his voice strained.

“Leo, wait—”

“No,” he cut me off sharply. “Perry will run more tests tomorrow. You need all your strength.”

The sudden change in his demeanor reminded me where I was and why. I wasn’t a guest. I was a captive. A replacement for my dead sister. A sick experiment for the Vox Solis.

“Leo,” I called out as he headed toward the door. Something in me didn’t want him to leave. Not like this. Not with this tension between us.

Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed his hand.

The moment our skin touched, an electric shock ran through my entire body. I gasped, yanking my hand back at the same time Leo jerked away from me.

We stared at each other, both wide-eyed and stunned.

What the hell was that?

The sensation had been like touching a live wire, but not painful—more like a jolt of pure energy. From Leo’s expression, I could tell he had felt it too.

Neither of us commented on it.

“Good night, Hazel,” Leo said finally, his voice oddly husky.

He left the room without another word, the door clicking shut behind him.

I stared at my hand, still tingling from where I had touched him. What was that? I had never felt anything like it before, except...

No. That wasn’t possible. The only time I’d felt anything remotely similar was when I first touched the triplets after realizing they were my mates.

But Leo couldn’t be...

I shook my head violently. No. I didn’t even want to consider that possibility. It was absurd. I already had three mates. The universe couldn’t possibly be cruel enough to throw a fourth at me, especially one who had kidnapped me.

I slumped back against the pillows, trying to make sense of everything I’d learned. If Helena and Leo were chosen mates, not fated, then why was Leo so desperate to have me as Helena’s replacement? The bond between chosen mates wasn’t supposed to be that powerful.

There had to be more to the story. Something Leo wasn’t telling me.

My thoughts drifted to the triplets. I wondered if they had figured out where I was yet.

I closed my eyes, imagining them bursting through the door to rescue me.

Goddess, I missed them. All of them.

I wanted to go home. Back to them. Back to where I belonged.

Back to my mates.

+++

Third POV

Lucas stared at the negative pregnancy test in his hand, his expression unreadable. The small plastic stick seemed so insignificant yet carried so much weight. He knew without a doubt that this was Hazel’s. Her scent lingered on it, faint but unmistakable.

He felt a strange mixture of disappointment and relief wash over him. A part of him had hoped... but no. Given their current situation, it was better this way. Hazel would be in even more danger if she were pregnant. noveldrama

“Find anything useful?” Percival asked, his voice breaking through Lucas’s thoughts.

Lucas quickly pocketed the test and the documents he had found. “Yes. Evidence that Hazel was definitely here.”

Before he could elaborate, a sound from outside caught their attention. Lucas’s head snapped up, his wolf instantly alert. He and Percival rushed out of the underground bunker just in time to see a familiar black SUV pulling up.

Levi jumped out the moment the car jerked to a stop, his face a mixture of hope and anxiety.

“Any sign of her?” he asked, striding toward them.

Lucas shook his head, pulling out the pregnancy test and documents. “She was here, but they’ve moved her. Found this and some paperwork.”

Levi’s eyes widened at the sight of the pregnancy test. “Is that—”

“Yes,” Lucas confirmed. “It’s negative.”

Levi’s shoulders slumped slightly. Like his brother, he felt both disappointed and relieved. “So she’s not pregnant.”

“No,” Lucas said, his voice tight. “But she was here, Levi. Right under our fucking noses.”

Levi cursed, kicking at the dirt. “How far are we from Emberfang territory?”

“Less than fifty miles,” Percival answered grimly. “They’ve been keeping her close.”

“But why?” Levi questioned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “What do they want with her?”

Lucas was about to respond when Callum approached them, his expression tense.

“Alphas, I hate to disturb, but it seems like we have company,” Callum warned, his body already shifting into a defensive stance.

Percival frowned, his experienced eyes scanning the tree line.

“Rogues,” he growled, his expression hardening. “Seems like they’re back.”