The Triplet Alphas' Secret Mate-Chapter 83: Why Him

​Scarlett’s POV.

​My heart didn’t just sink; it felt like it had been submerged in ice water. Of all the names in the pack—hundreds of warriors, scouts, and males—the universe had a sick sense of humor.

​Alpha Ethan.

​The man I had just had a fight with.

​I looked at the triplets on the dais. Leo was leaning forward, his sea-blue eyes burning with a desperate hope that I had pulled his name. Leon was watching me through narrowed lids, his tongue darting out to touch the scab on his lip where I’d bitten him. They were all waiting. The silence of the field was deafening.

​I looked down at the slip of paper again, hoping the ink would change, but the name stared back at me in his arrogant, bold scrawl. Why was his name even in the box? As a high Alpha, he was supposed to be overseeing the event, not running through the mud and blood with the rest of us.

​The Elder cleared his throat, the sound booming in the expectant silence of the field. "Scarlett? Who is the male the Goddess has chosen for you?"

​I opened my mouth to speak, to announce that my partner wasn’t even present—hoping, praying that his absence would force a redraw. I could pick a scout. A warrior. Anyone that I wouldn’t feel awkward being around. But before I could, Ethan strolled in, looking devastatingly composed. He wasn’t in his usual tailored suit; he was dressed for the hunt in dark, tactical gear that hugged his broad shoulders and powerful thighs. Two of his personal guards walked a respectful distance behind him, but his eyes—cold, sharp, and lingering with the fury of last night—found mine instantly.

​He didn’t look like a man who had walked out of my room in a fit of guilt. He looked like an Alpha ready for the hunt.

​I swallowed hard, my fingers crushing the parchment. The Elder gestured for me to speak. I had to do it. I had to claim him in front of the whole pack, including Elara, who was watching me with a look that could kill.

​I took a shaky step forward, my voice barely audible at first. "I have drawn..." I cleared my throat, forcing my gaze to stay level. "Alpha Ethan."

​A collective gasp rippled through the large field. I heard a low, pained growl from the dais—Leo. I didn’t have to look to know he was vibrating with jealousy.

​Ethan didn’t stop until he was standing directly in front of me. The scent of him—expensive cologne mixed with the dark musk of his wolf—swirled around me.

​I looked up at him, my chin lifted in defiance despite the way my knees wanted to give out. "You’re in the box, Alpha?" I whispered, my voice laced with a bitter edge. "I thought you were too busy with your... private business in the village to bother with a hunt."

​His jaw locked, a muscle jumping in his cheek. He didn’t answer. Instead, he reached out, his large hand wrapping firmly around my forearm.

​"The Goddess has a sense of humor, doesn’t she, Scarlett?" he smirked, his voice a low vibration that only I could hear. He leaned in closer, his nose brushing against the high collar of my shirt, inhaling deeply as if searching for the scent of his cousin or his brother.

​He didn’t find what he wanted. His grip tightened just a fraction.

​"Don’t fall behind," he commanded, his eyes full of seriousness. "I expect my partners to keep up."

​He turned, practically dragging me toward the starting line.

​"Listen up!" Liam’s voice boomed from the high platform. He looked like a king, but his eyes were dark with a temper he was barely hiding. Obviously, he was angry I was partnering with Ethan.

​"The first trial is the Circle of Dust. It is a test of balance, strength, and how well you know your partner’s shadow. If both of you are pushed out of the ring, you are finished. No shifting. No claws. Just the strength of your human skin."

​I looked down the line. To my far left, Leon was standing with Elara. He looked miserable. His lower lip was still red from where I had bitten him last night, and he kept rubbing his face like he was trying to wipe away a headache. Elara was draped over his arm, wearing a red leather outfit that looked more like a costume than combat gear. She caught me looking and blew a bubble with her gum, her eyes cold. She thought she had won because she was with a triplet, but I could see Leon’s wolf pacing inside him. He didn’t want to be her partner; he wanted to be across the field, standing where Ethan was.

​"Scarlett," Ethan’s voice was a low rumble near my ear. I flinched, the memory of him calling me his property flashing in my mind. "Stop looking at them. Look at the ring. We are up first against the Miller twins."

​I turned my head. The Miller twins were Beta-class warriors. They weren’t Alphas, but they were fast, and they had spent their whole lives training together.

​"I don’t need your instructions, Ethan," I said, my voice sharp. "I know how to fight."

​"You know how to defend yourself," Ethan corrected, his grip on my arm sliding down until his large hand was wrapped around mine. His palm was calloused and hot. "But in the ring, you have to move with me. If you try to be a hero on your own, they will pick you off, and then they will swarm me. Do you understand?"

​I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t want to move with him at all. But the Elder stepped forward and pointed a long wooden staff at us.

​"Circle Seven! Alpha Ethan and Scarlett! Against Mark and Mira Miller! Move!"

​The crowd roared. I felt a surge of adrenaline that made the hair on my arms stand up. Ethan led me into a large circle drawn in the white chalk and dirt. The ground was dry, and every step we took kicked up a small cloud of dust.

​Mark and Mira stepped in from the other side. They looked like mirrors of each other—short hair, lean muscles, and hungry smiles. They didn’t see me as a threat. They saw me as the weak link they could use to take down the Alpha.

​"The rules are simple," the Elder shouted. "Last team in the circle wins!"

​The horn blew.

​Immediately, Mark lunged for Ethan. He wasn’t trying to knock him out; he was trying to tie him up. Mira, the sister, darted around the side, her eyes locked on me. She thought she could just shove me out of the way.

​"Scarlett, back!" Ethan commanded.

​I didn’t move back. As Mira reached for my waist, I dropped low. I remembered my training—not the fancy Alpha moves, but the raw, survival fighting I’d practiced alone in the woods. I grabbed Mira’s leading wrist and pulled. I didn’t use strength; I used her own speed. I twisted my body, putting my shoulder into her chest, and sent her stumbling toward the chalk line.

​She gasped, her boots skidding on the grass, but she managed to stop just inches from the edge.

​"Stay focused!" Ethan growled. He was busy fending off Mark, his large arms blocking a series of rapid-fire punches. He didn’t look back at me, but I felt his hand reach out blindly, grabbing the back of my shirt and yanking me behind him just as Mark tried to throw a blind kick at my ribs.

​"I told you to stay behind my left shoulder!" Ethan hissed.

​"I had her!" I yelled over the noise of the cheering pack.

​"You almost got your ribs broken!"

​The tension between us was electric. It wasn’t just the fight; it was the anger from last night, the "fake" engagement, and the smell of Leo still faintly clinging to my skin that Ethan was clearly picking up on. He was fighting like a man possessed, his movements heavy and violent.

​Mira came at me again, this time more carefully. She tried to circle me, looking for an opening. I could feel Ethan’s back against mine. He was a solid wall of heat. Every time he moved to strike Mark, I felt the ripple of his muscles through my own spine. It was a strange, terrifying synchronization.

​Left, Zoe whispered in my head.

​I moved left just as Mira lunged. I caught her in a headlock, my bicep squeezing against her throat. She struggled, her fingers clawing at my arms, but I held on.

​"Now, Ethan!" I shouted.

​Ethan didn’t hesitate. He delivered a powerful front kick to Mark’s chest, sending the male twin flying backward. Then, without even looking, Ethan spun around. He wrapped his massive arm around both Mira and me.

​"Let go, Scarlett!"

​I released my grip, and Ethan used his momentum to heave Mira off the ground. He didn’t hurt her, but he threw her with enough force that she landed ten feet outside the circle. Mark, seeing his sister down, tried to rush back in, but the Elder held up his staff.

​"Winners! Alpha Ethan and Scarlett!"