Mated to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: The Question of Fate

“You sure about this, Hazel?” Lucas asked, his hand brushing against mine. His voice was calm, but I could sense the tension underneath.

The dim corridor leading to the pack cells felt longer than I remembered. Every step echoed against the concrete floor as I made my way toward Leo, the triplets following close behind me. My heart pounded against my ribcage, uncertainty gnawing at my insides.

I nodded, trying to ignore the trembling in my hands. “I need to talk to him.”

“We’ll be right beside you,” Liam assured me, his warm smile a contrast to the concern in his eyes.

Levi, uncharacteristically quiet, simply squeezed my shoulder.

The past few days had been a whirlwind—spending time with my mates, catching up with my grandfather before he returned to The Dark Hour, and hanging out with Sophia and Callum. It felt like I’d been living in a bubble of happiness, deliberately avoiding the conversation I needed to have with Leo.

The guard at the cell block nodded at Lucas and stepped aside, unlocking the heavy door for us. The familiar scent of dampness and disinfectant hit me as we entered.

“He’s in the last cell,” the guard informed us. “Been quiet. Barely touched his food.”

My stomach clenched. The guard’s words only intensified my guilt about leaving Leo here for days while I settled back into pack life. Yes, he’d deceived me, manipulated me—but he’d also protected me, in his own way.

Above all, he was still one of my fated mates. Leaving him here for so long seemed too cruel.

We reached his cell, and I peered through the bars. Leo sat in the corner, his back against the wall, staring blankly ahead. He’d always been lean, but days in confinement had sharpened the angles of his face. Only when he caught my scent did he turn, his grayish-brown eyes finding mine.

“Well, well,” he said, his voice hoarse from disuse. “Look who finally remembered I exist.”

Lucas stepped forward protectively. “Watch your tone.”

Leo’s laugh was dry and humorless. “Or what? You’ll throw me in jail? Oh wait.”

“We can let him out,” I said quietly, looking at Lucas. “Please.”

The three brothers exchanged glances before Lucas nodded to the guard. “Open it.”

As the cell door creaked open, Leo remained seated, eyeing us warily. “To what do I owe this pleasure? Is it time for my execution?” His sarcasm couldn’t quite mask the genuine uncertainty in his voice as he looked past me to the triplets.

Levi snorted. “Don’t be so dramatic. If we wanted you dead, you’d be dead already.”

“We’re here to free you,” I explained, stepping into the cell. “I want to talk to you.”

Leo’s eyebrow arched skeptically. “Free me? Just like that?”

“Not exactly,” Lucas countered. “There will be conditions.”

I turned to the triplets, suddenly aware that what I needed to say to Leo required privacy. “Actually, I’d like to speak with Leo alone.”

Three pairs of green eyes widened in unison.

“Absolutely not,” Lucas said firmly.

“Hazel, he’s dangerous,” Liam added.

Levi crossed his arms. “No fucking way.”

I stood my ground, meeting their concerned gazes. “I need to do this. Please.”

“It’s fine,” Leo said from his corner, his tone bored. “I’m not going to hurt your precious mate. I’ve had plenty of opportunities before, and I didn’t.”

The triplets bristled at his words, but I placed a hand on Lucas’s arm. “Just wait outside the door. If anything happens, you’ll hear.”

After a tense moment, Lucas relented with a sharp nod. “Fine. But the door stays open, and we’ll be right outside.”

As they filed out, each brother gave Leo a warning look. Levi was the last to leave, pointing two fingers at his eyes, then at Leo in the universal “I’m watching you” gesture that would have made me laugh under different circumstances.

Once they were outside, I pulled up the lone chair in the cell and sat facing Leo.

“How have you been?” I asked softly. noveldrama

His lips quirked in a humorless smile.

“Alive. Been better.”

He shifted, and I noticed the mark on his neck—the mate mark Helena had left him—just visible beneath his t-shirt collar. It looked more faded than I remembered. When he caught me staring, he adjusted his collar higher.

“You look well,” he said, his voice losing some of its edge. “Happy, even. I guess the reunion with your mates went as expected.”

I ignored the hint of bitterness in his tone. “My grandfather went back to The Dark Hour,” I said instead. “He promised to visit again soon. For the wedding.”

“How domestic,” Leo remarked dryly. “And your friends? That boy who always looks at you like a lovesick puppy?”

“Who?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.

“Didn’t bother remembering his name,” Leo said, dismissively waving a hand. “Starts with a ‘C’. The one that got suckered in with Cassandra.”

“Callum?” I asked, my eyes widening with surprise. I shook my head profusely. “Callum does not look at me like a lovesick puppy. Mind you, he has a mate—a true one,” I replied, though I frowned slightly. “He doesn’t talk about her much, which is weird. And Sophia doesn’t seem to know anything about her.”

Leo’s expression shifted almost imperceptibly, something calculating crossing his features before it disappeared. “Interesting.”

There was no doubt that we thought the same thing. Callum probably hadn’t forgotten about Cassandra yet, and the latter was still missing.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between us. I fidgeted with my hands, trying to find the right words.

“Why are you really here, Hazel?” Leo finally asked, his piercing gaze making me squirm. “To gloat? To seek forgiveness for leaving me to rot?”

“I... just thought we needed to figure out what happens next,” I said quietly.

Leo laughed, the sound hollow. “What happens next is you go live your perfect life with your three perfect mates, and I... well, I go back to being a rogue. Of course, provided your mates don’t kill me.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that.”

His eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”

I took a deep breath. “You and I... I can’t just pretend you’re not also my fated mate.”

“A connection,” he repeated slowly. “How do you know that it wasn’t artificially created? Maybe I lied. Maybe Perry—” He paused, shaking his head before correcting himself, “Maybe Esther’s little science project worked.”

“We both know that’s not true,” I said. “You can’t deny it.”

After a whole week had passed, Esther’s serum had reached its full effect. Leo’s connection with Helena had faded, along with her mark on his skin. What’s left there now was just a small faded scar. On the other hand, the bond between us felt stronger.

Much stronger. Even being in the same room as Leo was making my heart thunder.

Leo’s expression softened almost imperceptibly.

“No, I can’t deny it.” His hand unconsciously moved to his neck, touching the spot where Helena’s mark was fading. “But what exactly are you suggesting, Hazel? That we all live happily ever after? Me, you, and your three Alpha mates?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I just know that cutting you out of my life completely feels... wrong.”

Leo stood up slowly, moving closer until he was standing right in front of me. I could smell the faint scent of sandalwood that always clung to him, could see the flecks of gold in his grayish-brown eyes.

“What exactly are you asking me, Hazel?”

My heart raced as I forced myself to say the words I’d been turning over in my mind for days. “Are you willing to accept our fated bond? Even if it’s different from what you planned?”

Leo’s expression was unreadable as he stared down at me. After what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke.

“Are you?”