Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Amara's POV

I knew there would be no mercy for me, yet their words pierced deeper than the punishment awaiting me.

How could they even ask if I was a divorcee? That question alone told me Aphia had hidden the truth from them as well.

Again and again, Aphia made me regret the day I crossed paths with him. Why was he so determined to ruin me? Everyone knew the triplets were not to be deceived, let alone lied to, but Aphia had done both, leaving me to bear the weight of his lies.

Death awaited me for having a weak wolf. Now, with the added accusation of being a divorcee, I doubted death would even be the worst of it.

I wanted to plead, but no words left my lips. His terrifying aura smothered me, making it impossible to lift my head, let alone speak.

A sudden jerk on my neck snapped me out of my daze. “Arghhh,” I cried, pain shooting through me. I didn’t need to look to know his grip had left my skin raw.

“Do you know what I hate the most?” Santiago’s voice was cold, his presence suffocating as his power pressed harder against me.

My mouth trembled, but no sound escaped. Fear had swallowed me whole.

“Deceiver,” he spat. “You made us believe you were worthy of being our mate, only for us to discover this filth. Do you have such a death wish?” His roar shook me, and I shrieked in terror.

I didn’t know what exactly had snapped inside him, but his eyes burned red, blood red, against his black pupils. Goddess help me.

I wanted to run. Even though it was impossible, every part of me screamed to escape him. Why me? Why was I always the one fate tormented?

Hot tears spilled down my cheeks as he shoved me into the wall. My body hit the stone like a rag doll, yet strangely, relief washed over me. Better the pain of being pushed than the suffocating closeness of this bloodthirsty Alpha.

“You think silence will save you, omega?” he sneered, his voice stripped of any warmth.

“Forgive me, Alphas…” My voice broke as I spoke. “I’m wrong. I should have told you from the start, that my wolf is weak, that I was once married and divorced.”

It was all I could do, apologize, even though Aphia had caused this. Would they believe me if I said he was the deceiver? No. They weren’t fools. They probably already knew, yet they still chose to punish me.

Their silence should have felt like I'd been forgiven, but I knew better.

Ruthless. Merciless.

The whispers of Silverpine’s gossip echoed in my skull, my head pounding as my vision blurred.

The rumors had never been wrong.

Santiago’s sneer confirmed it.

“Begging is pointless,” he said, his tone clear and final. My heartbeat slowed at his words.

I braced myself for another strike, for his hands around my neck, but it never came. I used that moment to breathe.

“Do you think we’re here to play?” he growled, raking a hand through his hair like a beast barely caged. “You dared come to us knowing full well we were searching for our mate?”

The look in their eyes, three pairs staring me down, held nothing but suspicion and irritation. I exhaled shakily, already knowing nothing I said or did could change what they thought of me.

All I wanted was to leave this place alive, but even that was beginning to feel like an impossible dream.

I wasn’t going to survive this.

“Why did you do this, Omega?”

The sudden shift in scent, warm, comforting, brushed against my senses, and I lifted my head in confusion. Maximus was kneeling now, lowering himself to my level.

Had I heard him right? Was he truly asking me this? His voice was soft, almost soothing, so much so that it felt foreign in this place.

My eyes widened, my body trembling. I had long accepted that no one would stand for me, yet here he was… what had he just done?

The emotions churning inside me broke loose before I could stop them.

“It’s not my fault… Aphia—” I choked, a sob cutting through my words.

“Does it matter why she did it?” Santiago’s voice sliced through the air like venom. “It doesn’t change the fact that she’s a deceiver.”

A hiccup tore from my throat as I swallowed back the words I’d been about to spill. Goddess, what’s wrong with me? I shouldn’t be falling apart like this. And yet, deep down, I knew, it was because of Maximus.

Even if he appeared calm, I doubted he’d believe me if I said Aphia had been the one to deceive them. Perhaps it was a blessing Santiago’s cruelty had silenced me.

“She may be our mate,” Santiago continued, his tone colder than ice, “but she has to die.”

Maximus and Alex both shook their heads sharply.

“Stop acting like a ruffian,” they snapped. “You don’t decide her life or death before she’s even proven guilty.”

Tears burned my eyes, sliding hot against my skin. Santiago, the eldest, wanted me dead. Could the words of the other two even matter?

I curled into myself on the floor, waiting. I would not beg again. I would not cry. Neither would change the mind of a cruel Alpha.

If I died here, everything would end. No more being their Luna, no more living a life worse than death.

Then, splash.

A sharp sound cracked the tension. My eyes flew wide, dread clawing at my chest as my heart galloped.

The scent hit me next, thick, metallic, unmistakable. Blood.

I felt my body go numb, was it lifelessness or just dizziness? I was so weak, and the smell of blood only made things worse. One thought kept echoing in my mind: my blood!

My breathing grew faster, my chest tightened, and the world spun around me as that numb, lifeless feeling clung to me.