TWO YEARS LATER
Scarlett's POV
Today wasn't just any day.
Today, the pack house was vibrating with a nervous, electric energy. The triplets—Liam, Leon, and Leo—were returning from the Alpha Academy. They had been gone for a full year, sent away shortly after the death of our Luna.
I hadn't seen them since. I wondered if they still hated me as much as they had before leaving.
A loud voice echoed down the servants' hallway. "Everyone outside! Line up!"
I quickly stepped out of my room and followed the other servants. The entire staff gathered in front of the grand mansion entrance. Maids stood in neat rows, guards lined the driveway, and even the cooks had come out from the kitchen.
The air buzzed with excitement and tension.
"They've changed a lot after the Academy," one maid whispered.
"I heard they're stronger than most Alphas already," another replied.
I stayed silent. My heart was beating too fast. Soon, the distant sound of engines filled the air. Everyone straightened immediately. A long black car rolled through the massive iron gates and slowly drove up the stone driveway toward the mansion. The vehicle came to a smooth stop in front of the grand stairs.
For a moment, everything went silent. Then the car doors opened. Three tall figures stepped out.
The triplets.
They looked identical at first glance, same height, same broad shoulders, same dark black hair that brushed their foreheads. But I could tell them apart.
Liam's eyes were a sharp emerald green. Leo's were a deep sea blue. And Leon's were warm brown, darker than the others.
They had grown taller, stronger, and more intimidating, different from the boys I remembered. The Alpha Academy had turned them into powerful warriors. Footsteps approached from the mansion doors: Alpha Lennox, Alpha Levi, and Alpha Louis. Their fathers.
The three Alphas walked down the steps, pride clear on their faces. For a brief moment, the cold expressions on the triplets' faces softened. They walked forward and embraced their fathers in strong hugs.
"Welcome home," Alpha Lennox said with a proud smile.
The rest of us bowed our heads respectfully. "Welcome home, young Alphas," Nero, the head of the guards, announced loudly.
I lowered my head like everyone else.
But I felt it. Three pairs of eyes were staring in my direction. Slowly, I lifted my gaze. The triplets were staring directly at me. The warmth they once held for me was long gone, replaced by hatred.
Time changed nothing. That was the same hatred from two years ago.
My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stay still. I thought they might say something, but they didn't. They just entered the mansion like I didn't exist. I was nothing to them. I was just another servant.
A sharp voice broke the silence. "Scarlett!" I turned quickly. "Why are you standing there like a statue?" she snapped. "Go prepare fruit platters for the young Alphas. Each of them wants their tray in their room."
"Yes, ma'am," I said quietly.
I hurried toward the kitchen, my heart still beating unevenly in my chest. Preparing the fruit platters was the task I dreaded most. The triplets—Liam, Leon, and Leo—were notoriously picky. Everything had to be hand-peeled, sliced perfectly, and served chilled. No mistakes were forgiven.
My hands trembled slightly as I balanced the silver tray. The hallway leading to their wing felt suffocatingly quiet. Two years have passed since that day. Two years since the triplets became my masters instead of my friends.
I used to cry every night. Now, not anymore. Pain loses its sharpness when it becomes routine. I stopped in front of the massive double doors leading to Liam's room and knocked.
"Stop knocking and get the hell in!" his irritated voice growled from inside.
I pushed the door open, the tray trembling slightly in my hands. The sight inside turned my stomach. Liam was sprawled across the bed with a blonde girl tangled in his arms, kissing her so deeply it was as if I wasn't even there. I quickly looked away, my chest tightening.
Moving silently, I placed the plate of sliced blood oranges on his desk. But as I turned to leave, his sharp voice stopped me. "Wait."
I froze.
Liam shoved the girl away. He walked toward me wearing nothing but silk trousers. His broad chest was on full display. My eyes betrayed me, lowering downward for a brief moment before I looked away.
Liam grabbed a slice and took a bite. Immediately, he scowled.
"This is sour," he snapped. "Didn't you check the ripeness before serving?"
"I'm sorry, Liam," I said quickly. "I'll bring a different batch—"
"Liam? It's Alpha Liam to you," he growled.
Suddenly, he tipped the plate, letting the sticky red juice drip down onto my clean uniform. The cold liquid soaked into the fabric, staining it a dark red that looked disturbingly like blood.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Scarlett?" he continued harshly. "You've been a servant for years and still can't do a simple task."
"I—"
"Get out!" he barked.
I bolted from the room. Leo's room was next. Unlike his brother, Leo was calmer, but his coldness was a different kind of danger. I knocked and stepped inside. Leo was sitting at his desk, shirtless, his dark hair slightly disheveled.
"You're late," he said, his sea-blue eyes piercing through me.
"I apologize, Leo," I murmured, placing the tray down carefully.
Before I could step back, his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. His grip wasn't painful, but it was firm enough to stop me. "Look at me, Scarlett."
Reluctantly, I lifted my head and met his gaze. His eyes dropped to the red stain across my chest. He knew exactly what Liam had done.
"You're shaking," he observed, his tone softening slightly in a way that felt more like a trap than kindness. "Are you scared of me?"
I swallowed hard. I wasn't just scared. I hated him. I hated him for what he had ordered that morning two years ago.
He held my gaze for a moment longer before releasing my wrist, his expression twisting into pure disgust.
"Leave."
I stepped out quickly. The last stop was Leon. He was the quietest of the three, but his silence often spoke louder than words. When I entered, he was standing by the window with a book in his hand. As I set the fruit tray down, I noticed the book he was reading.
I froze.
The silver tray slipped slightly in my grip. It was a rare first edition of The Shadow's Echo. I saved every dollar I earned for a year just to give it to him for his nineteenth birthday three years ago.
He was still reading it? After everything?
Suddenly, Leon snapped the book shut. He threw it straight at me. It hit my chest—right over the damp red stain of the orange juice—before falling to the floor.
"Pick it up," he commanded coldly.
I knelt down slowly, my fingers trembling as I brushed against the worn leather. I wanted to cry, but I forced the tears back. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. Leon pointed toward a heavy wooden box sitting near the hearth.
"I want you to burn everything in that box," he said calmly. "Now."
I nodded, my throat tight. "Yes, Alpha. I'll take it to the kitchens—"
"No," he interrupted. His dark eyes followed my every movement. "Burn it here. In the fireplace."
I walked over to the box and lifted the lid. My breath caught in my throat. It wasn't trash. It was us. Inside were memories of a lifetime they had decided to erase: pictures of the four of us laughing by the lake; handmade charms I had woven for them; even the dried remains of the flower Liam once tucked behind my ear.
Every gift I had ever given them was inside that box. I picked up one of the photographs. The edges were already curling with age. We looked so happy. So innocent.
"Start with the pictures, Scarlett," Leon whispered from behind me, leaning against the mantle while the fire crackled.
My hands shook as I reached into the box. One by one, I fed our happy memories to the flames. The glossy photos curled and blackened, turning into ash.
They had lost their mother, the woman they loved more than life itself. I understood their pain but what about me? My parents were hung without trial. They were innocent and still they were put to death.
Leon didn't move. He didn't stop me. He simply watched the fire until the last memory was gone.
Then he turned his back to me. "Took you long enough. Get out," he said flatly.
I stumbled out of the room, my lungs burning and my uniform smelling of smoke and bitter oranges. All I wanted was to crawl into a hole and disappear.
"You! Stop where you are!"
I looked up to see Nero, the head of the mansion guards, staring at me with a cruel sneer. The two guards beside him grabbed my arms and pinned them behind my back.
"Wait!" I gasped, panic flooding my chest. "What are you doing?"