Entangled With My Alpha Triplets

Nineteen

~Hazel~

As I slowly woke up, sunlight peeked through the blinds and stung into my eyes. My migraine swelled, a dull ache that felt like a bad hangover growing across my temples. I attempted to move, but my body felt sluggish and weighed down. I sought to clear my head by blinking, but everything was fuzzy.

The moist blankets clung to my skin, and there was a mild smell in the air, something earthy mixed with sweat. When I learned last night that I wasn't alone, my heart skipped a beat. Yet, the bed beside me was empty.

"Did I?" I gasped, and my mind raced as I tried to piece together the events of last night, but all I could remember was Asher helping me to a room.

There were blurry flashes of his touch, faint voices of my confession, and...

"Zane." I remembered clenching the bedsheets in annoyance.

He really fucked that red head. The whole time, I thought I was imagining it, and Asher? What was his deal?

"I didn't have sex with him." I repeated it multiple times in my head to sound convincing.

Or maybe it was the guilt searing through my heart that I had avenged Zane's action.

"I'd never drink alcohol again." I winced, staggering from the bed to the bathroom.

Only a cold shower would get me back to the real world. As I stripped my clothes off, the image of me slowly going down on my knees flashed back.

Goosebumps invaded my skin, and I shook the mental image off. "Ewww."

I turned on the shower, and a gasp slipped out of my throat as the cold water hit my back. I scrubbed hard to cleanse away his touch, but it still stuck to me.

If he was with me last night, what stopped him from having a one-night stand with me like he usually does with other girls?

Wasn't I good enough for that?

"You should be happy that it never happened." A tiny voice in my head said.

"Yes, I should, but I wanted him to."

I sounded like a confused, dumb blonde, but I really wanted to have him.

"Oh my gosh!" I covered my mouth with my palm as I recalled what I told him.

A sharp scream echoed through the wall, and I almost hit my head against the tiled wall after everything started to get clear.

He probably freaked out from my behavior last night and left.

"Just open up and swallow me already." I begged the floor, but it just stared back at me.

Unbothered.

The realization really stung, and I felt like a fool for cheaply throwing myself at him like that. He would definitely avoid me, and if his girlfriend ever got to know of it, my days in the academy would be a series of nightmares.

"He would be moving out of the academy to his own pack mansion." The voice pointed out.

"Shit! Last night was his coronation!"

"That could be the reason for leaving so soon. Let's not assume the worst of ourselves, Hazel." I muttered, choosing to believe that was the reasonable thing.

With water flowing from my hair and collecting at my feet, I exited the shower. Even with the fogged-up bathroom mirror, I could make out my reflection's hazy form. I ran a palm over it and saw my pale face with black circles under my eyes. I possessed a dreadful sight.

I whispered to myself, "Hazel, get your act together," in an attempt to get over my lasting regret. Yet, the memory of what I'd done—of how I'd nearly thrown myself at Asher in a desperate attempt to feel loved and to forget about Zane and that redhead—could not be erased by cold water or pep talks. I covered myself with a towel and went back into the bedroom.

The bedding was damp and twisted, leaving the bed with dreary traces of the previous night. I quickly picked up my clothes that were sprawled all over the floor, trying not to pay attention to how my hands were shaking.

As I dressed, I couldn't stop replaying the night in my head, over and over like a broken record. The way Zane had looked at that girl, the way he'd touched her—it made my stomach churn.

"He never told me he loved me, so he owes me nothing, right?"

No, that was the stupid version of me making up excuses because he led me on.

After putting on my clothes, I took a long breath and tried to gather myself. I was unable to remain in this space for long since everything felt too personal and raw. I had to leave in order to put some distance between myself and my mistakes.

Unfortunately, as soon as I opened the door, Tyler and Zane were waiting for me in the corridor, and I almost ran into them.

"Hazel!" Tyler's eyes scanned my face as if they were looking for something, and he was clearly relieved.

"Where have you been? We've searched everywhere."

When I saw Zane, my heart fell. His demeanor was impenetrable as he stared straight into my eyes. It wasn't clear to me whether he was scared, upset, or simply disengaged. More than anything else, that apathy hurts.

"I was just..." I fumbled for an excuse, my voice weak. "I fell asleep quickly before his coronation. It must have been the wine."

Tyler frowned, clearly not satisfied with my answer, but he didn't push it. Instead, he glanced at Zane, who was still watching me with that same, blank expression.

He was almost the same as Asher. How come I never saw through it earlier?

"We need to talk," Zane finally said, his voice cracking with seriousness.

My stomach dropped. I knew what this was about—last night, everything I'd said, everything I'd done with his brother.

Asher definitely told him.

He was going to tell me it was a mistake, that I was a mistake, instead of apologizing.

But before I could respond, Tyler stepped in. "Maybe later, Zane. She's obviously not feeling great. Let's just get her back to her room, okay?"

Zane's jaw tightened, and he looked at me to see if that's what I wanted.

"Tyler, I'm completely fine." I lied with a forced smile so he would get off my back.

I darted my eyes to Zane and agreed, "Sure, we can talk."

Tyler glared at Zane before whispering that I should stay safe, then he walked out.

Zane waited until Tyler was out of earshot before he spoke again. "What happened last night, Hazel?"

His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, a tension that made my pulse quicken. I couldn't tell if he was angry or just confused. Maybe both. Either way, I felt cornered.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully, feeling my cheeks flush. "It's all a blur."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "A blur? You were pretty clear when you were throwing yourself at my brother."

My heart sank. So Asher had told him.

"What do you mean?" I denied.

He was at fault, just as I was.

"Over the past days, nobody told me how close you have gotten with him to forget all about me." He accused me.

"He wasn't with Trisha or any other girl, but with you."

"What did you say to him that made him choose you?"

Confusion finally set in, as I had no idea what he was on about. I couldn't admit to almost getting naughty with his brother, and from his expression and statement, he didn't seem to know about that either.

"Asher choosing you means everything awful that you could ever think of. Why did you allow it?"

"Did he claim you?" His features hardened as he closed the distance between us and brushed my hair to the side just so he could see my neck.

His fingers traced it, looking for signs, and my breath hitched over the close proximity.

"No, he didn't. Only my mate can claim me, and he's not mine," I explained. "I was only with him last night because I saw you."

A flash of horrified shock attacked his eyes, but it faded off almost immediately, like he wasn't guilty of his actions.

"And you immediately took him as your rebound? Do you realize that once you give him access to your body, he never lets go?"

I looked away, shame burning in my chest. "I wasn't trying to get back at you."

Zane let out a bitter laugh. "Right. So you've always liked him, then? Someone who has been nothing but bad to you."

"How can you be attracted to your abuser?"

"He doesn't abuse me!" I sharply defended myself. "At least, he never led me on. It was clear from the start that he was taken by another and hated my presence."

"Unlike you, who filled my head with nonsense promises of love."

He went silent for a moment, and when he finally spoke, his voice was softer. "I never promised you anything, Hazel."

A tight knot twisted in my stomach, my chest clenched with pain as the truth rang in my ears.

"My brothers and I are all betrothed to one another."

"We might mess around with as many women as we want, but when it's time to choose our Lunas, we know who we want."

"And that's why I'm worried for you."

My breath caught in my throat, a jolt of worry hitting every nerve in my bones and weakening me.

"Why?"

"Asher chose you as his Luna, and that means his alliance with Trisha's family is off. Considering you have nothing to offer, you've gathered a lot of enemies on your back."

"They are coming for you."