Trap of the King Alpha Triplet

Emily.

I opened my eyes, realizing I'd fallen asleep again, or more like passed out. My head felt heavy, and my body ached. I reached out for Eartha, my wolf, but she was still gone.

As my vision cleared, I realized I wasn't in the cabin anymore. I was in a hospital room, the sterile white walls and the beeping of machines a stark contrast to the cozy warmth of the cabin. I had various instruments attached to my body, monitoring my vital signs.

The door opened, and Joe walked in, her face etched with concern. She was wearing her usual white lab coat. "Emily, how are you feeling?" she asked.

I tried to speak, but my throat was parched, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth. Joe handed me a glass of water, helping me sit up. "Drink slowly," she advised. "Your body is still recovering from the shock."

I took a few sips, the cool liquid soothing my dry throat. "What happened?" I croaked.

"You started running a high fever again yesterday," Joe explained, pulling out a digital thermometer from her pocket. "Luca brought you to the pack hospital. We had to use a special cooling blanket to bring your temperature down. Werewolves usually run hot, but anything above 105°F is dangerous, even for us." She placed the thermometer under my tongue, waiting for the beep.

I frowned, trying to remember, but my mind was a haze of fragmented memories and fever dreams. "Why is Eartha gone?" I asked, my voice small and lost.

Joe sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. She took the thermometer out, checking the reading with a slight frown. "Emily, you're not even 18 yet, and you and your wolf have been through so much lately. The drugs, the stress, it's all taken a toll on your mental state, and on your bond with Eartha."

She placed a gentle hand on my arm, her skin cool against my feverish flesh. "You have to understand, the bond between a werewolf and their inner wolf is a sacred thing. It's not just a physical connection, but a spiritual and emotional one as well. When that bond is disrupted, either by trauma or by external factors like the rogue's drug, it can cause a rift between the human and wolf consciousness."

Tears pricked at my eyes, a lump forming in my throat. "Is she coming back?"

Joe's expression was somber. "I'm not sure yet, Emily. In normal circumstances, a werewolf's healing ability would kick in and mend the bond naturally. But your hybrid nature complicates things. Your witch side is at odds with your wolf side, and that internal conflict is preventing the healing process."

She stood up, retrieving a vial of pale blue liquid from her coat pocket. "I've been working on a special medicine, a blend of moonflower essence and other herbs that are known to strengthen the mind-body connection in werewolves. It might help speed up the recovery of your bond with Eartha."

She loaded the elixir into a syringe, tapping out the air bubbles with practiced ease. "I'm going to inject this directly into your bloodstream," she explained, swabbing my arm with an alcohol wipe. "You might feel a burning sensation, but that's normal. It means the elixir is working, seeking out the broken pathways between you and your wolf."

I winced as the needle pierced my skin, a strange warmth spreading through my veins. It wasn't painful, but it was intense, like a thousand tiny sparks dancing under my skin.

"There," Joe said, placing a cotton ball over the injection site. "We'll let that work its magic for a while. In the meantime, I want you to rest as much as possible. The more energy your body can dedicate to healing, the better."

She gave me a reassuring smile, but I could see the worry in her eyes. "We're doing everything we can, Emily. But you need to be patient with yourself. Healing takes time, and rushing it will only make things worse in the long run." I nodded, too exhausted and emotionally drained to argue. As Joe left the room, I couldn't help but feel sadness washing over me.

What if Eartha never came back?

The thought was too terrifying to contemplate, so I pushed it away.

A knock on the door interrupted me. The triplets entered, their faces drawn and haggard. Leo looked like he hadn't slept in days, his usually perfect hair disheveled and his eyes bloodshot.

They gathered around my bed, their hands reaching out to touch me, as if to reassure themselves that I was really there. For once, I didn't push them away, too tired and broken to fight the comfort of their presence. "The rogue?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"He's taken care of," Luca said, his jaw clenched. "He won't be bothering you anymore."

"Yeah, we made sure of that," Logan chimed in, cracking his knuckles. "Nobody messes with our girl and gets away with it."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't help the tiny spark of warmth that ignited in my chest at his words. Our girl.It was almost enough to make me forget the gaping hole where Eartha used to be.

Almost.

Silence fell over the room, heavy and oppressive. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I had to say next. "I can't feel the mate bond anymore," I admitted. "It's like it's just...gone."

The triplets exchanged a look. "Emily, we're so sorry," Leo said. It is so weird to hear sorry in Leo's mouth. "We should have protected you better, should have been more patient. We never meant to push you into accepting the bond before you were ready."

"Yeah, we really screwed the pooch on that one," Luca said, running a hand through his hair. "No pun intended."

Leo smacked him upside the head. "Not the time, idiot."

I shook my head, tears spilling down my cheeks. "It's not your fault what happened that day," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "But without Eartha, without the bond, I don't know what we are anymore."

Leo's face hardened. "You're still our mate, Emily," he said. "The bond may be dormant now, but it's not gone. We'll give you all the time and space you need to heal, but we're not going anywhere."

I felt a flare of anger, hot and sharp in my chest. "You don't get it, do you?" I snapped, my hands clenching into fists. "I don't have a wolf anymore. The bond is broken. We're not mates, and we never will be." "Never say never, babe," Logan said, waggling his eyebrows. "We're like a bad rash. You can't get rid of us that easily."

"Logan, I swear to the moon goddess, I will gag you with a silver spoon if you don't shut up," Leo growled.

And then Leo turned to me. "You're wrong, Emily," he said. "The bond is still there, even if you can't feel it right now. And even if it wasn't, even if we weren't fated by the moon goddess herself, I would still choose you. We all would."

I stared at him, my heart pounding in my chest. Part of me wanted to believe him, wanted to cling to the hope that this wasn't the end. But another part of me, suddenly couldn't let go of the anger, the resentment that had been building for years.

"You've made my life a living hell since the moment I set foot in high school," I said, my voice trembling with barely contained rage. "You bullied me, humiliated me, made me feel like I was nothing. And now you expect me to just forget all this? It doesn't work like that."

They were all shocked. "We know we were assholes," Luca said. "But we could not have done this to you two years ago."

I sighed, suddenly feeling bone-tired and weary. "Do you really want me to go over this again?"