Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter-23. Burning memories

[Xanthea]

Raven stopped the car outside the narrow street. That was as far as a car could go. The alleys leading to my home weren't broad enough to accommodate a car. We had arrived in the Virgo pack in the Earthly realm.

My head was still giddy because of the realm jump that Raven's car made. A few seconds ago, he was racing his car on the roads of the Infernal realm. In the air, I saw a flash of light and it seemed as though we were sucked into a whirlpool. I felt as though my guts had been turned upside down.

The demon lords were about to get down from the car when...

"Alpha!" I called out, and the three of them looked at me. Ezra narrowed his eyes while his brows were raised in annoyance.

"What?" Raven asked coldly.

I lowered my gaze, nibbling my lower lips.

"Umm. Can you please wait in the car? I-I can bring everything you need to you if you just give me some time," I said, and they exchanged glances at one another.

"Very smart! But I don't want to go through the wasteful trouble of trying to hunt you down if you try to run away," Ezra said, opening the door.

"I won't run!" I blurted. "I promise. I know there is nowhere in any realm where I can run and hide from you."

Ezra scoffed.

"So why do you wanna go home alone? Oooooh~ Got a lover? Going to give him a final goodbye kiss, huh? How romantic." "No... I lived alone."

"Of course, you did. Your lover could be your neighbor, dumbo!" Ezra grunted, trying to get out of the car.

"Please! I promise I'll just go back to my house, get the books and diaries, and come back. Nothing else. I promise," I insisted.

"Xanthea, why don't you want us to come to your home?" Asher asked. "If it's just about getting the books then, you can do that with us, right? We could even help you carry them."

I felt my eyes turn misty as I lowered them, fidgeting with my fingers.

"It's... it's just... the place..."

"Are you embarrassed to show us you lived?" Raven said and my body tensed up.

"What? Had your undies scattered on the floor, or did you not clean up after your last sex in this realm? Oh wait, you were a virgin when we married you, so I suppose it isn't the second one," Ezra mocked. "You don't have to be embarrassed about anything. There's nothing about you we haven't already seen."

"No... that's not-"

Before I could say a word more, the three of them got down from the car.

Ezra squinted at the narrow, dimly lit, empty alley.

Taking a deep breath, I got down from the car. The ill feeling in my stomach grew with every step I took closer to my home, with the three of them silently walking behind me.

Ezra took out his handkerchief and covered his mouth and nose.

Although my mother's house wasn't in the slums, it was quite close to it. It was nighttime so most people were sleeping in their patched up houses. Even the ground we walked on was uneven.

almost tripped several times, so

mostly tried to avoid looking into their eyes, but right now,

home?" Ezra's voice was muffled behind his handkerchief. "Forget about anyone. You're a fucking princess, aren't you? Or has the alpha of this pack tricked us? No wonder you were trying to hide this from us! You're not a princess, are you? You're just some omega living in slums. Were you

Asher did her background check himself. We can make mistakes,

know but look at the abomination! H-how can someone even live here? I can't even

this place bothers

know why she

am sorry," I

don't have to apologize," Asher

loud voice in my chest asking me to hold his hand back, but I stopped myself from curling my

do we have to

could feel the chills of embarrassment brush

opened with an ugly creak. I held it open as the three of them walked in and closed

as I led them to my apartment through the

lifted the drying up flowerpot of forget-me-nots. The spare key was still stuck under the bottom of the pot. But when I tried the key, I found the door was already unlocked. I

had to lower their heads to pass through

in the air,

the apprehension building in my chest grew more

heart hammered against my ribs as I rushed into my bedroom, which was also my library, where I kept my mother's

out, barely able to catch my breath. My eyes widened as my unsteady vision took in the horrifying

with my hand,

dashed towards the bookshelves, hoping it to be

fingers ran from one charred book to

"Mamma..."

mother's diaries. My broken breaths remained stagnant in my lungs as I flipped through its blackened pages just

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and all of them had the same fate. Breathing

burned to ashes. Mom was burned to

scream tore through my throat, transitioning

draw in a breath. The air seemed to have disappeared, and my heart raced wildly, each beat echoing

for air, the more I choked on it. It felt like I was trapped in my own body that hurt and ached in ways I couldn't fathom. Each breath seemed like a stab of dagger and each

nose, trying to cope with my hyperventilation or panic attack or I didn't even know what it was. But whatever it was, I could bet that dying would have been

wheezy breaths filled the silence, and I had no idea when I got to my shaking legs, or who I bumped into as I ran out and

Most of the

is here. She is still with me. She has

shared with me and a dream she made me see. And now they are gone. For the first time in my life, I felt as though I had truly

But that wasn't true.

battling with my thoughts, and inhaling the aromatic scent of jasmines. Jasmines were my mother's second

was still lightheaded, but a lot in

that gave the comfort I looked for in every corner of myself. No one

it? Who could

I already knew the

you?" I heard the familiar voice of the old lady who

up and walked to the fence between our houses that were a little more than my knee height. She was the only neighbor who talked to me. She even took care of my flowers when

maybe they returned," she said in her shaky

My voice

don't you come to this side? Let's sit in my house