Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter-74. Awakening

[Ezra]

"I knew I'd find you here," I breathed. My footsteps echoed as I stepped closer to the bar counter in Asher's penthouse.

The chandelier above cast a soft, golden glow that mingled with the darkness, creating an ambiance where one could drown and forget oneself in the haze of gin and smoke.

And as always, Asher sat alone at the borders of light and darkness, not to forget but to be forgotten.

Asher placed down the empty goblet on the cold marble countertop. As he reached out to pour more black wine, I picked up the wine bottle.

"Will it be ok if I pour the wine for you?" I asked.

Asher's eyes flickered towards me, blinked once in a brief acknowledgment before they drifted back to the sea of skyscrapers beyond the glass walls. The twinkling lights of the city reflected in his eyes, while his own remained blank. Sitting beside him, I poured him the wine.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked.

He slid his goblet towards me.

I peered at the faint glint of light from the chandelier dancing on the surface of the wine.

I smiled, curling my fingers around the stem of the goblet, lifted it in my hand, and placed it in front of him.

"I don't need your wine, Asher. I can join you by pouring another for myself," I said, serving myself wine in another goblet.

Asher hadn't changed at all, yet I wish I could say the Asher sitting beside me was the same as before.

Over the years, I had watched Asher fade with each sip of wine and puffs of cigarette, as though witnessing a star's death. I couldn't stop it, couldn't interfere with it. All I could do was watch as the child grew up and assumed that there were no more stars left in his eyes to dim - to die.

I was wrong.

There was still something left inside him, something that had rekindled the day his eyes found an angel. Something was saved that day, something that was probably dying today.

I had noticed all the changes in him ever since he saw Xanthea and I chose to ignore them. But something about him had changed so drastically tonight that there was no way I could let him be on his own. Something about him felt so off that I forgot how angry I was when I got here. All the questions I wanted to ask him had been summarized into a few words - 'are you ok?'

Asher took a small sip, and I followed him. Both of us peered outside the glass wall, taking in how big our pack actually was.

sweet scent lingered on Asher. The scent was so sweet; it interfered with the bitterness of the wine in

behind by Xanthea on his body that the silk robe failed to hide. Wounds as trivial as those should have healed within seconds, but it seemed as though he didn't want them to heal. As though he wanted to relish on their soft pain as

breaking the silence as soon as the red clouds glowed on

took another sip of the

is she to you?" I asked, my voice barely above a

took another

finished the wine in my goblet in one go and placed the

Raven and I are with you," I said. "Whether we like it or not, we're in this together. If we overcome this curse, we do it together; if we succumb, we do it together. This burden isn't yours to bear alone, Asher.

He still didn't reply.

and let out a

***

him the wrong questions, but then again, will there ever be

silently withdrew himself, when we brothers separated and drifted apart. But I

him, all we did was ignore and abandon him. I might be one of the reasons he doesn't open up, so I know I don't have any right to ask him to do it

childhood are a mere blur

Asher's and Raven's

then, I stood on the same level as them. Neither weaker

mean the standard our father had set for the three of us. It was the level he

even the punishments we received were

at how we were raised, I realize we were more like raw materials being molded into a refined product whose only purpose was to

mother was limited to once a month. However, I remember her being impassively warm. Neither too attached and loving nor too cold and distant.

one in the room, doing his best to stand out. He loved being noticed, praised and carried in our mother's

most of the time, observing from the sidelines, as if trying to dissolve into the background. While Raven demanded all of mother's attention, Asher seemed satisfied with the slightest

had always been more than enough for Asher and even that bare

a feeling that I might have loved being close to my mother since I still faintly remember the peace and security I felt when

academics and training grew more challenging, and the punishments became harsher. It was because the three of us were

meet and satisfy father's expectations and I barely touched the safety line. Raven did much

the three of us, our father had the highest expectations for Raven. However, those expectations were shattered on the day that possibly sowed the

was the day when Asher's

father threw

as he raised Asher up in his arms like a trophy and proudly showed him off in his court and the world, declaring him as 'my son, my blood, my pride, my heir'. Raven kept glaring at Asher who sat beside father throughout the party. In a blink, everything Raven

I saw Raven cry, throwing a tantrum in front of everyone at the party. But before he could get father's attention, mother swept him in her arms and took

Asher handled the attention just as deftly as he had handled the neglect. He neither looked happy nor disturbed. He behaved like a perfect prince was expected to behave. Since that day, Raven, the smiling, laughing kid, eventually turned

to describe what Raven felt whenever father chose Asher