Offered to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter 136: Chapter 136: I Release You

I stared at Leo, my heart hammering against my ribcage.

“I asked you first,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Leo’s lips twitched into what might have been a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He turned away from me, running a hand through his dark hair.

“Always deflecting,” he muttered.

“I’m not deflecting,” I insisted. “I just need to know where you stand.”

Leo paced the small confines of the cell, his movements reminding me of a caged wolf. When he finally spoke, his voice was tight with restrained emotion.

“Where I stand?” He let out a bitter laugh. “I stand nowhere, Hazel. I’m a rogue with a faded mate mark and feelings for a woman who already has three mates.”

I flinched at his harsh tone.

“Is that all I am to you?” I asked softly. “Just Helena’s replacement?”

Leo’s head snapped up, his eyes flashing with anger. “Is that what you think? After everything?”

“What am I supposed to think?” My own frustration bubbled to the surface. “You admitted you wanted me because I looked like her. You tried to use the Vox Solis to manipulate our bond.”

Only ironically, there wasn’t even a need for it.

“That was before—” He cut himself off, jaw clenching.

“Before what?”

against the wall and

pressed, standing up from my

unspoken words. Outside, I could hear

said, his voice so quiet I barely heard him. “Before I realized you

took a step toward him, but he held up a hand,

“Your mates would never accept me in your

I argued, though doubt crept

“Really? You think Lucas, Liam, and Levi Sullivan, Alphas of the Emberfang Pack, would be willing

coldly and shook

be a Sullivan, but I am not one of them. You know

movement when he was near me. But I also remembered their words—that they wanted

I said. “If we’re

for a brief moment before his usual sarcastic mask slipped back into place. “How

“Stop hiding behind

He pushed off the wall, closing the distance

talk? Fine. I’ll talk.” His voice was low, intense. “When I first saw you, I was drawn to you instantly. I thought it

sank, but

got to know you,” he continued. “The way you stand up for yourself even when you’re terrified. How fiercely you protect the people you care about. Your stubbornness, your compassion even towards someone who stole you away...” He trailed

neck, a gesture that seemed unconscious. “And that scared the hell out of me, because it meant I wasn’t just trying to replace

in

betraying my chosen mate by feeling something real for someone else. Even if that

his confession stunned me. This wasn’t the sarcastic, aloof Leo I knew. This was a

understand that feeling,” I said softly. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s unfair to the triplets that they