Mated to the Triplet Alphas

Liam frowned, studying his mother’s contemptuous expression. At this point, he would like to assume that his mother actually hated everyone. As for the ones she ‘liked’, perhaps she simply tolerated them.

“Why not?” Liam asked.

“Because he was born wrongfully,” Evelyn said sharply. Her eyes narrowed as she arranged the flowers with more force than necessary. “Outside of a mate bond. Your grandfather cheated on your grandmother with some random wolf. A disgrace to the family name.”

Henry’s jaw tightened. “Evelyn.”

“What? It’s true.” Evelyn shrugged, not looking apologetic in the slightest. “That’s why nobody respected him.”

Liam processed this information, trying to make the pieces fit together. He looked at his father. “What’s the age difference between you and Leonard?”

“Five years,” Henry replied, his expression grim. “I was five when he was born.”

Liam nodded slowly, mind working through the implications. “And when did he leave?”

“He took off when he was eighteen,” Henry said, folding his newspaper neatly. “We haven’t had contact since.”

“So that would make him...” Liam calculated quickly. “In his forties now?”

Henry nodded, his expression giving away nothing.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Liam muttered, mostly to himself. He stood abruptly, grabbing his keys from the side table. “I need to find Lucas and Levi.”

“Liam,” Evelyn called after him, “this foolish obsession with that girl—”

But Liam was already gone, the front door slamming behind him.

The engine of Liam’s SUV roared as he sped down the highway. He immediately reached for his brothers through the pack link.

‘Well, I managed to squeeze some interesting information out of them.’

‘What?’ Lucas’s voice came through instantly.

‘Dad had a younger half-brother named Leonard, nicknamed Leo. He’s five years younger than Dad.’

‘Leo?’ Levi echoed. ‘That’s the name Annie mentioned in the interrogation room.’

‘Yeah, but it doesn’t add up,’ Liam replied, changing lanes aggressively. ‘The guy the rogues saw would be in his forties by now. No way he could be mistaken for our brother.’

‘Unless...’ Lucas’s voice had that thoughtful quality it got when he was piecing something together. ‘What if it’s not our uncle, but our cousin? Leo could be Leonard’s son.’

‘With the same name?’ Levi questioned.

‘Why not? Families pass down names all the time,’ Lucas reasoned. ‘Either way, we can’t rule out the possibility that both Leonard and Leo could be working with the Vox Solis.’

‘Where are you guys now?’ Liam asked, checking his GPS.

‘We just handed the rogues over to the Ironhound warriors,’ Lucas answered. ‘We’re headed to Moonbite Lane. It’s closer to the city center. One of the rogues admitted they’ve done mercenary work there before. Apparently, there’s a research facility hidden in plain sight along that street.’

‘We think that they might’ve taken Hazel there,’ Levi added.

‘Perfect. I’ll meet you there,’ Liam said, pressing harder on the gas pedal. ‘Twenty minutes tops.’

‘Hurry,’ Levi urged. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’

The mindlink fell silent as Liam focused on the road. His thoughts were churning. They had a secret uncle they’d never heard about, a cousin who looked just like them, and somehow, Hazel was caught in the middle of it all.

His grip tightened on the steering wheel. This was ridiculous. At this point, it felt like a fever dream.

Stepping on the pedal, Liam clenched his teeth as the car’s engine roared, tearing down the street.

+++

Leo’s eyes snapped open with a violent gasp. Pain coursed through his body like liquid fire, burning from the inside out. Every breath felt like swallowing broken glass. It had been a while since he had felt his body hurt like that.

“Careful now,” a calm voice instructed from somewhere nearby. “Mind the stitches.”

Leo’s vision swam into focus gradually. White ceiling. Sterile walls. Metal bars and a thick glass panel. His gaze landed on the figure sitting outside his cell. Daniel Ramos scribbled something on a clipboard, not bothering to look up.

Leo glanced down at himself. His torso was wrapped in bandages, spotted with blood in several places.

“Wha—” Leo tried to speak, but his throat was parched. As such, his voice was raspier than usual.

“Two broken ribs, punctured lung, internal bleeding, and a damaged spleen,” Dr. Ramos listed methodically, still writing. “Not to mention the extensive tissue damage from the silver in the batons. Your healing is significantly compromised.”

Leo groaned, attempting to sit up. Fresh pain lanced through him, forcing him back down.

He growled, gritting his teeth in pain. “And why am I in a cell?”

Dr. Ramos finally looked up, his expression clinically detached. “Perry’s orders. She said you needed to be kept here until your ‘temper tantrum’ is under control.”

“Where’s Hazel?” Leo demanded, struggling to keep his voice steady through the pain.

“Miss Bailey has been taken to Perry’s office.”

Leo’s blood ran cold. “Perry’s office?”

“Yes.”

Leo gripped the edge of the tiny single bed, forcing himself upright despite the agony. “Let me out. Now.”

“That’s not possible,” Dr. Ramos said flatly, returning to his notes. “You’re in no condition to move, and I have strict orders.”

“You don’t understand,” Leo hissed through clenched teeth. “I’m stopping the alteration process. I don’t want to change her mate bond anymore.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Dr. Ramos’s face before it settled back into its usual impassiveness.

“If that’s your concern, you needn’t worry. Perry has decided not to proceed with that particular procedure.”

Relief washed over Leo for a brief moment—until he caught the slight shift in Dr. Ramos’s tone.

“What does that mean?” Leo asked, dread pooling in his stomach.

Dr. Ramos adjusted his glasses. “It means Perry has decided Miss Bailey would be more valuable as a research subject for another experiment.”

The words hit Leo like physical blows. “What experiment?” noveldrama

“I believe Perry is interested in testing the effects of multiple simultaneous mate bonds on a single subject,” Dr. Ramos explained, his clinical detachment never wavering. “Miss Bailey’s unusual situation—being mated to triplets—presents a unique opportunity to study how mate bonds can be manipulated, replicated, or transferred.”

He flipped the page on his clipboard before he continued.

“While it has been documented before, it’s not exactly a common sight. It’s difficult to get test subjects, and Miss Bailey just so happens to be available.”