Free Web NovelChapter 236: The Picks
Scarlett’s POV
"No," I gasped, instantly shaking my head and pulling away from his touch. Tears stung my eyes, and a sudden wave of panic tightened my throat. "No, please... don’t do this to me. I can’t. I can’t look at two of you and send you to a battlefield. I can’t choose between you."
My wolf whimpered in agreement inside my head, completely terrified by the thought. Choosing one meant sending the other two into danger. It was an impossible choice, a heavy weight I wasn’t ready to carry.
The triplets looked at my trembling lips and the deep fear in my eyes, and they all understood at once. They realized they had pushed too hard, trying to give me control when what I really needed was comfort. Leo’s face softened with deep regret, Liam squeezed my waist tighter from behind, and Leonard stepped in, his brown eyes filled with a sorry warmth.
"Alright, love. Easy now," Leonard murmured, his voice dropping into a comforting, deep rumble. "We won’t put that on you. We’ll settle it another way."
He turned and walked over to the wooden writing desk in the corner of the room. Pulling out a small sheet of paper, he tore it into three identical, neat strips. On two of them, he drew a sharp, dark ’X’ with a pen. He left the third one completely blank.
My heart beat against my ribs like a trapped bird as I watched him fold each piece tightly into tiny squares, making them look exactly the same.
"X marks mean the battlefield," Liam explained against my ear, keeping his tight grip around my waist, as if he were already preparing to be torn away from me. "The blank means staying behind to guard the pack. And guarding you."
Leonard placed the three folded papers into an empty silver cup on the nightstand. He shook it once, the quiet rustle of the paper sounding like a death sentence in the otherwise silent bedroom.
The three brothers looked at each other, their powerful Alpha presence completely taking over now. The air grew thick, filled with tension as their wolves braced for whatever fate had in store.
"Who goes first?" Leonard muttered, his dark eyes locked on the cup, his jaw clenching with a mix of worry and restless impatience.
"I’ll go first," Leo muttered, stepping toward the nightstand with quick, impatient steps.
"No, let’s all grab one and open them together," Leonard said, his deep voice leaving no room for argument.
Liam stepped away from my back, and the sudden loss of his body heat made me shiver as he joined his brothers by the nightstand. My heart beat wildly against my ribs, a heavy lump forming in my throat as I watched all three of them reach their large hands into the silver cup at the exact same time. The quiet rustle of the paper sounded like a ticking bomb.
Each of them pulled out a tiny folded square, holding it tightly in their fists. They exchanged a long, intense look before they both sucked in a deep breath.
"On three," Liam whispered. "One... two... three."
They unfolded the papers at the exact same time.
"Mine is an X," Leo said immediately, staring at the paper in his hands.
"Blank," Liam breathed out, a massive, heavy sigh of relief leaving his chest as he stared down at his empty paper. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Leonard looked up from his hand, his face turning dead serious as his brown eyes locked onto Leo. "Mine is an X. It’s you and me, brother. We march at dawn."
The moment the final results were out, Leo let out a low, dark growl, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists. He wasn’t mad about going to war—his wolf was always ready for a fight—but the thought of being forced away from me was already causing his inner beast to thrash with fury.
"I’m going to rip the Shadow Pack to pieces for forcing me away from my mate," Leo snarled, the air turning thick and heavy with his terrifying Alpha energy.
Tears gathered in my eyes again as the reality of everything hit me. I was so scared. My chest ached with the thought of losing them, and before I could stop myself, I spoke up, my voice trembling. "Let me come... I can fight."
Liam and Leonard snapped their heads toward me, looking at me like I had just said the stupidest thing on earth. They didn’t even hesitate. Both of them spoke at the exact same time, their voices booming through the room. "Hell no."
I frowned, a spark of anger cutting through my fear. Of course, they had no idea that I had become a great warrior over the years. They hadn’t seen me fight in a real battle yet, so in their minds, they still saw me as that same fragile, weak girl they had to teach how to fight long ago.
I quickly looked over at Leo. Only he knew the real truth about what I could do. He was the only one who had actually seen me tear through opponents and fight for my life in that arena. But as our eyes met, I saw the tight warning in his gaze. He couldn’t say a word. If he stood up for me and told them how good I was, it would completely expose our biggest secret and blow our cover.
So, I had to speak up and defend myself. "I’m serious; I am really good now," I insisted, crossing my arms and looking between them. "You could test me right here. Let me prove it."
"No, Scar," Liam said, his green eyes completely dark and unyielding. "It is never happening."
"Absolutely not," Leonard agreed, his deep voice leaving no room for negotiation. ƒrēewebnovel.com
I glared at them, but inside, my heart sank. I knew there was no point in arguing with them anymore. These men hadn’t seen what I was truly capable of, and even if Leo could testify for me, it wouldn’t change a thing. They were Alphas. Even if they knew I was the strongest warrior in the world, their protective instincts were too strong. They would never, ever allow their fated mate to march onto a bloody battlefield.
Frustrated and defeated, I walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, pulling my knees to my chest. A suffocating, heavy silence filled the room as the minutes ticked by. None of us knew what to say, the looming threat of the morning hanging over our heads.
Finally, Leo broke the quiet. He stepped closer to the bed, his eyes filled with a soft, aching sadness. "Can we pass the night here in your room... with you? We have to leave at dawn."
Hearing him say the word dawn made the tears boil over. More tears gathered in my eyes and began to stream down my face. Seeing my tears break, all three of them rushed to my side instantly, crowding around the mattress to soothe me.
Leonard climbed onto the bed and pulled me gently into his lap, rubbing my back in soothing circles. "Hey, look at me," he murmured softly, his brown eyes searching my face. "This is not our first war, Scar. We will be completely fine. We have fought in wars that were way more scary than this one. This little territory dispute is nothing to us."
But his words couldn’t erase the cold terror in my chest. I couldn’t take it anymore. The fear of the unknown and the thought of them bleeding on a battlefield completely broke me. I just kept crying, my body shaking as I held onto Leonard’s bare shoulders, feeling smaller and more scared than I ever had before.
Leonard didn’t say another word. He just leaned down, his large hand cupping the side of my face, and kissed me deeply, trying to pour all of his strength and love into my lips to stop my trembling.
Leo shifted closer on the bed, his warm lips pressing a soft, slow kiss to my bare shoulder. The heat of his mouth sent a sudden shiver straight down my spine. On my other side, Liam leaned in, his lips gently tracing the column of my neck before kissing my other shoulder, his large hands resting flat against my thighs to steady himself.
And fuck. I was getting turned on.
Now was absolutely not the time for this. I was crying, my heart was breaking, and two of my mates were literally leaving for a dangerous war in just a few hours. But as their combined, heavy scents filled my nose and their warm mouths worshipped my skin, I couldn’t help myself. My wolf inside my head stopped crying and started to purr, her feral instincts reacting to the raw, possessive devotion of our mates. My body completely betrayed my sad thoughts, my core melting and growing slick with fresh desire.
