The Triplet Alphas' Forbidden Temptation

Kaden’s eyes narrowed slightly at the closed door.

He didn’t like foreign Alphas throwing their weight around in Raven, especially one who had entered the wedding venue before being invited and immediately started flirting with the bride’s sister. That was simply suspicious.

Even if he didn’t care about Aevia and Alexander’s wedding, he wasn’t going to let anyone disrespect the Ravencourt name. That was it.

Kaden exhaled slowly. There was nothing strange about being cautious. Declan was a foreign Alpha. He didn’t know the man’s intentions, and Yuki was vulnerable enough without some powerful outsider taking advantage of the situation. That was the reason his wolf had reacted. She was a Ravencourt. There was nothing more.

Kaden opened a mind link. ’Maverick.’ The connection formed almost instantly.

’Yes, Kaden,’ Maverick replied immediately. Kaden glanced at the burnt-out tip of his cigarette, then crushed it with his bare fingers, letting it burn into his skin.

’Keep an eye on Declan Silverthorne tonight,’ Kaden relayed as the pain registered.

A brief pause followed. ’Is there a problem?’ Maverick asked.

’He was specially invited by Alpha Alexander.’

Kaden glanced towards the doorway again. ’I don’t know yet.’ His jaw tightened. ’That’s why I want you watching him.’

’Understood,’ Maverick replied. He knew better than to question Kaden.

The connection ended. Kaden remained silent for another moment, his gaze fixed on the doorway. He could still smell the faint trace of Yuki’s scent lingering in the air. His wolf stirred again.

Kaden immediately dismissed it. It was simply reacting to the presence of another Alpha. That was instinct. Nothing unusual. Nothing worth analysing. He turned away from the doorway and adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, forcing his attention back towards the preparations around him.

There was a wedding to attend. And if Declan Silverthorne intended to cause trouble in Ravencourt territory, Kaden would make sure he knew exactly what kind of territory he had stepped into.

*******

Yuki took Declan’s arm and led him away from the glass dome, through the long stretch of outer gardens that separated the wedding venue from the palace.

Declan did not resist. He simply allowed her to pull him along, his long strides easily matching her hurried pace. The moment they were far enough from the dome, Yuki finally realised how tense her body had become.

Her shoulders were stiff, her fingers were curled tightly around Declan’s sleeve, and she was walking much faster than necessary.

Declan noticed. His silver eyes remained on her back as the cold night breeze swept through the gardens, stirring the loose strands of her hair. The scent of flowers mingled with the crisp scent of damp earth, while distant wolf howls echoed through the territory.

"He is one of them," Declan said casually.

Yuki stopped so abruptly that the hem of her dress swayed around her ankles. Her fingers loosened from his arm. She knew exactly who he meant. For a moment, she said nothing. Her teeth caught the inside of her cheek as she stared ahead, trying to decide whether pretending not to understand would be easier.

Declan stopped beside her. "You don’t have to pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about."

Yuki slowly turned her head. "Kaden?" she asked.

Declan’s lips curved faintly. "Who else?"

She looked away, watching the moonlight spill across the stone path. "He’s a Ravencourt," she shrugged.

"That wasn’t what I meant," he said, taking a step closer.

Yuki’s brows pulled together. "Then what did you mean?" She raised a brow at him.

Declan studied her face for a moment before asking quietly, "Do you hate them?"

Her eyes widened. "What?" she blurted.

"The Ravencourts." His voice remained gentle, almost conversational. "Do you hate them for rejecting you?"

Yuki’s breath caught. Declan continued before she could answer. "It must have hurt, being rejected by all three of them."

Her gaze snapped towards him. "How do you...?"

Declan’s expression didn’t change. He took a slow step closer, the faint scent of citrus drifting from him as the wind shifted between them. He completed her statement.

"How do I know you were rejected by the Ravencourt heirs?" he finished for her, a small, almost sympathetic smile touching his lips. "Despite how carefully it was kept from the rest of the pack?"

Yuki stared at him. Declan’s silver eyes held hers. "Because I make it my business to know everything about the woman who might become my Luna."

The words sent a strange sensation through her stomach. She looked away first. "That’s a little unsettling," she muttered.

A quiet laugh escaped him. "Perhaps. But I prefer being prepared," he chuckled.

Yuki folded her arms loosely over her stomach. "So you’ve been investigating me?" she asked.

"Learning about you," he corrected smoothly. "There’s a difference."

She shook her head, but a reluctant smile almost tugged at the corner of her lips before disappearing. Her gaze drifted back towards the distant dome, where the lights shimmered through the glass.

Declan’s question returned to her. Did she hate them? It should have been an easy answer. She hated how they treated her. She hated the humiliation of being rejected. She hated how they could walk into a room and make her heart behave as though it had forgotten every reason she had to despise them. She had wished more than once that she could simply stop caring about them altogether. But hatred? Could she honestly say she hated them?

"I don’t know," she admitted at last.

Declan followed her gaze towards the dome. "I understand."

Yuki glanced at him. "You do?"

He slipped his hands into his pockets, his breath forming a faint cloud in the cold air. "Not everyone would accept a mate with open arms after spending their entire lives loving someone else. Especially considering your circumstances. From their perspective, being forced to accept a bond when their hearts already belonged elsewhere might feel like a mockery of everything they believed in," he explained.

Yuki’s brows furrowed. "Whose side are you on?"

Declan chuckled softly. "Neither."

"Sounds like you’re defending them," Yuki grumbled.

"I’m trying to understand them." He glanced down at her. "Although I suppose I don’t know what it feels like to reject a mate after loving someone for years. I barely knew mine."

The last words were quieter. Yuki’s expression softened despite herself. She remembered what Aevia had told her. Declan’s fated mate had died almost a decade ago. An accident.

They walked in silence for several seconds, their footsteps falling softly against the stone path. Then Declan spoke, his voice quieter than before. "I don’t care about your past."

Yuki looked at him, surprised. She met his gaze. "I mean, I don’t want to pry into it. Whatever happened before is yours. I just..." He hesitated, then released a small breath. "I hope this works out."

Yuki studied him for a moment before his expression softened. "So do I."

The two continued towards the palace as the distant sound of music grew louder.

---

By the time the clock approached midnight, the atmosphere around the palace had transformed completely. Music drifted from the grand cathedral, spilling through the open doors and mixing with the murmur of hundreds of guests.

The wedding ceremony was being held inside the palace cathedral, while the glass dome had been prepared for the reception afterwards. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the grand entrance, their light reflecting off polished marble floors as servants hurried between the guests.

Yuki walked beside Declan, her hand resting lightly on his arm. They had barely reached the cathedral entrance when a formally dressed doorman stepped forward.

"Alpha Silverthorne. Miss Donovan," he greeted with a respectful bow. "Your seats are in the second row."

Yuki wasn’t surprised. Aevia had clearly arranged it. "Thank you," Declan replied politely.

Yuki slipped her hand more securely around his arm and guided him inside. The cathedral was already nearly full. Conversations buzzed through the massive hall, occasionally interrupted by bursts of laughter or the clinking of glasses.

Guests dressed in elaborate gowns and formal suits filled the rows, while several guards stood discreetly along the walls. Yuki’s eyes swept across the seating arrangement until she spotted the second row near the front.

"There," she murmured, pointing towards it.

Declan followed her gaze. "Shall we?"

She nodded. They had barely reached the row when a familiar, high-pitched voice rose above the surrounding chatter.

"Must we stay in the second row?"

Yuki froze. Her fingers tightened slightly around Declan’s arm. She knew that voice. Slowly, she turned her head. Eloise stood beside the row, talking with obvious displeasure about the seating arrangements. Yuki’s stomach sank.

Of all the people she could have encountered tonight, Eloise was certainly not the one she had hoped to find sitting beside her. And judging by the expression on Eloise’s face, the feeling was very much mutual.