Selena
Later that afternoon, we were still outside, under a huge tree, chatting.
The forest stretches quietly around us. Sunlight drifts through the branches, scattering across the mossy ground in soft patches.
I take a slow breath, letting the air fill my lungs. Everything smells alive, untouched. Ours.
I never knew being out here could feel so peaceful. All the stories I had heard made the forest seem wild and dangerous.
I glance at them.
Ronan leans casually against a tree, solid and steady, like he has always been here.
Kael sits on a fallen log with a playful tilt to his posture, all easy charm and restless energy.
Edris remains still, watchful, half-shadowed, as though the forest itself is listening through him.
Something inside me stirs at the sight of them together. A quiet hum beneath my ribs. Not loud. Not urgent. Just there.
"Where exactly are we?" I ask. My voice comes out softer than I expect. "And how have you been surviving out here all alone?"
Kael smirks. "All alone?" He tilts his head, eyes glinting. "You must mean before you showed up. Selena, you are the only reason we have stayed here. Without you, we would be long gone."
Ronan shifts slightly and nods. "As rogues, we are always moving. Nothing stays still for long. But you…" His gaze settles on me, calm and direct. "You might change that. You might give us a place to call home."
Warmth spreads through my chest, slow and unexpected. I swallow. "I… I do not even know what to say."
"You do not have to say anything," Edris murmurs.
His voice is low, steady, and it moves through me in a way that feels different. Deeper. Like it settles somewhere just beneath my skin.
"Just do not cause any trouble," he adds. "Or get us into trouble."
"Stop scaring her," Ronan scolds. "She is our mate. You should be nicer to her."
Kael leans toward me. "Do not pay him any attention. He is just a big bully."
I smile, not exactly sure why Edris wants me to think that he does not like or want me here.
"Who is the oldest?" I ask, mostly to change the line of our conversation.
Kael leans back and grins. "Triplets. Edris is the oldest. Do not let his intimidating voice fool you. He pretends he is wise and patient, but really he is just stubborn."
Edris lifts a brow, unimpressed, but says nothing. Ronan chuckles softly.
Kael leans closer, lowering his voice. "Selena, you are just so beautiful, irresistible. I hope you are not offended. It is just—" He shrugs. "You..."
Heat creeps into my cheeks. "You… find me irresistible?" I ask.
"I do, and I want to do so many things with you," he says easily, teasing warmth in his eyes. "But I will wait. I do not want to rush you. Patience is not my strong suit, but for you, I will try."
Ronan's gaze sharpens. "Kael. Do not rush her. Selena is not a game."
Kael lifts his hands in mock surrender. "I know." His grin softens as he looks at me. "Sorry, I cannot pretend. You are very beautiful."
Something about those words warmed me from the inside. It was not exactly what he said, but how he said it, his eyes never leaving mine, his breath so close I could almost taste him.
I bite my lip, caught between amusement and something far more dangerous. "I like you too. All of you. I am just… still trying to understand what it means. Being mated to three people."
"We know," Kael says gently. "It is a lot."
Ronan nods. "We have shared everything since we were children. You would not believe the trouble we got into."
"What kind of trouble?" I ask, curiosity winning.
Kael's grin widens. "Once, we accidentally dated the same girl. None of us realized it at first. She did not either. The look on her face when we figured it out—"
I blink, caught off guard, a surprised laugh bubbling up as the realization sinks in. I shake my head, half-smiling, half-wincing as I cover my mouth.
"Oh. That must have been awful."
"It was," he admits, laughing. "But we always knew we would share a mate one day...."
Edris clears his throat. "Kael."
Kael sighs. "Right. Less talking."
I laugh again, the sound light and real, and something inside me loosens. My wolf shifts beneath my skin, alert and curious, brushing against something unseen. The bond. It does not snap into place. It pulls. Quietly.
Ronan smiles at me. "Take your time, Selena. We have waited this long. We can wait longer."
I nod, letting that settle.
Then Kael leans forward, eyes bright. "Have you ever shifted before?"
I shake my head. "No. I have never managed it."
"Good," he says, delighted. "That will change. We will train you. We will make it easier for you," he says, his finger slowly tracing my bare hand
"I should tell you," I say slowly. "I will not be staying forever. I have unfinished business. At the palace."
Ronan's brow furrows, but he nods. "We understand."
"For now," Kael says quietly, meeting my eyes, "you are with us."
Something tightens low in my stomach at his gaze. Awareness. Heat. As if my body recognizes him before my mind does.
Kael leans back with a grin. "We will take care of you. Train you. And when the time is right, we will claim what already belongs with us."
Heat creeps up my cheeks, a twitch of awareness stirring between my legs.
"No more chatter," Edris says. "She needs to rest."
Kael laughs. "See? Even he agrees."
I smile, a little shy, a little unsteady. For the first time in weeks, I feel it. Not safety exactly. Something deeper.
Belonging.
And beneath it all, the bond hums, patient and insistent, waiting for the perfect moment.
A faint pressure builds behind my ribs, strange and fleeting, gone almost as soon as I notice it.
But the moment I stand, the air shifts.
It is subtle at first. A tightening in my chest. A pull so sharp it steals my breath.
My knees wobble and before I can stop myself, I sway forward.
Strong hands catch me. Not one pair. Three.
The moment they touch me, I gasp. A jolt rips through my chest, unlike anything I have felt before.
My wolf surges, confused and furious, growling low and wild inside my mind. The bond… something is blocking it… this is not right.
Pain blooms through my body, sudden and deep, my ears ringing as the world tilts.
My muscles tremble. My head spins. A tightening sensation spreads from my chest to my throat as if it is choking me from the inside.
Ronan steps back sharply, eyes wide. "Selena! Are you—"
Kael freezes, hands still on me, alarm flashing across his face. "What is happening?"
Edris moves closer, voice low and tense. "The bond… she cannot hold it. She is… hurting."
I clutch my chest, gasping, trying to push the fire away.
My wolf snaps inside my mind, desperate and furious. It is blocked. Someone—someone is keeping it from you.
I stumble backward, shaking. "I… I do not understand," I whisper, voice trembling.
"Let go of her," Edris orders, and the moment they release me, I collapse to the ground, chest heaving, limbs weak.
The forest around us feels heavy and silent. Sunlight filters dimly through the trees. The warmth of their bond, so close moments ago, feels distant and corrupted.
The triplets freeze, hands hovering, unsure. Their presence is strong, warm, but something invisible presses against it, twisting it into pain.
I lift my gaze, panic fluttering in my chest.
Why does the bond feel so close and yet completely out of reach?