The Triplet Alphas' Regret

I gasped in shock when I caught sight of the poor condition it was in.

Under the moonlight, its fur was torn and matted, and there were even branches and leaves tangled in it. It didn’t look like it knew the difference between right and left, and once it appeared in the clearing, I could even see it wince and pause in surprise as though it was in disbelief that it had managed to walk out of the woods.

I held my breath, watching with wide eyes as the wolf slowly looked back and forth, confused. Then, as though it could sense that I was watching it, it snapped its head to face my direction, its eyes staring straight at me.

The sudden movement caused me to move back in surprise. I staggered, my hands slapping over my mouth instantly in an attempt to stifle my screams. In my chest, my heart pounded rapidly against my ribcage at the sight of the beast.

It frankly looked more dead than alive. It was so gaunt and hollow that it looked as though its skin and fur were hanging off a rack of bones, rather than what should’ve been flesh and muscle.

But more than the fact that this wolf could’ve easily been mistaken for a zombie, I was more surprised that it really might be the walking undead.

"Willow..."

Her name slipped past my lips in a shaky breath.

I knew it.

My sister wasn’t dead.

Ignoring the fact that she looked like she should be dead long ago, Willow was alive and on her own two feet. She swayed a little, unable to properly hold her body weight, but nevertheless, she could still move on her own.

This was the breakthrough I needed. I had always guessed that there was a chance Willow could be alive. After all, there was no body left behind, just some blood and Violet’s words. Yet, those were enough to brand me as a murderer, even though I did absolutely nothing.

And I would be damned if I did nothing again.

If Willow were found alive, then I would have the chance to clear my name.

Even though the rest of my family didn’t like me as much and thought that I was the sole reason for Willow’s decline in health, Willow herself had never treated me badly. She was distant, yes, but I could hardly blame her considering the time we spent together. Or more accurately speaking, the lack thereof. It was only natural that she wouldn’t treat me as though we were conjoined twins.

However, I also had the confidence that she would at least tell the truth. Surely Willow would want justice to be served? I had enough faith in my sister that she wouldn’t throw me under the bus if the time came for it.

She needed to be found alive. Even if she couldn’t clear my name, at the very least, I hoped she would be able to return home safely. She was the only one who didn’t treat me as though I were mud on the roadside.

And the Moon Goddess had finally taken pity on me after neglecting me for all these years.

Snapping into action, I quickly rushed to the door. I knew that if I made enough noise, at least one of the triplets would come to my door. I highly doubted that all three of them would return to Shadowclaw at the same time, especially if they were worried I would escape. If I had managed to escape once, they would expect me to do so again. Guards wouldn’t be enough, and knowing Cassian, he wouldn’t trust the guards either.

I gripped the handle and began to roughly jiggle it. However, as expected, it didn’t budge. Then, I gritted my teeth and slammed my shoulder against the door. The raw strength that Zeke had predicted I had gained did not appear this time. I barely made a dent, but it did send a large banging sound down the corridor.

Ignoring the pain that shot through my shoulder, I braced myself and did it again. And again. And again.

Every once in a while, I would turn and look out the window. I could still see Willow’s wolf, frail and fragile in the night. She had swayed a little and collapsed onto the grass.

"Shit," I muttered under my breath.

Temporarily abandoning the door, I pressed myself as close to the window as possible. I could feel the silver bars reacting against my skin due to the close proximity, bringing a slightly burning sensation. However, I didn’t care. I needed to see Willow’s condition.

If she died here, all hope of proving myself would be lost. At this point, I didn’t care for the triplets’ forgiveness or understanding. All I wanted was for them to realize they had been wrong this entire time, and I was innocent.

Thankfully, strength wasn’t the only thing I gained in the last month or so. My eyesight had also gotten noticeably better. What should’ve been difficult for me to see due to the darkness and distance was suddenly as clear as day. I could still see the full outline of Willow’s body. It rose and fell with every breath, but it looked weak.

Willow was still alive, but without medical treatment, I couldn’t be sure how long that might last.

Dashing away from the window, I threw myself full force against the door. This time, there was a cracking sound, along with the crash of toppling furniture on the other side. The door hadn’t completely shattered, but this sound was definitely loud enough to attract the attention of even the heaviest sleeper.

I repeated the action― I made my way to the window before running full speed, throwing myself against the door.

For now, I couldn’t scream the triplets’ names. If they thought that I was trying to escape, they might come quickly. However, if I called for them, they might assume that I was just trying to get their attention and would thus ignore me. Such conflicting and difficult people, but I needed to work with what I had.

At this point, my shoulder was already aching so badly that it pulsed with numbness. Every once in a while, I would even feel a tingle of prickling pain before it faded, the sensation reappearing every few seconds. I had changed shoulders a few of those times, and now, both sides ached and would no doubt bruise for days if my enhanced healing refused to kick in.

But at the same time, my efforts clearly paid off. Even if the triplets didn’t come for me, I might be able to get free. The door was already cracking, slightly distorted, and out of shape. I was confident that with one more ram, it might just give way and split into two.

I took a few deep breaths to gather courage and strength before charging straight for the door.

Surprisingly, this time, the door opened. My eyes widened with surprise. However, it was also too late for me to brake in time. I rammed straight into a broad and muscular chest. Two large, warm hands held me by my upper arm, firmly holding me in place. I winced slightly at the touch, but forced myself to look up.

I was met with Rowan’s cold gaze. I had never been happier to see him.

"Rowan!" I gasped, breaking into a smile.

His eyebrows knitted themselves tightly together, as if unable to understand why I would be smiling to see him here, especially if I was trying to escape.

"I thought that Cassian had made it very clear that if you tried to escape―" Rowan started to say, but I quickly cut him off.

"Shut up for a second!" I said, causing his eyes to widen as he jerked slightly back, not expecting my retort. I didn’t wait for him to recover. "Are Soren and Cassian still here? Have they gone back to Shadowclaw?"

Rowan’s frown deepened. "Cassian―" he started to say, but stopped himself. "Are you trying to fish for information to escape again?"

My eyes widened, and I frantically shook my head. He probably thought that I was trying to scout the number of people currently in the safehouse and gauge the probability of escape.

"No! I mean, yes, but that’s not the point right now!" I frantically said, trying my best to worm out of Rowan’s grip. However, it was as though his palms were stuck to me with glue. No matter how much I squirmed, he didn’t move. I was nowhere closer to escaping his hold.

I exhaled heavily. Whatever. I give up.

Instead, I turned back as much as I could and gestured to the window with a nod.

"Look there! Right outside the window!"

"What?" Rowan said, confused. He raised an eyebrow. "Is this another ploy of yours?"

"For Goddess’s sake, it’s not always an escape attempt!" I yelled.

"I find that hard to believe," Rowan coldly said, looking at me pointedly.

"Just look out of the window!" I said. "There’s a wolf right there! It’s Willow! She’s still alive!"