The Triplet Alphas Second Chance Luna.

ELLA.

"Delusional!" I said out loud without hesitation, the word leaving my mouth before I could even soften it.

The effect was immediate, because the smile that had been lingering on Lawrence’s face faded noticeably.

Not completely, but enough for me to know my words had landed exactly where I intended them to.

Honestly, what did he expect?

Did he really think I didn’t know what he was up to?

I wasn’t clueless.

I could see right through him.

The entire suggestion had nothing to do with helping me recover my memories. At least, not entirely.

He simply wanted an excuse to spend more time with me.

That was the real reason.

And judging from the hopeful look he had been giving me, he wasn’t even trying very hard to hide it.

Unfortunately, Nyx wasn’t helping matters at all. The wolf inside me seemed ridiculously excited by everything Lawrence said.

She kept jumping around restlessly within me, practically vibrating with enthusiasm every time he got close or smiled in my direction.

It was becoming annoying and I needed her under control, as fast as possible.

And the best way to do that was to kill Lawrence’s excitement before it spread any further.

There were still more pressing matters at hand, much more important matters—matters that concerned Alex, the inauguration and my missing memories. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Those were the things I needed to focus on, not whatever strange game Lawrence was trying to play.

"I am just trying to help," Lawrence said, as his voice had lost some of its earlier confidence.

He looked disappointed—genuinely disappointed. Yet despite that, I could tell he wasn’t ready to give up on the idea.

The stubborn look in his eyes made that obvious, that he was still hoping I would change my mind.

I opened my mouth, prepared to shut down the conversation once and for all.

But before I could say a single word, the door suddenly opened and both Lawrence and I turned instinctively.

Lurgard stepped inside.

The moment his gaze landed on us, his expression darkened, almost immediately. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked between the two of us.

Then, without wasting a second, he walked directly toward us.

"What’s going on here?" he asked, his tone sounding casual enough, but there was something underneath it.

Before either of us could answer, he sat down, right between me and Lawrence.

I blinked.

The move was so sudden and deliberate that it caught me completely off guard.

"You both are too close," Lurgard continued, settling comfortably into the space he had inserted himself into. "Someone who doesn’t know better might think otherwise."

For a second, I almost laughed. The seriousness on his face only made the entire situation more ridiculous.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who found his behavior questionable.

"Hey, you can’t just come in and sit between us. That’s not proper," Lawrence said immediately.

Although he tried to keep his voice controlled, I noticed the tension in his jaw, due to the way his shoulders stiffened.

The way he seemed to be forcing himself not to react.

He was clearly annoyed, possibly even angry but he was trying very hard not to show it.

"There was no one sitting here, Lawrence," Lurgard replied calmly. "Why are you suddenly getting all worked up?"

The innocence in his tone was almost laughable, because I could see exactly what he was doing.

And judging from Lawrence’s expression, he could see it too.

The atmosphere between them instantly shifted, as neither of them looked willing to back down and neither of them looked willing to ignore the other.

And immediately, I knew what was coming.

Drama.

A lot of drama.

The realization made me internally groan.

The last thing I needed right now was whatever competition these two seemed determined to start.

I cleared my throat loudly before either of them could continue and the sound immediately drew their attention back to me.

"Why are you here, Lurgard?" I asked, with my tone perfectly harmless.

At least, that was my intention.

It was a simple and reasonable question with nothing more attached to it

Yet the moment the words left my mouth, I noticed the subtle change in Lurgard’s expression.

Apparently, he hadn’t taken it as harmlessly as I intended. The look that crossed his face made that abundantly clear. And suddenly, I had the feeling that the drama I had been hoping to avoid was only just beginning.

"Why do you ask?" Lurgard asked instead, completely ignoring my question.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me, and I could already tell he was about to twist my words into something they weren’t.

"You seem to be enjoying Lawrence’s company so much that you don’t want anyone else to be here!" he added.

I stared at him for a moment.

Honestly, I had no idea how he had arrived at that conclusion.

"I didn’t mean it in that way, Lurgard," I said, trying my best to remain patient. Then I paused briefly and took a deep breath before continuing. "Now get your thoughts straight!"

The words had barely left my mouth when Lurgard suddenly placed a hand dramatically over his chest.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed, his expression instantly transformed into one of exaggerated pain. "That hurts, Theresa. You are raising your voice at me," he added dramatically, as though I had just committed some terrible crime against him.

I rolled my eyes immediately.

These men were impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

With a sigh, I pushed myself off the bed and stood up, needing a moment away from their nonsense.

Honestly, the triplets were a pain in the neck.

Every single one of them.

The moment one stopped being troublesome, another would immediately take over.

"Theresa, don’t forget to think about what we were discussing earlier!" Lawrence said, as his voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

I turned toward him, and his face had widened into a smile again. A very pleased smile, the kind that instantly made me suspicious.

I knew it.

He wasn’t going to give up on that idea, not even a little. The man was unbelievably persistent.

How pestering could one person possibly be?

Before I could respond, Lurgard immediately straightened.

"Think about what?" he asked, curiosity practically radiating from him, as his eyes moved from Lawrence to me and then back to Lawrence again. "What secret do you both share now?" he added.

The question came so quickly that it almost made me laugh, but what caught my attention wasn’t the question.

It was Lawrence’s reaction.

His face immediately paled. The confidence he had been carrying a second ago vanished almost instantly.

And immediately, I understood what he was thinking.

He was terrified Lurgard would start asking questions about the conversation we had been having earlier, and he might actually find out that the secret I was asked to keep was about us being Mates.

"There are no secrets, Lurgard!" I said immediately before either of them could say anything else.

I folded my arms across my chest as I looked directly at him.

"Not every conversation requires you to know everything," I continued. "That would only make you...a gossip."

The moment the words left my mouth, I couldn’t help it.

I laughed.

Lurgard’s expression was priceless.

His eyes widened dramatically.

"Oh, now you are calling me a gossip!" he said playfully.

He even pouted his lips in exaggerated offense, making himself look even more ridiculous.

The sight nearly made me laugh again.

"That is exactly what you are, Lurgard," Lawrence said before I could.

The response came so quickly that it caught all of us off guard.

For a second, there was silence and then laughter filled the room. The kind that came naturally.

Lurgard immediately protested, but even he couldn’t keep a straight face. The more he tried to defend himself, the harder it became not to laugh.

And before long, all three of us were smiling.

Honestly, it felt good.

Really good.

For the first time that day, I wasn’t thinking about Alex. I wasn’t thinking about the inauguration ceremony. I wasn’t thinking about my missing memories or all the problems waiting for me outside that room.

Instead, I was simply enjoying the moment.

And that realization struck me unexpectedly.

Ever since I had met the triplets, they always found a way to make me smile somehow. No matter how terrible my day had been, no matter how frustrated, angry, or exhausted I felt.

One of them would always do something ridiculous enough to pull me out of my own thoughts.

Sometimes it was annoying.

Sometimes it was infuriating.

But moments like this reminded me why I kept tolerating them.

Because regardless of the storm raging in my life, they always seemed determined to make sure I wasn’t facing it without a smile—That was something Alexander never did.

And for that brief moment, surrounded by their laughter and endless antics, the weight on my shoulders felt just a little lighter.