The Triplet Alphas' Curse: Rejected by the Wolfless Luna.

Aire’s heart immediately stilled when the cell door opened.

For one brief moment, she thought it would be Lysander. A wave of disappointment immediately hit her when she saw a dark fae guard standing in the doorway instead of Lysander.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and looked just as interested in speaking to her as a stone wall.

Aire stared at him.

The guard stared back with a bit of reference and more amount of disintert.

Aire looked away first.

She hated that she felt disappointed.

It irritated her. Lysander was a dark fae, a nuisance. An arrogant nuisance, and a shirtless one at that.

Aire narrowed her eyes at the floor. Her stomach dropped when she realised she was more fixated on manipulating a person more than she care for the actual person.

The guard stepped aside. ”Move.”

Aire immediately rose from the floor. The last thing she needed was to be dragged. She walked out of the cell without complaint, and the guard shut the door behind her.

The familiar sound echoed through the corridor.

Aire folded her arms across her chest.

The estate was quiet, and dark sunlight spilled through the high windows as they walked.

Several dark fae servants moved through the hallways, and none of them paid her much attention.

Aire preferred it that way.

The fewer people noticed her, the better.

The guard remained silent throughout the journey. Aire found herself glancing ahead every few seconds.

Eventually they emerged outside, and fresh air greeted her immediately. It wasn’t the normal air she was used to, but she was beginning to get used to this. She brought it upon herself.

The gardens stretched ahead in perfect rows.

Aire still hadn’t cleaned a single thing since arriving.

Not one flower, one bush, or one weed. She strongly suspected nobody actually expected her to.

Her eyes swept through the garden automatically, then she saw him.

Relief hit her so fast she almost frowned.

Lysander stood near the fountain.

Unlike yesterday, he wore darker wraps today. The fabric sat low around his waist and hips, and his chest remained completely bare.

Aire had begun to suspect the man simply hated shirts.

Sunlight caught against his skin. He had one hand rested behind his back while the other held a book.

Aire blinked.

A book?

That looked suspicious to Aire.

The guard immediately turned and left. Just like that, he abandoned her, and disappeared.

Aire sighed.

Then she started walking forward.

The closer she got, the more she realized Lysander looked entirely too pleased with himself.

That alone made her more suspicious. The vines at her wrist tugged her to move forward when she stopped walking.

Lysander looked up, and their eyes met.

”Good.”

Aire slowed. The smile already forming on her face disappeared immediately.

”Good?”

Lysander shut the book. ”You’re here.”

Aire stared at him. Her lashes fluttered as she took in her surrounding. ”Good morning to you too.” She breathed.

”Good morning.” His tone suggested the words were a formality.

Aire narrowed her eyes.

She had been planning to continue yesterday’s strategy. A little smiling, and a little manipulation.

Perhaps another moment where he forgot she was technically his prisoner.

Unfortunately, Lysander ruined that plan immediately. ”Today we begin.” His voice hardened at the edge.

Aire blinked. ”Begin what?”

Lysander closed the book completely. His golden eyes rested hard on her face. ”Your lessons.”

Aire frowned. Her entire face dropped in realization. They were about to teach her dark magic.

”No.” She refused sharply.

Lysander sighed. It was the sigh of a man whose patience was already exhausted.

”No?” He asked, his voice leaving no room for any refusal from her.

Still, Aire refused stubbornly. ”No.”

”Aire.”

Aire eyes turn misty. For a second, a strong surge of power moved through her, then died immediately.

Aire frowned. She tried whatever that was again. However, it was completely gone now. She swallowed in confusion.

She parted her lips, and a breath of disbelief left her lips. ”No.” She whispered.

”Aire.”

Aire eyes flashed with fury. She lifted her eyes to Lysander with certainity. ”I said no. Are you daft?”

Silence fell between them.

The fountain continued splashing behind them.

Aire folded her arms across her chest. Surprisingly, Lysander folded his, and the staring contest began.

Lysander unwrapped his arms around his chest after a minute, and finally broke the silence. ”You haven’t even heard the lesson.”

”I don’t need to.” Her voice turned rapsy.

”Why?”

”Because it’s dark fae magic.”

”And?”

Aire glared at him with her now glistering eyes. She couldn’t believe her power was so close again, and she lost it again before she could even be certain that she felt it.

Slowly, she pointed at him. She got angry internally. This stupid realm. ”You.”

Lysander raised a brow.

”You are the ’and’.” She explained, hoping he takes the bait, and get flattered.

His expression flattened.

Aire continued. ”I don’t want dark fae powers.”

He raised a brow at her. ”That’s nonsense.” He scoffed mockingly, as if she’s dumb. ”You already have them.”

”I don’t want them.”

”You already have them.” He repeated himself firmly.

Aire looked offended while Lysander looked unimpressed.

The conversation was already becoming painful for him. Unfortunately for him, Aire wasn’t finished.

”What happened to the gardens?”

Lysander blinked. ”The gardens?”

”Yes.”

His nose scrunched at her unlikely fondness to the gardens, but he did not dwell at the unpleasant feeling.

She would never be able to escape even if she tries. ”What about them?”

”You usually pretend I’m cleaning them.” Aire pointed dramatically around them. ”They’re growing.”

He looked around suspiciously. ”...yes.”

Aire brows pulled together sharply. ”Why am I here?”

Lysander looked genuinely confused. He already told her why he brought her here. Why the multiple questions?

Aire opened her mouth to speak when he remained silent, then closed it. She opened it again, but no words came out.

Lysander looked pleased about that.

”I am not learning dark magic.” She finally found her words.

”You don’t have a choice,” he reminded her. ”There are fates worse than this in this realm for you. For once, quiet being sharp mouthed.”

Lysander pinched the bridge of his nose, and went on. His voice rose a bit. ”You’ll be here for the rest of your life. It’s been four weeks now. Accept it.”

The lesson hadn’t even started, and he already had a headache.

Aire watched him. She laughed lightly, and shook her head. She looked to the floor, laughed once more, and shook her head.

”I’ll leave this realm,” she promised him. ”My mates will come for me. Nate will come for me.” Her voice was calm, and certain now. ”And if they cannot find a way, then I will.”

Something unpleasant twisted inside Lysander’s chest at the mention of her mates. He ignored it.

Aire took a step forward. She moved closer to him. Her eyes lost every trace of warmth in them now. ”I was not born to rot behind walls, Lysander. I was not born to accept chains simply because someone tells me they are unbreakable.”

Her eyes held his without wavering.

”You speak of the rest of my life as though it belongs to this realm.” She eyed him from his head to his toes, and shook her head. ”It does not.”

A cold smile touched her lips. ”If I must spend years searching for a path home, I will. If I must cross every corner of this world, challenge every king, bargain with every creature, and tear down every door that stands between me and my freedom, then I will do exactly that.” Her smile vanished. ”I will leave this realm, Lysander.”

Every word landed between them with quiet certainty. ”And when the day comes, no power in this world will stop me.” She promised him, and almost immediately, the vines dug into her wrist.

Aire clenched her eyes, and gritted her teeth in pain, but it did not take the unwavering certainty she felt.

Lysander groaned. His smile had long disappeared, and now, he stared at her deeply, taking a while to process all she had just promised.

He remained unmoved.