The Triplet Alphas' Forbidden Temptation

Yuki’s brows furrowed. She had spent what felt like hours there, and yet apparently only three weeks had passed in the real world.

The thought made her skin prickle. ”Has my sister been informed that I’m awake?” she asked, curious about Aevia.

The doctor shook his head. ”Lady Aevia travelled with Alpha Alexander. We sent word as soon as you regained consciousness, but they may not return until shortly before the wedding,” he informed her.

Yuki stared at him. ”The wedding?” So the nurses weren’t lying.

The doctor looked surprised. The news was all over Ravencourt. Then he understood. ”Yes. Alpha Alexander’s wedding is only a few days away,” he replied, clearing up her confusion.

Yuki’s heart gave a strange little twist. So Aevia and Alexander were finally getting married.

After everything, the bond, rejection and pain, everything was worth it. Aevia was finally going to become Alexander’s wife thanks to her sacrifice.

Yuki didn’t know whether she was happy or sad about it, perhaps both. ”Is there anyone else you’d like us to contact?” the nurse asked carefully.

Yuki thought about it. Her mind immediately went through the people she knew. There was Aevia, but she was away. Lydia was her foster mother, but Yuki didn’t want Lydia taking such a long trip. She wasn’t sure Lydia would be coming to the wedding.

Then another name surfaced. ”Olivine,” Yuki said.

The nurse picked up a notepad. ”Who is Olivine?” she asked, taking note of the name.

”She’s the head maid’s daughter at the Alpha’s residence,” Yuki explained. ”She’s a friend of mine. The daughter of the head maid at the Alpha’s residence. She knows Xavier.”

The nurse paused. ”Xavier?” Yuki nodded. ”Do you know his surname? There are many people with that name.”

Yuki froze.

The nurse waited patiently.

Yuki stared at her. Her mind went completely blank. She suddenly realised something she had never considered before.

She didn’t know Xavier’s surname.

Yuki’s mouth slowly opened. ”No,” Yuki said softly.

The nurse blinked. ”You don’t know his surname?” the nurse muttered.

”No,” Yuki admitted weakly.

The nurse exchanged a confused glance with the doctor. Yuki closed her eyes briefly.

How was she supposed to explain that she had somehow been friends with a man whose full name she didn’t even know?

”That’s fine,” the nurse finally said, making a note. ”We’ll send word to the Alpha’s residence and ask for Olivine.”

Yuki nodded. The nurse continued writing, unaware of how deeply the realisation had unsettled her.

---

Eloise stepped into the grand lobby of Central Hospital, carrying a silver flask in one hand and her handbag in the other. She had prepared the soup herself or, at least, she had supervised its preparation closely enough to claim credit for it.

The warm scent of herbs and chicken escaped faintly from the flask whenever she moved. She had made it especially for Kieran, who had practically imprisoned himself inside the laboratory for weeks.

He had been avoiding everyone. His brothers, the pack and even her.

Eloise had tried not to let it bother her. She understood that the rejection had affected everyone differently, and with Alexander’s wedding approaching, there had been plenty of tension within the family.

Still, Kieran’s behaviour had begun to make her nervous. He was spending far too much time alone.

Fortunately, there was nothing she needed to worry about anymore. Yuki was in a coma. The doctors had been clear about her condition. She might not wake up for months.

Perhaps even years.

The thought had crossed Eloise’s mind before. If Yuki never woke up, everything would become much simpler.

No more awkwardness or uncertainty or the possibility of the triplets changing their minds. The vixen was out of the story.

The thought of making certain that Yuki never opened her eyes had briefly entered her mind, but Alexander had placed tight security on the wing.

Eloise immediately pushed it away. She didn’t need to think about such things anymore. Yuki wasn’t going anywhere. At least, that was what she had believed.

A bright smile spread across Eloise’s face as she walked towards the elevators. She reached for her phone, intending to text Kieran that she had arrived.

Then a conversation nearby caught her attention. Eloise stopped.

Two nurses stood near the reception desk, speaking in hushed voices.

”Have you heard?” one of them whispered excitedly.

The receptionist looked up from her computer. ”Heard what?” she asked curiously.

A smile immediately crossed the other nurse’s face. She was ready to spill the tea.

”The ICU’s Sleeping Beauty woke up. The entire hospital is talking about it. She woke up way earlier than expected,” the nurse chimed excitedly.

Sleeping Beauty was the nickname the nurses had given Yuki. She was pretty popular because of her face.

Eloise’s fingers tightened around the flask.

Sleeping Beauty?

The receptionist’s eyes widened.

”Really?” she gasped. ”The one who looks like Lady Aevia?”

The other nurse rolled her eyes. ”Which other Sleeping Beauty do you think we have?” she teased lightly. ”Yes, her. She woke up hours ago.”

The flask handle creaked softly beneath Eloise’s tightening grip. The receptionist pressed a hand to her chest dramatically.

”Thank the Goddess,” she exclaimed. ”It was such a shame seeing someone so beautiful lying there for weeks. I can’t stand seeing beautiful people suffer.”

Eloise stood completely still. Her smile had vanished. The warmth in her face disappeared as though someone had poured ice water over her.

Yuki was awake.

Her grip tightened around the flask until her knuckles turned pale.

The woman who was supposed to remain unconscious was awake. The woman who wasn’t supposed to interfere with her life again had somehow opened her eyes.

Eloise forced her face back into something resembling calm and continued towards the elevators.

She didn’t need to ask permission to reach Kieran’s laboratory. She had access to restricted areas that ordinary visitors didn’t. Still, with every step, her thoughts became increasingly unsettled.

When she reached the research wing, she could already see Kieran through the soundproof glass walls of his office. He was seated behind his desk, going through a stack of files.

Even from a distance, Eloise could see the exhaustion written into his posture. His shoulders were tense. His neatly combed hair was slightly dishevelled. There were dark shadows beneath his eyes.

Eloise’s thoughts immediately returned to Yuki.

Had Kieran known?

Had he been worried about her?

Had that been why he had been working himself into the ground?

Eloise pushed the questions aside.

That wasn’t possible.

They hated Yuki.

She forced a smile onto her face and slid the office door open.