The Triplet Alphas' Forbidden Temptation

The bar was dimly lit, with only a few warm lamps casting pools of light across the polished counter and leaving the rest of the room in shadow. Kaden sat against the counter, his shoulders slumped, his usually neat hair dishevelled from running his hands through it too many times.

The question hung between them. Kaden continued staring at the glass, his voice low and almost detached. ”Rejecting her. Was that the right call?”

Killian’s soles suddenly felt cold against the floor. His gaze fixed on Kaden for several seconds; he said nothing. Kaden finally looked up, meeting his brother’s eyes across the dimly lit bar. There was no anger or mockery in his expression this time, just confusion. Like someone who had been searching for an answer he shouldn’t be searching for. Only a question he had clearly been trying not to ask.

Killian’s brows drew together. ”Kaden...” he began cautiously. Kaden said nothing. He simply waited for an answer.

For a moment, Killian genuinely did not know what to say. His eyes searched Kaden’s face, trying to find the thought behind that question, but Kaden gave him nothing. His expression remained unusually calm, almost too calm, despite the exhaustion and something darker sitting behind his eyes.

Killian had always been good at hiding what he felt. His face remained composed as he studied his brother, but the question had put him on alert. Out of all of them, Kaden had been the least interested in Yuki. He had been one of the loudest voices insisting that rejecting her was the only sensible choice. Hearing him question that decision now made something uncomfortable twist in Killian’s stomach.

He walked further into the dim lounge and stopped in front of Kaden. Without warning, he bent down and pressed the back of his hand against Kaden’s forehead. Kaden frowned and immediately tried to push his hand away.

”What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, irritation returning to his voice.

Killian did not even blink. ”I should be asking you the same question,” he replied calmly. ”Where did that question come from?”

Kaden stared at him.

”Was there another option?” Killian continued, his tone becoming more serious. ”Aside from rejecting her, was there some other way we could have handled the bond without putting ourselves through this?”

Kaden’s gaze dropped to the glass in his hand. His thumb traced the rim while his thoughts turned in circles.

”It feels like...” He stopped, his jaw tightening before he changed his words. ”There must have been a better option.”

Something twisted in Killian’s gut. There it was again. That uneasiness. He had known Kaden long enough to recognise when something was bothering him, even when Kaden refused to admit it. His emotions had been all over the place; Killian had sensed it through the bond, and now he was questioning a decision he had once defended without hesitation.

”Did something happen today besides Mum?” Killian asked, watching him closely.

Kaden’s gaze flickered. For a moment, his fingers stopped moving against the glass.

”No,” he answered eventually.

Killian narrowed his eyes.

”No?” he repeated quietly.

Kaden shook his head.

Killian released a breath through his nose and folded his arms. ”Then why the sudden change of mind? You were the one who was most eager to sever the bond.” His eyes remained fixed on Kaden. ”Don’t tell me you have feelings for her.”

The words landed harder than Killian expected. Kaden’s stomach twisted, and a short laugh escaped him. He leaned back against the counter, his expression turning mocking.

”You think I could possibly have feelings for her?” he sneered. ”Might as well tell me the sun rose in the west.”

But Killian caught it. That tiny change in his eyes when Yuki came to mind. It was there for barely a second, but Killian saw it. His amusement disappeared.

”Then what is it?” he asked firmly.

Kaden went quiet. The glass turned slowly between his fingers before he finally placed it on the counter.

”I think we played into their trap,” he said.

Killian’s expression changed immediately. ”What do you mean?”

Kaden’s eyes hardened.

”We gave Aevia exactly what she wanted.”

Killian said nothing.

”If we hadn’t broken the bond, we would have had an excuse to stop the marriage,” Kaden continued, his voice gaining an edge. ”We could have used the mate bond to challenge the arrangement. Mum wouldn’t have been pushed into this situation.”

Killian’s jaw tightened. Kaden looked towards the dark window, his reflection barely visible in the glass.

”We handed them the perfect solution,” he muttered. ”They wanted the marriage. They wanted us separated from Yuki. We rejected her, and suddenly there was nothing standing between them and the wedding.”

Killian’s eyes narrowed. He could feel the direction of Kaden’s thoughts, and he didn’t like where they were heading.

”You want to stay bonded to someone you hate?” he asked quietly.

Kaden looked back at him. A faint smile touched his lips.

”Why not?”

Killian stared at him.

”Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” Kaden said, his voice taking on a colder edge. ”Keeping Yuki as a breeder would have been the best choice.”

Killian’s expression hardened.

”We could have taken the throne earlier,” Kaden continued, barely noticing the change in Killian’s face. ”Stopped the marriage, kept Eloise as Luna and never had to worry about succession. It wouldn’t matter whether Yuki was happy or not. If anything, it would have been the perfect revenge against Dad.”

His fingers closed around the glass again.

”Why does he get to be happy while everyone else’s lives are falling apart?” he demanded, his voice roughening.

His mind flashed back to the wedding preparations. The moon lilies. His mother’s broken expression. Then Xavier’s words came rushing back. Thanks for rejecting her. Kaden’s grip tightened. The glass suddenly slipped beneath his fingers and shattered against the floor.

Killian barely reacted to the sound. Kaden stared at the broken pieces for a moment before his expression hardened again.

”After all,” he said bitterly, ”the Moon Goddess clearly had her reasons for making such a seductress our mate.”

His words had barely left his mouth when Killian’s fist connected with his face. The impact snapped Kaden’s head sideways. He stumbled against the counter before losing his balance and hitting the floor with a dull thud. The taste of blood filled his mouth almost immediately. He wiped the corner of his lips with the back of his hand and stared at the smear of red across his fingers.

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. Then Kaden laughed. It was quiet at first, but it quickly turned into a low chuckle. He pushed himself upright and looked at Killian.

”Well,” he said, his voice carrying a mocking edge, ”it’s rare for you to lose control, brother.”

Killian’s chest rose and fell heavily. His fists remained clenched at his sides. Kaden’s smile widened.

”Why are you so angry?” he asked, wiping the blood from his mouth. ”Or do you just hate the fact that I’m saying what you secretly wish you could?”

Killian’s eyes darkened. Kaden slowly rose to his feet, refusing to look away.

”You can’t lie to me,” he continued, his voice quieter now. ”You never thought of her that way?”

Killian’s jaw flexed. The silence that followed was far more revealing than any answer could have been.