The Triplet Alphas' Forbidden Temptation

”Between us,” he continued, ”who exactly is the bastard?”

The words cut through her drunken haze. Yuki gritted her teeth. He was truly infuriating. The cold night air brushed across her flushed face once more and still did nothing to sober her.

Kaden’s question left Yuki speechless. Even in her drunken, brazen state, his words had managed to poke at a wound she would rather keep buried. She blinked at him, staring for a moment before her eyes slowly narrowed. The amusement faded from her face, replaced by a heated glare that could have cut through stone.

”You are an annoying prick,” she hissed.

Kaden didn’t bother responding. He simply turned and continued walking in another direction, leaving Yuki staring after him. His silence irritated her even more.

”Are you deaf?” she snapped, hurrying after him. ”I’m talking to you.”

Kaden snorted, his hands slipping into his pockets. ”If you want my attention that badly, just say so,” he taunted her.

Yuki’s face twisted as though he had said the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. A laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head.

”You?” she sneered. ”Aside from Eloise, who the hell would want an arrogant jerk like you? You must be dreaming. Out of all the Ravencourts, you have the worst personality. Your looks are completely wasted on you. It’s such a shame.”

Kaden’s grip tightened around her waist as he supported her. His jaw clenched, and for a brief moment, he genuinely considered dropping her onto the grass. It was tempting, but he knew that would only play directly into her hands. She wanted to provoke him, and judging by the satisfied look on her face, she was succeeding.

”And you have the worst personality among all your brothers,” Yuki continued, completely oblivious to his growing irritation. ”You’re not gentle and passionate like Kieran, and you don’t even have his grace.”

Kaden almost choked at that. Kieran? Gentle? He glanced down at her, but one look at her flushed face told him there was no point arguing with a woman who had consumed nine glasses of wine. So he kept quiet and allowed the little wolf to continue her drunken monologue.

”You’re Eloise’s loyal dog through and through,” Yuki went on, wagging a finger accusingly. ”Like, what do you even see in that pretentious bitch? But then again, you have horrible taste in the first place.”

Kaden’s teeth ground together. The Alpha aura surrounding him grew heavier, spreading through the garden until even the air seemed to grow dense. Yet Yuki was far too absorbed in insulting him to notice how dark his expression had become. She suddenly moved on to Killian.

”Even if Killian is equally blind, at least he has a somewhat likeable personality.” She paused, looking thoughtful before adding, ”And he looks like the type who would be good in bed.”

Kaden’s head snapped towards her.

”How do you know he’s good in bed?” he demanded, unable to keep quiet any longer.

Something bitter twisted inside his chest. He couldn’t quite name the feeling. It was part annoyance, part disbelief, and something else he didn’t want to examine. Whatever it was, he certainly didn’t like seeing Yuki’s eyes sparkle as she spoke about Killian. Yuki’s lips curved into a mischievous smile.

”Because I know Killian is so obedient and his cock...”

She suddenly stopped herself, eyes widening before she slapped both hands over her mouth. A fit of giggles escaped her.

”You almost got me,” she said between laughs. ”It’s a secret.”

Kaden stared at her, completely unimpressed.

”So you and Killian have a secret?” he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Yuki giggled again before raising two fingers. ”We have two secrets,” she said in a giddy tone.

”Two?” Kaden drawled, wondering if this was all drunk talk.

”He was the only one who could convince you guys to reject me.” Her voice softened slightly, though the drunkenness still coloured every word. ”He might seem like an asshole, but he’s actually a good guy.”

Kaden raised a brow. Yuki suddenly smiled.

”But Kieran is the bestest.”

”Kieran is the best,” Kaden repeated, almost unable to believe what he was hearing.

Yuki shook her head eagerly. ”I said bestest. He is better than the best. Kieran is so cool. He’s almost perfect,” she started listing off qualities.

Kaden couldn’t stop himself from laughing. ”So what makes him not perfect?” he asked, genuinely curious now.

Yuki’s expression became serious. ”He has a very low EQ. Maybe worse than yours,” she snorted, annoyed.

Kaden’s smile disappeared. Another stray bullet. Yuki puffed out her cheeks, apparently pleased with herself.

”Like, can you imagine that guy? Half the school was obviously crushing on him. Girls went to his free tutorials just to stare at him, and he always had that poker face while seriously lecturing. He actually believed they liked Maverick.” She clicked her tongue. ”All those poor hearts had no idea how dense he was emotionally.”

Kaden glanced at her. ”Why does it sound like you were part of the half of the school that liked him?” There was a twinge of bitterness in his voice that he didn’t notice himself.

Yuki snorted. ”He has a likeable face. Too bad that face bears so much resemblance to your face.” She looked at him critically before adding, ”What a shame.”

The disappointment on her face was so obvious that Kaden’s irritation returned in full force. Instead of showing it, however, a mischievous smile slowly spread across his lips.

”So you like my face?” he asked.

Yuki immediately fell silent. She stared at him for a few seconds before her gaze darted away.

”Before I agree that I like your face, would you drop me down? This is embarrassing. Everyone is staring at us.” She tried to negotiate.

Kaden glanced around the empty garden. ”No one is here,” Kaden blurted, confused.

Yuki puffed out her cheeks. ”You can’t fool me. I’m not blind.” She pointed towards a decorative sculpture surrounded by carefully arranged plants. ”They’re staring.”

Kaden followed her finger and stared at the stone sculpture. Was he really going to believe the words of a drunk?