The Triplets' Silent Mate

Chapter 6 – The Chase Begins

Ayla’s POV

The forest is quieter this morning, as if everything is watching me flee from this miserable pack.

I ignore the feeling and keep moving. I’ve only taken the basics—the clothes on my back and the money I saved working at the coffee shop. It isn’t much, but at least it will keep me going until I can find a safe place to live.

At least the cold doesn’t bite the same way anymore. Not after last night. Not after her.

Tala is quiet this morning, which worries me, and somehow that makes me feel even more anxious.

The thought of the triplets being my mates, and them finding out about our bond, keeps looping in my mind. I need to reach the boundary before they wake.

“You’re loud,” Tala mutters. “It’s annoying.”

I frown. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to,” she says. “The same thought has been pacing your mind for the last ten minutes.”

I exhale, pushing forward.

“I shouldn’t have gone there,” I say.

“No,” she replies. “That part was obvious the moment you did it.”

I stop briefly. “I didn’t go inside.”

“Mm,” Tala hums. “You just hovered outside like a very committed stalker. That is so much better than not going inside.”

My jaw tightens. “I wasn’t—”

“You were,” she cuts in, amused. “You stopped. You stayed. That counts.”

I look away, irritation rising—but it doesn’t stick.

Because she’s right. That pull wasn’t something I could just ignore. It was as if my body had a mind of its own, and I couldn’t control it.

“I don’t want them,” I say, too quickly, my heart skipping a hurtful beat.

“Mm,” Tala replies. “That sounds very convincing. Say it again; maybe it’ll stick. Maybe then I’ll believe you.”

“I mean it,” I growl.

“Of course you do,” she replies. “Right now. In this exact moment. Very passionate. I can feel all the love you have for them.”

My chest tightens. “I hate them,” I snarl.

That one lands, making Tala pause.

“They humiliated me,” I add, anger fueling my insides. “They made me feel like I am nothing.”

Tala keeps quiet. No snarky remark this time.

“I’m not going back,” I say. “I’m not accepting this... this bond with them...”

Tala exhales softly. “Bold plan.”

I frown. “Why do you keep saying that?” I ask.

“Because you’re trying to argue with something that doesn’t care about your opinion or feelings,” she says.

I shake my head, moving again. “I can still try.”

“Oh, absolutely,” she taunts. “Fight fate. Very dramatic. I support it.”

I almost glare at her, but instead, I ignore her and keep moving.

“They’re coming,” she suddenly says.

I stop, my heart rate spiking as fear fills my veins.

“What?” I stutter. “You... you can't be serious. They’re never up this early.”

“Well, you did walk up to their doors,” Tala says, sharper now. “What exactly did you think would happen? They’d send you a thank-you note?”

My stomach drops. Panic follows fast. “No—”

“Are they close?” I ask.

“Not yet,” she says. “But you didn’t exactly make it a challenge.”

I turn, scanning the trees; everything feels tighter now.

“I need to move quicker,” I say. “I need to reach the boundary before—”

“You need to think,” Tala cuts me off. “Running blindly is not a personality trait.”

My hands curl into fists. “They’ll find me anyway.”

“Probably,” she says. “The question is: do you want to collapse dramatically into their arms or make them work for it?”

I hesitate.

“What’s the difference?” I ask, eyebrows narrowing in annoyance.

“Control,” she says simply. “You don’t stop them. You decide when they catch up.”

That hits. I go still.

“You’re not prey,” she adds, quieter now. “Stop acting like something that needs to be chased. It’s just going to draw instinct out of them, and—”

I swallow, knowing where that would go. I wasn’t ready for any of that. Not from them.

“I don’t know how to do this,” I mutter.

“Then improvise,” Tala exclaims. “You’re still alive, so clearly you’re not terrible at it.”

A flicker of memory—fire and screams. I shake it off before it even starts. I don’t have time to be trapped in it.

I straighten.

“Okay,” I say.

“There she is,” Tala smiles. “I was starting to worry you’d spiral dramatically for a while.”

I move again, slower this time. The forest shifts when I pay attention—less a trap, more open space. For a moment, I almost believe I can stay ahead.

“Stop!” Tala yells.

I freeze. “What? What’s going on?” I ask.

“They’re here,” she whispers, as if they could hear her.

My stomach drops. “Already?”

“They move fast,” Tala says. “Try to keep up.”

My breath quickens. “How far?”

“Close enough that you should already be moving smarter,” she says.

I feel them before I can scent them—their presence stretching through the trees.

“They feel different,” I whisper. “Sharper. Focused.”

“They’ve stopped playing,” Tala says quietly.

A chill runs through me. “They know it’s me.”

“Oh, they absolutely know,” she replies. “You basically left them a scented invitation to your room last night.”

My pulse spikes, and my first instinct is to run. Everything in me screams to do it, but I don’t.

Tala’s voice lingers: You’re not prey.

I take a slow breath, then another.

I lift my chin. No more running.

“Well, look at that,” Tala says. “Character development.”

I almost smile. Almost. Tala’s witty personality is slowly growing on me, yet the feeling doesn’t leave.

I know they are close. I can feel them, and they’re not slowing down. Not even a little.

And this time… I won’t run.

****