The Triplets' Silent Mate

Chapter 9 – The One Who Always Saw Her

Soren’s POV

Ayla slowly appears from behind the tree, and my heart stills. Everything else around me fades—even my brothers.

It’s just her—Ayla.

Blaze goes silent inside me, calm and still, as if he’s been waiting for this moment.

"There," he says, pointing his muzzle where she stands.

I don’t answer. I can’t, because she’s standing there like I’ve never seen her before. Not small. Not hidden. Present. And angry—very, very angry.

Her auburn hair catches the light first, and it suddenly looks longer than I remember, even richer in color. It falls over her shoulders, wild from the forest, strands brushing against her face.

Her beautiful silver eyes are set in a striking gray. Her gaze is sharp and disapproving.

"She’s definitely angry at all of you," Blaze muses.

"Yes," I murmur under my breath. This isn’t going to be an easy task to win her heart.

"Mate!" Blaze howls excitedly, making my chest tighten. But knowing doesn’t make it easier, because I’ve seen her before—not like this...

I noticed what my brothers never did.

The way she stood at the edge of everything.

The way she endured it—quietly.

And I did nothing.

I also noticed how she reacted when they laughed at her and pushed her aside.

I saw everything.

The way she held herself.

She never completely broke. I saw the sadness in her eyes, even the look she had every year at Christmas. She missed her people, her pack, her parents. I knew she did. Although she never spoke, her silence screamed volumes. She suffered alone.

Maybe I looked too long and too often, but I never stepped in.

Not because I couldn't, but because I didn't want to get involved. It was easier to stay out of it. Easier not to be seen standing beside her. She never spoke. Never tried to. She would just stare at you with wide, open eyes and a blank face.

Blaze shifts slightly. "You should have said something, even if it was difficult..."

My jaw tightens. "I know. And now I have to live with the consequences of my actions. Even if I had defended her just once, this wouldn't have been so difficult."

The guilt settles heavier now, because presently, she’s not just someone I noticed—she's my mate. The other half of my soul.

I can feel the mate bond hum between us in a low, constant pull. It makes it unbearable to resist her.

Ayla doesn’t move. She doesn't step closer, nor does she run. She just stands there, watching and judging us.

She has every right to. We made her life a living hell—just because of some little spark of jealousy. How could we be so dumb!

Kael is the first to react; of course he is. He's our Alpha-to-be and knows how to negotiate with the most difficult person.

Fenrir presses forward, dominant as always, but he doesn’t move toward her. He knows to tread carefully before we lose her completely.

Ryker shifts beside me, tense as always. Duke is barely contained. His jaw sets, and his muscles seem to be under pressure.

"Say something," Ryker mutters under his breath, but I don’t think that’s what she needs. No words are going to save us now; she needs actions.

"She’s holding her ground," Blaze hums softly.

"I'm not surprised at that," I say, and it matters more than anything because the girl we knew would have run as fast as she could out of the pack—but she didn't. She stayed, and that needs to count for something.

I take a slow, careful, measured breath and, for the first time, step forward, breaking rank.

My steps are slow and calculated, not aggressive. Just enough not to scare her.

Ayla’s eyes snap to me instantly, and the mate bond pulses with fear.

I immediately stop in my tracks. I don't go any closer, because I can see the fear flash in her eyes, the tension in her shoulders, and the way her fingers curl slightly at her sides.

"She’s ready to bolt," Kael mind-links.

"Or fight," Ryker adds over the link.

I ignore my brothers and straighten myself up.

"Careful, now," Blaze warns. "One wrong move and she's gone. The boundary is just behind the tree line."

"I know," I say, lifting my gaze to find hers.

And for a moment it’s just me and her. No one else. No Kael. No Ryker. Just the truth between us.

"We've hurt you," I say quietly. "And we knew it. We came to apologize. We know you are our mate."

The bond pulses again, and my chest tightens. I can feel her emotions spilling over in raw, sad, and unfiltered waves.

I hear Ryker gasp behind me. He’s feeling it too. Kael tries to keep his face blank, but I can tell he’s feeling it as well.

This sensation isn’t normal. We shouldn’t be feeling these emotions.

I can feel everything we ever did and said to her. Everything we didn’t do.

I can hear every insult echoing in my ears and hear her heartbeat escalating in her chest.

It’s as if she were standing right in front of us, telling us how she felt in words.

I don’t look away. I won’t, because she deserves that much at least.

The bond pulses again, stronger this time.

Blaze exhales slowly. "She’s not rejecting you," he muses.

I go still, noticing the shift in the bond. "But she’s determined to fight it," I mutter over the mind-link.

The bond is telling us everything. It gives us an idea of what’s going on. It affects us in a very dangerous way, because if she chooses to walk away, there’s nothing we can do to stop her.

I take another slow breath, and for the first time, I don’t see her as the silent girl in the corner or the one they overlooked.

I see her clearly now.

Strong. Unyielding. Ours.

And maybe…

She isn’t the one we deserved.

"But we want her anyway," Blaze says quietly.

My chest tightens because it's true.

"Yeah," I say. There’s no denying it now.

No pretending.

No escaping.

Because the moment she stepped out from behind that tree, everything changed—and whether she accepts it or not, she’s already at the center of everything.

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