My Triplet Alphas

Cracks and comfort

The mansion was quiet at night—too quiet, Cassidy thought, as she lay in the massive bed with Ellie curled against her chest. Moonlight spilled across the wooden floor like a silver veil, and the soft hum of the house creaked in the background.

She hadn’t slept. Not really. Every time her eyes drifted shut, the dark pressed too close. Her body would tense, waiting for the electric buzz of the taser or the sound of Carl’s boots echoing down the hallway. She knew she was safe now, but her mind hadn’t caught up.

A soft knock came at the door.

Cassidy flinched, instinctively holding Ellie tighter. Her heart slammed against her ribs.

“It’s Zander,” came a familiar voice. “Just me. Wanted to check in.”

She took a breath—deep and shaking—before replying, “You can come in.”

The door creaked open, and Zander stepped inside, his presence a strange comfort. He looked freshly showered, dressed in loose sweats and a T-shirt, barefoot and relaxed—but his eyes were anything but. They searched her face with care, like he was cataloging every twitch, every shadow under her eyes.

“I noticed your light was still on,” he said softly, closing the door behind him. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Cassidy shook her head.

“I didn’t mean to wake Ellie,” he added, nodding toward the little girl snuggled in her arms.

“She hasn’t stirred,” Cassidy murmured, brushing a kiss against her daughter’s forehead. “She sleeps better than I do.”

Zander crossed the room slowly, crouching near the edge of the bed but careful not to sit unless she invited him. “Is it… the dreams?”

Her eyes flicked to him. “It’s everything.”

He nodded, letting the silence settle.

“I keep waiting for someone to come for me again,” she admitted after a moment. “Even though I know I’m here, with people who are supposed to protect me. It’s like my body doesn’t believe it yet.”

Zander’s jaw tightened. “I hate that you had to learn how to survive like that. That we weren’t there sooner.”

“You didn’t even know I existed,” she replied, her voice flat but without anger. “It’s not your fault.”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, his gaze dropped to Ellie, and something gentle filled his features. “She’s beautiful. Strong, like you.”

Cassidy’s throat tightened. “She was the only thing that kept me sane. I talked to her through the bars, even when she couldn’t hear me. She gave me a reason to stay alive.”

Zander shifted, sitting slowly in the chair beside the bed. “And the baby? Are you… okay with everything that’s coming?”

Cassidy glanced down at the swell of her stomach beneath the blankets. She’d started to feel fluttering kicks—gentle reminders that there was life inside her. Life that shouldn’t have come from so much pain.

“I’m scared,” she whispered. “I didn’t choose this. But I chose to protect this baby. I won’t let them suffer for what happened.”

“You won’t be alone in it,” Zander said, his voice firmer now. “We already told you—this baby is ours now, too. We’ll love them. Raise them. Help you heal.”

Cassidy blinked back the sudden sting in her eyes. “You don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl.”

Zander gave a small smile. “Doesn’t matter. They’re family.”

The words sank in slowly, like warmth reaching cold bones. Cassidy let her fingers trace circles along Ellie’s back as her gaze softened.

“You and your brothers… you all look the same,” she said suddenly. “But your scent—yours is different.”

Zander looked a little surprised by the shift in topic. “You can smell it?”

“Sort of,” she admitted. “I don’t understand it. I can’t smell mine, but I recognize yours… it’s like pine and rain. It makes me feel calm. Safe.”

He didn’t say anything right away. Then: “That’s what a bond does, even if you’re not a wolf. It finds a way to reach you.”

Cassidy hesitated. “Do you think… that’s what this is?”

Zander nodded once. “The Moon Goddess told us. You’re our second chance. That kind of bond doesn’t come around often. We don’t expect you to feel it all at once—but we’ll be here when you do.”

For a long moment, she said nothing. Her eyes stayed on Ellie, but her fingers drifted unconsciously to her belly.

“I want to believe in that,” she whispered. “I really do. But I feel like I’m still broken in places you can’t see.”

Zander reached across the gap between them, not touching her, but holding his hand out, palm up.

“You don’t have to be fixed to be loved,” he said gently. “We can walk through the broken parts together.”

Her breath hitched. Slowly, almost shyly, she slid her hand into his and felt magical sparks. Not painful but surprisingly comforting.

It was warm. Steady. Safe.

Ellie stirred, shifting in her sleep with a soft sigh, and Zander leaned closer to tuck the blanket around the toddler with surprising tenderness.

Cassidy watched him, something loosening in her chest.

“You’re good with her,” she said quietly.

“She’s easy to love,” he replied, glancing at her with a soft smile. “Like her mama.”

Cassidy flushed, unsure how to respond. But for the first time in a long time, she didn’t feel like she had to say anything at all.

She just sat there, hand in his, feeling the sparks, while the night stretched around them—not silent and terrifying like before, but peaceful.

And maybe, just maybe, healing had already begun.