Mated to the Enemy's Triplets

Chapter 4: The Warrior's Recognition

POV: Kieran

I woke up before the sun. That was normal for me. What wasn’t normal was the feeling in my chest. It was a restless, buzzing feeling, like I had a wolf trying to claw its way out of my skin.

It was because of the servant girl.

Last night at dinner, I saw her for the first time. She was small and plain, with her hair pulled back and her eyes staring at the floor. She was just one of the many servants who drifted through the palace like ghosts. But when she got close to my father’s chair, something inside me woke up.

It was my wolf. He stood at attention. He let out a silent howl that only I could hear. The scent that came off her was faint, hidden under the smell of soap and fear, but it was there. It smelled like pine needles after a storm and wild honey. It was the most amazing thing I had ever smelled.

My wolf had whispered one word in my mind. A word I had waited my whole life to hear.

“Mate.”

It was impossible. She was a servant. She was a nobody. She looked like a scared little mouse. I was Kieran , son of the Alpha, the strongest warrior in the Crimson Shadow Pack. My mate was supposed to be a powerful she-wolf, an Alpha or a Beta, someone who could stand by my side in a battle not a girl who looked like she would faint if someone raised their voice.

But my wolf didn't care. And now, I couldn't get her out of my head. The thought of her made me angry and confused.

I threw on my training clothes and stomped out of my room. The only way I knew how to deal with feelings I didn't understand was to hit something.

The training courtyard was my real home. The clang of swords and the thud of fists on leather bags was my favorite music. But this morning, the music wasn't calming me down. It was just making me angrier.

"Again!" I roared at my sparring partner, a big warrior named Jax.

He came at me, and I dodged, spinning around and landing a kick to his side that sent him flying. He hit the dirt with a loud thud. That wasn't enough.

"Get up!" I shouted.

My brothers, Lucian and Dante, were watching from the side. I could feel their eyes on me.

"Kieran , maybe that's enough," Dante said, his voice calm and gentle as always. "You're going to hurt him."

"This is a training yard not a flower garden!" I snarled back. "If he can't take a hit, he shouldn't be a warrior."

I turned away from Jax and went to the punching bags. They were thick leather sacks filled with sand, made to take a beating. I started punching.

I imagined the girl’s scared face. Why her? Why did she make my wolf go crazy?

I imagined her tiny frame. She was so weak. How could she be my mate?

I imagined her scent, that beautiful, perfect scent. It made me want to find her and wrap her in my arms, to protect her from everything. But it also made me want to roar with frustration.

With a final yell, I punched the bag with all my strength. There was a loud tearing sound. Sand poured out onto the ground. I had broken it.

I moved to the next one. Ten minutes later, that one was broken, too. And the one after that. By the time I stopped, breathing hard, three punching bags were lying ruined on the ground. The whole courtyard was silent. Everyone was staring at me.

Lucian walked over. He was holding his bow, but his arms were crossed. He was the smart one. He always knew when something was wrong.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked, his voice low.

"Nothing," I grunted, wiping sweat from my face.

"Don't lie to me, brother," Lucian said. "I haven't seen you this angry since... well, in a long time. Talk to us."

I couldn't. I couldn't tell them that a little servant girl had turned my world upside down. They would laugh at me.

"I'm fine," I said, pushing past him. But as I walked away, I caught her scent again. It was faint, carried on the morning breeze from the direction of the palace kitchens.

My wolf went wild. I had to find her. I had to see her again.

I broke into a run, leaving my confused brothers behind me. I followed my nose like a hunting dog. The scent led me through the stone hallways, past the armory, and toward the great hall where the pack leaders ate breakfast.

I slowed down and hid behind a large pillar. And there she was.

She was carrying a tray of bread. She moved quickly and quietly, her head bowed. She didn't look at anyone. She served the bread, then scurried back toward the kitchen, completely invisible.

But I could see her. I watched her every move. She still looked like a scared mouse. But watching her, the angry feeling in my chest started to change. It softened. A strange, protective feeling took its place. I wanted to march over there, pick her up, and carry her away from all this. I wanted to tell everyone that she was mine and that no one was allowed to even look at her.

It was crazy. I was going crazy.

And then I saw Lucian and Dante standing near another doorway across the hall. They weren't looking at me. They were both staring at the servant girl. Their faces had the same shocked and confused expression I was sure was on my own.

My heart stopped.

“No! It can't be!”

I stormed away from the great hall and went to the one place we could always be alone: our mother's old garden. It was a quiet, walled-off space with a stone bench. No one else ever came here.

A few minutes later, Lucian and Dante found me. I was pacing back and forth like a caged animal.

"You felt it too," I said. It wasn't a question.

Lucian nodded slowly. "Her scent. When she walked by..."

"...it was like the whole world stopped," Dante finished, his voice a whisper. "My wolf... he recognized her."

I stopped pacing and stared at my two brothers. We had always been close, but this was different. "How is this possible?" I demanded. "The Moon Goddess gives a wolf one mate, not three!"

Dante looked at me, his eyes full of a sad memory. "Kieran ," he said softly. "Do you remember the promise we made?"

Suddenly, I wasn't a grown man anymore. I was a little boy again, standing in this very same garden.

I was ten years old. My brothers and I were huddled together on the stone bench. It had been a week since our mother died. She had gotten a strange sickness, and even Dante, who was already showing signs of his healing gift, couldn't save her.

Our father was broken. He locked himself in his study and didn't speak to anyone. We felt so alone.

I was crying, but trying to hide it. I was the warrior, I had to be strong. Lucian was staring at the ground, thinking hard, trying to make sense of a world that didn't make sense anymore. Dante was crying openly, his small body shaking with sadness.

I put my arm around him. Lucian put his arm around me. We were three parts of a whole.

"We're all we have now," Lucian said, his voice serious. "Father is... different. We have to rely on each other."

"I don't want to be alone," Dante sobbed.

"We won't be," I said, my voice fierce. "Never. We'll share everything. Your brains," I said, poking Lucian . "Your heart," I said, patting Dante's chest. "And my fists," I finished, holding up my own. "We'll face everything together. We'll be one Alpha, stronger than any single wolf could ever be. We share our strengths, our burdens and our lives. Always."

"Always," Lucian and Dante repeated.

We made a pact that day, a promise under the sad, gray sky. Three brothers, bound together as one.

The memory faded, and I was back in the garden, staring at my brothers. Our promise. We had asked to share everything. Was it possible the Moon Goddess had listened? Had she given us one mate to share, too?

The idea was still shocking, but it didn't feel as impossible as it did before.

"So what do we do?" I asked, my voice quieter now. "We can't just walk up to her. She's terrified of her own shadow. And if Father finds out..."

We all knew what would happen. Our father, Alpha Magnus, was not a kind man. He cared about power and strength. He would never accept a weak, no-name servant girl as a mate for his sons. He would get rid of her.

"We can't tell him," Lucian said immediately. His mind was already working, forming a plan. "We cannot tell him until we know more."

"What do we need to know?" I asked. "She's our mate. That's all that matters."

"No, Kieran ," Lucian insisted. "It's not that simple. Who is she? Where did she really come from? Why is she here? She seems so scared, but there's something about her... a strength hidden deep, deep down. We need to find out the truth about her."

Dante nodded in agreement. "We have to protect her. And to do that, we need to be smart. We'll watch her. We'll learn about her. We'll do it in secret."

I looked at my brothers. The warrior, the healer, and the thinker. All focused on one goal. On one girl.

"Alright," I agreed, my voice a low growl. "We do it your way. We investigate and find out everything there is to know about the servant girl named Sara.”