103
~Belinda’s POV
I slamd the door shut the mont I stepped into my room. My chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe.
I didn’t even bother taking off my shoes before I grabbed the nearest vase and smashed it against the floor.
The sound was loud, sharp... but it wasn’t enough.
I grabbed the pillows on my bed and threw them across the room. I ripped the blanket off and tossed it to the ground. My hands shook as I pushed over the chair by the dressing table.
"Damn it!" I shouted, my voice breaking.
Tears blurred my eyes, but I kept going. The small perfu bottles on the table? I swept them onto the floor. The crash of glass felt like my only comfort.
All I could think about was her.
Lisa.
Even in her absence, she was still ruining things for .
I had been enjoying the triplets these past few days, laughing with them, playing, actually feeling like they were mine. We’d spent mornings building little forts out of pillows, afternoons running around the garden until we collapsed into giggles, and evenings snuggled together as if there was nowhere else they’d rather be. And I believed it. I truly believed it.
No Lisa around to stick her nose in. No Lisa to take over their attention. No Lisa to make them forget how much fun I was. It had been perfect. I had been perfect for them.
And now? All my plans to remove her from their lives... gone. Shattered like the vase lying in sharp, glittering pieces across the floor.
"Why won’t she just stay gone?" I muttered, my voice shaking so badly it almost didn’t sound like mine. "Why?"
My legs gave way before I even realized it, and I sank down onto the cold floor. The shock of the chill went right through , but it didn’t stop the heat from flooding my face. My hands ca up, pressing against my eyes, as though I could block it all out, the truth, the fear, the image of her standing there again, reclaiming what I had tried to make mine.
Hot tears slipped through my fingers, falling hard and fast. I had worked so hard... so damn hard... to make them love more. To make them choose . To erase her from their hearts. Every smile, every laugh, every mont, it had all been part of my careful plan.
And now all of it was slipping away again because of her shadow. She didn’t even have to be here in the flesh to ruin .
The door burst open suddenly.
"Belinda!"
It was Kael. And right behind him, Rowan.
They both froze for a mont, taking in the ss I had made, the broken glass, the overturned furniture, the chaos.
Kael stepped forward quickly. "What happened? Who hurt you?"
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My throat was burning from holding back sobs.
Instead, I stood up abruptly, brushing past them, and went to my wardrobe. I started pulling clothes off hangers.
"What are you doing?" Rowan asked sharply.
I didn’t look at them. "Packing."
"Packing for what?" Kael demanded.
"To leave," I said coldly, shoving a pile of clothes into my bag. "I can’t stay here anymore."
Rowan’s voice dropped. "Belinda, stop this."
"No!" I snapped, spinning around to face them. "I’m not wanted here. I’m just wasting my ti. No matter what I do, she’s always going to be your mate. Even when she’s not here, she’s still the one you want. She’s still the one you care for!"
Kael frowned. "This is about Lisa?"
"Of course it’s about her!" I scread, my voice shaking. "It’s always about her. I try to get close to ou guys, I try to make you see as... despite the fact that the Luna position is mine, I worked for it, and just when I think I’m getting sowhere, she ruins it. Every ti!"
Rowan stepped closer, his gaze fixed on . "Belinda, you’re overreacting..."
"Overreacting?" I cut him off, my tears spilling freely now. "You think I enjoy feeling like second place? I’ve had enough."
I turned back to my bag and kept stuffing clothes in. My hands were trembling so badly that I dropped half of them.
Then, suddenly, Rowan was right behind . His hands caught my wrists, stopping .
"Don’t go," he said softly, his voice low and intense.
I shook my head. "There’s no reason for to stay."
"Yes, there is," he murmured.
"No, there isn’t," I whispered bitterly. "You don’t understand..."
Before I could finish, Rowan tilted my chin up and kissed .
I froze.
The warmth of his lips against mine made my breath hitch. My heart pounded in my ears.
When he finally pulled back, I stared at him in shock.
"You’re right," he said quietly. "We are the Alphas. We can break that damn rule."
"What?" I breathed.
Rowan’s eyes darkened. "That stupid rule that keeps us from doing what we want. We can tear it apart. For you."
He kissed again, slower this ti, deeper. I felt myself lt against him, my anger shifting into sothing else entirely.
Kael moved closer. "Rowan..."
Rowan broke the kiss but didn’t take his eyes off . "Join ," he said to Kael.
Kael hesitated for half a second... then he ca forward.
"Belinda," Kael murmured, his hand brushing my cheek. "You’re not going anywhere."
My breathing was uneven. "You’re both just saying that now..."
"We’re not just saying it," Rowan interrupted, his voice steady. "We an it. If you want her gone from our lives, we will make that happen. If you want the rules changed, we’ll change them. For you."
Kael’s hand slid to my shoulder. "We can have whatever we want. And right now... we want you."
I swallowed hard, my mind spinning. Just minutes ago, I had been ready to walk away. Now, standing between them, feeling their closeness, hearing their promises, my resolve started to crumble.
"You don’t have to keep fighting alone," Rowan whispered. "We’ll fight for you."
My lips parted, but no words ca out.
Kael leaned closer, his voice low and almost teasing. "Say you’ll stay."
I looked from one to the other, Rowan’s intense gaze, Kael’s softer but equally determined expression.
Maybe even powerful.
"Stay," Rowan said again, his tone more like a command than a request.
My heart was racing. "I... I’ll stay."
A faint smirk tugged at Rowan’s lips before he pulled into another kiss, this one hungry, almost claiming.
Kael’s hand slipped to my waist, pulling closer into their warmth.
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