Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers
Chapter 26: Hard-headed Girl...

Chapter 26: Hard-headed Girl...

~Cayden’s POV~

"I disown you!"

Hazel stood there, frozen for a moment. Her breathing was shaky, her eyes glistening with tears—but not from sorrow. No. Not anymore.

She smiled.

Soft at first. Then it bloomed, wider. Calmer. Almost serene. Like she’d finally realized something for the first time.

And then she spoke, voice steady, rising with each word.

"That would be the biggest favor you’ve ever done me," she said, almost like she was thanking him. "Because since when have I ever been considered your daughter? Since when have I ever been considered a Gilbert?"

She let the words breathe, stepping closer. Her voice sharpened, trembled at the edge but didn’t falter.

"So you disowning me... you think that’s something, right, Father?"

She laughed, the sound hollow, aching. "You don’t even deserve that title. You’ve done nothing but bring pain into my life. Nothing but pain!" she yelled, her voice cracking now. Years of agony poured out in that sentence.

Marcus’s face reddened, fists clenched at his sides.

"And what are you bringing to the High House now, huh?" he snapped back. "Shame."

He pointed a finger at her stomach like it was poison. "That bastard," Marcus said, gesturing toward me. "Would you allow your own wife—the one you just wedded—to be embarrassed publicly, carrying a child? A mistake in her womb? Is that what this has become?"

The words barely left his mouth when a voice cut across the room. It was low at first, but every syllable carried razor-edge command.

"Do you want me to repeat myself again, Marcus?"

The room shifted. Everyone turned.

Caspian.

He stood tall, voice calm but steel beneath it. His eyes burned like fire, not a trace of hesitation in his stance.

"Haven’t I told you not to speak ill of my wife like that again?"

The silence that followed wasn’t shocked—it was deadly.

Marcus flinched. That was all it took. He shut his mouth, jaw tightening, pride swallowed.

Then Caspian stepped forward—past me, past the crowd—and took Hazel gently by the hand. Without a word, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. Then her forehead. And finally, her lips.

He held her like she was the only thing that mattered. And then—he looked directly at Marcus, his voice cold and clear:

"She is carrying your grandson."

The entire hall gasped again, some wolves murmuring, others too stunned to move.

"And if you’re not accepting," Caspian continued facing me, "that’s fine. Nobody’s expecting you to play the role of a father."

He tightened his grip on Hazel’s hand. "You couldn’t even play it properly when it was your only job."

Caspian’s jaw flexed, and his eyes flicked toward me. "I’ll be taking Hazel," he said, louder now. "And I’ll be leaving this pack."

The air grew still.

"I’ve lost everything," he added, his voice quieter, rawer. "And this pack? It’s lost its meaning to me."

"What are you saying, Caspian?" my mother’s voice rang out from the upstairs balcony, trembling with disbelief.

But we both ignored her. Everyone did.

And then I spoke "She’s not leaving anywhere with you, Caspian. Not until I’ve punished her."

I turned to the crowd, then back to Hazel, locking eyes with her. "It’s true, isn’t it? She’s my wife, right? That’s what you said. Then she’s cheated on me. She’s carrying another man’s child."

I stepped forward, letting my anger flood the room like wildfire. "And thank the gods it got revealed today. On our wedding day. Perfect timing."

Hazel’s expression didn’t flicker. But inside, I knew I was trying to convince myself more than anyone else.

"You’ll be punished," I snapped. "Right here. Right now."

Caspian took a breath and stepped closer to me, squaring his shoulders like he was preparing for a war.

"Are you sure that child in her womb isn’t yours?" he asked coldly.

I didn’t blink. "Do you want us to do a test?"

"Right here," Caspian said, firm.

The crowd murmured in shock. And without needing to be told, we all turned toward the only person in the hall capable of settling the matter.

Aurora.

She stepped forward from the crowd with quiet confidence, already knowing what was expected of her. The room gave way, and her presence silenced the rest.

"There’s only one way to find out," she said softly, her voice calm but commanding. "To see if Alpha Cayden is truly the father..."

She paused. "I need you both to stretch out your hands."

But before anyone could move, Hazel laughed.

Not hysterically. Not nervously.

It was the kind of laugh you let out when you’ve had enough. When the absurdity of it all becomes too much to carry.

"No," she said, her voice cutting through the air. "No. I don’t want to prove anything."

Her chin lifted, eyes steady and unwavering. "What’s there to prove? That some monster is the father of my child? And that I’ll possibly bring another monster into this world?" NovelFire

She shook her head. "No."

Then she turned to Caspian, eyes softening only slightly. "I suggest we leave. Even if you’re not coming, I am leaving. I’m done with this pack. I should’ve run away days ago. I don’t know why I waited."

Her voice trembled now, just slightly. "Now look at what’s befallen me. I’ve seen exactly what I needed to see."

She moved to walk away, but something inside me snapped.

Some part of me couldn’t take it—her walking out, her disappearing. Some part of me not just my mind, but Ragnar—raged against the idea of never seeing her again.

I grabbed her hand and yanked her back.

"You’re not leaving anywhere," I growled.

"I am leaving," she hissed, her voice low and full of fire.

Our breath was heavy. Our eyes locked. The weight of everything between us—the betrayal, the pain, the heat, the longing—hung in the air like a storm about to break.

It felt exactly like that night. The night I admitted everything. The night I let my guard down for her.

Except now... the rage burning in her eyes mirrored mine.

"You’re not leaving," I repeated, stepping closer, letting the words cut deep. "Not until you get the punishment you deserve."

Her jaw clenched.

"You had the chance to run away all this time. But you didn’t. And now you think this is the perfect time to walk away? After you’ve destroyed my name? After packs are on their way to challenge me—because of you?" I seethed.

"After enemies have started circling like vultures? You think you’ll walk away now?"

I took another step forward. "No, Hazel. You will get the punishment that you deserve."

I turned back to Aurora. "Take this test. Prove I’m the father. Then maybe you’ll be allowed to walk away—after you’ve birthed the child. Or refuse, and take the punishment accordingly."

She turned to face me fully, her chin high, her eyes brighter than ever.

And then—she smirked.

"Where? What is the punishment?" Her voice was eerily calm. "Because I’m not doing any test."

She stood tall. Even as a human, her strength was undeniable. It was in her posture, her glare, her defiance.

What kind of dumb, hard-headed girl is this? I growled inwardly.

I snapped toward Leon.

"Take her to the roof. Make sure you wipe her."

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

"Fifty strokes. Naked," I said, loud and clear. "I emphasize that."

Hazel didn’t flinch.

She smiled wider. "That won’t be the first time I’m receiving such treatment. It’s normal to me."

Then her eyes darted toward Marcus. She turned slowly, then back to me.

"And while I’m taking the punishment... if anything happens to my child..." Her voice shook now, not with fear, but with warning. "I promise you, I—I will—"

"Then you’re not going to take any punishment, Hazel!" Caspian suddenly shouted.

His voice cracked through the tension like a whip. "What are you saying, Cayden?! Fifty strokes? She’s pregnant! She’s human, for the moon’s sake!"

He stepped forward, voice desperate now. "Don’t do this, Haz. Please. Just take the test."

Hazel reached out and gently cupped his cheek, her fingers trembling. "This won’t be the first time I’ve gone through something like this."

She inhaled slowly. "And after I take it, I’ll leave. With my child. Just me."

"No!" Caspian growled. "I won’t let you. I won’t allow you to do that!"

"That’s not your decision to make," she said softly, her hand falling from his face.

Then I spoke again, voice heavy and commanding. "She’s now our wife, isn’t she, Caspian? You said that. So now I’m her husband, and I want to punish her."

I turned, facing the room. "And you have nothing to say—not as Beta, not as husband. The Council would agree. Stand down."

I smirked—not because I enjoyed this, but because I knew this was what needed to be done. If I wanted to be feared, I had to be rigid. And fear brought power.

But this damn woman... she had no fear of me. Not even a trace.

Caspian shivered, helplessly staring at her.

"Hazel... love... please. Take the damn test. Prove to everyone here that this monster is the father of your child. And we will walk away from this cursed place."

She shook her head slowly. "If it turns out he is the father... then he’ll take my child."

Her voice cracked now, heavy with dread. "And God knows what he’ll do. God knows what he’ll turn my child into."

She looked between us one last time.

"I will not raise another monster," she whispered.

"So no," she said louder. "I’ll take the punishment. And then I’ll leave."