Mated to the Triplet Alphas
Chapter 120: A Spring of Adrenaline

Chapter 120: Chapter 120: A Spring of Adrenaline

Third POV

They could definitely see why the rogues had mistook him for one of them. Even with his bruised and swollen face, they could easily tell that he had the exact same features.

But one thing was for sure, this definitely could not be Leonard, their uncle. He was the wrong age. He couldn’t be more than a year or two older than them.

The theory that this Leo was their cousin was starting to look more and more plausible. If they hadn’t known better, they would’ve thought this was their fourth brother. The resemblance was uncanny.

Levi tightened his grip again, anger flowing back. “I don’t care who you are. Where’s Hazel? Her scent is all over you!”

“Levi, wait,” Liam said, pointing at Leo’s torso. “He’s badly injured. Look at those stitches—they’re coming apart.”

Lucas moved closer, examining the bloodstained bandages. “The wounds are healing too slowly. Those wounds were probably caused by silver.”

“He can bleed out for all I care,” Levi snarled, bringing his face close to Leo’s. “I just want to know where our mate is.”

Leo’s eyes focused on Levi with surprising clarity despite his obvious pain.

“You’re right to be worried,” Leo said, his voice strained. “Perry has her.”

“Who’s Perry?” Liam questioned.

Leo stared at them as though they were idiots. Then, he rolled his eyes and heavily exhaled. “You three should know her as ‘Esther’,” he replied.

“Esther? As in Esther Perez?” Lucas asked sharply.

Leo nodded weakly. “The one and only. She’s running the Vox Solis.”

“That’s impossible,” Lucas said, frowning. “She’s at Ironhound.”

Leo simply laughed, before pain caused him to cough. “You know, for Alphas, you three sure are dumb.”

“What the fuck did you just say—” Levi started to say but was stopped by Lucas.

“Levi,” Lucas barked. Then, his gaze rested on Leo. “Explain.”

“The one at Ironhound is a mere clone. A decoy. It’s to throw people like you off our tracks.” Then, he laughed to himself as though he had just heard a joke that none of the others did. “Guess she isn’t actually the one and only after all.”

That would explain plenty of things, such as the brand on Esther’s neck in the photos but not one when they saw her in person. Lucas nodded in understanding.

“‘Our’ tracks?” Liam echoed, completely ignoring the way Leo was mumbling to himself.

Leo’s eyes sharpened. He clenched his jaw and looked away.

“Where?” Levi demanded, giving Leo a slight shake. “Tell us where she is!”

Leo winced at the movement, fresh blood seeping through his bandages.

“Fuck, there’s no need to be so loud. I’ll tell you,” he said, wincing when Levi’s face inched too close to his. Leo’s eyes moved between the three identical faces surrounding him. “But don’t say that I didn’t warn you. You can’t just charge in there. Perry—no, Esther has got vampires working for her. That place is crawling with them.”

“Yeah, we got that,” Liam said, wrinkling his eyebrows. “Come on. We’ll get you patched out before you die here on the road. Then you’re taking us to Hazel.”

“Just let him bleed out,” Levi snarled. “Who cares? Hazel is more important.”

“He’s right,” Leo said, surprising Liam and Lucas. Ignoring their wide-eyed expressions, Leo continued, “Esther plans to experiment with Hazel’s fated bonds. We need to get to her before it’s too late.”

Lucas’s jaw clenched. “Where exactly is she keeping Hazel?”

Leo coughed, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth. “Three blocks down. It looks like an apartment building on the outside, but the Vox Solis owns the entire block. It’s her main research facility.”

+++

Hazel’s POV

Darkness swam in and out of my vision. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been unconscious, but the persistent pain in my arm from where they’d injected me told me it hadn’t been long enough.

Voices floated around me. They lacked any emotion, and most of them sounded like they were speaking in a tunnel.

“Increase the dosage. We need to terminate the pregnancy before we begin the bond experiments.”

My baby. They wanted to kill my baby.

Rage flooded through me, pushing back the fog in my mind. I could feel my wolf stirring, fighting against the wolfsbane they’d pumped into me.

I kept my eyes closed, pretending to still be unconscious while I tested my restraints. They were tight and surprisingly not made of silver. They must’ve moved me from the first chair.

Additionally, the wolfsbane was wearing off faster than it should have been. Maybe because I was carrying triplets? Maybe my body was processing it differently?

I didn’t know, and I didn’t care. All I knew was that I had a chance.

I felt another needle press against my arm, and that was when I made my move.

With every ounce of strength I could muster, I jerked my arm away and twisted hard against my restraints. The leather strap on my right wrist snapped, surprising even me. I lashed out blindly, connecting with someone’s face. There was a cry of pain and the clatter of something metallic hitting the floor.

“Restrain her!” someone in a lab coat shouted.

Hands grabbed at me, but adrenaline was coursing through my veins. I managed to free my other wrist and both ankles, kicking and punching at anyone who came near me.

“She shouldn’t be this strong!” someone yelled. “The wolfsbane—”

“Just sedate her again!” another commanded.

Someone jammed a needle into my thigh, and I screamed in pain. Agony tore through my lower belly, and for a second, my vision swam. I shook my head and squeezed my eyes tightly closed. I stumbled off the table, knocking over trays of instruments.

Guards rushed into the room quickly, their footsteps thundering. At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to fight them off.

I needed to shift.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was because of my pup, but I felt a sudden surge of strength. My bones cracked and reformed, my skin stretching and then disappearing beneath fur. The pain was blinding, but when it was done, I stood on four legs, my teeth bared at the shocked faces around me.

“That’s impossible,” one of the scientists breathed. “No one can shift while under that much wolfsbane.”

I didn’t wait for them to recover from their surprise. I lunged at the nearest guard, sinking my teeth into his arm.