Resisting the Alpha Triplets by Cara Anderson

Ch. 50 Dire Consequences

Colton’s POV

“What happened to you?” Darcy looked alarmed at the sight of my disheveled appearance as I stormed over to the booth where she waited for me at our favorite restaurant.

“How could you, Darcy?” More of an accusation than a question.

“What? Colton, what’s going on?” She deflected. “You come barging in here like a charging bull, looking like you clawed your way across a battlefield to get here. And you’re asking me how I could have done some obscure thing I have no frame of reference for like I should have anticipated the question.”

I studied her perplexed expression for a moment, trying to determine her sincerity. If she was lying, it wasn’t written on her face. But then again, if she’d done what I thought she had, the girl deserved an Oscar because she wasn’t the girl she’d convinced me she was for the past two years.

“How could you sell out Mallory to her enemy, put her life in danger? I told you about her heritage in confidence. I trusted you! Did you even stop to think what it would do to me if something happened to her?

“We’re still bonded. If she died, I could die too! Is that what you want? Are you so insecure that you’d rather see me dead than take a chance I might choose her over you?”

A myriad of emotions crossed her features as my rampage wore on. Anger, hurt, betrayal all made an appearance. But the most prominent of all was fear. She tried to hide it away but I knew all her tells. She couldn’t hide it from me.

The more important question was what she was afraid of. Was she afraid of losing me or afraid she’d been caught? Or maybe both. As far as I was concerned she’d already lost me, and if I ever found proof of her betrayal, she would wish she’d never met me!

“Colton, I-, I-,” She trembled as she tripped over her words. “I love you. I would never want anything bad to happen to you. You know that. Please tell me you know that.”

“I thought I did. But the Darcy I knew would never do something like this.” I spit back.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I didn’t do anything!” She cried, “You have to believe me! Please Colton, don’t do this!”

“I’m not doing anything, Darcy! You did this all by yourself!” I growled, a low and deadly sound. “We’re done!

Don’t let me catch you anywhere near my territory or my mate! And you better pray my brothers don’t find out what you’ve done or not even the Moon Goddess herself will be able to save you.”

I stalked away, Darcy’s claims of innocence trailing off behind me. It was true I had no proof beyond the process of elimination and a gut feeling I couldn’t ignore. But in my mind, her guilt was a forgone conclusion. There was just no other explanation.

Even with my much more sane driving speed, I made it back to the hospital in record time. Staff greeted me warily as I entered, not that I blamed them after my earlier blow-up. But a nod as I passed by was the only

acknowledgment I could allow in my haste to check on my mate.

I walked into Mallory’s hospital room to find Cary and Clay had wriggled their way into the bed on either side of Mallory. Cary had his face buried in her neck, gorging himself on her scent. Clay was stroking her hair, whispering sweet words in her ear and planting gentle kisses on her face. Neither of them spared me a glance.

“You’re okay little wolf. We’re here and we won’t let anyone hurt you. You’re safe.” Clay murmured softly.

My heart squeezed in my chest as I listened, wishing it were me by her side, reassuring her, comforting her. But even if I could convince one of my brothers to give up his place, she wouldn’t want me in it. Not now. Maybe not ever.

“How is she doing?” I cut in, interrupting their peaceful moment.

“Why do you care?” Cary lifted his head to snarl at me. “Our mate is lying unconscious in a hospital bed and you walked out on her. Probably to see your girlfriend if I had to guess.”

“That’s not what I did!” I rebutted but the disbelieving frown he returned told me he wasn’t buying it.

“So you didn’t go see Darcy?” Clay cross -examined me and I knew they would sense a lie.

“Yes, but-”

Before I could finish my explanation, an erratic strain of blaring alarms filled the room. My eyes flew to Mallory whose back was arching off the bed and her chest heaved with every arduous breath she struggled to take. Both my brothers’ hands fluttered uselessly over her, their faces identical shades of stark white.

Nurses and doctors came bustling in the room, one nearly knocking me to the ground with a big metal cart as they pushed it towards Mallory’s bed, total disregard for any obstacles, human or otherwise.

“All three of you out! Now!” A big male wolf with a tag that read Dr. Ried barked out orders. “We need room to work and you’re taking too much of it.”

“What’s wrong with her? They said she’d be fine!” Clay demanded

“I’m not leaving my mate!” Cary growled.

“We won’t get in your way. I promise. Please just let us stay.” I bargained.

“Alphas,” one of the nurses stepped away to address the three of us, “I know you want to be here for her but the best thing you can do for her now is give us room to work without the added pressure of her feral mates looming over our shoulders. I will come get you as soon as she is stable.”

With a curt nod, she went back to Mallory’s bedside. Neither of my siblings looked like they had any intention of moving so I grabbed them both by their shirts and dragged them outside.

“I need Epi STAT!” I heard the doctor call out as we stepped into the hall.

It was the last thing I heard before the glass door to her room was slammed closed, my whole world fighting for her life on the other side.

Mallory’s mom arrived with my parents in tow, someone from the staff having notified them of Mal’s condition. I sat with them in the waiting room while Clay and Cary paced the floor, snarling at anyone who dared look in their direction. Time seemed to stand still as we all waited for news. It was maddening!

Nathan had left shortly after I had to question the two kidnappers his men managed to capture. Part of me wondered if someone should call him. But the selfish part of me didn’t want him anywhere near Mallory. There was nothing he could do here anyway. He’d be just as inconsequential as the rest of us.

“Why hasn’t anyone told us anything?” Maeve questioned, looking at each of us as if at least one of us should have the answer.

Just then, Dr, Ried emerged with a solemn look on his face. My heart dank to my stomach as I waited for him to deliver the crushing blow. He came to a stop in the center of the room and everyone crowded around him.

“As you already know, Mallory ingested a combination of wolfsbane and nightshade earlier today. The dose was not lethal and between her wolf’s ability to heal her and the fluids we administered, we had every reason to believe she was out of the woods.

“Unfortunately, what we did not anticipate was that she would have a life-threatening allergic reaction to one or both substances. Neither her wolf or our methods were sufficient to clear them from her system in time to prevent it.”

“What does that mean?” My mother asked what the rest of us were too afraid to voice.

“It means that she’s lucky to be alive and that any future encounter with those particular poisons would likely lead to more dire consequences.” He answered solemnly.

“Future? So she’s going to be okay this time?” Clay asked hopefully.

“She’s going to be fine, She’s actually awake now. You can go in to see her any time.”

Having said all he came to say, he turned and walked away. All of us trooped down the hall, a parade of exhausted but relieved souls. Only, as everyone filed through the door of Mallory’s hospital suite, Cary turned and put his hand to my chest, holding me back.

“She’s been through enough today, don’t you think? She doesn’t need another reminder of how you hurt her right now. You need to stay the fuck away from her until you get your head out of your ass for good.”

Then he stepped inside and shut the door in my face.