Owned By Her Triplet Bullies
Chapter 75

Three months later Alexander's POV

I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. It had been three months since we came across that news article about her. Immediately, we rushed to the hospital-Mom, Dad, Julian, Philip, Hailey, and I. The description matched her perfectly. I had never been as scared as when I saw the news.

I drove to the hospital like a maniac, silently praying that she was not the one and that we were gravely mistaken. I was angry at her for cheating on us and lying to us, but I didn't hate her enough to wish her death. Why did she leave the house so late at night? I thought. We arrived at the hospital and hurried in. It was reported that her identity card and bag, containing her belongings, were found at the scene.

After completing all the necessary formalities, we went to where she was kept. I held my breath as we walked in. With shaky hands, Julian carefully lifted the white cloth covering the girl's face. Her face and body had been horribly burned. The car exploded after a severe accident. Her body was so charred that we couldn't recognize who she really was. The fire had distorted her appearance, including her height.

After conducting a series of tests, the doctors confirmed the body as hers. The presence of her belongings at the scene and the detection of her blood on the body were no coincidences. My heart sank at the news. I never wanted that to happen to her, no matter what anyone thought. I genuinely loved her. We all did. We let anger and hurt get the best of us.

Dejected, we returned home, but we couldn't show it because our parents were there, and they would wonder why we were so affected. We pretended not to be too affected, although deep down, it felt like I had a dagger stuck in my chest. We moved around solemnly and somberly for weeks. Our graduation was depressing as we were filled with regrets. Our parents thought we were mourning the death of a friend; they never knew we were experiencing the death of a mate.

For months, I hadn't been in the mood for anything. I just wanted to lie on my bed and blame myself for my stupidity. A life was lost because of our harsh words, and we would never be able to bring her back or make up for our mistakes. Regret and pain consumed me to the point of slowly losing myself.

Suddenly, the door opened, pulling me out of my reverie. I didn't move or stand up from the bed. I stayed in my position.

"Alex, Father, and Mother are here to speak with us," Julian informed me before leaving. I sighed, reluctantly standing up from my bed. I walked downstairs sluggishly. My brothers and parents were already seated, and it seemed I was the only one left. I took my seat beside Philip.

"Good afternoon," I muttered, and they responded.

Our parents glanced at each other before my mom spoke.

"Boys, I know you're still grieving. I am grieving too. I liked her. These are tough times for us, but our duties and responsibilities can't be put on hold because we are grieving. Always remember that we don't just live for ourselves, but for the well-being of our pack as well. We have people who look up to us, and we can't afford to let them down. All of you have to play your part in leading this pack. It has been your destiny since you were born," she said, glancing at each one of us.

"What your mother meant to say is, when will you introduce your mates to us? We have been stalling the council for months, and we can't keep them away any longer. The demand for your mates has become intolerable, and if we don't act fast, the line of succession might move to another family. I certainly don't want that to happen during my reign. Our bloodline has held the Alpha position for generations, and it cannot stop now," he explained.

"I definitely don't want to be Alpha. I'm content with the way I am," Julian said.

"Me neither," Philip agreed. Father gave them disapproving glances.

"I meant that I don't think I'm fit for that position. It carries a huge amount of responsibility, and I'm absolutely not ready for it," he hurriedly explained. They all turned towards me. "What?" I asked, confused.

"Alex is older and smarter. The role of an Alpha suits him perfectly," Julian said, giving me a thumbs up. He appeared... drunk?

I scoffed. "I'm only two minutes older," I retorted.

"That doesn't change the fact that you are older, even if it's by a second," Philip replied, supporting Julian.

"Are you both ganging up on me or what?" I frowned.

"Of course not. We just think the position suits you perfectly. Your pack members will listen to you very well. This Alpha thingy is totally your style," Julian said with a yawn. "And it's not yours?" I snapped. We bickered back and forth for a while.

"Boys!" Father's voice boomed, cutting us off. We turned our attention towards him.

"What kind of behavior is this? Do you think we are joking here? How can you display such childish behavior when we are discussing something serious?" he asked sternly. "We are sorry," we apologized.

"Should we expect the introduction or not? We have already delayed it enough," Mom said worriedly. I sighed. How are we going to tell them that there's no mate or introduction? Why did we even bring up the subject of a mate with them? And most importantly, how are we going to get out of this mess?

We all stared at them silently. Father's phone suddenly rang. He picked it up and spoke to someone for a while.

"It's the council. They've called for a meeting. We have to go. We will continue this conversation later," he said. Mom stood up to go along with him.

"We will talk later, boys," she said and left with our father. I turned to my brother immediately.

"What the hell was that about?" I asked, quite angry. We had agreed to take a test, and the winner would be crowned Alpha. Why would they throw me under the bus like that? It's not like I disliked being Alpha, but we all agreed to follow a protocol. Julian leaned back in his chair. "We needed a distraction, and that seemed to work perfectly, didn't it?" he asked, turning towards Philip.

"It sure did, and besides, we weren't wrong. You would win the test anyway, so why bother taking it?" Philip asked, looking unfazed.

"I'm going back to sleep," Julian said, trying to get up.

"Julian," I called out to him, and he stopped. I knew what he was going through, and if he continued like this, he would ruin his future and his entire life. We all grieved her loss, but that didn't mean we had to drag others into our misery. We had a role to play in this pack, as Mother said, and we had to ensure we played it well.

"We can't all continue in this manner. We must consider the feelings of our parents. Let's not be selfish. They are already burdened, and I wouldn't want us to add to their load," I pleaded. Julian sat back down, and Philip removed his hand from his face. They appeared disheveled, and I'm certain I did too. The anguish of losing her, combined with the pain caused by our wolves, was no laughing matter. We were grappling with immense suffering that no medication could ever remedy or alleviate. We could only endure it because we possessed a strong bloodline and lineage of werewolves. An ordinary wolf would have succumbed to this agony.

I knew they comprehended me perfectly, even without uttering a word.

"We need to take action regarding the council," I stated.

"How about eliminating all of them? That way, there won't be anyone to bother us or Father anymore," Julian suggested after a prolonged silence. We gazed at him in disbelief.

"Seriously? That's the best solution you could come up with?" Philip inquired. Julian shrugged indifferently. I sighed. I was familiar with the council, and I knew they would not cease or stop until they found our mate and we were crowned. We couldn't afford to have the Alpha title transferred to another family. There were countless risks associated with that. We had numerous enemies eagerly awaiting our downfall. I couldn't allow that to happen to our family.

"I believe I know what we must do," I stated flatly. They all stared at me inquisitively. We had to do this for the well-being of everyone in the pack. If we don't do this, we might end up losing everything we have and I could not do that to our parents.