300 Days With The Alpha Beta Triplets

THIRD PERSON POV:

Adrenaline kicked in as Hazel was grabbed, causing her to scream, then Riley put a hand over her mouth as he rested his back against a tree. By now, she already knew it was him from his scent, causing her brows to furrow.

She relaxed a bit, which made him take his hands off her, then she pulled away, turning to face him. Deep down, she was happy that he didn't give up on her, but a part of her was angry because of the false panic attack he gave her.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't stay away from you," he said to her, then reached for her hand.

Hazel found her body becoming weak as her tough-girl attitude vanished the moment he drew her in. His hands went around her waist, pulling her closer with the box in front serving as an obstruction.

Riley grabbed the box, placing it on the ground.

"That's better," he said with a smile hanging on his face. "You look breathtaking," he continued, causing Hazel to turn her face to the side to hide the reddening of her cheeks.

Yesterday, he had told her it was too soon to say he was in love with her, but being with her the entire night made him crave her, and now he couldn't imagine being without her.

His nose trailed around her neck as he took in her scent, then he inched closer to her face, brushing his lips against the corner of her mouth.

"I can't play this game with you, Hazel," he breathed as he buried his face in her neck. "Never in my life have I wanted someone this much." When he said this, Hazel didn't take it to heart, thinking he was bluffing, but it was true.

Riley had the look of a playboy, but his entire life, he had been a lover. He loved his girlfriend so much, but fate happened, and he never believed he could love someone so much until he met his mate, Hazel. It had only been two days, and he wanted her more than ever.

"I know you're scared of the mate bond, and you don't need to tell me why until you're ready, but I'm scared, too. This is the second day of the event, and we basically have only five nights left. I can't imagine missing out on knowing my mate because of someone," he said, sliding his hands up her back, then he pressed her into his body, his hands gripping her tighter.

"I think I love you." Those words slammed right into her heart, causing her mouth to fall ajar with the word, "What?" flying through it.

She pressed her hands against his chest, pulling backwards, and he released her from his grip. Her heart raced as she stared into his eyes, searching them as though they held the answers she sought.

The questions in her mind came out freely.

Was he love-bombing her? Was this another scheme that made Fae a step ahead of them?

"No," she shook her head, taking a step back. "Don't say that, please."

When she said this, he looked at her with confusion etched on his face. It puzzled him she didn't like the fact that he loved her. Perhaps it was too soon, but they were fated mates.

"You love me, yet we just met," she said, her eyebrows crumpling. "If I were to ask what you love about me after just meeting me, what would you say?"

They were both silent for a while.

"I know losing your mate scares you. I've been there, and I know that it's better to wait, because even a mate can betray you and leave you feeling hollow forever," she said, her voice tinged with heaviness as she fought back the tears hanging in her eyes.

She no longer loved Noah, but what he did to her would remain, no matter how much she tried to forget or act like it never happened.

Sensing she was hurt, Riley reached for her hand again. He caressed it gently before bringing it to his lips, placing a kiss on it.

"It might be too soon for you, Hazel, but I need to know what happened before. If someone hurt you, then let me know. You already know about my ex-girlfriend, and if you want more secrets in exchange, I'll tell you. But I want to know what, or who, hurt you." She looked at his pleading eyes, which made her heart feel at ease, even though a little fear still lurked. "Please," he pleaded again.

Her heart was heavy, but she knew she would have to tell him someday.

Maybe just one at a time, she told herself, then took a deep breath.

"I had a mate before you," she began, causing his eyes to widen. "You are my second chance mate, and while I'm grateful to the Moon Goddess, I'm scared because I've been hurt before, and I never want to experience that kind of hurt again," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"When I knew Noah was my mate, I was happy because we were alike. Computer geeks, brainy, competitive, and all that. I thought we'd be a power couple, but after a while, I became his competition and not his partner. He rejected me because I was too smart, and he believed rejections only worked one way, so he thought he won by being the first to initiate the rejection." She felt a hitch in her throat as she recalled the pain of that night.

A tear escaped her eye, falling on Riley's skin, causing his heart to flinch. He pulled her into his body, burying her head in his chest.

"It's fine. You don't need to continue. I'm sorry, please forgive me," he pleaded as he caressed her soft hair.

The pity he felt for her turned into other emotions, eventually settling on anger. He wanted to find this Noah guy and beat him to a pulp for hurting her, but it made him wonder if they would ever have had a chance if Noah hadn't rejected her.

"Hazel!" Finn's voice trailed off from a distance...