The Alpha Triplets And The Rogue
Chapter 142

Erica’s POV

“A DNA test?” I screech through the phone. “Why on earth would you need a paternity test?”

“I just need to be sure,” Ace says.

“Sure of what?” I scoff. “Do you think that I was unfaithful?”

“Of course, not,” Ace bellows through the phone. “I need to know that my mother didn’t switch the babies.”

“Babies?” I ponder what he has just said. “Are you saying that you are questioning whether Raven is ours or not as well?”

“I am saying that it is not beyond the realm of possibility. As much as I want to see myself in Raven, as much as I want to see you in Raven… I don’t,” Ace’s voice trails off.

“How can you say such a thing?” I gasp. “I watched them pull Raven from my body and lay her on the ground beside the tub. I know for a fact that she is mine.”

“Please, Little Fox,” Ace begs through the phone. “It would put my mind at ease. It is a simple test and Raven will not be harmed.”

“And what if neither of these children is ours?” I pose the question. “What do we do then? I have already grown attached to her.”

Ace sighs heavily. “Then we will raise her as our own but we will not stop looking for our children.”

“What of the boy child?” I ask hesitantly. “Does he not resemble you?”

Suddenly there is a scuffling noise on the other end of the phone. I can hear Bryce demanding to speak to me and I know that they must be fighting for the phone. The thought puts a smile on my face. Eventually, the muffled sound on the other end of the phone ends and I hear Bryce’s voice on the other end of the phone.

His voice is breathless as he begins to speak. It must have been quite the fight for the phone. “He looks just like us, Erica,” Bryce says with an edge to his voice. I can tell that he doesn’t fully agree with Ace.

A smile spreads across my face as I think about a miniature version of the triplets running around, with a head of golden curls. I just know that they have found the right child.

“I would like to speak to my mother,” I say. I know that she will have some insight into this whole matter that we haven’t thought of yet.

The other end of the phone suddenly goes silent. Something is wrong. Something that they are keeping from me. I wait in silence for Bryce or Ace to say something but neither one do.

“What happened?” I choke on the words as they come out of my mouth. “Where is my mother?”

“There was an attack at the cabin,” Bryce says quietly. “I did all that I could but there were just too many of them.”

“I don’t understand,” I whisper through the phone.

Ace’s voice comes across the line. “Mother had a small army of rogues waiting for us at the cabin.” He chooses his words slowly and deliberately. “They were ordered to attack your mother only.”

I swallow the lump that is forming in the back of my throat and fight back the tears that are threatening to fall. I know exactly what the brothers are trying to say to me. My mother is gone.

“Erica,” Ace’s voice comes over the phone. “Erica, are you there?”

I nod my head even though I know that Ace cannot see me. I am lost in thought as I think about my mother and how I never got to say goodbye.

“Your mother wanted to help us find our son,” Ace breaks through the silence again. “She fought amazingly.”

I stay quiet. I cannot think of the right words to say. My mother put her life in danger to try and save my son and now she is gone. Despair fills the room around me. I had just gotten my mother back from being banished and now she is gone again.

Chris must have felt my sorrow through the mate bond because he immediately storms into the bedroom. He scans the room for any sort of danger but when he doesn’t find any his eyes land on me. Carefully he takes the phone from my hands and hangs up the call.

“What happened?” He asks, but I have a feeling that he already knows the answer.

“My mother…” I begin but my voice gets caught in my throat. Soft sobs begin to take over my body as I think about my mother.

Chris gathers me into his arms and holds me while I cry. He doesn’t say anything more or ask questions. He simply holds me while I cry. My phone rings over and over again, but I push it away from me and refuse to answer it.

After what feels like hours. I am left a sniveling mess. My eyes are puffy and red and my throat is hoarse from crying.

Once Chris is sure that I am done crying he wipes the dried tears from my cheeks and gives me a sympathetic look. “What do you want to do?”

I close my eyes and take in a deep breath. Sitting around and crying isn’t going to solve any problems. “We need to contact my father at the West Pack and we need to make arrangements for my mother’s funeral.”

Chris shifts awkwardly on the couch. “I am sure your father already knows,” he mumbles. “He would have been able to feel her die.”

Of course, he would already know. How could I be so stupid? Quickly I grab my phone and dial my father’s number.

“Hello?” My father’s voice sounds hoarse and a bit slurred.

“Dad,” I say as tears begin to fill my eyes once again.

“How did she go?” My father asks.

“Bravely,” I sob. “She died trying to protect my son.”

A loud sigh comes through the phone and I know that my father is trying to choke back tears. “She wouldn’t have had it any other way,” he finally says.