Fated to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 68: Awake

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Chapter 68

~Author’s POV~

The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the first sound Troy heard and registered. Followed by the harsh, sterile scent of antiseptic.

Pain followed immediately after, crawling through his body slowly, settling deep into his ribs, his jaw, and the back of his head. Every breath felt heavy, as if his lungs had forgotten how to work properly.

Slowly, painfully, he forced his heavy eyelids open. A blinding white light assaulted his vision, making him wince as a dull, throbbing ache echoed through his ribs and jaw.

He had been completely unconscious for three days, his body shutting down from the brutal, merciless beating he had received at the hands of the Triplet Alphas, and subsequently, his own father.

As his vision finally cleared, the blurry shape beside his bed sharpened into focus.

His mother sat in a plastic chair, her eyes red and puffy from crying, but the moment she realized he was awake, relief flooded her expression so quickly that tears gathered again.

"Troy," she gasped, immediately jumping up and pressing a trembling kiss to his bruised forehead. "Oh, thank god. You are awake." She grabbed his hand tightly. "You’re awake."

His throat felt dry when he tried to speak. "Mum..."

Before he could even force another raspy word past his dry lips, she was already pressing the call button. "He’s awake!" she told the nurse rushing past the door. "My son is awake!"

Within seconds, doctors and nurses filled the room. They ran through a series of thorough assessments, checking his vitals, his pupil dilation, and his reflexes, monitored his pulse, and adjusted the machines around him. Troy answered sluggishly, still trying to piece together what had happened.

After what felt like an eternity of poking and prodding, the lead doctor finally stepped back with a satisfied nod.

"His vitals are stabilizing nicely," the doctor announced, writing something down on his clipboard.

"Thank goodness," his mum muttered.

"Young man, you are lucky," the doctor said. "You’ve been unconscious for three days. We’ll keep you under observation for twenty-four hours to ensure there is no internal swelling, and if everything remains stable, you’ll be cleared for discharge by tomorrow afternoon."

Three days. The words settled heavily in his mind. Soon after, the doctors left shortly, and silence returned to the room.

Troy shifted slightly against the stiff hospital pillows. He glanced around the empty room, noticing the glaring absence of the one person who usually demanded to be the center of attention.

Troy turned his head slowly toward his mother. "Dad," he rasped. "Where is he?"

At the mere mention of his father, his mother’s warm countenance completely fell. Her jaw tightened, and a cold, bitter hardness settled over her features.

"Do not worry yourself about your father right now," she said dismissively, turning away to busy herself with the water pitcher on the bedside table.

Unable to let the matter slide, especially not after the hell he had just been put through, Troy forced himself to sit up an inch higher. "Mom. Where is he? Why isn’t he here?"

She slammed the plastic cup down onto the table, her anger finally boiling over. "Because that useless man has not set foot in this hospital once to check on you!" she snapped, her voice trembling with rage.

Troy blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Even after putting you in this situation, he hasn’t bothered to show his face."

Troy stared at her, completely downcast. The betrayal stung, but it wasn’t entirely surprising. He lowered his gaze.

"It is a good thing his company completely crashed," she added spitefully, crossing her arms over her chest. "Since he clearly values his reputation and his business more than he values his own family."

Troy’s head jerked up despite the pain shooting up his spine, his eyes widening in pure shock. "What? It... Father’s company... crashed? How?"

"Yes," she spat bitterly. "He dabbled in the wrong things, Troy. He messed with the wrong people."

Troy looked down at his lap, a heavy wave of remorse and guilt washing over him. "This is my fault," he muttered. "I brought the Triplet Alphas to our door. I made them come after him."

"No," his mother interrupted quickly, her anger softening slightly as she reached out to place her hand over his. "This is not your fault. The truth simply came to light. Your father was involved with some very bad gangs, Troy. He was caught smuggling drugs."

Troy shook his head, his mind racing to piece the timeline together. "But I overheard him screaming in his study the other day. He said the Lycan King had personally ensured that most of his major business partners pulled out of their deals with him. They were threatened with shutdowns entirely if they stayed aligned with our family."

His mother’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. "What?"

"Yes," Troy insisted, his voice growing desperate. "I do not know how Jade could know the Lycan King. Or perhaps, since the triplets are close to the Lycan King, they used their connections to get revenge. But they ruined him."

His mother shook her head firmly. "Enough. You are not thinking about any of this at all. The company is gone, but I have got you. We will survive this. Right now, you just need to rest and heal.

Before Troy could respond, her phone rang by the bedside table. She glanced at the screen to check the caller ID, her expression tightening again as she stood.

"I need to step out and take this," she murmured, giving his hand one last squeeze before hurrying out into the hallway.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Left entirely alone, Troy groaned loudly, carefully turning onto his side. The movement sent pain shooting through his ribs, reminding him just how badly he had been beaten.

His gaze landed on his phone resting on the bedside cabinet. He reached out and grabbed it.

The phone in his palm triggered a sudden, violent rush of memories. The Triplet Alphas—the sons of the Lycan King’s Beta—storming into his father’s house. Their glowing Alpha eyes. The brutal, agonizing beating they had unleashed on him without giving him a single chance to explain himself.

His brows creased heavily in anger. Yes, he had helped spread the photoshopped nude of Jade, but it had not even been his idea. Someone else had planned everything. Someone who promised there would be no consequences.

And now he was the only one suffering the devastating consequences.

"That bitch," he muttered under his breath. As soon as he unlocked the screen, an incoming call from his friend Pen flashed across the display. Troy hit accept and brought the phone to his ear.

"Pen," Troy greeted roughly.

A sharp gasp came from the other end. "Troy? Holy shit, man! You’re awake. I called earlier, and your mom said you were hospitalised. Are you okay?"

Troy scoffed bitterly. "What do you think, Pen? After everything that went down?"

Pen hesitated. "Sorry, man. What really happened?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Troy exhaled slowly before explaining everything. "The Alpha triplets barged into my house. They attacked me, nearly killed me, and then my father decided to finish the job and beat me until I collapsed."

There was a heavy pause on the line. "Is it true, Troy?" Pen asked quietly. "Did you actually spread that nude picture of Jade?"

Troy’s anger spiked instantly. "Yes! I did!" he hissed into the receiver. "But that bitch assured me we would not be caught. She swore it could never be traced back to us. She told me she had tied up all the loose ends."

"Wait, who?" Pen asked, clearly confused. "Who set you up?"

Troy’s jaw locked. He spat the name out like absolute poison. "Silvie."