Page 81 of Sold to Three Alpha Kings

I’m not sure how they found me, but a part of me is glad that they did.

“Charlize.” Sinth reaches me first, dropping to his knees, hands framing my face like he needs to confirm I’m real. “You’re alive. You’re alive.” She glances back at the others as they catch up. “She’s alive!”

Sinth helps me up and then carries me in his strong arms.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Wayne lets out a sigh of relief.

There’s a cave up ahead, and they take me inside. There, they set up a campfire with the equipment they brought along.

I’m seated on a log beside the fire, wrapped in a clean, thick blanket, the sand warm beneath my bare feet.

“I don’t mean to be harsh,” Chris begins, seated across from me. “But what were you thinking, running away again?”

His voice is calm, but I can hear the fury he’s trying to hide.

“You could’ve been lost at sea, or drowned, and we never would’ve found your body,” he adds.

He’s angry.

They all are.

But they’re mindful of how they react.

I manage to raise my head, my heart broken. “Maybe it would’ve been better.”

“What? Why would you say that?” Sinth asks, more concerned than mad.

“Because I heard your conversation with the elders,” I say flatly, shifting my gaze across their faces. “They said all those horrible things about me and my child, and none of you defended me.”

“What?” Chris’s brows arch in disbelief. “That’s not true.”

“Don’t lie to me, Chris.”

“He’s not lying,” Wayne chips in. “I guess you left right before the commotion.”

My eyes squint, confused by his statement. “What commotion?”

“Wayne punched the elder who spoke out of turn about our mate and unborn child,” Sinth says.

“Huh?” My brows arch even higher.

“It’s true,” Chris adds. “And we spent the next few hours defending his actions. Defending you and our child.”

My eyes sink, and I realize that I had completely misunderstood the situation.

“I…I…didn’t know…”

They stare at me in silence.

“It’s okay,” says Sinth.

“No, it’s not.” I rise to my feet, overwhelmed by guilt. “What I did was wrong. I acted irrationally when I should’ve just trusted all three of you to handle it—the way you always do. And because of my reckless behavior, I endangered my life and the life of the child in my womb.” I cover my face in my palms. “I’m such an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot,” Chris’s voice is soft as he takes my hand.

All three of them are already flanking me.

“There’s enough blame to go around,” Wayne says. “And to be fair, we also played a huge part in this.”