Bound to the Triplet Alphas

ARIA POV

"Run!" I screamed, shoving my mates toward the secret tunnel as another explosion rocked the pack house. Smoke filled the room, burning my eyes and lungs.

I had made my choice the moment Emma showed her betrayal. I couldn’t save both the pack and the town. But I could buy time.

"Get everyone to the safe caves," I ordered. "I’ll distract them."

"Absolutely not," Kael growled, grabbing my arm. "You’re coming with us."

"I have a plan," I declared, pulling away. "Trust me."

Before any of them could stop me, I darted in the opposite direction, toward the chaos instead of away from it. Behind me, I heard Kael screaming my name, but I didn’t look back.

Minutes later, I slipped through the forest alone, moving as quietly as possible despite my big belly. The twins kicked frantically inside me, feeling my fear.

"It’s okay," I whispered, touching my stomach. "We’ll be safe soon."

At least, I hoped so.

Elder Malin’s words repeated in my mind: "Remember the omega who survived in shadows." Before I became Luna, before I had power or mates, I had lived by being invisible. By knowing all the secret places others overlooked.

Like the Ancient Grounds.

The old burial site lay hidden deep in the forest, miles from both the pack house and the human town. No one went there anymore – too many stories of ghosts and curses. But Elder Malin had once told me it was a place of power, where the veil between worlds weakened.

A place where I might find answers.

The trip took hours. Twice I had to hide as strange vehicles with bright lights passed close – human weapons, or the false queen’s allies, I couldn’t tell. Each time, I held my breath until they passed, then continued my slow walk through the darkness.

Dawn was breaking when I finally reached the Ancient Grounds. A circle of seven massive stones stood in a clearing, covered in moss and old carvings. In the middle lay a flat stone altar, black as night.

My legs ached. My back throbbed. I was exhausted and scared for my pack, my mates, my babies. But I had nowhere else to turn.

I approached the center stone and put my hands on its cold surface.

"Please," I whispered. "I need help. My pack needs help."

Nothing happened.

Frustrated tears filled my eyes. I had risked everything to come here, and for what? Old rocks and silence?

"I don’t know what to do!" I shouted at the stones. "Everyone is looking to me for answers, but I don’t have any! I’m just an omega who got lucky!"

My voice echoed through the clearing. Birds scattered from nearby trees.

Then I remembered something Queen Lysandra had told me before she’d dropped back into her deep sleep: "The power isn’t in being Alpha or Omega. It’s in the blood. The blood remembers."

Blood. Of course.

I paused only a moment before biting down hard on my palm. Pain shot through my hand as my teeth broke skin. Blood welled up, bright red in the morning light.

I pressed my wounded palm against the center stone and closed my eyes.

"By my blood, I call to those who came before," I said, the words coming from somewhere deep inside me. "Guide me. Show me the way."

The ground beneath me shook. The air grew heavy, like before a storm. When I opened my eyes, I gasped.

I wasn’t alone anymore.

Seven figures stood in a circle around me – wolf souls, glowing with soft blue light. Some were male, some female. All wore ancient clothing and had eyes that shone with knowledge and power.

"The Lost Queen returns," said one, an old woman with silver hair. "After all these centuries."

"I’m not lost," I argued. "I know exactly where I am."

The ghosts laughed, the sound like wind through leaves.

"You are lost in more ways than you know, child," said another spirit, a tall man with a battle-scarred face. "Your memory, your past, your true name – all hidden from you."

My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean? Who am I?"

"That is not why you came," said a third ghost, younger than the others. "You seek guidance about the human threat."

I nodded, trying to focus. "Yes. A human group claims to want an alliance, but they betrayed us. Now my pack is under threat, and I don’t know who to trust."

"Humans have sought our power since the beginning of time," said the old woman. "They fear what they cannot control."

"But some humans have helped us," I replied, thinking of the stories Elder Malin had told me. "Not all of them are enemies."

"True," admitted the scarred man. "But those who organize, who create weapons and badges and secret agencies – they seek only to dominate."

The spirits moved closer, their light washing over me in waves of cold.

"Listen carefully, daughter of our line," said the old woman. "The human with purple eyes is not your enemy."

I stared at her in confusion. "Emma? She just betrayed us to the false queen!"

"Things are not always what they seem," said the young spirit. "The one you call Emma made the only choice she could."

"I don’t understand," I said, frustration rising. "Can’t you give me a straight answer? My pack is in danger right now!"

"Your pack is safer than you know," said the scarred man. "But your babies are not."

Fear gripped my heart. "What do you mean? What’s going to happen to my babies?"

"The curse of twins," muttered the old woman. "One to make, one to destroy. It has always been thus."

"No," I said strongly. "I won’t accept that. I’ll protect both my children."

The spirits traded glances. Then the old woman stepped forward, putting her ghostly hand over my stomach. Though I couldn’t directly feel her touch, warmth spread through my body.

"The false queen believes she needs both children for the ritual," she said. "She is wrong. She needs only one – the destroyer." "And the other?" I asked, barely able to breathe.

"The maker must be hidden. Protected. Kept from all who would use its power."

Tears filled my eyes. "You’re asking me to separate my children."

"To save them both," said the scarred man. "To save all wolves."

"How can I possibly choose?" I cried. "How do I even know which is which?"

The old woman smiled sadly. "You already know. A mother always knows."

Deep down, I realized she was right. Through our bond, I had felt the different energies of my twins – one calm and bright, the other fierce and restless.

"There is little time," warned the young spirit. "The blood moon rises tomorrow night. You must act before then."

"Wait," I begged as the spirits began to fade. "You still haven’t told me who I really am!"

The old woman’s voice grew faraway. "Find the stone wolf where the three rivers meet. There lies the truth of your birth."

"And beware the one who shares your face," added the scarred man. "She is not what she seems either."

"Wait!" I called again, but they were already gone, leaving me alone in the clearing.

I sank to my knees, overcome by what I had learned. Save one child by hiding it? Find a stone wolf? Trust Emma after her betrayal? It was too much.

A twig snapped behind me. I whirled around, ready to fight despite my tiredness.

Lucien stepped into the open, his hands raised to show he meant no harm.

"How did you find me?" I asked, relief washing over me.

"I followed our bond," he said simply. "Are you alright? The babies?"

"We’re fine," I told him. "What about the pack? The attack?"

"Minimal damage," Lucien said. "It was mostly a distraction."

"A distraction from what?"

Lucien’s face got serious. "Emma fled during the chaos. She left a message for you."

"What did it say?" I asked warily.

"’The stone wolf guards the seventh cradle,’" Lucien quoted. "What does that mean?"

My blood turned to ice. Those words – they matched what the ghosts had just told me.

"Lucien," I whispered, "there’s something I need to tell you about our babies."

Before I could continue, a howl pierced the air – the alarm call of our pack. Lucien’s head snapped up.

"That’s Kael," he said, already turning to run. "Something’s wrong."

I followed as quickly as my pregnant body would allow, fear giving me strength I didn’t know I had.

We were halfway back to the pack house when we met Jaxon, running toward us. His clothes were torn and bloody.

"What happened?" I asked.

Jaxon’s eyes were wild with fear – something I’d never seen in him before.

"It’s Kael," he panted. "The false queen has him. And she’s wearing your face."