Bound to the Triplet Alphas

ARIA POV

"He’s not betraying us," I shouted, slamming my hand on the table. "Jaxon would never do that!"

The pack warriors traded nervous glances. No one wanted to fight with their pregnant Luna, especially not now.

"Then why is he telling the humans all about our escape tunnels?" asked a young fighter, his face covered with dirt and blood.

Before I could answer, a sharp pain shot through my chest. I gasped, doubling over. The pain wasn’t physical—it was something deeper, like a thread being pulled too tight inside my soul.

"Aria!" Lucien was at my side in an instant, holding me up. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s Jaxon," I whispered, holding my chest. "Something’s happening to him."

The mate link connecting me to my three mates usually felt like warm threads of light. Kael’s was already pushed thin since his capture. But now Jaxon’s—wild and bright orange in my mind—was flashing dangerously.

"He’s in trouble," I said, standing up. "We need to help him now."

Elder Malin stepped forward, her wise eyes squinted. "The human report could be a trick to draw you out."

"Or Jaxon could be playing double agent," added another fighter hopefully.

I shook my head. "You don’t understand. I can feel it. The bond—it’s weakening."

As if to prove my point, another wave of pain washed over me. This time I tasted blood in my mouth. The babies kicked frantically inside me, feeling my distress.

"That settles it," Lucien said, his voice leaving no room for debate. "I’m going after him."

"Not alone," I urged.

"You can’t come," he said gently. "The babies—"

"Will be fine," I cut him off. "I’m not staying here while two of my mates are in danger."

Lucien looked like he wanted to argue, but he knew that stubborn look in my eyes. Instead, he turned to Mira, who had returned alone from the failed mission.

"What exactly did you see before you got separated?"

Mira’s hands trembled as she spoke. "We made it to the radio tower. Jaxon got us past the first security stop using that badge he had. But then someone recognized him—a human woman with a scar across her cheek. She called him by name."

"And then?"

"Chaos," Mira said. "Jaxon pushed me toward an air vent and told me to run. The last I saw, they were surrounding him. They had those tools that block shifting."

I rubbed my chest where the pain was becoming a regular ache. "If they hurt him..."

"We’ll make them pay," Lucien ended. "But we need a plan." freeweɓnovel.cѳm

While they talked strategy, I closed my eyes and focused on the bond. I’d never tried reaching out through it before, had never needed to. But now I gathered my power and pushed my thoughts along that fading orange thread.

Jaxon, where are you? We’re coming for you.

At first, nothing. Then, so faint I almost missed it, a reply: Trap... don’t come... stone wolf...

My eyes flew open. "He’s living! But he says it’s a trap."

"Of course it’s a trap," Lucien said. "They want all three of us."

"He also mentioned the stone wolf," I added, puzzled. "Why would he—"

Another pain hit me, sharper than before. This time I couldn’t hold back my scream. My legs gave out, and Lucien caught me before I hit the floor.

"What’s happening to her?" someone asked.

Elder Malin’s face emerged above me, her ancient eyes filled with worry. "The link is tearing. When mates are forced separated under extreme stress, it can cause physical pain."

"Will it hurt the babies?" I asked, fear rising.

"Not yet," she said. "But if this continues..."

She didn’t need to finish. I understood the danger. The pain was getting worse by the minute, which meant whatever they were doing to Jaxon was breaking our link.

"Help me up," I ordered, gritting my teeth. "We’re leaving now."

Fifteen minutes later, a small team was ready. Me, Lucien, Mira, and three of our best fighters. The rest would stay to protect the pack house.

Just as we were going out, Elder Malin pressed something into my hand—a small leather pouch.

"Moon tears," she whispered. "If the link weakens too much, swallow one. It will give you temporary relief."

I nodded gratefully and tucked the pouch into my pocket.

We slipped out through a secret passage that led to the forest behind the pack house. The night was strangely quiet—too quiet for a forest usually teeming with life.

"They’re watching," Lucien whispered.

As if on cue, a spotlight cut through the trees, causing us to freeze. Human voices carried on the wind, barking orders. They were getting closer.

"Split up," I whispered. "Mira, take the others and make a distraction. Lucien and I will find Jaxon."

No one disagreed with their Luna. As the others melted into the darkness, Lucien led me deeper into the bush, away from the human patrols.

The pain in my chest grew with each step. By the time we reached the old deer trail going to the radio tower, I was struggling to breathe.

"Take one of those moon tears," Lucien suggested.

I shook my head. "Not yet. I need to feel the bond to find him."

Following that fading thread was like following a dying star. It led us not toward the radio tower as predicted, but east, toward the river boundary of our territory.

"They’ve moved him," Lucien realized. "But why?"

Another flash of Jaxon’s thoughts reached me: Stone wolf... danger... Emma...

"It’s connected to the stone wolf shrine," I gasped. "They’re taking him there—or maybe Kael is already there."

A faraway howl broke the silence—one of our pack giving a warning signal. We were running out of time.

Just as we reached the riverbank, the pain became unbearable. I fell to my knees, a scream trapped in my throat. It felt like something was being ripped from inside me.

"Aria!" Lucien’s worried voice seemed far away.

With shaky hands, I pulled out Elder Malin’s pouch and swallowed one of the moon tears. It dissolved on my mouth like ice, sending a wave of cold relief through my body.

As the pain subsided, I realized with fear that I could no longer feel Jaxon’s bond. The bright orange thread that had always been there, even when he was far away, was gone.

"I can’t feel him anymore," I whispered, tears running down my face. "Lucien, I can’t feel Jaxon!"

Lucien’s face went pale. "That’s not possible unless..."

He couldn’t finish the sentence. We both knew what it could mean. Death was the only thing that fully severed a mate bond.

"No," I said furiously. "He’s not dead. I would know. The link is just blocked somehow."

Before Lucien could reply, voices approached. We ducked behind a fallen tree just as a group of humans passed by, pulling something heavy.

When they were gone, we crept forward to inspect. On the ground where they had been was a patch of dark liquid. Blood. And beside it, something that made my heart stop—Jaxon’s silver ring, the one he never took off.

I picked it up with shaky fingers. The metal was still warm.

"They went that way," Lucien said, pointing toward Three Rivers Point—where the stone wolf shrine waited.

We followed, moving as quickly and quietly as possible. The moon tears kept the pain at bay, but a hollow emptiness remained where Jaxon’s link should be.

As we approached the area where the rivers met, Lucien suddenly pulled me down.

"Look," he whispered.

Through the trees, I could see the stone wolf statue, massive and ancient. Around it stood at least twenty people with weapons. In the center was a metal cage, and inside it...

"Kael," I breathed.

My first mate was barely conscious, his body covered in wounds that weren’t healing properly. Beside the cage stood Emma, talking to a woman whose back was turned to us.

When the woman turned, I had to stifle a gasp. She had my face, my hair, my body—down to the pregnant belly. The fake queen.

She approached the cage and reached through the bars to touch Kael’s face. He jerked away weakly.

"Where is the other one?" she demanded, her voice an eerie mirror of my own.

"Go to hell," Kael spat.

She smiled coldly. "We already have two of you. The third will come for his mates eventually. And then..." She stroked her belly. "Then we will have everything we need for the ritual."

Emma stepped forward, holding something wrapped in cloth. "We found this in the wolf’s possession."

She unwrapped it to reveal a small stone carving—a wolf pup.

The false queen’s eyes lit up. "Perfect. Now bring me the brother."

Two humans dragged a body forward and dropped it at her feet.

Jaxon.

His body was completely still. Blood matted his hair and soaked his shirt. He wasn’t moving. Wasn’t breathing.

And in that moment, a terrible truth hit me like a physical blow: The reason I couldn’t feel our bond anymore wasn’t because it was blocked.

It was because my mate was dead.