Bound to the Triplet Alphas

ARIA POV

"Hold him down!" I shouted as Jaxon’s body bucked wildly in the back of the van. His eyes were still pitch black, and that terrible smile twisted his face.

This wasn’t my Jaxon. This was something else—something old and evil.

Kael and Lucien pinned Jaxon’s arms while I pressed my hands against his chest. Even through his shirt, his skin burned like fire. The babies inside me kicked furiously, as if they could sense the danger.

"What’s happening to him?" Lucien asked, fighting to keep Jaxon’s arm down.

"The First Enemy," Emma explained, checking Jaxon’s heart. "It’s an old spirit that was trapped in that stone carving. The experts combined its DNA with Jaxon’s."

The thing inside Jaxon laughed—a sound that sent chills down my spine.

"Such strong little wolves," it said in a voice that wasn’t Jaxon’s. "You think you can stop me? I’ve waited ages to be free."

"Jaxon, fight it!" I cried, desperately trying to reach him through our bond. But where I usually felt his warm, bright energy, there was only cold darkness.

The thing in Jaxon’s body turned those black eyes on me. "Your mate is gone, little Luna. His body belongs to me now."

"No!" I pressed harder against his chest, trying to push through the darkness with my mind. "Jaxon, I know you’re in there. Come back to us!"

For just a second, the darkness in his eyes flickered, showing a flash of blue. Then Jaxon gasped, his back arching.

"A-Aria?" It was Jaxon’s voice this time, strained and weak. "Help me. It’s so strong."

"I’m here," I said, tears running down my face. "Fight it, Jaxon. Don’t let it win."

But the moment went too quickly. The black returned to his eyes, and that wicked smile spread across his face again.

"Pathetic," the thing hissed. "He thinks he can fight me."

With a sudden burst of strength, Jaxon—or the thing inside him—broke free from Kael’s grip. His hand shot out, grabbing my throat.

"Let her go!" Kael roared, trying to pry the fingers away.

I couldn’t move. The hand around my neck was strong as steel. Spots danced in my vision as I stared into those black eyes.

Then, just as quickly, the grip loosened. Jaxon’s body went limp, his eyes rolling back in his head.

"He’s unconscious," Emma said, checking him quickly. "We need to get him somewhere safe. Somewhere we can control him."

"The old hunting cabin," Lucien offered. "It has a basement with reinforced walls."

Kael nodded, already pulling out his phone to make plans.

I rubbed my throat, still able to feel Jaxon’s fingers there. "That wasn’t him," I whispered. "Jaxon would never hurt me."

"I know," Lucien said kindly, putting his arm around my shoulders. "We’ll find a way to help him."

But looking at Jaxon’s unaware form, I wondered if that was even possible.

The basement of the hunting house was cold and dark. We had chained Jaxon to a heavy metal chair in the middle of the room. Silver chains—the only thing strong enough to hold a werewolf—wrapped around his wrists and legs.

He had been unconscious for hours. Lucien had tried every mending method he knew, but nothing worked. The strange glow under Jaxon’s skin pulsed like a heartbeat.

"His body is fighting the change," Lucien explained, checking Jaxon’s temperature again. "Part of him is still Jaxon, but the Moonfire serum and this ancient entity are taking over."

"Can you save him?" I asked, my hand sitting on my pregnant belly for comfort.

Lucien looked worried. "Normal repair won’t work. The damage isn’t just physical—it’s in his DNA, in his very soul."

Kael paced the room like a caged animal. "We should have killed that doctor when we had the chance."

"That wouldn’t have helped Jaxon," I said. "We need to find a cure."

Emma had set up a makeshift lab in the corner, studying blood samples she’d taken from Jaxon. "The serum is still active in his system. It’s rewriting his DNA code."

Jaxon stirred, his head slowly rising. His eyes opened—still solid black.

"How touching," the thing inside him said, looking around at all of us. "A family reunion."

"Where’s Jaxon?" I demanded, stepping closer despite Kael’s warning hand on my arm.

The thing grinned with Jaxon’s face. "He’s in here, yelling. Would you like to hear him?"

Suddenly, Jaxon’s face twisted in pain, and his real voice broke through. "Aria! It’s so dark... help me!"

Tears filled my eyes. "Jaxon! Keep fighting!"

The black eyes returned. "He’s too weak. Soon there will be nothing left of him."

"What are you?" Kael demanded. "What do you want?"

"I am the First Enemy," it responded. "The one your ancestors trapped in stone because they feared my power. And what I want is freedom. Revenge. To finish what I started centuries ago."

"Which is what?" Lucien asked.

The thing smiled. "To destroy the Moon Goddess and all her children. Starting with your precious pack."

A chill ran through me. "We won’t let that happen."

The thing laughed. "You can’t stop me. This body gets stronger every minute. Soon the chains won’t hold me."

As if to prove the point, the silver chains started to glow and melt where they touched Jaxon’s skin.

"That’s impossible," Kael whispered. "Nothing can melt silver like that."

"I told you," the creature said, "I’m not like anything you’ve ever faced."

I stepped forward again, ignoring everyone’s protests. I had to try to reach Jaxon through our link. It was perverted and twisted, but maybe, just maybe, I could find him in there.

I put my hands on either side of Jaxon’s face. The skin burned against my hands, but I didn’t pull away.

"Jaxon," I whispered, closing my eyes and focusing on our bond. "I know you’re in there. Feel me. Remember who you are."

Something flared in the darkness—a tiny spark of light. Jaxon’s energy.

"That’s it," I urged. "Fight back. Remember your brothers. Remember me. Remember who you really are."

The spark grew brighter, pushing against the darkness.

The creature growled, trying to pull away from my touch. "Stop it!"

"Jaxon, come back to us," I begged, pushing all my strength into our bond.

For a moment, the black faded from his eyes, replaced by glowing blue. "Aria," Jaxon gasped. "It’s too strong. I can’t hold it back much longer."

"You can," I urged. "You’re stronger than it is."

Jaxon shook his head. "You need to kill me," he said quickly. "Before it takes over totally. Before it uses me to hurt you."

"No!" I cried. "We’ll find another way."

"There is no other way," Jaxon insisted, his voice getting weaker as the blue in his eyes flickered. "It knows everything I know. It has all my skills and more. If it breaks free, no one will be able to stop it."

The blue was disappearing fast, black creeping back in from the edges.

"Jaxon, no!" I begged.

With his last moment of control, Jaxon looked into my eyes. "I love you, Aria. Tell my brothers I’m sorry."

Then the black consumed his eyes fully, and that terrible smile returned.

"How sweet," the thing mocked. "His last words." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

The remaining chains snapped with a sound like gunshots. Before anyone could respond, Jaxon’s body rose from the chair, suspended in midair by some invisible force.

"Now," the First Enemy said through Jaxon’s mouth, "the real fun begins."

A blast of power knocked us all backward. As my head hit the wall, the last thing I saw was Jaxon’s body floating toward the stairs, those pitch-black eyes gleaming with ancient hate.

The First Enemy was free.