Aria backed away as Elias Crow closed the door behind him. His gray eyes gleamed like polished stones in the fading light.
"You shouldn't be here," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "Alpha Raphael ordered" "Alpha Raphael isn't the only one with power in this pack," Elias interrupted, his beautiful face tight with anger. "Do you have any idea what you've done today?" The golden threads linking Aria to the triplets hummed with tension. She could almost feel Dorian's worry, miles away in the Great Hall.
"I didn't do anything," Aria maintained. "The bond just... happened." Elias laughed, but no humor reached his eyes.
"Things like this don't 'just happen,' little Luna. Especially not to the daughter of a Beta who made vows he couldn't keep." Aria frowned. "What promises? What are you talking about?" Elias circled her like an animal.
His expensive clothes rustled as he moved, reminding Aria of her plain tunic and old boots. "Your father promised me support in my bid to become Luna's mate," he explained. "In return, I would ensure your family's position remained secure after Alpha Raphael steps down."
"That's ridiculous," Aria said. "Omegas don't become Luna." "Exactly," Elias hissed. "Yet here you stand, somehow linked to all three princes at once." A sharp pain stabbed through Aria's chest. She gasped, pressing her hand against her heart.
Through the golden threads, she felt the triplets moving farther away. "What's happening to you?" Elias asked, suddenly interested.
"The bond," Aria whispered. "Rowan Vale said separation might hurt." Elias's face changed, calculation replacing anger. "Interesting. So it's real, then. Not some trick." He stepped closer, and Aria backed against the wall. "Stay away from me."
"Or what?" he pressed. "You'll call your new mates? They can't hear you. They can't help you." But even as he spoke, the door burst open. Dorian stood in the doorway, his green eyes blazing with anger. "Step away from her, Crow," he growled.
Elias jumped back, surprise flashing across his face. "How did you" "I felt her fear," Dorian said simply. He looked at Aria, his face softening. "Are you hurt?" She shook her head, relief rushing through her.
"This tower is off-limits by Alpha's command," Elias recovered quickly. "Even to you, prince." "I don't care," Dorian answered. "My father doesn't understand what's happening. None of us do." He turned to Aria. "But I'm not leaving you alone with him."
Footsteps pounded up the stairs. Tobias appeared next, slightly out of breath, his glasses askew. "Dorian, Father is looking everywhere for" He stopped, noticing Elias. "What are you doing here, Crow?"
Before Elias could answer, Marcus's dark form filled the entry. "The guards are coming," he stated gruffly. He glared at Aria.
"Whatever spell you've cast, witch, it's making me act against my will." "It's not a spell," Aria argued. "Then what is it?" Tobias asked, genuine interest in his voice. "I felt your distress from halfway across the keep."
"The triplet bond grows stronger," a new voice said. Rowan Vale shuffled into the busy room, her staff tapping against the stone floor.
"Already you feel each other's strongest emotions." Elias backed toward the door. "This is crazy. Alpha Raphael will hear about this breach of his rules." "Run along, then," Dorian said dismissively. "Tell my father whatever you wish. It won't change what's happening." After Elias left, Rowan Vale closed the door. Her ancient face creased with worry as she looked at the four young wolves. "The bond forms faster than I expected," she whispered. "Already it draws you together against all commands."
"Make it stop," Marcus commanded. "I don't want some random Omega in my head." His words stung, but Aria felt the lie through their link. Part of him a small, buried part was fascinated by the link. "I can't make it stop," Rowan said. "But I can help you understand it." She reached into her robes and pulled out a small leather bag. From it, she took a glittering stone that pulsed with inner light. "A fragment of the moonstone," she explained, holding it up. The light cast strange shadows across her lined face.
"The true stone was stolen years ago, but this piece remains." "What does it do?" Tobias asked, leaning closer to study it. "It shows truth," Rowan responded. "Hold hands, all of you." The triplets traded uncomfortable glances. "Now," Rowan demanded. Reluctantly, they formed a circle. Dorian took Aria's hand without hesitation. Tobias followed with gentle care.
Marcus scowled but finished the circle, his calloused fingers barely touching Aria's skin. Rowan put the moonstone fragment in the center of their joined hands. It flared with bright blue light, bathing the tower room in its glow. Aria gasped as pictures flooded her mind not her memories, but theirs. She saw Dorian as a child, fighting to protect his brothers from their father's sadness. She felt the weight of duty crush down on his young shoulders.
She glimpsed Tobias hiding in the library, finding comfort in old scrolls when the world became too much. His loneliness wrapped around her heart. And Marcus she witnessed him standing on the cliffs overlooking pack territory, howling his anger to the moon, feeling like an afterthought, the third son.
"Do you see?" Rowan asked softly. "Do you understand now?" Aria looked up to find all three brothers staring at her with shocked faces. "You saw us," Tobias whispered. "And we saw you." Aria nodded, tears filling her eyes. They had witnessed her memories too years of being unseen, watching the triplets from afar, dreaming of importance she never thought she'd have.
"This isn't possible," Marcus mumbled, but his voice had lost its edge. "The moonstone reveals what's already there," Rowan explained. "Each of you carries a part of Aria's soul, and she carries pieces of yours. The bond didn't make this connection it revealed it." "Why?" Dorian asked, still holding Aria's hand tightly.
"Why us? Why her?" Rowan Vale's milky eyes turned toward the window, where the first stars were showing in the twilight sky. "Some secrets must reveal themselves in their own time," she said. "But know this what happened today was foretold generations ago."
Heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs outside. Alpha Raphael's angry words carried through the stone walls. "We need to go," Tobias said hurriedly to his brothers. Marcus was already going for the window. "There's a ledge we can use to reach the next tower." Dorian paused, looking at Aria. "I won't leave you here."
"You must," Rowan urged. "For now. The bond needs time to settle, and your father needs time to accept what cannot be changed." "I'll be okay," Aria promised, though fear fluttered in her chest. Dorian's jaw tightened. Then, in a swift move that surprised everyone, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Aria's forehead
"We'll return," he vowed. The golden thread joining them pulsed brightly. Aria felt warmth spread through her entire body. Tobias squeezed her hand once before following his brother to the window. Marcus paused, his dark eyes meeting hers. "This changes nothing," he said gruffly, but the bond revealed his confusion.
After they disappeared through the window, Rowan Vale pressed the moonstone piece into Aria's palm. "Keep this close," she directed. "When the time comes, you'll need it." "What time?" Aria asked. "What's going to happen to me?" The old seer's face softened with kindness.
"Change, child. Painful, wonderful change." The door burst open. Alpha Raphael stormed in, his face dark with rage. "Where are they?" he asked, searching the room. "Gone," Rowan answered calmly. "As they should be, for now."
Alpha Raphael turned his cold look on Aria. "You. What spell have you cast on my sons?" "None, Alpha," Aria answered, surprised by the calm in her voice. The moonstone felt warm against her palm. "Liar," he snarled. "No Beta's daughter bonds with Alpha heirs without trickery." "She speaks truth," Rowan urged. "The bond is ancient magic, older than your bloodline."
Something dangerous sparked in Raphael's eyes. "Ancient magic can still be broken." He turned to the guards behind him. "Post men at every entry to this tower. No one comes or leaves without my permission." As they bowed and withdrew, Raphael leaned close to Aria.
"Whatever you think you've gained today, girl, know this I've ruled this pack for thirty years. I pick who becomes Luna, not some mystical bond." After he left, Rowan Vale shook her head sadly. "He fears what he doesn't understand."
"What should I do?" Aria asked, clutching the moonstone piece. "Listen to the bond," Rowan suggested. "It will guide you." As the old seer shuffled toward the door, Aria called after her. "Wait! You said 'Beta's daughter' like it meant something important. Why?" Rowan paused, her ancient face unreadable in the growing darkness. "Ask your father about your mother's family, child.
Ask him what truly happened eighteen years ago." The door closed, leaving Aria alone with her jumbled thoughts and three golden threads pulsing with life. Outside her window, a figure moved in the shadows of the nearby tower. For a moment, she glimpsed Elias Crow watching her, his face contorted with anger. Beside him stood a hooded person Aria didn't recognize.
They traded something a small package and what looked like a scroll. Aria pressed herself against the wall, hiding from their view. The threads linking her to the triplets hummed with warning. Something was very wrong in Suncrest Pack, and somehow, Aria was at the center of it all.