ARIA POV
I threw the broken moon charm against the wall with all my strength. It bounced off and skidded across the floor, mocking with its silver gleam. Three days since Lucien left. Three days of questioning everything I thought I knew about love and fate.
"You need to eat sothing," Kael said from the doorway. His voice was softer than I’d ever heard it.
"I’m not hungry," I muttered, looking at the charm. How could my true mate betray ? The Moon Goddess wasn’t ant to make mistakes.
Kael stepped closer, pausing before sitting beside on the bed. "The pack needs their Luna strong."
"Even if their Luna was stupid enough to fall in love with a traitor?" I asked bitterly.
Kael’s jaw clenched. "We don’t know for sure that he—"
"He took the ritual book and disappeared the sa night we found the charm in his things!" I snapped. "What more proof do you need?"
Unexpectedly, Kael reached for my hand. "Lucien is my brother. I’ve known him our entire lives. This doesn’t make sense."
The feel of his hand surprised . I’d always thought of Kael as cold, the obedient future Alpha with no ti for feelings. But the worry in his eyes was real.
My heart fluttered, confusing even more. I pulled my hand away.
"I need to talk to Mira," I said suddenly.
Kael frowned. "The traitor who tried to stab you?"
"She was my friend once. Maybe she’ll tell what I need to know."
The rooms beneath the pack house were cold and damp. Mira sat on a thin cot, looking smaller than I rembered. Her eyes widened when she saw .
"The mighty Luna visits the prisoner," she said, trying to sound tough but her voice cracked.
I ignored the guards with a wave of my hand. When we were alone, I leaned against the bars.
"Why did you do it, Mira? You were my only friend when I was nothing."
She looked away. "You were never nothing, Aria. That’s why they wanted you."
"The Broken Moon group?"
She nodded.
"Tell about Lucien," I ordered, my heart aching just saying his na. "Is he really one of you?"
Mira looked surprised. "Lucien? No. He’s been fighting against them. That’s why Elder Malin hates him so much."
Relief rushed through , followed quickly by confusion. "But we found a charm in his things..."
"Soone must have planted it," she said, moving closer to the bars. "Listen to , Aria. I was wrong to join them. I was jealous when you beca Luna. But what they’re planning... it’s worse than anyone knows."
"The seven doors," I whispered. "I found a book about it."
Mira’s face paled. "Then you know they need your blood. But do you know why the First Wolf is so important?"
I shook my head.
"The First dog isn’t just any dog. It’s the physical form of the Moon Goddess’s mate from old tis. They were split when the seven doors closed thousands of years ago. Elder Malin thinks reuniting them will give him power over both worlds."
My mind raced. "But what does this have to do with and Lucien?"
"True mates are rare, Aria. Really rare. Elder Malin needed your true mate bond with Lucien to finish the ritual. Your blood, freely given for love, would open the doors."
I thought about how Lucien had saved Jaxon using our joint gifts. About how, even when I was confused about which triplet was my mate, my heart had always pulled toward him.
"But what if..." I paused, thinking of the strange feeling I’d had when Kael held my hand. "What if the Moon Goddess made a mistake? What if Lucien isn’t my true mate after all?"
Mira stared at . "The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes, Aria. But sotis our hearts don’t follow the rules."
Her words hit like a punch to the gut. Could I be feeling sothing for Kael? Was it possible to have a true mate but love soone else?
"Where would Lucien go if he was trying to stop them?" I asked, pushing my confusing thoughts aside.
"The old temple in the mountains," Mira answered. "It’s where the ritual to open the doors must take place."
I turned to leave but stopped when Mira called my na.
"Aria... the heart decides what the heart wants. But true mates are joined by sothing deeper than choice."
Back in my room, I found Jaxon waiting for . He looked better, the unnatural red totally gone from his eyes.
"I heard you visited the traitor," he said, lying on my bed like he owned it.
"She’s not... it’s complicated," I sighed, sitting beside him. "Jaxon, how do you know when you love soone?"
His eyebrows shot up. "Why are you asking ? I’m the triplet who avoids feelings, rember?"
"Please," I begged. "I’m so confused."
Jaxon’s normal playful expression softened. "Love feels like coming ho. Like finding a piece of yourself you didn’t know was missing."
"And the mate bond? Is it the sa?"
He shrugged. "The mate bond is magic, fate. Love is a choice you make every day."
I thought about Lucien, about the pull I felt toward him since the beginning. But then Kael’s face erged in my mind, the unexpected gentleness in his eyes.
"What if your heart wants sothing different than destiny planned?" I whispered.
Jaxon studied carefully. "This isn’t just about Lucien anymore, is it? It’s about Kael too."
My silence was answer enough.
"Be careful, little Luna," Jaxon warned. "Playing with mate bonds is dangerous magic."
The door burst open before I could reply. Kael rushed in, his face grim.
"We found him," he stated. "One of our scouts spotted Lucien near the old mountain temple."
My heart leaped. "Is he okay?"
"He’s not alone," Kael continued. "He’s with Elder Malin and your father."
The hope that had been growing crashed down around .
"I need to go to him," I said, standing up.
"It’s a trap," Jaxon countered.
"I don’t care. If there’s even a chance he’s not a liar..."
"Then I’m coming with you," Kael stated, his eyes eting mine with an intensity that made my heart race.
I felt torn between two worlds – the fate the Moon Goddess had chosen for and the feelings growing in my heart. As I looked between the two brothers, I realized I might have to choose between the mate of my fate and the mate of my heart.
Suddenly, a howl broke through the night – a howl I would recognize anywhere.
Lucien was calling for .
And underneath his howl was another sound: the earth-shaking roar of the First Wolf, getting closer by the second.
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