ARIA POV
I shrieked when the window exploded inwards. Glass showered down as a black wolf lunged inside my cabin, jaws bared. My heart almost stopped when the wolf changed, her fur falling away to reveal Elder Malin.
"We don’t have much ti," he exclaid, his aged face filled with concern. "They’re watching the door."
My hands trembled as I moved aside. After what happened to Mira last night—her body being seized by sothing horrific before pack guards carried her away—I couldn’t believe anyone.
"How do I know it’s really you?" I demanded.
Elder Malin smiled sadly. "She’s a smart girl. "Ask sothing only I know."
"What did you give on my birthday?"
"A moonstone pendant that once belonged to your mother," he replied without hesitation. "The sa one found in your friend Mira’s hand."
I relaxed a little. "What happened with Mira? Is she alright?"
"She lives, but sleeps soundly. Whatever spoke through her was potent magic." Elder Malin walked to the hearth and ward his hands. "Did you hear what it said?"
"It called ’daughter of the forgotten Alpha,’" I murmured. "What does that an?"
Elder Malin’s eyes grew sharper. "It ans I was right about you all along." He dipped into his pocket and took out a smooth black stone with unusual markings. "Hold this." I paused. "What is it?"
"A stone from the sacred cave where our pack originated. It only responds to people who have Alpha blood.
My throat beca dry. "But I’m an oga." "Are you?" Elder Malin held out the stone. "This bundle contains secrets as old as the trees themselves. Take it, Aria. "Let us see the truth."
With trembling fingers, I groped for the stone. When it touched my palm, heat rushed up my arm. The stone began to glow with a faint blue light that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Elder Malin’s breath stopped. "Moon Goddess, protect us. It is true.
"What’s true?" I inquired, looking at the sparkling stone. "What’s happening?"
"The Alpha bloodline has carried a curse for generations," Elder Malin remarked, his voice falling to a whisper. "When triplets are born to an Alpha, one must die for the next Alpha to rise."
Cold fear swept over . "What about the triplets?" "Soone has to die?"
"That is the curse," he replied bitterly. "Alpha Darius has kept his sons alive by not naming an heir. But he’ll have to make a decision soon or the curse will take effect."
"But what does this have to do with ?" I held up the bright stone.
"The prophecy speaks of soone who can break the curse," Elder Malin explained. "One with forgotten Alpha blood who forms a mate bond with the true heir."
My head spun. "Do you think that’s ?" But I am bonded to all three brothers."
"Which is impossible," Elder Malin acknowledged. "Unless there is magic at work. Soone does not want you to et your real love among them."
"Why not?"
"Because once you do, the curse can be broken." Elder Malin grabbed my free hand, his grip surprisingly firm. "Your mother arrived at this pack pregnant and alone. She made pledge to conceal your identity."
"From who?"
"From those who murdered your father—the forgotten Alpha of the Eastern Packs."
The stone dropped from my fingers, its brilliance diminishing as it fell to the floor. I could not breathe. "What are you saying?"
"Your father was Alpha of the Shadow Valley Pack," Elder Malin explained. "He was slain in what everyone assud was a renegade attack. Your mother left here, believing that I would protect you.
"Why didn’t you tell ?" Tears burned my eyes.
"To keep you safe," he replied simply. "As long as you were just another oga, no one would look twice at you."
"But now everyone is looking at ," I said.
Elder Malin nodded regretfully. "Because the Moon Goddess revealed you." The mate’s bond with the triplets was not supposed to happen this way. "You were ant to bond with only one."
"Which one?" I inquired.
A loud bang from outside startled both of us. Voices shouted commands, and guards changed positions.
"They know I’m here," Elder Malin stated frantically. "I must go."
"But you haven’t told which triplet is my true mate!"
Elder Malin approached the window. "I do not know, child. Your bond is being blocked by trendous magic. Ancient. But I know this: when you et your right mate, the curse will either be broken forever or intensified beyond asure."
"How will I know which one it is?"
"Your heart will know," he explained. "But take care. Hearts can be fooled.
Another crash outside, closer this ti. Elder Malin grabbed my shoulders.
"Trust no one," he cautioned. "It’s not Alpha Darius. Not Beta Marcus. "Not even the triplets."
"But the mate bond can be manipulated," he concluded. "One of them may be your true mate, but that doesn’t an he wishes you well."
My blood beca chilly. "You think my mate wants to hurt ?"
"I believe soone fears what you represent," Elder Malin stated. "The end of the curse would change everything in this pack."
He reached into his pocket and placed sothing into my hand: a little vial of silver liquid.
"Moon tears," he clarified. "If you are ever in trouble, shatter this. It will summon your true partner, even if the bond is blocked."
Before I could thank him, there was an outburst outside. Elder Malin tensed.
"I must leave. Recall what I said. Trust no one." He clasped my hands once more. "Not even your own heart."
With those terrible words, he returned to his wolf form and sprang through the window. Seconds later, I heard growls and snarls—a fight erupted in the darkness.
I held the vial of moon tears, my mind racing. I was not an oga, but rather the daughter of an Alpha. My mother had hidden here to keep safe from whatever killed my father. And now I’m entangled in a spell that threatens to ruin the triplets.
The door sprang open. Lucien stood there, his silent face filled with dread.
"Are you hurt?" he inquired, surveying the room.
"No," I replied. "What’s happening?"
"Elder Malin attacked the guards," Lucien explained. "My father has ordered his arrest."
"What? No! "He was just speaking to ."
Lucien took my arm gently. "I need you to co with . "It’s not safe here anymore."
I hesitated, rembering Elder Malin’s warning: don’t trust anyone. Not even the triplets.
But the pull in my chest that connected to Lucien was strong, almost urgent. His link had always felt the deepest, despite being the quietest of the three.
Lucien’s gaze softened, as if he had read my thoughts. "I will not injure you, Aria. "I promise."
"How do I know I can trust you?" I whispered.
His response made my heart stop.
"Because I know who you really are," he replied gently. "And I’ve been protecting you since the day your mother died in my arms."
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