Bound to the Triplet Alphas Chapter 9: Visions

ARIA POV

Pain surged through my head like lightning, knocking to my knees. The visions had been coming all day—flashes of wolves rushing, mountains I had never seen before, and blood on the snow. Each one caused blinding pain, making want to scream.

I put my palms on my temples and rocked back and forth on the floor. What happened to ? Since Elder Malin’s arrival last night—since knowing I was the daughter of a slain Alpha—my mind has felt torn apart.

A harsh knock on the door made flinch. I couldn’t deal with any more guards, questioning, or threats.

"Go away," I said softly.

The door opened anyhow. I looked up, ready to lash out at whoever had neglected , but the words died in my throat.

Lucien stood in the doorway, his arms filled with plants and small fabric bags. The quietest triplet. He claid to have been protecting all along.

"You’re in pain," he whispered quietly. It was not a question.

I simply nodded, too tired to lie. The pull in my chest that connected to him seed like a calm heartbeat, unlike the harsh tug I felt with Kael or the frantic tugging with Jaxon.

Lucien closed the door behind him and crouched next to . "I brought sothing that might help."

"Did your father send you to question about Elder Malin?" I inquired, my voice firm despite the agony.

Lucien shook his head. "No one knows I’m here." He started unloading his supplies. "I’m the pack’s healer, rember? Before I beca an Alpha’s son, I was taught to aid others."

"Why help ?" I observed as he ticulously combined dried leaves in a tiny wooden basin.

"Because you’re suffering." His voice was so straightforward and honest that I felt my guard drop. "And because no one else will."

Unlike his brothers, Lucien moved silently. His hands were delicate as he crushed the herbs and poured water from a little flask.

"The visions started after Elder Malin told you the truth?" he inquired.

I stared at him. "How do you know about that?"

A little smile appeared on his lips. "I know a lot of things, Aria. "Including who you truly are."

My heart pounded. "And who am I?"

"The daughter of Alpha Thorne of the Shadow Valley Pack," Lucien explained, preparing his potion. "Believed dead along with your father twelve years ago."

The na struck like a physical blow. "Alpha Thorne," I reiterated. "My father’s na was Thorne?"

Lucien nodded. "He was an excellent leader. "Until he was betrayed."

Another vision struck : a black wolf fighting against many, howling in pain as teeth tore into his throat. I gasped and doubled over.

Lucien’s hand stroked my shoulder. "Breathe. "The mories are trying to surface."

"mories?" I choked out. "I was only a child. "I don’t rember him."

"Your mind may not," Lucien explained, "but your blood does." He held out the dish. "Drink it. It will reduce the ache."

I hesitated barely briefly before taking it. The liquid tasted harsh but not unpleasant.

"Why didn’t you tell before?" I inquired as warmth crept over my body, alleviating the discomfort. "If you’ve known all this ti?"

Lucien sat back on his heels. "It was unsafe. "You were hidden here for a reason."

"By my mother?"

"Yes. "She had known Elder Malin for a long ti." A shadow crossed his face. "I was there when she ca, bloodied and desperate. I was just six, yet I helped dad birth you."

My breath caught. "You were there when I was born?"

"And when she died," he added sadly. "She made promise to watch over you."

"A six-year-old boy?" I could not imagine it.

"I’ve kept that promise," Lucien remarked. "All these years."

The herbs were acting fast. My mind felt clearer than it has in days.

"Why tell now?" I asked.

"Because ti is running out." Lucien peered out the window. "The mate bond test is tonight." "When your true mate is revealed, everything changes."

My heart raced. "Is that you?" Are you my true mate?

Lucien’s eyes, darker and deeper than his brothers’, t mine. "Would you want it to be ?"

The question took off guard. Will I? Kael was powerful yet chilly. Jaxon was exciting but dangerous. Lucien was... steady. Thoughtful. Kind.

"I don’t know," I admitted. "I feel pulled to all three of you."

"That’s the magic that’s confusing your bond," he explained. He reached for my wrist to check my pulse, his fingertips feeling warm against my flesh.

The mont he touched , the world vanished.

We were no longer inside the cabin. Instead, we stood in a moonlit forest, watching wolves run through a snowy field. A large black wolf led them, snarling a demand that resounded across the trees. A silver-white she-wolf rushed beside him, beautiful and terrible.

"Father," I muttered, sensing the black wolf was Alpha Thorne. "Mother."

The wolves ca to a halt and turned to confront us all at once. The black wolf’s golden eyes, like mine now, peered straight at us. He hissed, revealing his teeth.

"You see them, too," Lucien exclaid beside , his palm still grasping my wrist.

Before I could respond, the vision shattered. We were back in the cabin, both breathing heavily.

Lucien pulled his fingers away, as though my flesh had scorched him.

"What was that?" I demanded, my voice trembling.

"A mory," he replied, quickly packing his dicines. "Or a warning."

"Those wolves—they were my parents?"

"Yes." Lucien rose abruptly. "And they were running from sothing."

"From what?"

His eyes t mine, full of an emotion I couldn’t identify. "From the sa thing that’s hunting you now."

Fear crept up my spine. "What’s hunting ?"

"I’ve said too much." Lucien walked towards the door. "I shouldn’t have co."

I jumped up and grabbed his arm. "No! You cannot just leave after that. Tell what’s going on.

The tension between us tightened cruelly. Lucien winced, definitely experiencing the pain.

"Tonight at the ceremony," his final words were, "no matter what happens, what you see or feel—don’t trust it."

"Why not?"

"Because soone will try to force a false mate bond," he told us. "And if they succeed, both you and your true mate will die."

My blood beca chilly. "How do you know all this?"

Lucien’s expression softened. He cautiously leaned out and caressed my cheek. Unlike the electric sensation I had experienced with his siblings, his touch made feel serene.

"Because," he said softly, "I’ve seen it happen before."

Then he vanished, leaving alone with his cryptic warning and the faded image of my parents rushing through the snow. As the door closed behind him, I couldn’t help but wonder if Lucien, who was only six years old when I was born, could recall a failed mate bond ceremony.

Unless he was significantly older than he appeared to be.