ARIA POV
I smashed the needle of blue liquid against the wall just as two guards burst into my cell. The liquid splattered across their faces, making them scream and fall to their knees.
"That’s for trying to experint on my babies," I growled, stepping over their writhing bodies.
Three days had passed since Commander Hayes announced I was pregnant with triplets. Three days of pretending to be weaker than I was, gathering information, and waiting for the right mont to escape.
That mont was now.
Alarms blared throughout the Shadow Division compound as I raced down the hallway. My hands glowed golden, ready to defend myself and the three tiny lives growing inside .
"There she is!" a soldier yelled, raising his weapon.
Before he could fire, a huge black wolf tackled him to the ground. Kael! My heart leaped with joy.
"You’re late," I said as he changed back to human form.
He grinned, sothing rare for him. "A good Alpha is never late. Everyone else is simply early."
More wolves poured in through the windows and doors. My pack had co for ! Among them, I spotted Lucien and Jaxon, each leading their own groups.
"The plan worked," Lucien said, running to my side and pulling into a fierce hug. "Are you hurt? The babies?"
"We’re all fine," I told him, feeling our bond pulse with relief and love.
Jaxon appeared next, his normal playful smile replaced with fierce determination. "The teams are in position. But we need to move fast - they’ve called for backup."
I nodded, instantly switching to Luna mode. "What’s the situation?"
"Three hundred Shadow Division soldiers against one hundred and fifty wolves," Kael reported. "We’re outnumbered, but they don’t know the territory like we do."
"And they don’t have our secret weapon," Jaxon added, looking at .
My golden healing power had grown stronger during my captivity. I’d found I could not only heal injuries but also enhance a wolf’s natural abilities for short periods.
"Let’s go," I said. "Rember the plan."
We split into three teams. Kael led the best fighters to attack the main gate. Lucien took the stealthiest wolves to enter and disable their communication systems. Jaxon’s team, made up of the fastest wolves, would evacuate any trapped packmates.
I moved between groups, using my golden light to strengthen each fighter before they went out. As I touched them, I could feel their confidence building, their senses sharpening.
"Be careful," I told each of my friends before they left. "I can’t raise three cubs on my own."
The fight unfolded across the forest surrounding the compound. Gunfire echoed through the woods, mixed with howls and human screams. I stayed hidden with a small security team, coordinating through our pack bonds.
"Eastern wall breached," Kael reported through our link. "Moving to section B."
"Communications down," Lucien added monts later. "They can’t call for more help."
"Found six packmates in the basent cells," Jaxon chid in. "Including Mira! Bringing them out now."
Everything was going according to plan until a familiar voice rang out over the compound’s speakers.
"Attention, Luna Aria," Commander Hayes stated. "Your attack is powerful but futile. If you don’t give yourself in five minutes, I will be forced to use our silver mist bombs. They will kill every werewolf within a mile radius—including your precious mates."
My blood ran cold. Silver mist bombs? I hadn’t heard about those during my captivity.
"It’s a bluff," one of my guards maintained.
But I wasn’t so sure. The Shadow Division had been studying werewolves for years. What if they really had built such a weapon?
I couldn’t risk my pack. My mates. My kids.
"I need to speak with the Alpha Council," I said suddenly.
My guards looked confused, but one pulled out a satellite phone and dialed. Elder Malin had gathered all the nearby pack Alphas in case we needed reinforcents.
When the elder’s voice ca on the line, I spoke quickly. "The people have silver mist bombs. Can you tell if such weapons exist?"
There was a heavy pause. "They exist," Elder Malin finally admitted. "Alpha Silas of the Mountain Ridge Pack helped them develop it."
"Silas?" I gasped. "But he’s one of us!"
"He believes in the old ways," Elder Malin stated. "He thinks ogas like you shouldn’t lead. He wants to return to traditional leadership—Alphas leading by strength alone."
Anger burned through . A rogue among our own kind!
"Where is he now?" I asked.
"With us at the ergency council."
I made my choice instantly. "Keep him there. I’m coming."
Ignoring my guards’ protests, I slipped away through a secret cave Jaxon had shown on a map. Within minutes, I reached the ergency council eting place—a secret bunker beneath an old oak tree.
Seven Alphas sat around a big stone table, including Elder Malin and...Silas. He was a big man with cold eyes and a cruel mouth. Everything about him scread classic Alpha.
"What is this?" he asked as I entered. "An oga interrupting an Alpha Council?"
"Not just any oga," I said, letting my golden light flare around . "I am Luna Aria, mate to the Alpha triplets, and mother of the next generation of leaders."
His face twisted with disgust. "Abominations! Three mates and mixed cubs? You’re ruining our pure bloodlines!"
"You’ve been working with the Shadow Division," I charged. "You helped them create weapons against your own kind."
The other Alphas whispered in shock, but Silas just smiled.
"Sotis you must cull the weak to save the strong," he said. "Your pack accepts ogas as partners. You let people live who should be eliminated. You’re diluting our power!"
"Is that why you helped them catch ? To study my babies?"
Silas leaned forward. "Those cubs you carry could be the key to either our rescue or our destruction. Better they grow up under proper direction than with a weak oga mother."
My golden light pulsed with my anger. "You’re afraid of change. Afraid that strength cos in many forms, not just brute force."
"Enough talk," Silas growled, standing up. "I challenge you for control of all packs. When I win, things will return to the normal order."
The other Alphas gasped. Such a dare was unheard of—especially against a pregnant Luna.
Before I could reply, my phone buzzed. A text from Jaxon: Silver bombs proven. 2 minutes to explosion. Where are you?
My heart raced. My pack was still at the property, sitting targets for Silas’s betrayal.
"You planned this," I realized, looking at Silas with fear. "You wanted here while my pack dies!"
He smiled coldly. "Sacrifices must be made."
The golden light within burst outward, filling the entire bunker. The other Alphas covered their eyes as I advanced on Silas.
"You forgot one thing," I said, my voice booming with power. "I am not just Luna by pairing. I am the last child of the First Alpha. And my power doesn’t co from domination—it cos from safety."
I reached deep within myself, finding a well of power I hadn’t known existed. The golden light turned blinding white as I projected it outward, looking for my pack, my mates, everyone in danger.
Through our ties, I found them. All of them. And I wrapped my power around each one like a shield.
"What are you doing?" Silas ordered, backing away from .
"Saving my family," I answered.
With everything I had, I pushed the white light outward. Miles away, I felt it surround my pack just as the silver bombs exploded.
The pressure was imnse. Blood trickled from my nose as I fought to keep the shields around hundreds of wolves.
Elder Malin’s voice seed far away as he shouted, "Stop her! The cubs—it’s too much power!"
But I couldn’t stop. Not until I knew they were safe.
Through our mate bonds, I felt Kael’s shock, Lucien’s worry, and Jaxon’s fear as they realized what I was doing.
Aria, stop! Lucien’s voice cried in my mind. You’ll kill yourself and the kids!
I can’t let you die, I answered weakly.
As darkness crept into my vision, I saw Silas lunging toward , claws extended. The other Alphas moved to stop him, but they were too slow.
I couldn’t maintain the shields and protect myself at the sa ti. I had to choose.
With my last conscious thought, I kept the shields in place around my pack.
The last thing I saw was Silas’s claws inches from my throat—and then a blinding blue light bursting between us.
A voice I’d never heard before echoed through my mind: The cubs have picked.
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