Elara felt the room spin. "Marcus is my father?" Her legs buckled, and Kael caught her before she hit the floor. "Impossible," Kael growled, his eyes flashing dangerously. "My father would never—" "It’s true," Tobias interrupted, his old face lined with fear.
Rain dripped from his clothes onto the cabin floor. "Luna Evelyn confird it with her dying breath." "Dying?" Ronan burst through the bedroom door, Darian right behind him. "Mother is dying?" Lightning flashed, illuminating the fear on the brothers’ faces. "We need to go. Now." Kael’s voice turned hard, his Alpha order filling the small space. Tobias shook his head. "Not all of you. They’re waiting for that." "Who’s waiting?" Elara asked. "Marcus and his trusty guards. He’s gathered them at the main house." Tobias took a deep breath. "But first, you need to hear the truth. The whole truth." "We don’t have ti," Kael hissed, already moving toward the door. Tobias blocked his way.
"Five minutes could save your life. All your lives." The old wolf’s eyes held such urgency that even Kael paused. "Talk fast," Darian said, his normal calm shattered. Tobias pointed to Elara’s cracked pendant. "That stone isn’t just jewelry. It’s a seal, ant to hide your real nature and power. Luna Evelyn gave it to your mother before you were born." "My mother?" Elara touched the charm. "The woman who raised wasn’t—" "She protected you," Tobias said softly. "Eighteen years ago, Luna Evelyn found Marcus’s secret affair with a silver wolf from the Moon Pack. When the woman beca pregnant, Marcus ordered her killed." A strangled sound left Elara’s throat. Kael’s hand found hers, squeezing tight. "But Evelyn couldn’t let an innocent die. She helped your birth mother escape, gave her that ring, and made swear to watch over you from afar." "The prophecy," Ronan whispered. Tobias nodded grimly. "Three brothers bound to one wolf. A silver wolf with Alpha blood who would either join the packs or destroy them all." Thunder crashed outside as the pieces fell into place in Elara’s mind. "Marcus has been hunting . He knew what I was." "He suspected.
Tonight, when your powers burst on the mountain, he knew for sure." Tobias looked at each brother. "Marcus believes killing Elara will break the curse on your family." "What curse?" Darian demanded. "No Alpha of your family has ever lived past fifty. Each dies more violently than the last." Tobias’s voice dropped lower. "Your father believes it’s punishnt for an old wrong. He thinks sacrificing Elara—his own daughter and your fated mate—will end it." "That’s insane," Kael’s grip on Elara tightened. "It’s worse," Tobias warned. "The oracle speaks of silver fire in her veins. If Elara’s blood is spilled in violence, her power won’t die with her—it will explode, destroying everything it touches." The quiet that followed felt like a physical weight. "So if my father kills her..." Kael couldn’t finish the thought. "He dooms us all," Tobias confird. Elara’s mind raced. "Wait—you said I’m his oldest. Does that an—" "You’re the rightful Alpha heir," Tobias nodded. "By pack law, your claim cos before Kael’s." Kael’s face showed no surprise, only fierce purpose. "It changes nothing between us." "It changes everything with my father," he added grimly. Outside, the storm increased, wind howling around the cabin. "We need a plan," Darian said. Ronan paced nervously. "We can’t just walk into a trap." "But we can’t abandon Mother," Kael countered.
Elara stepped away from Kael, her choice made. "I’ll go first." "No!" All three brothers protested at once. "Listen to ." Her voice grew stronger. "Marcus won’t kill right away. He’ll want answers. He’ll want to gloat." "It’s too dangerous," Kael argued. "No, she’s right," Tobias said. "Marcus will follow ceremony. He’ll want to show her to the pack, prove his righteousness before acting." "That gives us ti," Elara continued. "I’ll approach him openly. Keep him talking while you three get Luna Evelyn to safety." "And then what?" Ronan asked. "Then we end this," Kael’s eyes glowed with Alpha power. "Together." Elara felt the mate bond between them pulse with shared determination. The triplets moved closer, standing like a wall around her. "One more thing," Tobias said. "Luna Evelyn gave this for you." He pulled a small bottle from his pocket, filled with silvery liquid. "Blood of the First Alpha, kept through generations. Drink it, and your true power will fully awaken." Elara took the vial, feeling its warmth against her hand. "Be careful," Tobias warned. "Once unleashed, that power can never be contained again." With trembling hands, Elara uncorked the bottle.
The liquid inside glead like moonlight. "Wait," Kael caught her wrist. "Are you sure about this?" "No," she admitted. "But I’m sure about us." Her eyes t each brother’s in turn. "About all of us." Without further pause, she lifted the vial to her lips and drank. For one breath, nothing happened. Then pain shot through her body, white-hot and blinding. She fell to her knees, the empty vial breaking on the floor. Silver light exploded from her skin, filling the cabin with brilliant radiance. The boys reached for her, but Tobias held them back. "Don’t touch her! Not until it’s complete!" Elara’s scream tore through the storm’s fury as her body arched backward. mories filled her mind—mories that weren’t hers. Generations of wolves, fights, magic, blood. The silver light gathered around her heart, then spread outward along her veins like lightning. When it finally subsided, Elara rose slowly to her feet. Her eyes now shimred with silver fire, her presence in the room sohow bigger, more powerful. "By the gods," Ronan whispered. Elara looked at her hands, where silver lines traced her veins beneath her skin. "I rember everything now." "How do you feel?" Kael approached carefully. A slow smile spread across her face as new confidence filled her. "Like an Alpha."
Thunder shook the cabin as if in answer to her declaration. "We move now," she directed, her voice carrying a new edge of authority that none of them had heard before. "Tobias, lead the boys to Luna Evelyn. I’ll distract Marcus." "Elara—" Kael began to protest. She stopped him with a kiss that carried the full force of their mate bond. Silver light danced where their lips t. "Trust ," she whispered against his mouth. "I know what I’m doing now." As they broke apart, a crash ca from outside. Darian ran to the window. "We’ve got company," he warned. "Six wolves approaching from the tree line." "Marcus’s guards," Tobias confird sadly. "Too late for the plan," Ronan grumbled, shifting his weight into fighting stance. Elara’s eyes narrowed as silver power gathered around her hands. "No. It’s exactly the right ti." She stepped toward the door, the brothers flanking her protectively. As Elara reached for the handle, the door burst inward. Standing in the doorway, soaked in rain and crackling with dark energy, was Celeste—very much alive and smiling wickedly. "Hello, sister," she purred. "Father sent to bring you h
o."
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