Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 26: The Forbidden Ritual

ARIA POV

I ducked as a rock flew past my head and smashed against the wall behind me.

"Traitor!" someone yelled from the crowd gathering outside our safe house.

Three days had passed since we fled the cave. Three days since my mother sacrificed herself. Three days of hiding as pack members turned against us.

"Get inside," Kael demanded, shoving me through the door and blocking another flying stone with his arm.

The small house in the north woods had become our hideout. As the full moon grew closer, the pack grew more antsy. Rumors spread like wildfire—that I had killed Alpha Darius, that I practiced dark magic, that I had bewitched the triplets.

Lucien slammed the door shut behind us, his face tight with anger. "It’s getting worse. The Shadow Alpha has turned half the pack against us."

"What about my father?" I asked, the word still strange on my tongue. "Any word from him?"

Jaxon shook his head. "Nothing since the messenger came yesterday."

The messenger—a young wolf I’d never seen before—had brought only a short note: "Wait for the full moon. Trust no one."

"The moon rises tomorrow night," Mira said, peeking through the curtains. "What’s the plan?"

Before anyone could answer, a howl split the air—not the hunting cry of the Shadow Alpha, but something else. Something calling to us.

"It’s Elder Malin," Lucien said, his head tilted as he heard. "He’s summoning the triplets."

"For what?" I asked.

Lucien and Jaxon traded looks. Kael turned away.

"The moon ceremony," Lucien finally said. "As sons of the Alpha—even if Darius isn’t our true father—we’re required to participate."

"But it’s dangerous!" I protested. "The Shadow Alpha will be watching."

"We have no choice," Kael snapped. "If we don’t show, it will confirm every rumor about us betraying the pack."

"You need to stay here," Lucien added, his voice easing as he took my hands. "Promise me you won’t follow us."

I nodded, but even as I did, I knew I was lying.

Night fell quickly. The triplets left one by one—first Kael, then Jaxon, and finally Lucien, who kissed me gently before disappearing into the darkness.

"Don’t even think about it," Mira said, watching me pace near the door.

"I can’t just sit here," I answered. "Something feels wrong."

My palm marks were burning again, the silver moons quivering with light. I’d been having strange dreams since we fled the cave—visions of three wolves circling a stone altar, of blood mixing with moonlight.

"If you’re going, I’m going with you," Mira sighed.

We slipped out through the back window and into the forest. The full moon bathed everything in silver light, making it easy to follow the triplets’ smell. We moved quietly, staying downwind as we tracked them to a clearing I’d never seen before.

In the middle stood a circle of seven stones, ancient and covered with moss. The triplets knelt inside the circle, their backs to each other, looking outward. Elder Malin moved between them, painting strange symbols on their bare bodies with what looked like blue ash.

"What are they doing?" Mira whispered.

"I don’t know," I replied, trying to hear.

Other pack members gathered at the edge of the clearing, keeping their distance from the routine. I spotted several of the Shadow Alpha’s followers among them, their eyes darting around nervously.

Elder Malin began to sing in the old language. The symbols on the triplets’ chests started to glow—Kael’s a deep red, Jaxon’s a bright blue, and Lucien’s a pure silver, like the marks on my hands.

"By the blood of the father, by the power of the moon, by the bonds that cannot be broken," Elder Malin intoned. "We call upon the ancient pact."

The triplets spoke in unison: "We offer ourselves as vessels."

My heart beat. This wasn’t a normal moon ritual. This was something older, something illegal.

Elder Malin drew a knife and approached Kael first. "The firstborn, blood of the usurper, strength of the pack."

He cut a small line across Kael’s forehead. The blood didn’t fall but hovered in the air, glowing red before sinking into the sign on his chest.

"The secondborn, guardian of secrets, shield of the chosen." He cut Jaxon next, the blood glowing blue.

"The thirdborn, heart of the true Alpha, heir to the forgotten power." Lucien’s blood glowed silver, exactly like the light from my hands.

I gasped, understanding rushing through me. This ritual wasn’t just about the triplets—it was about me. About us.

My gasp must have been louder than I thought. Elder Malin’s head snapped up, his eyes searching the darkness.

"She’s here," he stated. "The daughter of the moon has come."

All eyes turned toward our hiding place. Mira grabbed my arm, ready to run, but it was too late. We were trapped.

"Bring her," Elder Malin ordered.

Two pack members dragged me into the group. Mira was held back, struggling against those who caught her.

"I told you to stay at the cabin," Lucien hissed, his eyes wild with fear.

"What are you doing to them?" I asked of Elder Malin.

The old wolf smiled, but it wasn’t the kind smile I remembered. Something dark lurked behind his eyes.

"Preparing them," he said simply. "As I must now prepare you."

He reached for my hand, turning my palm upward so the moon mark glowed brightly.

"The ritual cannot be completed without you," he continued. "The bond must be severed before it can be reforged."

"What bond?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"The mate bond," Kael replied, his face grim. "He’s going to break it."

My eyes darted between the triplets. Jaxon wouldn’t meet my eyes. Lucien looked distraught.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because only then can the true heir claim his birthright," a new voice answered.

The crowd parted as a tall figure stepped into the open. I knew him instantly, though I’d never seen him before. The same eyes as mine, the same dark hair streaked with silver.

"Father," I breathed.

Dominic, the real Alpha of Moonclaw Pack, stood before me. But something was wrong. The smile that spread across his face wasn’t warm—it was calculated.

"My daughter," he said. "At last."

Elder Malin bowed deeply. "All is ready, my Alpha."

My father nodded. "Then let us begin. Cut her."

Lucien lunged forward. "No!"

A dozen pack members held him back. Jaxon and Kael were similarly reserved.

"You said this ritual would protect her!" Lucien shouted.

My father looked at him coldly. "I said it would fulfill her fate. The prophecy must be finished."

Elder Malin approached with the knife. The symbols on the triplets’ chests glowed brighter, pulsing in time with my heartbeat.

"Don’t fight it, daughter," my father said. "Your blood will free us all."

As the knife touched my skin, a roar shook the trees. The Shadow Alpha burst into the open, his massive form blotting out the moonlight.

But he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at my father with what could only be described as recognition.

"Brother," the Shadow Alpha growled. "I knew you’d return." Brother? I looked between the monster and my father in horror.

My father smiled, his eyes going as black as the Shadow Alpha’s.

"Did you think you were the only one who found the dark power, Darius?" he asked. "Did you think I’d let you take everything from me?"

The truth hit me like a physical blow. There were no heroes in this story. Only monsters fighting over power—and I was the key to it all.