Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 74: The Healing Waters

ARIA POV

The arrow whizzed past my ear, missing me by inches. I dropped to the ground, pulling Lucien down with me.

"We’re surrounded!" I whispered, my heart beating so hard I thought it might burst from my chest.

Lucien’s eyes darted to the trees around us. "Stay low. When I say run, head for that cluster of rocks."

We had left the safety of our pack lands three days ago. After the attack and Elira’s betrayal, we needed to find the healing waters of Moonfall Spring—fast. Selene was still trapped, and the light marked one was now our enemy. Jaxon had been badly wounded in the fight, and only the legendary healing waters could save him.

"Run!" Lucien hissed, grabbing my hand.

We sprinted through the trees as more arrows flew past us. My big belly slowed me down, but fear gave me wings. I couldn’t lose another person I loved.

We dived behind the rocks, breathing hard.

"Who are they?" I gasped.

"Elder Malin’s hunters," Lucien said, looking over the rocks. "They don’t want us to reach the spring."

"But why? We’re just trying to save Jaxon."

Lucien’s face darkened. "They know what else the spring can do. If we drink from it too, our powers will grow. The triplet link will strengthen."

"And that scares them," I finished.

"We need to keep moving." Lucien touched my face gently. "Are you okay? The babies?"

I nodded, placing a hand on my growing bump. "They’re strong, like their fathers."

We waited until the forest fell silent, then continued our trip. The map Elder Thea had given us showed the spring hidden deep in the mountains, in a cave few had ever found.

As we climbed higher, my thoughts went to Kael, left behind to lead the pack’s defense. And to Jaxon, lying pale and still, fighting for his life. My three mates, linked to me by a bond I was still learning to understand.

"What will happen when we find the spring?" I asked Lucien as we rested by a stream. "Will it really heal all of us?"

Lucien filled our water bottles. "The legends say the water can heal any wound, but there’s more." He paused. "They say it shows truth. Shows you things you’ve been blind to."

"What kind of truth?"

"That’s what scares me," he revealed. "Some truths are better left hidden."

I took his hand. "No more lies between us, remember? Whatever we find at the spring, we face it together."

Something rustled in the woods nearby. We froze.

A small boy stepped out, no older than eight. His clothes were torn and dirty.

"Are you really the Luna with three mates?" he asked openly.

I exchanged a look with Lucien. "Who wants to know?"

"My pack was attacked by bad wolves." His bottom lip shook. "They took everyone. Said they were going to trade them for the marked ones."

My heart sank. Another pack caught in the war we’d started.

"What’s your name?" I asked gently.

"Toby."

"Well, Toby, I’m Aria. This is Lucien." I knelt to his level. "Do you know where they took your pack?"

He nodded. "To the big stone castle where the Elder wolves meet."

The High Council offices. I’d never been there, but I’d heard tales. A fortress where the most powerful Elders made rules for all werewolves.

"We’ll help you," I promised, ignoring Lucien’s warning look. "But first, we need to find the Moonfall Spring."

Toby’s eyes widened. "I know where it is! My grandma used to take me there to make wishes."

I couldn’t believe our luck. "Can you show us?"

Toby led us up a secret path through the mountains. The trail was steep, and I had to stop often to catch my breath. My pregnancy was moving quickly—another sign of the unusual bond I shared with my mates.

"It’s just ahead," Toby said, pointing to a cave entrance partly hidden by vines.

We entered the dark cave, the temperature dropping instantly. Lucien lit a torch, showing crystal formations that sparkled in the light. The cave floor sloped lower, leading us deeper into the mountain.

"The spring is at the very bottom," Toby said, skipping ahead.

But when we reached the bottom room, we stopped in shock. Where there should have been a pool of glowing blue water, there was only cracked, dry stone.

"It’s gone," I whispered, my hope falling.

Lucien knelt by the dry basin, his fingers tracing old markings. "Dark magic. Someone drained it deliberately."

"But who would do this?" I asked, fear rising. Without the healing waters, Jaxon would die.

Toby stepped forward, his face changing. His eyes glowed with an eerie light.

"Someone who knows what happens when a Luna with three mates drinks from the spring," he said, his voice suddenly adult and cold.

I backed away. "Toby?"

"Toby isn’t here," the boy said with a smile that wasn’t his own. "The child was easy to possess once his pack was slaughtered."

Lucien pushed me behind him. "Elder Malin."

The possessed boy laughed. "Very good, healing. But you’re too late. The seas are gone, your brother will die, and your pack will fall."

"Why are you doing this?" I demanded, my voice stronger than I felt.

"Because the promise must not come true. A Luna with three Alpha mates, carrying twin children, drinking from the healing waters?" The boy—no, Elder Malin—shook his head. "Too much power for one bloodline." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

Without notice, Lucien lunged forward, grabbing the boy. "Where did you take the water?"

The boy’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he started chanting in an ancient language. The cave floor rumbled beneath us.

"Lucien!" I screamed as cracks spread across the stone. "We need to get out of here!"

But Lucien wouldn’t let go. "Tell me how to save my brother!"

The boy’s voice changed again, becoming high and playful. "Help me," he whimpered. "He’s hurting me."

Lucien paused, his healer’s instincts conflicted.

In that moment, the floor gave way beneath us. I screamed as we dove into darkness, Lucien’s hand reaching for mine as we fell.

Instead of stone, we crashed into water—cold, glowing blue water that softened our fall. The healing spring hadn’t dried up—it had been hidden underground.

As the water touched my skin, power rushed through me. Images flashed in my mind: Selene breaking free from her guards, Jaxon sitting up in bed, healed and strong, Kael standing victorious on a battlefield.

And something else—a vision that made my blood freeze.

I broke the surface gasping, searching desperately for Lucien.

"Lucien!" I called.

Two hands gripped the edge of the underground pool, but they weren’t Lucien’s. Elder Malin pulled himself out of the water, in his real form now—an old man with eyes like burning coals.

"Thank you for finding the spring for me, Luna," he said with a wicked smile. "I couldn’t access it without someone of your family. Now I can destroy it completely."

"Where’s Lucien?" I demanded, fighting to stay afloat as my pregnant belly weighed me down.

Elder Malin looked at the water. "Healing, I guess. Or falling. It doesn’t matter." He raised his hands, and the cave began to shake once more. "By the time he surfaces, you’ll both be buried alive."

As rocks began falling around me, I took a deep breath and dived beneath the surface, looking desperately for Lucien.

What I found instead made my heart stop.