Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 76: First Blood

ARIA POV

Blood spilled across my face as the enemy wolf lunged at me. I ducked just in time, feeling claws graze my shoulder instead of my neck.

"Aria, get back!" Kael shouted, jumping between me and the attacker.

But I was done lying. I grabbed the silver knife from my boot—the one Lucien had insisted I carry—and slashed upward. The enemy wolf howled in pain and stumbled back.

What should have been a quiet morning watch had turned into a bloodbath. Twelve of our wolves attacked at the northern border. Five already dead.

"They knew exactly where we’d be," Mira gasped, pressing her hand against a wound on her side. "Someone told them."

I studied the forest, counting at least twenty enemy wolves. I recognized the marks of the Stone Ridge pack—our most vocal opponents. But there were others too—wolves from at least three different packs working together.

The forecast about the sleeping queens had spread like wildfire over the past week. Now every usual pack feared what would happen if they rose again. They wanted me dead before I could raise them.

"Fall back to the ridge!" I ordered, helping Mira to her feet. "We need higher ground!"

Kael glanced at me, surprise in his eyes. A month ago, I would have waited for his order. But I wasn’t just a Luna anymore—I was an Alpha in my own right.

Our remaining wolves scrambled up the rocky hill. The enemy followed, but the narrow path forced them to come at us one by one.

"Hold the line!" Kael roared, changing into his massive wolf form. Even among Alphas, his black wolf was renowned for its size and strength.

I stayed in human form—my pregnancy too advanced for safe changing. Instead, I directed our defense. "Mira, take three wolves and circle behind them. Luke and Dani, guard the left flank!"

The fighting was fierce. For every enemy we took down, another seemed to take their place. My arms ached from wielding my dagger, and my pregnant belly made balance difficult on the rocky ground.

"There are too many!" someone yelled.

A howl of pain cut through the air—one I recognized immediately. Kael. Three enemy Alphas had surrounded him, coordinating their strikes to wear him down.

Rage shot through me. Without thinking, I raised my hand toward them. The same strange power I’d felt at the healing spring bubbled up inside me. I felt it gathering in my palm, hot and wild.

"Get away from him!" I screamed.

A blast of blue energy shot from my hand, throwing the enemy Alphas backward as if they weighed nothing. They crashed into trees and rocks, yelping in shock and pain.

Everyone froze—our dogs, the enemy, even Kael. All eyes turned to me in disbelief.

I was just as shocked. Female Alphas might exist in history, but none had skills like this.

The enemy dogs backed away, fear replacing bloodlust in their eyes. Their escape quickly turned into a full rout, injured wolves being dragged away by their packmates.

I sank to my knees, suddenly tired. Kael changed back to human form and rushed to my side.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, checking me for wounds.

I shook my head. "The kids are fine too. But our people..."

The cost was terrible. Seven dead, including Beta Marcus who had resisted training omegas. Four more badly injured. All from a pack that couldn’t afford such loses.

Back at the pack house, the hurt were taken to the healing den. I walked among them, offering what comfort I could. The sadness was overwhelming—not just for the dead, but for the innocence we’d lost. This wasn’t a border dispute or a challenge for land. This was war.

"They’ll come back with more wolves," Jaxon said grimly. He had finally healed from his injuries but still moved stiffly. "This was just their first strike."

"We need to hit back," Mira insisted, wincing as Lucien bandaged her cuts. "Show them we’re not weak."

Part of me agreed with her. I wanted payback for our fallen packmates. The Alpha in me commanded blood.

"No," I said finally. "That’s exactly what they want—to draw us out, separate us from our allies."

"So we just let them kill us?" one of the younger warriors asked.

"We fight smart," I responded. "We protect what matters most."

I met with Kael, Jaxon, and Lucien in the map room. The triplet tie hummed between us, stronger since they had all tasted the healing waters.

"The attack today wasn’t random," I said, pointing to the northern border. "They wanted to prevent us from reaching this."

I shared what Elder Malin had finally told me—the location of the sleeping queens’ tomb, hidden in caves beneath the northern ridge.

"If they destroy the tomb before the blood moon..." Lucien began.

"The queens remain asleep forever," I finished. "And any chance of female Alphas regaining their rightful place dies with them."

"Why should we care about these ancient queens?" Jaxon challenged. "Our pack is bleeding now."

"Because I’m one of them," I said quietly. "A female Alpha. The first in fifty years to survive to adulthood. Don’t you see? That’s why they want me dead. That’s why they’ll keep coming."

Kael studied the map. "The full northern border can’t be defended with our numbers. We need to focus on the tomb door."

"And we need a diversion," Lucien added. "Make them think we’re somewhere else."

A plan started to form. Dangerous, but possibly our only hope.

"I’ll take a small team to the tomb," I said. "The rest of our forces will appear to defend the eastern border—make it look like that’s where we’re most vulnerable."

"You can’t go to the tomb," Kael argued. "You’re seven months pregnant!"

"I’m the only one who can awaken the queens," I replied. "Without me, this is pointless."

"Then I’m going with you," all three said in unison.

I shook my head. "The pack needs its Alphas. Kael must lead the eastern defense. Jaxon needs to communicate with our allies. Lucien is needed for the wounded."

"Then who goes with you?" Lucien demanded.

"Mira," I said. "And Elder Malin. He knows the old rituals."

None of them liked it, but they couldn’t argue with the reasoning. The plan was set.

That night, as I prepared to leave, Kael came to our room. His face was tight with worry.

"Promise me you’ll run if there’s trouble," he said, putting his hand on my belly. "These babies—our future—matter more than any ancient queens."

I covered his hand with mine. "I promise."

We both knew it was a lie.

Dawn came too quickly. As Mira, Elder Malin, and I slipped away from the pack house, I felt eyes watching us. I turned to see a small figure hiding behind a tree—one of the young omegas we’d been training.

"Come out," I called softly. "I know you’re there."

Finn, the sixteen-year-old omega who had stood up to Beta Connor, stepped into view. "Let me come with you, Luna. I can help."

"It’s too dangerous," I said.

"Please," he begged. "My sister died in yesterday’s attack. I need to do something."

I paused, then nodded. Another pair of eyes could help.

We traveled quietly through the forest, avoiding the main paths. Elder Malin led us to a small ravine that seemed to lead nowhere.

"The entrance is hidden," he explained, pressing his hand against what looked like solid rock. A doorway appeared, old symbols glowing around its edges.

My heart pounded as we entered the dark tunnel. This was it—the moment that would change everything.

Elder Malin lit a torch, showing a steep stairway carved into the living rock. "The tomb room lies below. Once there, you must place your hand on each sarcophagus and repeat the awakening words I taught you."

We descended slowly. I felt a strange pulling feeling, as if something below was calling to me.

The stairway opened into a vast room. Seven stone sarcophagi arranged in a circle, each carved with the picture of a sleeping woman. In the middle stood a pedestal with a silver chalice.

"The ritual requires blood," Elder Malin said. "Your blood, freely given."

I moved forward, but Finn suddenly grabbed my arm. "Wait! Something’s wrong."

Before I could ask what he meant, a figure stepped from behind one of the sarcophagi.

"Hello, sister," Elira said, holding a blood-stained knife. "You’re just in time for the awakening."

At her feet lay the body of a young wolf—his throat cut, his blood filling the center chalice.

"What have you done?" I whispered in horror.

Elira smiled, her eyes glowing with crazy. "What you couldn’t. The rite doesn’t call for freely given blood—it demands sacrificed blood. The blood of an innocent."

She raised the chalice. "And now, I will raise the queens—not you. I will be the one they bow to."

Behind me, I heard Elder Malin laugh. "Well done, my child."

I spun around to see him standing with Mira—a knife at her throat.

"You betrayed us," I gasped.

"I serve the true order," Elder Malin responded. "And in that order, there’s no place for an Alpha who can’t make the hard choices."

Elira began to chant in the old language, moving toward the first sarcophagus.

I lunged forward, but Elder Malin’s warning stopped me cold.

"One more step, and your friend dies."

I froze, trapped between impossible decisions. If Elira woke the queens, she would kill them—and me. If I attacked, Mira would die.

Then I noticed something odd. Finn wasn’t afraid. In fact, he was happy.

"Now!" he shouted.

The tomb room erupted in chaos as wolves burst from hidden passages—wolves wearing the markings of our allied packs. And leading them was Jaxon.

"Did you really think I’d let you come alone?" he snarled, throwing himself at Elder Malin.

In the confusion, I rushed toward Elira, desperate to stop the ritual. But I was too late. She had already put the bloody chalice on the first sarcophagus.

The stone lid began to move. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓