The rogues moved like shadows around them. Aria's heart hammered as she looked at the woman who claimed to be her mother.
Selene Callen looked nothing like the weak omega who had apparently abandoned her pack. She stood tall, confident, and dangerous.
"You're supposed to be dead," Caleb hissed, his hand on his weapon.
Selene laughed, a sound like breaking glass. "That's what Magnus wanted everyone to believe. Easier than admitting his Luna ran away."
"You left me," Aria whispered, pain cutting through her shock.
"I saved you," Selene corrected sharply. "Do you think I wanted to leave my baby? I left to keep you from becoming what I almost became—a sacrifice for power-hungry Alphas."
Dorian stepped forward, his eyes burning with anger. "She's right, Aria. The Dravens don't love you. They're using you."
"Shut up, traitor," Cyrus snapped, but his normal cockiness was gone.
Liana smiled coldly. "Poor little Moon Wolf. Still doesn't understand she's just a tool."
"Enough," Selene ordered. The rogues tightened, ready to attack. "My daughter comes with me. The rest of you can go home and tell Magnus his games are over."
"Like hell," Caden growled, moving protectively in front of Aria.
Selene's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Still playing the noble hero, junior Draven? Your father sent you here to drag me back in chains. How noble is that?"
Aria felt the world spinning. Everything she thought she knew was falling.
"Is it true?" she asked Caden. "Did you only bring me here to capture her?"
Caden's silence was answer enough.
"You see?" Selene said softly. "They're all the same. Alphas who think they own everything—including you."
A rogue whistled loudly. "Company coming. Magnus's tracks, half a mile out."
Selene cursed. "We need to move. Now."
"Aria's not going anywhere," Caleb stated, stepping between mother and daughter.
"Watch me," Selene smiled, and suddenly the forest exploded with rage. The rogues hit with brutal efficiency.
Caleb fought three at once, his Alpha strength barely keeping him alive.
Cyrus wrestled with Dorian.
Caden tried to reach Aria, but Liana stopped his path with a wicked grin.
"Always the protector," Liana mocked, slashing at him with stolen claws. "Too bad she choose the weak brother."
"I'm not weak," Caden roared, his wolf rising to the surface.
Aria watched in fear as the people she cared about tried to kill each other. The mate bond burned in her chest—connecting her to all three brothers, pulling her in different ways.
"Stop!" she screamed, power sparking around her like lightning. "All of you, stop!"
The fighting stopped. Everyone stared at her, feeling the raw energy rolling off her small frame.
Selene's eyes widened with pride and fear. "You're stronger than I was at your age."
"Maybe that's because I'm not running away," Aria said, her voice calm despite her racing heart.
"You don't understand—"
"Then explain it," Aria ordered. "Stop treating me like a child and tell me the truth."
Selene glanced at the approaching trackers, then made a choice. "The prophecy isn't about picking between three mates. It's about using their bond to change what you are."
"What do you mean?"
"Moon Wolves aren't born, daughter. They're made. Through sacrifice, through pain, through the ready surrender of those who love them most."
Aria's blood turned to ice. "The triplets..."
"Will die to make you powerful enough to control every Alpha alive," Selene finished grimly. "That's why Magnus wants you. Not as a Luna, but as a weapon."
"You're lying," Caden said, but doubt flickered in his blue eyes.
"Am I?" Selene pulled out an old leather book. "This includes the real history—not the fairy tales they tell children. Moon Wolves were made by desperate packs to fight wars. Each one cost three Alpha lives."
The sound of coming wolves grew louder. Magnus's trackers were almost close.
"Choose now, Aria," Selene pushed. "Come with me and live free, or stay and watch everyone you care about die for Magnus's ambition."
Aria looked at the three boys. Caleb stood bleeding but determined. Cyrus clutched a wounded arm, his usual smile replaced by grim purpose. Caden reached toward her, hope and fear warring in his face.
"If I go with you," she asked slowly, "what happens to them?"
"They live. The tie breaks, and they're free to choose their own paths."
"And if I stay?"
Selene's face hardened. "Then I'll do whatever it takes to save you from becoming what I refused to become."
The forest exploded with howls. Magnus's wolves had found them.
"Time's up," a rogue warned.
Selene raised her hand, and Aria felt compulsive magic washing over her. Her body started moving toward her mother against her will.
"No!" Caden lunged forward, grabbing Aria's wrist.
The moment their skin touched, the urge shattered.
Selene's eyes flashed with shock. "Impossible. The mate bond shouldn't be that strong yet."
"Maybe you don't know everything about your daughter," Caden said strongly.
Through the woods, Aria saw torches—dozens of them. Magnus had brought an army.
"Last chance," Selene warned. "Come willingly, or I'll take you by force."
"And hurt innocent people in the process?" Aria shook her head. "I won't let anyone else suffer because of what I am."
Disappointment and rage twisted Selene's features. "Then you've chosen your cage."
She whistled sharply. The rogues melted back into the darkness, taking Dorian and Liana with them.
"This isn't over," Selene called as she disappeared. "I'll find another way to save you, even if you're too foolish to save yourself."
Then she was gone, leaving only the smell of wild roses and the promise of future danger.
Magnus burst into the clearing with twenty armed wolves. His golden eyes swept over his bleeding sons and landed on Aria with satisfaction.
"Well done," he said coldly. "You flushed out the traitors perfectly."
"We didn't catch them," Caleb pointed out.
"No, but we learned something valuable." Magnus smiled like a killer. "We learned that our little Moon Wolf is already strong enough to fight compulsion magic. That means the transformation can begin sooner than thought."
Aria's stomach dropped. "What transformation?"
"The one that will make you powerful enough to crush our enemies," Magnus replied. "Don't worry—it only requires a small sacrifice from each of my sons."
Behind his father's back, Caden mouthed one word: "Run."
But before Aria could move, Magnus raised his hand. The pack wolves surrounded them in a tight circle.
"Welcome to your real training," Magnus said with a smile that promised pain. "Let's see how much power three Alpha hearts can unlock."
The mate bond between Aria and the triplets suddenly flared white-hot, and she realized with dawning fear that the ritual had already begun.