The tri-bonds snapped back to life just as the red eyes reached the clearing's edge.
Aria gasped, air filling her lungs as the golden threads reconnected with explosive force. The ties blazed brighter than before, as if Mara's curse had only made them stronger.
"Impossible," Mara whispered, her dark power fizzling out. But the brothers weren't looking at their fallen enemy. They were looking at each other with growing hostility. "She's mine," Kael growled, pulling Aria closer.
"The bond chose me first." "Did it?" Kieran stepped forward, his calm mask slipping.
"Because I felt it just as strongly." Kade laughed bitterly. "You both felt it because I was there too. She belongs with me." The red eyes in the forest got brighter, but the triplets ignored the danger. Something primal and possessive had woken in each of them.
"Back off, Kieran," Kael warned. "You've never cared about mates before." "Maybe because I never found the right one," Kieran shot back. "Until now." "Right one?" Kade's voice turned mocking. "Since when do you believe in destiny, brother? I thought you only believed in tactics and power."
"This isn't about power," Kieran's eyes flashed gold. "This is about her." Aria tried to step away from them, but Kael's grip tightened. "Where are you going?" "Let her go," Kade ordered. "You're scaring her." "I'm protecting her," Kael snapped. "Something you wouldn't understand." "Protecting her?"
Kade's wild grin turned dangerous. "From what? Us?" The three brothers made a triangle around Aria, each one radiating barely controlled aggression. Their wolves were rising, reacting to the ancient call of claiming a mate.
"Stop," Aria whispered, but they couldn't hear her over the sound of their own jealousy. "You think because you're the eldest, you get first choice?" Kieran asked Kael coldly.
"That's not how mate bonds work." "Then how do they work?" Kael challenged. "Because I've never heard of sharing." "Maybe we don't have to share," Kade said quietly. "Maybe she just has to choose."
The words hit like a bomb. All three brothers turned to look at Aria, their eyes burning with desperate need.
"Choose?" she stuttered. "Yes," Kael said strongly.
"Choose me. I'll protect you better than either of them." "Protection isn't everything," Kieran interrupted. "I can give you stability, planning, a future worth having." "Boring," Kade scoffed. "She needs excitement, freedom, someone who won't cage her like a pet."
"Is that what you think I'd do?" Kael's words turned deadly. "Isn't it?"
Kade stepped closer to his brother. "You've always tried to control everything, including us." "Someone has to," Kael shot back.
"You're too reckless, and Kieran's too secretive."
"Secretive?" Kieran's laugh was bitter. "That's rich, coming from someone who hides his feelings behind duty and honor."
The argument escalated quickly. Years of sibling rivalry poured out, poisoned by the sudden fight for Aria's attention.
"You've always resented being born second," Kael accused Kieran. "Now you see a chance to finally beat me at something." "Everything isn't about birth order," Kieran growled. "Maybe she wants someone with a brain instead of just muscle." "And maybe she wants someone real instead of a calculating machine," Kade added.
"Real?" Kieran whirled on his younger brother. "You mean unstable? Unpredictable? Dangerous?"
"At least I'm honest about who I am," Kade fired back. "Unlike Mr. Perfect here, or you with your secret schemes." "What schemes?" Kael demanded.
Kieran's face went carefully blank. "Nothing that concerns you." "Everything concerns me when it involves pack safety," Kael stepped closer. "What have you been hiding?"
"Stop," Aria tried again, but her voice was lost in their rising anger. The links pulsed with chaotic energy, feeding off the brothers' feelings. Instead of uniting them, the magic seemed to be driving them apart. "You want to know what I've been doing?" Kieran's control finally snapped.
"I've been trying to save this pack from Father's outdated leadership. Someone has to think about the future." "By going behind his back?" Kael's voice was shocked. "By doing what needs to be done," Kieran said coldly. "Not that either of you would understand."
"Try us," Kade challenged. "The rival packs aren't our enemies," Kieran said. "They're possible allies. This area is too small, too isolated. We need to grow or die."
"You've been meeting with other Alphas," Kael realized. "That's treason." "That's survival," Kieran amended. "And maybe now that I have a mate to fight for, they'll take me seriously." "Your mate?" Kade laughed wildly.
"She's not your anything. The bond connects all of us equally."
"Does it?" Kieran studied Aria with those cunning eyes. "Or does it just seem that way? Maybe if we tried it..." "Tested how?" Kael's wolf emerged, making his voice rough. "Simple," Kieran smiled, but it wasn't nice. "We make her choose. Right now.
Whoever she picks gets the strongest bond." "That's not how it works," Kael argued. "Isn't it?" Kieran moved closer to Aria. "The bonds respond to feeling, to choice. If she picks one of us completely, the others will fade." "You don't know that," Kade said, but he sounded unsure. "I know enough," Kieran reached for Aria's hand. "Choose me, and I'll give you power. Real power in this pack and the ones I'm allying with."
"Choose me," Kael grabbed her other hand, "and I'll keep you safe. Always."
"Choose me," Kade stepped behind her, his breath warm on her neck, "and I'll show you what real freedom feels like."
Aria stood trapped between them, three different futures pulling her in different ways. The bonds burned in her chest, each one demanding care, loyalty, love.
"I can't," she whispered. "You have to," Kieran urged. "The bonds won't stabilize until you do."
"What if I choose wrong?" "There is no wrong choice," Kael said softly, but his eyes were desperate. "Just choose me."
"Don't listen to him," Kade warned. "He'll suffocate you with protection." "Better than getting her killed with recklessness," Kael snapped.
"Better than selling her to enemy packs for political gain," Kade shot back, staring at Kieran. The brothers started circling each other, their fight forgotten in favor of direct confrontation.
Their dogs were too close to the surface, too territorial, too desperate. Aria watched in fear as the three people she was supposed to trust prepared to tear each other apart over her.
"Stop," she said louder. They ignored her. "Stop!" she screamed. The bonds flared with her passion, and all three brothers stumbled.
For a moment, they looked confused, as if waking from a dream. But it was too late. The damage was done.
"I can't do this," Aria whispered, tears running down her face. "I can't choose between you. I can't be the reason you destroy each other." She turned and ran.
"Aria, wait!" Kael called. But she was already gone, crashing through the forest with no goal except away. Away from the impossible choice, away from the brothers who loved her enough to hate each other, away from bonds that felt more like chains.
Behind her, she heard them fighting about who should follow her. None of them noticed the red eyes that tracked her moving through the trees.
Or the soft laughter that echoed from the shadows as their perfect prey ran straight into the trap.