POV: Scarlett
Ice crystals spread across my bedroom window as the mystery woman's power filled the forest.
I pressed my back against the door, gasping for breath as the Trinity Bond pulled at my heart like three different ropes. Through the magical link, I felt everything my mates were feeling - Dante's strategic mind racing through battle plans, Ryder's warrior rage demanding blood, and Phoenix's mystical senses screaming warnings about the new threat.
"Sister," Morgana had whispered, and even from a mile away, I'd felt the fear that word created in everyone's hearts.
If Morgana was terrifying enough to raise troops of the dead, what did that make her sister?
The bond connections were getting stronger by the minute, flooding me with feelings that weren't mine. I could barely tell where I ended and my mates started. It was like having three other people living in my head, all talking at once.
We need to get back to her, Ryder's voice echoed through the bond, full of protective rage.
The new enemy is too strong, Dante's thoughts replied. We have to handle this threat first.
She's alone and scared, Phoenix added, his worry for me making my chest ache. The link is overwhelming her.
They were right. I was drowning in their combined feelings, unable to process everything flooding through me. Twenty minutes ago, I'd been a simple servant girl. Now I was supposedly some kind of supernatural princess mated to three Alpha princes, hiding in my tiny room while ancient forces fought for my life.
A soft knock on my door made me jump.
"Scarlett? It's me, Vivienne. Can I come in?"
My heart clenched with surprise. Vivienne Ravencrest had never spoken to me before, except to give orders or comments. Why would she want to talk now?
"I know what you're going through," she continued through the door. "I felt the mate bonds activate too. I wanted to help."
Help? The Beta's daughter wanted to help a servant? That didn't make sense. But through the Trinity Bond, I could feel my mates were too busy fighting for their lives to give me direction.
"Come in," I said reluctantly.
Vivienne entered, and I was shocked to see tears on her face. Her normally perfect appearance was ruined - her hair was messy, her dress was torn, and her knuckles were bloody.
"Oh, Scarlett," she said, running to my side. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."
"Sorry?" I asked, confused.
"Having three mates at once must be incredibly overwhelming," she explained, sitting on my bed. "I can't imagine how terrifying it must be to suddenly have all that responsibility thrust on you."
Her worry seemed genuine, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I felt like someone understood what I was going through.
"I don't know what to do," I admitted, fresh tears running down my face. "I'm just a servant. I don't know how to be anyone's mate, let alone a Luna."
"You don't have to figure it all out tonight," Vivienne said gently, reaching into her pocket. "Here, I brought you some tea. It's a special blend that helps calm overwhelming feelings."
She gave me a steaming cup that smelled like chamomile and honey. The warmth felt good in my shaking hands, and the familiar smell reminded me of the tea my mother used to make when I was upset.
"Thank you," I whispered, taking a small sip. "That's very kind of you."
"We women have to stick together," Vivienne said with a sad smile. "Especially when the world is falling apart around us."
The tea was delicious and warming, easing some of the tightness in my chest. For the first time in hours, I felt like I could think clearly.
"Vivienne," I said hesitantly, "I know you were meant to be chosen as Luna tomorrow. I'm sorry that my situation ruined your plans."
Her smile faltered for just a moment before returning. "Don't worry about that. The Moon Goddess has her own plans for all of us."
But as I took another sip of tea, something strange happened. The overwhelming feelings from the Trinity Bond began to fade. The steady chatter of my mates' thoughts grew quieter and more distant.
"That's odd," I murmured, setting down the cup. "I can barely feel the bonds anymore."
"Is that bad?" Vivienne asked, though something flashed in her eyes that made my stomach clench.
"I think so," I said slowly. "Phoenix said the bonds were what helped me control my power. Without them..."
As if summoned by my words, silver light started leaking from my skin again. But this time it felt wrong - wild and chaotic, like it was trying to tear me apart from the inside.
"Vivienne," I gasped, falling over as pain shot through my body. "Something's wrong with the tea."
Her mask of concern finally slipped, showing the cold hatred underneath. "Nothing's wrong with it. It's working exactly as planned."
Horror crashed over me as I understood. "You poisoned me."
"I neutralized your connection to the Trinity Bond," she corrected, standing up and backing toward the door. "Now you're just a scared little omega with power you can't control."
The betrayal cut deeper than any physical pain. I'd trusted her, believed she wanted to help me, and she'd used that trust to hurt me.
"Why?" I whispered, as more uncontrollable power poured from my body.
"Because that life was supposed to be mine," Vivienne hissed, her true face finally showing. "Those mates, that crown, that respect - I earned it. You're just some helper who got lucky."
Silver light exploded from me like a volcano, cracking the walls and shattering everything breakable in the room. But without my mates' stabilizing impact, the power was eating me alive from the inside.
"The poison will wear off eventually," Vivienne continued, "but not before you've burned yourself out totally. By morning, you'll be nothing but an empty shell."
She reached for the door handle, but before she could leave, the temperature in the room dropped to freezing. Ice crystals formed on every surface, and our breath came out in white puffs.
"Going somewhere, child?"
Morgana's sister appeared in the corner of my room like a living nightmare. She was even more frightening up close - pale as death, with eyes like winter storms and power that made my uncontrolled magic feel like a candle next to the sun.
"Lady Seraphina," Vivienne whispered, and I heard total terror in her voice.
"You were supposed to bring her to the cemetery," Seraphina said coldly. "Not poison her in her own room."
"I was weakening her first, like Morgana instructed," Vivienne stammered.
"My sister is an impatient fool," Seraphina responded. "This girl's power is too valuable to risk losing to poison."
She waved her hand, and the poison effects instantly left my body. The Trinity Bond roared back to life, connecting me to my friends with overwhelming intensity.
Scarlett! three voices screamed in my head. Where are you? What happened?
But before I could reply, Seraphina spoke again.
"However, Morgana was right about one thing. The Trinity Bond does make you tough to capture." She smiled, showing teeth like icicles. "Fortunately, I have a solution."
She pointed toward Vivienne, and dark magic wrapped around the Beta's daughter like chains.
"No!" Vivienne screamed. "We had a deal!"
"We did," Seraphina agreed. "You helped us find the Moon Wolf princess. In turn, I'm giving you exactly what you wanted."
Horror filled me as I realized what she meant. "You're going to put Vivienne in my place."
"I'm going to put her soul in your body," Seraphina amended. "She'll have your power, your mates, and your fate. And you'll have nothing but endless darkness."
Dark power erupted from her hands, reaching for both Vivienne and me. This wasn't just capture - this was total destruction of everything I was.
Through the Trinity Bond, I felt my mates racing toward the pack house, but they were still fighting Morgana and her undead army. They'd never reach me in time.
As the soul-stealing magic wrapped around me like hungry snakes, one frightening thought echoed through my mind: What if this was always the plan? What if everything - the poison, the betrayal, even Morgana's attack - was just a distraction to get me alone and defenseless?
The dark magic tightened its grip, and I felt my soul beginning to separate from my body as Vivienne's screams filled the air.