Kaia's POV
Moira's fifty wolves charge—and my three Alphas explode into action.
Darius shifts mid-leap, his massive black wolf slamming into three attackers at once. Bones crack. Blood sprays. He fights like a demon unleashed, all teeth and fury and brutal efficiency.
Theron moves like water made lethal—dodging, striking, his silver wolf finding throats with surgical precision. Every move calculated. Every kill clean.
Caelan's magic erupts in waves of purple fire, blasting wolves backward. His midnight blue wolf glows with ancient power, reality itself bending around him.
They're magnificent. Terrifying. And completely ignoring the fifty-to-three odds.
Seize the Omega! Moira screams from behind her wall of warriors. Whoever brings her to me gets twice their weight in gold!
Twenty wolves break off from the main fight, charging straight at me.
My body freezes. I'm still weak from the awakening, still learning this new power burning under my skin. I don't know how to fight, don't know how to
A wall of black fur appears in front of me.
Darius plants himself between me and the charging wolves, snarling a warning so vicious it makes my bones vibrate. Through the bond, I feel his absolute conviction: They'll have to kill me first.
But there are too many.
A wolf gets past him, jaws snapping toward my throat
Theron intercepts, his silver form a blur. He tears the attacker's leg out from under him, then keeps moving, circling back to my other side.
Protected, his presence says through the bond. Safe.
Caelan's magic forms a shimmering barrier around us, purple light crackling. Three wolves slam into it and get thrown backward, yelping.
They're protecting me. Three Alphas who barely know me, who were trying to kill each other five minutes ago, are fighting in perfect coordination to keep me alive.
The mate bond hums with their unified purpose.
But it's not enough.
More wolves pour through the temple entrance. Sixty now. Seventy. Moira must have called every fighter she could find.
We need to move! Theron's human voice cuts through the chaos as he shifts mid-fight. There are too many!
I don't run, Darius snarls, still in wolf form, blood dripping from his muzzle.
Then we die here, you stubborn bastard!
A wolf breaks through their defense—a massive brute aiming straight for me. I stumble backward, trip over the altar steps, and crash onto the stone.
The wolf lunges.
My Omega power explodes outward instinctively.
STOP!
The command cracks through the air like thunder. Every single wolf freezes mid-attack—Moira's warriors, my three Alphas, even Priestess Selene. They all lock in place, unable to move, eyes wide with shock.
I did that. I froze seventy wolves with a single word.
Holy shit.
The power keeps pouring out of me, rolling across the temple grounds in waves. I can feel every wolf present—their fear, their confusion, their absolute inability to resist my command.
Through the bond, my three Alphas feel different. They're frozen too, but underneath is something else. Pride. Possessive satisfaction. And raw, primal hunger.
Their Omega just showed her power.
Kaia, Caelan's voice strains, fighting my command enough to speak. You need to... release us... can't hold this... much longer...
He's right. The power is draining me fast, like water pouring through a sieve. My legs shake. Vision blurs.
I don't know how to stop it.
Kaia! Theron's voice is urgent. Let go! You're burning yourself out!
I don't know how! Panic rises in my chest. The power keeps flowing, keeps draining, and I can't
Darius shifts to human, somehow breaking through my command by sheer force of will. He crosses to me in three strides, grabs my face in both hands, and forces me to meet his fierce gold eyes.
Breathe, he orders. Pull it back. The power comes from you—you control it.
I can't
Yes, you can. His thumbs stroke my cheekbones, surprisingly gentle. You're stronger than you think. You've always been stronger. Now breathe and pull it back.
His absolute certainty flows through the bond. He believes I can do this.
Maybe I can.
I close my eyes and imagine the power as something physical—a river I can dam, a storm I can calm. I visualize pulling it back inside, coiling it down into my chest like a sleeping serpent.
Slowly, painfully, it obeys.
The frozen wolves gasp as my command releases them. Some collapse. Others stagger backward.
My three Alphas recover instantly, shifting and forming a protective triangle around me.
Moira stares at me with naked terror and hatred. She's too dangerous! Kill her! Kill her NOW!
But her wolves hesitate. They just felt my power. They know what I am now.
An Omega. A force of nature they can't fight.
Anyone who touches her dies, Darius announces, his voice carrying across the temple grounds. I am Darius Shadowfang, Alpha of the North. This female is under my protection.
Our protection, Theron corrects smoothly, stepping forward. Theron Silvercrest, Alpha-King of the East. Harm her and face the combined might of two territories.
Three, Caelan adds quietly. Caelan Nightshade, Western Alpha. The prophecy has chosen her. The Goddess has marked her. Any wolf who defies divine will answers to me.
The message is clear: To get to me, they have to go through three of the most powerful Alphas in existence.
Moira's wolves exchange nervous glances. The odds just shifted dramatically.
This isn't over, Moira hisses. The Council will hear of this abomination. They'll—
The Council is already here.
The new voice freezes everyone.
An ancient male wolf steps through the temple entrance, flanked by twelve others wearing elder robes. The Council of Elders—the governing body of all werewolf territories.
Elder Marcus, the head councilor, surveys the scene with cold disapproval. His eyes linger on me, on the three glowing marks visible on my skin, on my three Alphas positioned protectively around me.
The triple marking, he says, voice heavy with judgment. It has returned.
Priestess Selene bows deeply. Elder Marcus. The Goddess has spoken—
The Goddess has cursed us. Marcus's eyes are hard as stone. The last triple marking resulted in the War of Three Alphas. Thousands died. Entire packs were slaughtered. We swore it would never happen again.
The Goddess makes her own choices, Caelan says carefully.
And we make ours. Marcus steps forward, his power radiating outward—ancient, absolute, undeniable. Kaia Thornwood, you have been marked by three Alphas. By law, you must choose one and reject the others. The rejected marks will be burned away, and order will be restored.
No, I whisper.
It is not a request. It is law. Marcus's gaze is merciless. You have thirty days to choose one Alpha. If you fail to choose, or if the three Alphas cannot maintain peace, all four of you will be executed to prevent war.
The words slam into me like a physical blow.
Choose one. Reject two. Or die.
That's insane, Darius snarls. The Goddess herself forged these bonds—
The Goddess also gave us free will and the intelligence to prevent catastrophe. Marcus cuts him off. Thirty days, Alpha Shadowfang. Control yourself and your fellow Alphas, or face execution alongside your mate.
He turns to leave, the other Elders following.
Wait! I find my voice. What if I refuse to choose? What if the bonds can't be broken?
Marcus looks back, his expression pitying and cruel. Then in thirty days, we'll kill all three of your Alphas in front of you. And when you're broken from the severed bonds, we'll execute you too. Choose wisely, Omega.
The Council disappears into the night, leaving us in stunned silence.
Moira smiles triumphantly. Thirty days, stepdaughter. Then you'll be dead, and everything you are will be mine to claim. She turns to her wolves. We're done here.
They leave, and suddenly the temple feels too quiet.
I'm shaking. My three Alphas surround me, their presence solid and real, but it doesn't help.
Thirty days.
Choose one or they all die.
We'll figure this out, Theron says quietly.
There's nothing to figure out. My voice cracks. I have to choose one of you or you'll all be executed.
Then don't choose, Darius says simply.
Did you not hear
I heard. But I also know one thing for certain. His gold eyes burn into mine. You're our mate. We don't abandon our mates. We find another way.
What other way? The Council
Can be fought. Outsmarted. Overthrown if necessary. Theron's smile is sharp. I didn't become Alpha-King by following every rule.
The prophecy shows multiple futures, Caelan adds. In some, we all die. But in others... He meets my eyes. In others, you change everything.
Hope flutters weakly in my chest. How?
We have thirty days to find out. Darius extends his hand. But first, you need rest. The awakening drained you. You're barely standing.
He's right. My legs are shaking, vision blurring at the edges.
Where will we go?
Neutral territory. A safe house I maintain for emergencies. Theron is already moving, his strategic mind working. We'll regroup there and plan our next move.
The three of us under one roof? Darius raises an eyebrow. This should be interesting.
Try not to kill each other, I mutter.
All three Alphas look at me, and through the bond I feel their unified response: For you, we'll try.
Caelan steps closer, his purple eyes glowing with vision-sight. Kaia, there's something else you need to know. Something the Council didn't mention.
What?
The last Omega who received a triple marking—the one a thousand years ago? His expression is grave. She didn't just cause a war. She ended it. By bonding all three Alphas permanently and forcing the territories to unite under her rule.
My heart stops. What are you saying?
I'm saying there's a reason the Council wants you to choose one Alpha. Because if you bond all three of us... He smiles slightly. You become the most powerful wolf alive. Powerful enough to challenge their authority. Powerful enough to change everything.
The implications crash over me like a wave.
They're afraid of me, I whisper.
Terrified, Theron confirms. As they should be.
Darius's hand closes around mine, solid and warm. Thirty days, little wolf. We have thirty days to decide: play by their rules or burn them down entirely.
Through the bond, I feel all three of them waiting for my answer.
And for the first time since Garrett destroyed me, I feel something other than broken.
I feel dangerous.
Let's burn them down, I say quietly.
All three Alphas smile—savage, satisfied, hungry.
That's our Omega, Darius rumbles.
And as they lead me away from the temple into the night, I realize something terrifying:
I haven't just been marked by three Alphas.
I've marked them right back.
And I'm going to destroy anyone who tries to take them from me.