Chapter 3

Rhea

The air shifted.

I felt it in my feet first—a prickling dread, like a dream dragging its nails through the dirt to find me.

The mate bond hit. Sharp. Hungry.

It licked up my spine. Tugged at my lungs. Squeezed my heart until I couldn't breathe.

But it wasn't right.

It wasn't one.

It came from the left.

From the right.

And dead ahead.

Three directions.

One pull.

No mercy.

My wolf howled, panicked—chasing it like a scent in the wind.

No. I didn't want this.

Didn't ask for this.

Because mates dreamed of futures.

And slaves had none.

I gripped my dress—fingers digging into silk, fists shaking.

I needed to get out.

Away from this place.

Away from him—whoever he was.

The bond grew stronger. Hotter.

It crushed down on my ribs.

My mate's wolf was near. I could feel it. Smell it.

Pure. Wild. Ruinous.

I pressed a hand to my chest. My breath stuttered.

They were right.

You can't outrun the Moon Goddess.

But I wasn't going to be a blessing.

Not to them.

I'd be a stain. A scar they'd spend their lives scrubbing off.

My wolf whimpered. She didn't care.

She wanted to be found.

But I knew better.

Rejection would be the only welcome I got.

"I'm not feeling well," I told Lyra. "I need some air."

She blinked, concern softening her. "Let me walk you out."

I nodded. Barely breathing.

Every step toward the exit dragged like chains across the stone.

Almost there—

The cold air kissed my face—

Then someone slammed into me.

I stumbled.

Arms caught me. Tight. Steady.

Everything froze.

I looked up—

Jet black hair.

Messy fringe.

Steel blue eyes.

Not Lucian. Not Cassian.

Jeans. Jacket. A plain white shirt.

A smirk is like a sin.

"Careful, Princess," he said. "You wouldn't want to hurt yourself now."

My lungs shut. My wolf screamed.

"Dorian?" Lyra whispered, still holding my hand. "You weren't supposed to come."

He shrugged. Still holding me like I belonged in his arms.

Then it hit. Full force.

The bond. Exploding like fire under my skin.

Two more shadows stepped forward.

Two more pairs of steel blue eyes.

Lucian. Cassian.

They flanked him.

Staring.

Claiming.

And I understood.

It wasn't confusing.

Wasn't broken.

It was fate.

All three.

My knees nearly gave out.

Lucian's gaze—cold.

Cassian—shocked.

Dorian—smirking, but watching me too closely.

All of them tethered to me.

And me?

The slave.

The nobody.

I couldn't move.

Couldn't breathe.

Their scents hit me. Their wolves pressed down.

I wanted to run.

But my wolf had already chosen.

And fate had too.

The room shifted.

The crowd turned.

Music stopped.

Laughter died.

Whispers clawed the air—

"What's going on?"

"Are the triplets—"

"—looking at her?"

Cassian broke the silence. "What the hell?"

He laughed once—ugly, dry.

"This is a joke, right?"

He looked at me like I was dirt on his shoes.

"Is the Goddess drunk? Why her?" He barked out a laugh. "Why all three of us?"

"Girl," he spat the word.

The whispers got louder.

"She's their mate?"

"All three?"

"She's going to be Luna…?"

Each word landed like a stone in my gut.

I turned.

Lyra stood frozen. Pretty lips parted. Hands balled.

Her voice cracked. "This is a mistake… right?"

No one answered.

No one laughed.

The light that once kissed her turned to me. Harsh. Blinding.

And I knew.

I had taken her spotlight.

Stolen her moment.

On her twentieth birthday

"Lyra wait!" I called out my hand stretch out to hold her but the packs officer wrapped their hands around me.

"You, the alpha demand your presence." They echoed 

Just like that, I was dragged out without a say.

Without a will. 

…

Velvet chair. Stale air. Too many eyes.

I sat straight-backed, stiff, every breath careful. Across the long table, the triplets watched me. Behind them, the Alpha sat — Mangus. Broad. Still. His presence was a shadow stretching the whole room. One streak of gray in his hair, like the Moon had marked him herself.

"She's their mate, Your Highness," the advisor said.

Silence cracked. Then a laugh tore through it — loud, jarring. Mangus's chest shook as he threw his head back, laughter booming off stone walls.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said, wiping his eyes. "Never thought my sons would end up sharing a mate."

I didn't laugh. I didn't breathe. Lyra's face flashed in my head — the moment she ran out of her party, mascara bleeding into tears.

His amusement twisted my stomach.

"Maybe this is it," Mangus murmured. "Maybe this is what I asked for. The sign. The test. The Moon has chosen."

His eyes landed on me. Heavy. Final. "She sent me you, child."

A chill bloomed in my spine.

Cassian's voice cut through it. "I'm not doing this." Flat. Angry. "They can have her. I'm out."

He turned, and almost made it to the door.

"If you walk out that door, Cassian," Mangus said, voice sharp as a whip, "you walk out on everything."

Cassian stopped. Turned slow. Snarl on his lips.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"She will choose," Mangus said. "Three months from now, on the Blood Moon. She picks her mate. That mate becomes the next Alpha."

The breath left the room. Lucian's jaw tightened. Dorian stilled.

"She'll live here. Be protected. Courted properly. In the end, she'll choose. And that choice," Mangus said, locking eyes with each son, "will shape the future of this pack."

My fingers clenched. My bones wanted to disappear.

"This is insane," Cassian hissed. "You're throwing the pack's future away—for what? For who does she likebest?"

Dorian snorted. "You don't care about the pack, you're just mad it's not Lyra."

"Say that again."

"Enough," Lucian snapped.

"It's not about feelings," Mangus said. "It's about destiny." He gestured wide. "If you're too proud to accept Her will, leave. Find another pack to rule."

I sat there, frozen. I hadn't chosen any of this.

Who said I wanted to be Luna?

My voice came out thin. "Sir."

He looked at me.

"I'm an omega," I said. "A slave. The Goddess must've made a mistake. Someone like Lyra—"

Mangus moved. Walked to me. His hand landed on my shoulder — heavy, warm, cruel.

"Shut up," he whispered. "You question the Moon's will?" His eyes burned. "You are the Luna. The end."

He walked out.

The silence he left behind was louder than his laugh.

Three sons. One unwanted girl. And a future none of us asked for.

Even if we screamed, no one would hear us. The Moon had already spoken.