Truths

ANNA

The next few days at Silverstone Academy were filled with tension I could almost taste in the air.

Everywhere I went, whispers followed me.

Some students looked at me with curiosity, others with fear.

Rumors had already begun spreading about the strange light in the library and the three alphas suddenly taking an interest in me.

I tried to ignore it all. But ignoring Rylan, Damon, and Kael was impossible.

They were everywhere.

At breakfast, Rylan would sit across the hall, his unreadable eyes never straying far from me.

During combat training, Damon’s taunting smirk always found me, his voice a soft challenge meant for my ears alone.

And Kael, quiet and watchful, always seemed to appear when I least expected him, his gaze following me with that same golden intensity.

It was like being caught between fire, thunder, and shadow.

Lila noticed it too.

“They’re circling you,” she whispered as we walked down the hall.

“And you’re acting like you don’t notice.”

“I notice,” I said softly.

“Then why aren’t you running?”

I didn’t have an answer for that. Maybe because a part of me didn’t want to run. Each of them pulled at something inside me I couldn’t name. It wasn’t love. Not yet. It was something wilder, older, and dangerous.

*

*

That evening, Headmistress Valen summoned me to her office. Her note had been short, sealed with the academy’s silver crest.

My heart raced as I climbed the spiral staircase. The corridors were quiet, filled with the scent of lavender and candle wax.

When I entered, the headmistress was standing by the window, her long black hair gleaming under the moonlight.

“Anna Morell,” she said, her voice calm and measured.

“I hear your presence has caused quite the stir.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I said truthfully.

“Few who are chosen ever do.”

Her words made my skin prickle.

“Chosen?”

She turned then, her sharp blue eyes meeting mine.

“Tomorrow night, the moon will rise in full alignment. Every generation, Silverstone performs the Moon Binding ceremony-a ritual that reveals the threads of fate between souls.”

My breath caught.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because, Anna, your mark reacted when you met the alphas. It’s a sign that your power and theirs are linked. The ceremony may reveal why.”

My pulse quickened.

“And if it does?”

“Then you will have to decide whether to embrace it or fight it. Either choice will have consequences.”

I nodded slowly, the weight of her words settling over me.

As I turned to leave, she added softly,

“Be careful with your heart. The moon chooses bonds that mortals cannot always survive.”

*

*

The next night came faster than I expected. The academy glowed with silver light, and students gathered in the courtyard dressed in ceremonial robes.

I wore white, the color of the unbound, and the mark on my back burned faintly beneath the fabric.

The three alphas stood apart from one another at the edge of the circle, their gazes locked in silent challenge.

Kael’s expression was calm, his golden eyes unreadable. Rylan looked tense, his jaw set, his hands clenched at his sides. Damon was the opposite, his smirk in place, but I could see the sharpness in his eyes-the kind that hid real danger.

When the headmistress began to chant in the ancient tongue, the air grew heavy. The moonlight brightened until the entire courtyard shimmered.

I felt something inside me stir, a pull deep in my chest that made it hard to breathe.

Then I felt it.

Three separate surges of energy rushing toward me, colliding in my core. My body trembled, my heart racing.

Rylan’s power felt like a storm-furious, unyielding, electric.

Damon’s was fire-reckless, hungry, and intoxicating.

Kael’s was moonlight-steady, deep, and ancient.

The energies collided, and suddenly the mark on my back flared to life, glowing bright silver. Gasps filled the courtyard.

The headmistress lifted her hands as the light expanded outward, connecting me to the three of them through glowing threads.

The crowd murmured in awe and confusion.

“What does it mean?” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Headmistress Thorne’s eyes widened.

“The prophecy… it’s real.”

“What prophecy?” I asked.

But she didn’t answer. She looked afraid.

The light faded slowly, leaving the mark on my back still pulsing faintly.

Rylan took a step forward, his voice rough. “You’re bound to us.”

“That’s impossible,” I breathed.

Kael’s gaze darkened. “It’s not. The moon has chosen you, Anna.”

Damon’s smirk faltered for the first time.

“Three bonds. That’s not supposed to happen.”

Rylan shot him a glare.

“Stay away from her.”

“Why? Afraid she’ll choose me?” Damon’s tone turned sharp, his words cutting through the silence.

Kael stepped between them, his voice calm but cold. “This isn’t the time.”

“Then when?” Damon snapped.

“When she’s already decided which of us gets to claim her?”

“I’m not choosing anyone,” I said quickly, but my voice shook. The air between them was electric, violent.

Rylan’s eyes met mine, softening just a little.

“You might not have a choice.”

The ceremony ended in chaos. Whispers followed me back to my dorm, and I could still feel their energy pulsing beneath my skin. I wanted answers, but fear and confusion tangled inside me like vines.

*********

Later that night, someone knocked on my door.

It was Kael.

He looked pale, his usual composure replaced by something almost human_worry.

“May I come in?” he asked.

I nodded, stepping aside.

He stood in the middle of the room, silent for a moment. Then he said,

“There’s something you need to know.”

“What is it?”

He hesitated, then met my eyes.

“The bond… it’s not just a connection. It’s protection. Your mother had the same mark. She was bound to three alphas too.”

My breath caught. “My mother?”

He nodded.

“But something went wrong. The balance broke, and it cost her life.”

The room spun around me. “You mean… this bond could kill me?”

“If one of us breaks it, yes.” His voice was low.

“Which is why you must be careful who you give your trust to.”

Before I could speak, another knock sounded.

Rylan entered, his expression darkening when he saw Kael.

“I knew you’d come to her first.”

“I’m not here to fight,” Kael said evenly.

“But that’s all you ever do, isn’t it?” Damon’s voice came from the doorway as he strolled in, his grin returning, sharp and taunting.

“Fight over her.”

All three of them were in my room now, their energies clashing like opposing storms. The air crackled around us.

Rylan stepped closer to me, protective.

“You shouldn’t be alone with them.”

Damon laughed softly.

“You mean with us. Because you’re part of this mess too.”

Kael’s golden eyes flicked to mine.

“The moon’s choice can’t be undone. But how we survive it depends on what you decide.”

I swallowed hard.

“What I decide?”

“Yes,” he said softly. “You are the balance.”

Silence filled the room. For the first time, I saw fear in their eyes-not of each other, but of what this connection meant.

Rylan’s voice softened.

“Anna, no matter what happens, you’re not alone in this.”

Damon’s usual arrogance slipped just enough to reveal something raw.

“We might be cursed, but if you fall, we fall with you.”

Kael stepped forward, his hand brushing mine.

“The moon goddess doesn’t make mistakes. Trust that.”

Their presence was overwhelming, their closeness unbearable. My heart pounded as their scents surrounded me-smoke, rain, and pine.

And yet, for all the danger, I couldn’t ignore the warmth that spread through me. Three alphas. Three souls tied to mine by something I didn’t understand.

Something that could save us all, or destroy everything.

As they left one by one, the mark on my back pulsed again, brighter, hotter, and I whispered into the silence,

“What did you get me into, Mother?”

Outside, the moon glowed blood-red, and somewhere deep in the forest, a howl echoed.

It sounded like an omen.

Or a beginning.

TBC