Bound to the Triplet Alphas

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Truth and Training

ARIA POV

I jumped when the book hit the table in front of me.

"You’re not paying attention," Kael insulted. His cold and faraway golden eyes burned into mine. Not at all like the shocked looks I saw when I changed into my wolf form yesterday.

"I am," I said, putting my back straight. The change was still making my body hurt. Seeing white fur and feeling strength rush through my body again seemed like a dream. "You said the Luna keeps records of all pack births."

It was "and deaths," Kael said, looming over me. She’s more than just a pretty face for the Alpha. She’s the keeper of our past."

Twenty-four hours had passed since my encounter with Alpha Darius. Twenty-four hours since I’d shifted for the first time. Nobody had spoken about it openly. Instead, I’d been taken away to begin "Luna training" with Kael. As if nothing had happened.

"Where’s your father today?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

Kael’s jaw clenched. "Busy."

"Busy planning how to get rid of me?"

"Keep reading," he directed, ignoring my question.

I flipped through the huge book of pack records. Names, dates, births, deaths, all written in neat handwriting that changed every few decades as new Lunas took over the job.

"Why am I even doing this?" I asked. "You know what your father said to me."

"Everyone knows," Kael responded. His fingers drummed against the table. "The whole pack is talking about the omega who shifted into a white wolf."

"I’m not an omega," I said strongly. "Your father admitted it. I’m Alpha Thorne’s daughter."

Kael’s eyes flashed. "Keep your voice down."

The pack library was empty except for us, but I understood his caution. Walls had ears in this pack.

"I need to understand what happened," I said, dropping my voice. "Why was I raised as an omega if I have Alpha blood? Why did everyone lie to me?"

Kael sighed, pulling up a chair beside me. For a moment, his cold mask slipped.

"My father thinks knowledge is power," he stated. "And he doesn’t like sharing power."

I turned the page in the record book and froze. The years jumped suddenly, a gap where pages had been clearly torn out.

"What’s this?" I asked, pointing to the torn edges. "There are missing pages."

Kael leaned closer, his shoulder touching mine. "That’s... strange."

The gap filled exactly eighteen years ago – the year of my birth. My heart raced. "This is deliberate. Someone removed papers from around the time I was born."

Kael’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Or someone’s trying to make it look that way."

"What do you mean?"

"This could be a trap," he said softly. "To see what you’d do if you found it."

I looked at him. "You think your father did this?"

Kael didn’t answer directly. Instead, he closed the book. "Let’s move on to pack law."

"No," I stood up, pushing my chair back. "I need to know the truth about my parents. About why I was raised as an omega."

"Aria..." His voice softened slightly, startling me. "Some truths are dangerous."

"More dangerous than being threatened with death?" I challenged. "Your father clearly wants me gone."

Something flashed in Kael’s eyes – doubt? Fear? I couldn’t tell.

"The mate bond is still there," I said. "I feel it pulling in three ways. You, Jaxon, Lucien. But it’s stronger with—"

"Don’t," Kael cut me off. "We’re not discussing that."

"Why not? Because it scares you?"

His jaw clenched. "Because it’s impossible. Three mates. A hidden Alpha bloodline. A white cat appearing out of nowhere." He shook his head. "None of this makes sense."

"Then help me make sense of it," I begged.

For a moment, I thought he might refuse. Then he stood up and walked to a locked box in the corner of the library. Using a key from his pocket, he opened it and pulled out a thin leather notebook.

"This belonged to my mother," he said, returning to the table. "She died when we were born."

My eyes opened. I’d never heard him speak of his mother before.

"She was friends with your mother," he added, opening the journal. "At least, that’s what I’ve pieced together."

The handwriting was elegant, the pages filled with notes about pack life. Kael flipped to a marked page and pushed it toward me.

"Read this," he said.

I looked down at the entry: "S. visited again today. She’s scared D. will discover her secret. The pups grow stronger each day – hers and mine. I’ve promised to protect them all, but I fear what will happen when the truth comes out. The white wolf bloodline cannot stay hidden forever."

My hands shook. "S... could that be my mother? Selene?"

Kael nodded slowly. "And D. is my father, Darius."

"What secret was she hiding?" I whispered.

"I think—" Kael began, but the library door burst open.

Jaxon stood there, breathing hard. "There you are. Elder Malin is dead."

My heart stopped. "What?"

"Found in his quarters," Jaxon continued, his eyes wild. "Throat slashed."

"Father?" Kael asked, standing up.

Jaxon shook his head. "Father’s lost. And so is Lucien."

The notebook fell from my hands. "This is because of me. Because of what I found."

"It gets worse," Jaxon said, stepping closer. "Elder Malin left a message. In blood."

"What did it say?" Kael demanded.

Jaxon’s eyes locked with mine. "Three dogs, one moon. The white cat rises. Death follows the truth."

A chill ran down my spine. "I need to find Lucien."

"No," Kael grabbed my arm. "It’s too dangerous. This could be—"

The windows burst inward, showering us with glass. I screamed as a massive black wolf leapt through the hole, eyes glowing red with rage. Alpha Darius, in wolf form, growling and covered in blood.

Behind him stood Lucien, his eyes blank, moving like a puppet on strings.

"Run!" Kael yelled, pushing me toward the door.

But before I could move, Lucien spoke in a voice that wasn’t his own: "The daughter of Thorne shall not escape again. The promise ends tonight."

My body began to heat up, the familiar burning feeling of an approaching shift. But this time, the Alpha wolf before me howled – and something inside me howled back.

Not in fear, but in challenge.

Human left: what page did you just write for me?