Fated Mate to the Triplet Alpha

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Betrayal by Blood

The shadows swirled around them like angry storm clouds, choking out all light. Elara felt icy fingers grasp at her throat as the darkness from the false Selene’s mouth spread throughout the cave.

"Shield yourselves!" Darian shouted, his voice barely audible over the howling darkness.

Acting on instinct, Elara summoned the mental walls she had just learned to create. Silver light burst from her fingertips, creating a protective dome around the five of them. The shadows hissed and retreated, unable to penetrate the barrier.

"How long can you hold it?" Kael asked, his golden eyes reflecting her silver light.

"Not long enough," Elara admitted, already feeling the strain. Her arms trembled with effort as the shadows pounded against her shield.

Ronan grabbed her hand. "Take my strength."

She felt his power flow into her, wild and fierce. Kael placed his hand on her shoulder, adding his steady, commanding energy. Darian completed the circle, his calm presence stabilizing the connection between them all.

With their combined power, Elara pushed outward. The shield expanded violently, exploding in a burst of silver light that sent the shadows scattering. The creature wearing Selene’s face screamed, its form melting into black sludge before slithering out of the cave entrance.

"It’s gone—for now," Tobias said, checking the entrance carefully.

"But it knows where we are," Kael growled. "We need to move."

They gathered what little supplies they had and fled deeper into the network of caves. By dawn, they emerged in a different part of the forest, miles from where they had started.

"We need a plan," Kael said as they rested beside a small stream. "Father will send more shadows—or worse."

Elara splashed water on her face, trying to wash away the memory of the thing that had pretended to be her mother. "Why did it try to trick me with my mother’s face?"

"Because it knew you’d let your guard down," Darian explained quietly. "The skin-walkers feed on emotion—fear, hope, love. They use it to get past your defenses."

A twig snapped in the distance. All five froze, alert for danger.

"Wolf. Approaching from the east," Ronan whispered, scenting the air. "Just one."

Tobias drew a silver dagger. Kael and Ronan shifted partially, claws and fangs extending. Darian positioned himself in front of Elara, his body tensed.

A tall figure stepped into the clearing, hands raised to show he meant no harm. Elara recognized him immediately—Beta James Rivers, Celeste’s father.

"I come alone," he said, his tired eyes moving from one face to another before settling on Elara. "To speak with the Luna."

"She’s not safe with you," Kael snarled. "You’re my father’s right hand."

Beta James shook his head. "Not anymore. Marcus has gone too far. The pack is divided. Many have fled rather than follow him into darkness."

"Why should we trust you?" Ronan demanded.

"Because I know what he’s planning," Beta James replied. "And because my own daughter is now a monster wearing human skin."

Elara stepped forward, despite Darian’s attempt to hold her back. "What happened to Celeste?"

Pain flashed across the Beta’s face. "She made a deal with the skin-walker queen. Power in exchange for loyalty. I didn’t recognize what was happening until it was too late."

Tobias lowered his dagger slightly. "What does Alpha Marcus plan to do?"

"He’s preparing for the blood moon ritual tonight. With Celeste’s help, he’s captured Luna Evelyn—the real one, not the shadow creature you encountered."

Kael’s eyes widened. "My mother is alive?"

"Barely," Beta James confirmed. "The skin-walkers have been feeding off her life force for years, using her connection to the pack to weaken our defenses."

Elara felt sick. "And Celeste?"

"She’s not my daughter anymore," Beta James said, his voice breaking. "Whatever bond she formed with the skin-walkers has changed her. She’s helping them prepare for the ritual because she believes they’ll make her the true Luna once you’re dead."

The small group fell silent, processing this new information. Finally, Elara spoke.

"What do you want from us?"

Beta James looked directly at her, his expression grave. "I want you to leave. Right now. Go as far from here as possible."

"You want us to run?" Kael asked incredulously.

"I want her to live," Beta James snapped, pointing at Elara. "Her presence is tearing the pack apart. Some see her as salvation, others as destruction. My daughter has become a monster because of jealousy. Alpha Marcus has lost his mind seeking power through her. The triplet bond was never meant to exist—it’s unnatural and dangerous."

"Don’t speak of things you don’t understand," Tobias warned.

"I understand enough!" Beta James shot back. "I’ve served this pack for thirty years. I’ve watched good wolves die and families turn against each other. All because of prophecies and power and politics." He turned to Elara again, his voice softening. "You can end this. Just go."

Elara could feel the triplets’ anger building like a storm around her.

"You want her to abandon her destiny?" Darian asked quietly.

"I want her to choose her own path," Beta James replied. "Not one dictated by ancient prophecies or power-hungry Alphas."

Something about his words struck a chord in Elara. Choose her own path. Wasn’t that what she’d always wanted?

"She stays with us," Kael declared, moving protectively closer to her.

Beta James sighed heavily. "Then you’ve doomed her." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch. "At least take this. Luna Evelyn managed to hide it before she was captured."

He tossed it to Elara. Inside was a small silver key with moon symbols etched into its surface.

"What does it open?" she asked.

"A door beneath the old temple—where the original Luna made her last stand against the skin-walkers centuries ago. There’s power there that might help you."

Before anyone could ask more questions, Beta James stiffened, his eyes widening in alarm. "They’ve found me."

A howl echoed through the forest—not the cry of a wolf, but something twisted and wrong. Beta James turned to run, but stopped and looked back one last time.

"Remember, Elara Moon—your presence brings destruction to this pack. The triplet bond wasn’t meant to exist. You must choose."

With those cryptic words, he disappeared into the trees.

"We can’t trust him," Ronan growled.

"No," Kael agreed. "But we need to find this door."

Elara stared at the silver key in her palm, wondering what secrets it might unlock. Choose. That word again. First from Darian, now from Beta James.

"We should—" Darian began, but fell silent as another howl cut through the air, closer this time.

"Too late," Tobias muttered. "They’re here."

They formed a protective circle around Elara as shadows began to gather between the trees. But instead of attacking, the shadows parted to reveal a figure walking calmly toward them.

Celeste Rivers stepped into the clearing, but she wasn’t the jealous girl Elara remembered. Her once-pretty face was now unnaturally beautiful, her eyes gleaming with malice. Behind her walked her father, Beta James, his expression blank and his eyes completely black.

"Did you really think my father came here of his own free will?" Celeste laughed, her voice echoing strangely. "He’s been mine since the moment he left the pack to find you."

"Celeste," Elara gasped, clutching the key tightly in her fist. "What have you done?"

"What you never had the courage to do," Celeste replied, stroking her father’s cheek possessively. "I took power instead of waiting for it to be given to me."

With a flick of her wrist, Beta James dropped to his knees, his body convulsing as darkness poured from his mouth and eyes.

"He was so concerned about you dividing the pack," Celeste continued, watching her father’s agony with detached curiosity. "But he never realized the real division was already here."

She snapped her fingers, and Beta James’s body stilled. Slowly, he rose to his feet and turned to face Elara, his face splitting into an unnatural grin.

"The key," he said in a voice that wasn’t his own. "Give me the key."

Elara backed away, horror washing over her as she realized the truth—Beta James hadn’t warned her about Celeste.

He’d led her straight into a trap.