Fated Mate to the Triplet Alpha-Chapter 46: Brothers United

When the first Blood Moon fighter lunged at Elara, his claws were already out. She dove as the wind from his swipe brushed her hair. As soon as she tried to defend herself, Kael slammed into the attacker, breaking bones in the process. "Stay behind us!" Kael yelled as he changed into part of his wolf form. His eyes were glowing gold. Elara didn’t pay attention, though. Weak silver light pulsed through the crown on her head. With each second that went by, she could feel the poison in her blood getting stronger. It was supposed that the Bond Trial would make her bond with the triplets stronger, but it made it weaker.

Ronan and a Blood Moon wolf were both thrown to the ground when the wolf hit them. The fight was over quickly when Ronan’s claws hit the enemy in the throat. He got up quickly, with blood on his hands. "There are too many of them!" A call went out from Ronan as three more fighters came out of the trees. Darian walked up to Elara and his normally calm face was twisted with worry. "The poison is killing them." Through our connection, I can feel it." She was so weak she could hardly stand. The mate ties were pulling at her heart, but something was wrong with them.

Instead of giving her strength, they felt... broken. "It’s not just poison," she gasped, her mind filled with knowledge. "When I touched the crown, Tobias did something to the bonds." He’s been planning this from the beginning." Around them, the battle raged. Blackwood Pack members fought hard against the enhanced Blood Moon warriors. But they were overwhelmed and caught off guard. Alpha Kane walked through the chaos like he was taking a walk. Nothing seemed to touch him. When a Blackwood warrior struck, Kane simply waved his hand and the wolf went flying. "Magic," Darian breathed, seeing the same thing. "He’s using dark magic." That’s when Marcus appeared, changing from his massive black wolf form back to human. "Kane!" he roared. "This is between our packs! Leave the others out of it!" Kane laughed, the sound echoing across the battlefield. "Oh, Marcus. Still trying to control everything, aren’t you? This stopped being about packing the moment your son’s mate put on that crown." "What are you talking about?" "Ask your friend Tobias. He’s been very helpful." Marcus spun around, searching the crowd. When he spotted Tobias near the tree line, his face changed to pure rage. "You betrayed us." Tobias stepped forward, his eyes now glowing the same unnatural red as the Blood Moon attackers. "I served my true master. The crown belongs to those strong enough to take it." "You used my pack. You used my sons!" "I used everyone. Including you." Tobias smiled coldly. "Did you really think I cared about your plans for power? You’re just a small-time Alpha who got in over his head." The deception hit Marcus like a physical blow. All his plans, all his manipulation—he’d been played by someone even more cunning. But Elara wasn’t watching the adults fight. She was focused on something else.

The mate bonds were damaged, yes, but they weren’t totally broken. She could still feel Kael’s determination, Ronan’s fierce protectiveness, and Darian’s hidden power. What if she’d been thinking about this wrong? What if the Bond Trial wasn’t about completing three different bonds? What if it was about making them into one? "Kael! Ronan! Darian!" she called out. "Come here! Now!" The triplets heard the urgency in her words. Despite the fight raging around them, they fought their way back to her side. "What is it?" Kael asked, breathing hard from the fight. "The ties. They’re not supposed to be three different links. They’re supposed to be one tie between all four of us." Ronan wiped blood from his mouth. "What does that mean?" "It means we stop fighting each other and start fighting together." She looked at each of them in turn. "I know you all have different feelings about me, about this situation. But right now, our pack is dying because of a choice I made." "This isn’t your fault," Darian said strongly. "Yes, it is. I put on the crown.

I trusted Tobias. I made Celeste desperate enough to abandon everyone." Her voice got stronger with each word. "But I can fix it. We can fix it. Together." Another wave of Blood Moon fighters charged toward them. Without thinking, the triplets moved as one unit. Kael took the front, Ronan watched the left, Darian covered the right. They fought like they’d been training together their whole lives. And Elara felt it—the ties shifting, changing, becoming something new. "Whatever happens next," she said as they finished off the attackers, "I need to know you’re with me. All of you. Not just because of fate or job, but because you choose to be."

Kael met her eyes. For the first time since they’d been mated, his expression was totally open. "I was wrong before. About you not being strong enough to be Luna. You’re the best person I know." "I’ve been fighting for you since day one," Ronan said, laughing despite the chaos around them. "Not planning to stop now." Darian was quiet for a moment. Then: "I have something to confess. The warning about betrayal? I thought it might be me. I’ve been holding back, afraid I’d hurt you somehow. But watching you now... I’d rather die than hurt you." The ties between them suddenly blazed to life. Not three different connections, but one powerful link that connected all their hearts and minds. Elara felt their united strength flowing through her, pushing back the poison. The crown’s light blazed silver-white, so bright that the Blood Moon fighters closest to them stepped backward. "Now that’s more like it," Kane called out, sounding happy. "A real challenge." But something was wrong with his voice. It sounded... different. Older. Tobias walked up beside Kane, and Elara saw the truth that made her blood freeze. "You’re not Kane Bloodmoon," she said. The figure wearing Kane’s face smiled, and his features changed. The face that looked back at her was old, with eyes like black holes. "Very good, little queen. I am something much older than a simple Alpha." "What are you?" "The last of the Shadow Kings. And I’ve been waiting a very long time for someone powerful enough to take that crown from." The real horror of the situation hit her. This wasn’t just about pack politics or jealousy. This was about an ancient evil that had been shaping events for who knew how long. "The prophecy," Darian breathed. "It wasn’t about one of us abandoning Elara. It was about someone claiming to be our ally while planning to destroy everything." "Tobias has been working for you this whole time," Elara realized. "Longer than you might think. I’ve been planning this since before you were born, little omega.

Your parents thought they could hide you from me by suppressing your gifts. But fate always finds a way." Around them, the Blood Moon soldiers were changing too. Their eyes grew blacker, their claws longer. They weren’t just improved wolves—they were something else entirely. "Shadow creatures," Luna Evelyn gasped, appearing beside them with tears streaming down her face. "I’ve seen them in the old books. They feed on power." "And your mate’s power is particularly delicious," the Shadow King said. "Strong enough to break my centuries of imprisonment." The triplets moved closer to Elara, making a protective circle. Their united bond pulsed with determination. "You’ll have to go through us first," Kael growled. "Oh, I’m counting on it. The more you fight, the more power she’ll use. The weaker she’ll become." The Shadow King’s laugh was like ice breaking. "And when she falls, I’ll take the crown, her power, and everything else I need to remake this world." The shadow animals began advancing from all sides. There was nowhere to run. But Elara wasn’t thinking about running anymore. She was thinking about the words Luna Evelyn had said: destiny always finds a way. Maybe her fate wasn’t to break a curse or choose between mates.

Maybe her fate was to save everyone she loved. Even if it killed her. "Whatever you’re thinking," Ronan said, reading her face, "we’re doing it together." She smiled, feeling the strength of their bond running through her like fire. "Together," she agreed. The Shadow King lifted his hand, and his creatures prepared to attack. But in that moment before the final battle started, Elara heard something that made her heart stop. A wolf howl from the forest. Not a Blood Moon howl or a dark creature’s call. It was the sound of allies coming. The question was: would the

y be enough?