Fated Mate to the Triplet Alpha-Chapter 42: Pack Tensions

The silver moon cast eerie shadows across the old temple ruins. Elara’s heart stopped as she saw Kael chained to the stone altar, his face pale but stubborn. Marcus stood above him, ritual knife gleaming in the moonlight. "Father, stop!" Ronan shouted, bursting from the treeline with the rebel pack. Marcus smiled coldly. "Just in time to watch your brother’s sacrifice."

But as the rebels charged forward, something unexpected happened. Pack members emerged from behind the temple pillars—not Marcus’s guards, but regular wolves from their own pack. They blocked the rebels’ way, snarling and ready to fight. "What’s happening?" Elara gasped. Tobias cursed under his breath. "The pack is splitting." On one side stood dogs loyal to Marcus and Celeste. On the other, pack members who believed in Elara’s fate. The sight made Elara’s stomach twist. Families stood separated. Friends faced each other with bared teeth. "You see?" Marcus called out, his voice booming off the stone walls. "Even your own pack questions your worth, omega." Celeste stepped forward from the shadows, her green dress moving like liquid poison. "They know the truth. An omega cannot lead us." "She’s not an omega!" Ronan roared, his eyes blazing gold. "Tell them, Elara!" But before Elara could speak, pack member Jake Morrison stepped forward. His wife Sarah stood on the opposite side, tears running down her face. "I’ve served this pack for twenty years," Jake said, his voice cracking. "I won’t follow a girl who brings nothing but chaos."

"She saved our children from the rogue attack last month!" Sarah shot back. "How can you forget that?" Other voices joined in. Arguments erupted. Old grudges emerged. The pack tore itself apart while Marcus watched with satisfaction. "Enough!" Darian’s words cut through the noise. He moved toward the altar, his hands raised. "Father, release Kael. We can settle this without killing." Marcus’s eyes narrowed. "My younger son. Always the peacemaker." He tilted his head. "Or are you?" Elara’s blood ran cold. She remembered Darian’s warning: Don’t trust anyone tonight. Not even me. "What do you mean?" Kael requested from the altar, struggling against his chains. Marcus laughed. "Tell them, Darian. Tell them about our little deal." The world seemed to stop. All eyes turned to Darian, whose face had gone white as snow. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," Darian said, but his voice trembled. "Really?" Marcus pulled a silver pendant from his pocket. "Then explain this." Elara recognized it instantly. It was the same charm Darian wore—the one she’d noticed earlier. But this one was covered in dried blood. "I found this in your room," Marcus declared. "Along with detailed maps of Elara’s escape routes and patrol schedules." Gasps echoed through the crowd. Ronan’s face twisted with rage and betrayal. "You sold us out," he whispered. "Your own brothers." "No!" Darian stepped forward desperately. "It’s not what it looks like!" But the damage was done. Pack members who had backed Elara began backing away. Doubt crept into their eyes. "He’s been working with me all along," Marcus continued, his voice smooth as silk. "Feeding me information. Planning Elara’s arrest." Elara felt like she’d been hit in the gut. freёwebnoѵel.com

The mate bond with Darian pulsed with his emotions—fear, guilt, and something else she couldn’t name. "Is it true?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Darian’s eyes met hers. For a moment, she saw the boy who had kissed her so lovingly just hours ago. Then his mask slipped back into place. "Yes," he said simply. The word hit like a physical blow. Ronan lunged forward, but rebels held him back. "Why?" Kael’s voice was raw with pain. "We’re your brothers!" "Because I had no choice!" Darian burst, his careful control finally cracking. "You want to know the truth? Fine! Father threatened to kill Mother if I didn’t cooperate!" Luna Evelyn stepped out from behind a rock, her face streaked with tears. "My son..." "Mother?" Kael breathed. "You’re alive?" "Barely," Marcus said coldly. "She’s been my safety policy. Darian’s dedication in exchange for her life." The revelation sent shockwaves through the crowd. Even Celeste looked stunned. "But there’s more," Darian continued, his voice getting stronger. "Yes, I gave Father information. But I also changed it. Every patrol route was wrong. Every escape plan led to safety instead of capture." Elara’s heart jumped. "You’ve been protecting us?" "He’s lying!" Celeste shrieked. "Don’t listen to him!" But Tobias was nodding slowly. "It makes sense. We should have been caught a dozen times, but we always stayed one step ahead." "The pendant," Darian said, looking at his father. "That’s not mine. You planted it." Marcus’s smile faltered for the first time. "Clever boy. But it doesn’t matter now. The ritual must continue." He raised the knife toward Kael’s chest. But as he did, something strange happened. The pack members who had been fighting suddenly stopped. Their eyes started glowing with an unnatural red light. "What’s wrong with them?" Ronan demanded. Gideon cursed. "Blood magic. He’s controlling them." One by one, the controlled pack members turned toward Elara. Their movements were jerky, strange. Like dolls on strings. "You see?" Marcus laughed. "I don’t need their support. I can take their will." The controlled wolves began advancing on Elara and her friends. But as they did, something awakened inside her. The silver power she’d been holding back surged forward. "No," she said, her voice echoing with otherworldly power. "I won’t let you hurt my pack." Silver light burst from her skin. Where it touched the controlled dogs, the red glow in their eyes flickered and died. They fell to the ground, gasping and free. "Impossible," Marcus breathed. "The silver wolf’s power should be mine!" "It was never yours to take," Luna Evelyn said, moving forward. "And it never will be." She pulled a small bottle from her dress—one filled with glowing silver liquid. "The real counter-ritual," she revealed. "I’ve been preparing it for years." Marcus’s face twisted with rage. "You dare betray me, wife?" "I dare protect my sons," she replied calmly. "And their true Luna." But as Luna Evelyn raised the bottle, Celeste moved with lightning speed. A hidden blade flashed in her hand, directed straight at Elara’s heart. "If I can’t be Luna," she snarled, "then no one can!" Time slowed. The blade fell. Elara saw her death coming. Then Darian was there, throwing himself between them. The blade meant for Elara’s heart pierced his chest instead. "No!" Elara screamed as Darian fell. But even as his blood stained the old stones, Darian smiled. "The prophecy," he whispered. "It wasn’t about deception. It was about sacrifice." His eyes found hers one last time. "I told you not to trust anyone. But you can trust this—I love you. All of us do."

As Darian’s breathing got shallow, something impossible happened. The mate bonds between Elara and all three brothers flared brighter than ever. Instead of weakening with Darian’s injury, they got stronger. "The sacrifice isn’t death," Luna Evelyn whispered in wonder. "It’s love." But Marcus wasn’t finished. With a roar of rage, he brought the ritual dagger down toward Kael’s heart. The blade was inches away when a new voice rang out across the temple. "I wouldn’t do that if I were you." Everyone turned to see a figure standing atop the temple’s tallest pillar. Cloaked in darkness, they radiated power that made even Marcus pause. "Who dares interrupt my ritual?" Marcus demanded. The figure stepped into the moonlight, showing a face that made Elara’s world tilt on its axis. It was her father. The father she’d been told was dead. "Hello, little silver wolf," he said, his eyes sparkling with the same silver light as hers. "It’s time you learned the truth about who you really are

."