The candle flames grew bigger, like they were alive.
"What do you mean dangerous?" My voice came out as a whisper. The red stone necklace under my dress felt like it was burning my skin.
Rowan Vale's white eyes lookedat me without blinking. "Tell me, child, what do you know about your mother?"
"She died when I was born." I gripped the arms of the chair so tight that my fingers went white. "Dad doesn't talk about her much."
"Of course he doesn't." The old seer laughed, but it wasn't a nice sound. "Sebastian has been protecting you your whole life. But secrets have a way of coming out."
Behind him, Prince Dorian stepped forward. His green eyes looked worried. "Rowan, maybe we should..."
"Silence!" Rowan Vale's yelled. "You boys felt it too, didn't you? The pull. The connection. She's not just any Omega."
My heart started beating so fast, I thought it might explode. "I don't understand any of this."
"Your mother," Rowan Vale continued, "was not from our pack. She was from the old bloodline of the Ruby Wolves."
The room went completely quiet. Even the candle flames stopped moving.
"That's impossible," Prince Tobias whispered. He pushed his glasses up his nose with shaking fingers. "The Ruby Wolves died out a hundred years ago."
"Did they?" Rowan Vale smiled that scary smile again. "Or they were hidden?"
I felt dizzy. "What are Ruby Wolves?"
"The original rulers," Prince Marcus said from the shadows. His voice was rough and angry. "Before the Blackwoods took over. Before any of us were born."
"Marcus, shut up," Dorian warned.
But Marcus kept talking. "They said Ruby Wolves had special powers. That they could bond with multiple mates and they could control other wolves with just a thought."
"Enough!" Rowan Vale slammed his hand on the desk. Books and papers flew everywhere. "You're scaring the girl."
But it was too late. I was already scared. More scared than I had ever been in my life.
"Is that why the golden threads appeared?" I asked. "Because I'm part of the Ruby Wolf?"
"Not part," Rowan Vale said quietly. "All. You are the last Ruby Wolf, Aria. The last of your kind."
The necklace under my dress was so hot now. I wanted to rip it off, but I couldn't let them see it.
"But why did I connect to all three princes?" I asked.
"Because, Ruby Wolves don't mate like other wolves". They bond with whoever can make them stronger. And these three boys..." He looked at the princes. "They each have something you need."
"What do you mean?"
"Dorian has the strength to protect you. Tobias has the knowledge to guide you. And Marcus..." He paused. "Marcus has the fire to help you fight."
I looked at each prince. They were all looking at me like I was some kind of strange animal.
"This is crazy," I said. "I'm just a Beta's daughter. I'm nobody special."
"You're wrong." Rowan Vale stood up. "You're the most special person in this room. And that's exactly why you're in danger."
"Danger from who?"
"From people who remember the old stories. Who remember what Ruby Wolves could do. Who are afraid of what you might become."
Before I could ask more questions, the door burst open.
Alpha Raphael stormed in, his face red with anger. "What is the meaning of this? Why is this girl in your chambers?"
"Ah, Raphael." Rowan Vale didn't look surprised. "I was just telling young Aria about her heritage."
"Her heritage?" Alpha Raphael's gray eyes went cold. "She's a Beta's daughter. Nothing more."
"Look at your sons," Rowan Vale said calmly.
Alpha Raphael turned to the princes. I saw his face changing as he noticed what I was just seeing too.
All three princes had the same mark on their foreheads. A small red symbol that looked like a crescent moon. It was glowing softly in the candlelight.
"What is that?" Alpha Raphael demanded.
"The mark of the bond," Rowan Vale explained. "It appears when a Ruby Wolf chooses her mates. Your sons have been marked, Raphael. Whether you like it or not."
"Remove it," Alpha Raphael commanded. "Whatever spell this is, break it now."
"I cannot break what the moon goddess herself has created."
Alpha Raphael pulled out a long silver knife. "Then I'll solve this problem my way."
He took a step toward me, and the knife was shining in the candlelight.
"Dad, no!" Dorian jumped between us.
"Move aside, boy."
"I won't let you hurt her."
"Neither will I," Tobias said, stepping up beside his brother.
Marcus was the last to move, but when he did, he pulled a small axe from his belt. "If you want to hurt her, you'll have to go through all of us."
Alpha Raphael looked at his three boys, all standing between him and me. And I could see the anger in his face.
"You would protect this girl over your own father?"
"She's our mate," Dorian said strongly. "All of ours. We can feel it."
"It's not natural!"
"Since when do you care about the natural?" Marcus shot back. "You've been breaking pack laws for years to stay in power."
"Watch your tongue, boy."
"Or what? You'll kill me too?"
Alpha Raphael raised the knife higher. "If that's what it takes to protect this pack from ancient magic and old curses, then yes."
The necklace under my dress was so hot now, I could barely stand it. And something else was happening. I could feel power building inside me, like storm clouds gathering.
"Stop fighting," I said, but my voice was different. Stronger. "Please."
Everyone turned to look at me. The red marks on the princes' foreheads were now shining brighter.
"Aria," Rowan Vale said quickly, "you need to control it."
"Control what?"
"The power. It's waking up."
I could feel it now, rushing through my blood like fire. The necklace was burning my skin, but I couldn't take it off. Not with everyone watching.
"I can't," I gasped. "It's too much."
"You must," Rowan Vale said. "Or you'll kill us all."
The candles around the room started blinking wildly. Books fell off shelves. The stone walls began to shake.
"What's happening to me?" I screamed.
And then I felt it. Three different hands touching me at the same time. Dorian's hand on my shoulder. Tobias's hand on my arm. Marcus's hand on my back.
The moment they touched me, the power settled. The shaking stopped. The candles went back to normal.
But something else happened too. I could feel each of their thoughts in my head. Their emotions. Their fears.
Dorian was afraid of losing me. Tobias was afraid of the future. Marcus was afraid of himself.
And they could feel my thoughts too. I knew because all three of them looked at me with the same shocked expression.
"Impossible," Alpha Raphael whispered.
"No," Rowan Vale said with pleasure. "Exactly as it should be. The bond is complete."
"What bond?" I asked, but I was afraid of the answer.
"The Triarch Bond," Rowan Vale explained. "The rarest bond in wolf history. One Luna, three Alphas, sharing thoughts and power."
"But that means..."
"That means you're not just any Luna," Rowan Vale interrupted. "You're the Luna Supreme. The one the prophecies spoke of."
Alpha Raphael's face went white. "The prophecies say the Luna Supreme will either save the wolf world or destroy it."
"Yes," Rowan Vale nodded. "The question is, which will it be?"
Before anyone could answer, the door burst open again. This time it was Captain Reed, and he was bleeding.
"Alpha!" he gasped. "We're under attack!"
"Who?" Alpha Raphael demanded.
"The Syndicate. They're here. And they're asking for the Ruby Wolf."
Everyone looked at me.
"How do they know?" I whispered.
But I already knew the answer. Someone had told them. Someone in this room.
The question was: who?
And as I looked at the faces around me. Alpha Raphael with his knife, Rowan Vale with his secrets, and the three princes with their glowing marks, I realized I might not live long enough to find out.