Alphas Three

|c.3|

The commanding roar of Supreme Alpha Dominus pierced the cacophony of voices.

“Enough! Silence, all of you!”

The room froze as if the air had been stolen from it. The gathered wolves immediately turned toward the towering figure of Dominus, their heads dipping in deference. All, that is, except the triplets. They remained locked in place, their intense gazes focused solely on Amaris, their protective postures unyielding.

Dominus’s sharp eyes narrowed on his youngest son. “Larkin,” he began, his voice low and resolute, “you know our ways. As much as I wish to spare you this pain, I cannot interfere with a Moon-Kissed bond. It is law.”

“But Father,” Larkin’s tone was raw, desperate. “You would set aside the bond for another if you wished! Surely, I—”

“I have spoken,” Dominus cut him off sharply, his voice ringing with finality. The weight of his decree was palpable. He turned his attention to Amaris, softening his tone, though his power remained evident. “Amaris,” he said with a warmth that startled her, “it is with great honor that I welcome you to this family.”

The murmurs in the room swelled like a tide threatening to crash. Amaris felt herself rooted in place, overwhelmed by the sheer force of the moment. Dominus gestured to the grand head table.

“Come,” he continued, his voice commanding yet kind. “You and your family shall join us at our table. From this day forward, you are one of us.”

Klaus, Kade, and Khal didn’t loosen their grip. Klaus held her right hand, Kade her left, and Khal stood behind her, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back as if shielding her from the world. The triplets moved as one, their presence a solid wall around her. They led her forward, past awed gazes and whispers.

Amaris glanced toward her mother, seeking comfort amidst the chaos. Her mother, ever the spirited soul, wiggled her eyebrows playfully and offered a broad, knowing grin. Amaris’s cheeks flamed.

When Dominus ordered extra chairs to be brought to the table, Klaus waved the suggestion off with a dismissive flick of his wrist. He pulled Amaris into his lap, settling her there with a confidence that left her breathless.

“Klaus!” Amaris hissed, mortified. “There’s a perfectly fine chair right there!”

He leaned close, his voice a low, teasing murmur against her ear. “Why would I let you sit on that cold, unyielding thing when I have a far better option?”

The implication made her shiver, heat blooming across her skin. Her protests died in her throat as his arms encircled her waist, his body radiating warmth. She felt the tension in his frame, the restrained power barely hidden beneath the surface.

Her scent—floral and sweet with a hint of musk—wafted through the air, igniting an almost tangible reaction from the triplets. Their wolves stirred, restless and possessive.

Dominus, observing the escalating intensity, rose to his feet. “This gathering is concluded,” he declared, his voice cutting through the growing tension. “You are all dismissed. Meals will be sent to your rooms, and we shall reconvene at dinner, better prepared for our guest of honor.”

As the hall began to clear, Dominus stepped closer to Amaris. He placed a hand on her shoulder, intending a gesture of reassurance, but the contact sent a searing pain racing through her. Amaris cried out, clutching her shoulder as if it burned.

Kade’s reaction was immediate and violent. In the blink of an eye, he had Dominus pinned against the wall, his arm pressing hard against his father’s throat. Klaus flanked him, his eyes blazing with fury, while Khal crouched beside Amaris, soothing her trembling form with gentle whispers and soft caresses.

“Release me, Kade,” Dominus commanded, his voice strained but firm. “I meant her no harm.”

Klaus’s lip curled, his fury barely restrained. “Harm or no, you overstepped, Father.”

“It wasn’t intentional,” Dominus insisted, his voice sharp. “She is going into heat. The bond is intensifying, and her body is reacting to the proximity of her mates. You must control yourselves unless she is prepared to be marked tonight.”

The triplets froze. Though the tension radiating from them remained palpable, they reluctantly stepped back. Amaris sagged in relief, her breaths coming in shallow gasps. The heat pulsing through her body was unbearable, a relentless ache that clouded her thoughts.

“Amaris,” Larkin’s voice broke through the haze. “You don’t have to choose them.” His words were soft, almost pleading. “You can still choose me. Say the word, and I will fight for you.”

Kade’s growl rumbled like distant thunder. He stepped between Amaris and Larkin, his fists clenched. “You dare? She belongs to us. Speak another word, and you’ll regret it.”

Larkin didn’t flinch, his defiance blazing in his eyes. “I have every right to speak, Kade. She hasn’t been marked. She still has a choice.”

It was Klaus who stepped in next, his voice ice-cold. “She is Moon-Kissed, you fool. There is no choice.”

Mordena’s sharp laugh rang out, silencing the brewing confrontation. “You can’t threaten an heir to the throne, boy,” she sneered.

Khal turned his gaze on her, his expression a mask of disdain. “Your son is no heir,” he said coolly. “Only the blood of Lucian may claim the throne. Larkin holds no such right.”

Mordena flushed with rage, turning to Dominus with a sharp, accusatory glare. “You will let them speak to us this way? Do something!”

Before Dominus could respond, Amaris’s voice cut through the noise, trembling but resolute. “Supreme Alpha Dominus.”

All eyes turned to her. She stood now, her trembling hands gripping her sides as she tried to ignore the blistering heat consuming her.

“What would you have us do, child?” Dominus asked gently.

Her response came unbidden, raw and honest. “I want my Moon-Kissed mates.”

The room erupted into chaos. Shouts, accusations, and growls reverberated off the walls. Amaris’s father stepped forward, his patience finally worn thin.

“That is enough!” he barked. “My daughter is suffering, and you are too busy bickering to see it. We are leaving.”

He wrapped an arm around Amaris, guiding her toward the door. Her body trembled, the shift dangerously close. The triplets followed, their protective instincts overriding all else.

“She’s close to shifting,” her father muttered under his breath, his words cutting through the tension. “And those fools are too blind to see it.”

The group walked briskly through the palace grounds, the crunch of frost underfoot echoing in the stillness of the afternoon. The air was crisp, the kind of cold that stung the lungs with each breath. The sun hung low, casting long shadows across the landscape, the leafless trees around them standing like silent sentinels. None of them were dressed for the chill, their hurried departure leaving no time for coats or cloaks. But Lord Cedric, Amaris's father, was determined to put as much distance as possible between his daughter and the prying eyes of the palace.

Lady Helena clung to her husband's arm, her brow furrowed as she tried to calm him. “Cedric, do not glower so fiercely,” she said gently, her tone tinged with amusement. “Young men rarely know what to do in such moments. You certainly didn’t.”

He scoffed, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “There was only one of me, Helena. But Amaris has three. Three Moon-Kissed mates, and she is suffering so terribly. They should have known. She should never be alone in her pain.”

The triplets, who had been trailing silently behind, exchanged glances before Klaus, the eldest, spoke up, his tone thick with remorse. “Lord Cedric, you are entirely right. We failed her. We were not taught...not about what happens after a lady meets her Moon-Kissed mates. We knew her shift would come, but we were not told when or how to prepare her.”

Lady Helena tilted her head, a knowing smile curling her lips. “See, my dear? They do not teach you men such things.”

Her husband grunted but said no more.

Amaris, struggling to keep pace as heat and pain radiated through her body, fixed her mother with a sharp stare. “I wish someone would have thought to warn me,” she bit out, her voice strained.

Lady Helena raised her brows at her daughter, her tone almost chiding. “And how was I to know you would be Moon-Kissed to three Alphas? The change does not normally come so swiftly.”

Amaris turned her accusing gaze to her mates, who looked down in unison, shame written across their features. “So, it’s your fault, then,” she said, her voice edged with irritation despite the pain wracking her body.

“Amaris,” her mother scolded, her tone light but firm.

Amaris couldn’t believe her ears. Her mother seemed more concerned about the feelings of her mates than the agony clawing through her. She opened her mouth to retort, but Lord Cedric's voice cut through the tension.

“Enough,” he commanded, his tone brooking no argument. “All of you, calm yourselves.”

They continued their hurried march through the grounds, the chill biting deeper as they left the palace far behind. The snow-dappled fields seemed endless, bordered by dense woods whose skeletal trees swayed gently in the winter breeze. Amaris stumbled, her legs trembling as the heat inside her intensified. Her father’s arm steadied her, his expression one of reluctant worry.

When they reached a small clearing, flanked on one side by a frozen stream, Lord Cedric stopped. He turned to the triplets, his face stern. “Take her,” he said reluctantly, passing his daughter into Klaus’s arms.

Amaris had barely been settled when the pain erupted into something unbearable. Her scream pierced the air, raw and unrelenting, echoing through the quiet woods.

“It hurts!” she cried, clutching at Klaus’s arms as her body twisted against him.

The triplets huddled around her, their faces etched with panic. They shielded her from the bitter wind and each other’s helpless stares. Kade turned to Lady Helena, his voice trembling with desperation. “What are we supposed to do?”

Lady Helena hesitated, her own anguish visible as she watched her daughter writhe in pain. “She must endure this,” she said finally, her voice trembling. “Her body is preparing for the wolf...making room for the souls that tether her to you all. There is no avoiding it.”

Amaris screamed again, the sound raw and primal, and the sound of her agony brought guards running. They arrived with swords drawn, scanning for threats, but were quickly waved back by Lord Cedric.

“Stay back!” he barked. “She is shifting!”

The guards obeyed, though they lingered at the edges of the clearing, their concern evident.

Amaris fell to her knees, clutching at her sides as a sickening crack reverberated through her body. Her bones began to break and reknit themselves, the process relentless and agonizing. She could feel her muscles stretching, reshaping, her skin growing unbearably hot as it tore, only to be replaced with something tougher, something stronger.

Through the haze of pain, she became aware of her mates—Klaus’s steady hands holding her, Kade’s whispered reassurances, Khal’s fierce gaze as he scanned their surroundings for any threat. Their emotions bled through the burgeoning tethers that bound them, and despite her agony, she felt their fear, their helplessness, their unwavering determination to protect her.

And then, amidst the storm of pain, she felt it—a presence, wild and powerful, reaching out to her. Her wolf.

Amaris gasped, her screams momentarily silenced as she focused on the connection. She reached out mentally, her soul brushing against the raw, untamed energy of her wolf. The moment their connection solidified, her body seemed to give in to the change entirely.

Her bones shifted more violently now, her skin splitting and peeling away as thick, pristine white fur sprouted in its place. Her fingers elongated, claws sprouting from the tips as her legs reshaped, her spine curving and snapping into its new form.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain began to subside. Amaris stood shakily on four legs, her fur glowing like freshly fallen snow, so bright it seemed to reflect the moonlight even in the fading afternoon sun.

“She’s magnificent,” Lady Helena whispered, her voice filled with awe.

Amaris blinked, her new eyes sharper and more vivid than ever before. The world around her seemed alive with detail—the faint rustle of leaves, the distant heartbeat of a rabbit hidden in the underbrush, the steady, calming rhythm of her mates’ hearts.

But more than that, she could feel them—her mates—through the bond that had formed fully during her shift. Their emotions were a tangle of awe, pride, and fierce protectiveness.

Klaus stepped forward, his voice reverent. “You are extraordinary, little moon.”

Amaris huffed, the sound carrying a mixture of relief and weariness. She could feel her wolf’s pride swelling within her, but for now, all she wanted was run.