Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 53: Pack Politics

ARIA POV

The rock crashed through the window, missing my head by inches. I ducked as glass broke across the floor of the Alpha’s office.

"Get down!" Kael shouted, pulling me behind the heavy desk.

Three more rocks smashed through, each wrapped with a note. The attackers were gone before our guards could catch them, disappearing into the forest like shadows.

"They’re getting bolder," I said, my heart racing as I picked up one of the sounds.

Written in red was a simple message: "NO FEMALE ALPHA."

I crumpled the paper in my fist. It had been a week since I learned I had a twin sister, and now this. Being Moon Alpha was turning out to be harder than I’d thought.

"That’s the third threat this week," Lucien said, entering the room with Jaxon. "We need to do something."

"We will," I promised, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "Starting with the Alpha Council meeting today."

Kael’s face turned serious. "You know what will happen. No female has ever addressed the Council before, let alone claimed to be a Moon Alpha."

"Then I’ll be the first," I said, lifting my chin.

Two hours later, I stood before the huge wooden doors of the Council Hall. Representatives from all five neighboring packs waited inside, all male Alphas who had ruled their areas for decades.

"Remember what we practiced," Kael whispered, squeezing my hand. "Don’t show weakness."

I nodded, grateful for his help. Though still sometimes cold, Kael had become my major advisor on pack politics. His analytical mind saw moves ahead like a chess player.

"Let me do the talking at first," he offered. "Until they get used to seeing you there."

"No," I said strongly. "If I want them to respect me, I need to speak for myself from the start."

The doors swung open. Five pairs of eyes turned to stare as I walked in with the triplets behind me. The quiet was heavy and hostile.

Alpha Thorn of the Stone Claw pack was the first to speak. "This meeting is for Alphas only. Where is Darius?"

"Darius no longer leads the Moonclaw Pack," I said, my voice steadier than I expected. "I am Aria, Moon Alpha of Moonclaw."

Laughter exploded around the table. Alpha Grayson of the River Pack actually slapped his knee.

"A female Alpha? And a Moon Alpha at that? Those are just old stories to scare pups."

I didn’t react with words. Instead, I let my power rise, silver light shining around me. My eyes changed to their Alpha silver, but brighter than any of them had seen before.

The laughter died instantly.

"The Goddess has chosen," I said simply. "My lineage has been confirmed."

Alpha Thorn recovered first, his gray beard shaking with barely controlled rage. "Even if your... situation... is real, we don’t recognize female leadership. It’s against our customs."

"Traditions change," I responded. "As does power."

Using my new abilities, I reached out to feel their emotions. Fear, anger, confusion – but from Alpha Drake of the Eastern Woods, I felt something else: genuine interest.

"Let’s hear what she has to say," Drake offered, ignoring the glares from the others. "If the Goddess truly chose her, we should at least listen."

For the next hour, I laid out my plans for Moonclaw – how we would strengthen our borders, improve our hunting grounds, and build fair trade partnerships with other packs. Kael occasionally whispered ideas in my ear, but mostly I spoke from my heart about the new future I envisioned.

When I finished, Alpha Barrett of the Highland Pack cleared his throat. "Pretty words, but why should we accept all these changes? What’s in it for us?"

This was where Kael’s plans came in handy.

"We’ve mapped new hunting territories that we’re willing to share," I said, nodding to Jaxon, who unrolled a map on the table. "And Lucien has created healing potions that work twice as fast as traditional methods. We offer these in exchange for peace."

The other Alphas leaned forward, suddenly interested. Kael gave me a small nod of approval.

"We’ll consider your offers," Alpha Thorn said grudgingly. "But don’t think this means we accept you. A true Alpha shows themselves in combat, not with gifts."

As we prepared to leave, Alpha Drake approached me quietly.

"My daughter would be interested in your... changes," he said quietly. "Perhaps a visit between our packs would benefit us both."

I smiled, feeling a small win. One possible ally was better than none.

Outside the Council Hall, I finally let my shoulders drop. "That went better than expected." freёnovelkiss.com

"You did well," Kael said, real pride in his voice. "They respect strength, and you showed it."

"But they’re still not convinced," I sighed. "I could feel their doubts."

"It will take time," Lucien assured me. "Rome wasn’t built in a day."

"What’s Rome?" I asked, confused.

Lucien smiled. "Never mind. Human saying."

We were halfway back to our territory when Jaxon suddenly stopped, his nose in the air.

"Someone’s following us," he whispered.

Before we could respond, a figure stepped from the trees – a female wolf with striking amber eyes. Her smell marked her as from the Shadow Fang pack, the only group that hadn’t attended the Council.

"Alpha Aria," she said with a small bow. "I am Luna, messenger of Alpha Ronan."

"Shadow Fang wasn’t at the meeting," Kael observed suspiciously.

"We prefer to handle matters directly," Luna replied. "My Alpha sends a message."

She held out a scroll sealed with black wax. I took it, breaking the seal carefully. As I read, my blood turned cold.

"What is it?" Jaxon asked, noticing my face.

"It’s a formal challenge," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Alpha Ronan challenges me for control of Moonclaw territory."

"He can’t do that!" Lucien protested. "Pack law—"

"Actually, he can," Kael interrupted grimly. "If an Alpha believes another pack’s leadership is illegitimate, they can issue a formal challenge."

Luna watched me with those disturbing amber eyes. "Alpha Ronan gives you three days to prepare or submit. The challenge will be to the death."

After she left, Lucien put his arm around my shoulders. "We won’t let him touch you."

But I wasn’t thinking about my safety. Something about Luna had sparked my Moon Alpha senses. The link I’d felt to her was strange – almost familiar.

That night, I stared at the challenge scroll in my room, wondering what to do. My new powers were still uncertain. Could I really fight an experienced Alpha to the death?

A knock at my door stopped my thoughts. It was Mira, looking worried.

"Aria, come quick," she gasped. "There’s someone at the pack line. She says she’s your sister."

My heart stopped. "My twin?"

Mira nodded. "She looks exactly like you. And she says she has information about the Shadow Fang challenge."

"What kind of information?"

Mira’s eyes were wide with fear. "She says Alpha Ronan isn’t who we think he is. He’s been dead for months."

"Then who issued the challenge?"

"That’s the scary part," Mira whispered. "Your sister says it’s your mother. She is alive, and she wants both her girls back – one way or another."