Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 55: The Inner Circle

ARIA POV

"I object!" Beta Marcus slammed his hand on the table, making the cups jump. "This is against pack tradition!"

I crossed my arms, refusing to be frightened. "Traditions change, Marcus. My choice is final."

The meeting room was tense as I announced my picks for the new leadership council. With my mother somewhere in the pack and the challenge just hours away, I needed people I could trust.

"Putting an Omega in a position of power is unheard of," Marcus added, his face red with anger. "And that one in particular—"

"That one has a name," I interrupted coldly. "Mira has been my most loyal supporter and shows more wisdom than those who’ve had power for years."

Mira stood beside me, trying to look confident despite the angry stares. I could feel her nervousness through our bond, but also her drive.

"The council will consist of seven members," I stated. "Myself, the triplets, Mira, Elder Malin, and—" I paused, knowing the last name would cause the biggest uproar, "—Tomas. "

As expected, the room burst with protests. Tomas had been the pack’s lowest-ranked wolf, an Omega who cleaned the kitchens and was often the target of cruel jokes.

"This is madness!" shouted one of the senior fighters. "How can a kitchen boy advise on pack matters?"

"Tomas sees everything while being seen by no one," I answered. "He knows more about this pack’s secrets than anyone. And more importantly, I trust him."

I glanced at Kael, who gave me a slight nod of approval. We had discussed this plan late into the night. While the pack was distracted by my controversial council decisions, Kael’s most trusted warriors were secretly searching for my mother.

"Anyone else who wishes to challenge my decisions can do so formally," I added, letting a hint of silver glow enter my eyes. "Unless you’d prefer to take it up with the Moon Goddess herself."

That silenced the room briefly. No one wanted to risk the Goddess’s anger, especially after witnessing my powers.

"Now," I continued, "each council member will have specific duties. Kael will handle defense and training. Jaxon will lead our scouts and border checks. Lucien will control healing and pack health."

I turned to the younger members. "Mira will handle internal conflicts and pack welfare. Tomas will handle food supplies and resource management. And Elder Malin will continue as our spiritual guide and scholar."

Beta Marcus wasn’t finished. "And what exactly will you do, besides upending thousands of years of wolf hierarchy?"

I stepped toward him slowly, not losing eye contact. "I will lead, Marcus. Something that needs vision beyond ’this is how we’ve always done it.’"

I placed my hands on the table and leaned forward. "Our pack has wasted potential for generations by forcing wolves into roles based on rank rather than ability. That ends today."

After the meeting, I retired to the Alpha office with my new council. The room still showed damage from yesterday’s rock attack, but it was the safest place to talk openly.

"That went well," Jaxon said with his usual snark.

"Could have been worse," Kael replied. "No one tried to kill her this time."

Mira looked pale. "They hate us. Especially me and Tomas."

Tomas, a thin young guy with observant eyes, spoke softly. "They’ve always hated us. At least now we can do something about it."

I smiled at them both. "That’s exactly why I picked you. You’ve seen the worst of this pack and still want to make it better."

Elder Malin tapped her walking stick against the floor. "The resistance will grow worse before it changes. Change never comes easily."

"We don’t have time for a slow transition," I told them. "My mother is somewhere in this pack, watching us, planning. We need to be ready."

"Any news from the search teams?" I asked Kael.

He shook his head. "Nothing yet. She’s hiding her smell well."

"What about Luna?" Lucien asked. "Could she help us find your mother?"

I considered this. My twin sister stayed a mystery—half ally, half potential threat.

"I’ll talk to her again," I decided. "But first, I want each of you to choose helpers you trust completely. We need eyes and ears everywhere."

Mira cleared her throat nervously. "I’ve been thinking about something. What if we made new positions for wolves based on their actual skills? Like an official recognition system that has nothing to do with birth rank?"

"That’s brilliant," I said, watching her confidence grow at the applause. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, for example, Sarah has always been great with pups, but she’s never been allowed to teach because she’s not high-ranking enough. And Derek knows more about tracking than anyone, but he’s stuck guarding the food stores because he’s only a Gamma."

I nodded, amazed. "Make a list of everyone you think is in the wrong situation. We’ll start reassignments tomorrow."

"Assuming we survive tonight," Tomas added quietly.

The room fell silent at the reminder of the looming task.

"Speaking of which," Kael said, "we should complete security for the challenge grounds. If your mother is already here, she might try something before the public fight."

For the next hour, we planned security details and emergency responses. By the time we finished, night had fallen.

"Get some rest," I told my group. "Tomorrow will test us all."

After they left, I stood alone at the window, looking out at my pack lands. Somewhere out there, my mother was watching. Waiting. The pendant she’d left was still in my pocket, a constant warning of the danger.

A soft knock stopped my thoughts. I turned to find a young female wolf—one of our newest pack members who had joined just last month.

"Alpha Aria," she said with a bow. "I have a message for you."

"From who?" "From a woman I met at the northern creek. She said you’d want to hear this personally. "

My heart raced. This had to be about my mother. "Tell me."

The young wolf leaned closer. "She said, ’The task is a distraction. Look to your inner friends.’"

"Did she say anything else? What did she look like?" " She wore a hat, I couldn’t see her face. But she gave me this to prove she knew you."

The wolf gave me a small folded paper. Inside was a lock of hair—identical to my own.

"Thank you," I said, suddenly feeling cold. "You can go."

After she left, I sat heavily in the Alpha chair, my mind running. "Look to your inner circle." The sign was clear: someone close to me couldn’t be trusted.

But who? Kael with his cunning mind? Jaxon with his uncertain nature? Lucien with his healing knowledge that could just as easily harm? Mira who I’d raised so quickly? Tomas who saw everything? Or Elder Malin who knew old secrets?

I closed my eyes, reaching out through my pack ties to feel each member of my council. Nothing seemed odd, yet the warning echoed in my mind.

A flash of movement outside caught my eye. From the window, I spotted one of my council members walking alone toward the forest edge. They looked around carefully, then pulled something from their pocket that glinted in the moonlight—a pendant identical to the one my mother had left on the dead wolf.

My breath caught in my throat. I had just found the traitor in my inner group. And they were going toward a me