Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 68: The Luna’s Choice

ARIA POV

I jerked awake, gasping for air. The strange voice from my dream still echoed in my head: "Choose wisely, little Luna. The wrong choice will doom you all."

My heart pounded as I looked around. I was back in my room at the pack house, not in the clearing where I’d fallen. Sunlight streamed through the windows. How long had I been unconscious?

The door burst open. Lucien rushed in, his eyes wild with relief when he saw me sitting up.

"You’re awake!" He pulled me into a tight hug. "You’ve been out for two days."

"Two days?" I pushed back, fear rising. "But the First Wolf—"

"Is quiet, for now," Lucien said. "After you fell, the blood moon faded. The ghostly doors disappeared."

I closed my eyes, searching inside myself. The presence that had been getting stronger was still there, but dormant. Waiting.

"What about Elder Reed?" I asked.

"Still locked up." Lucien sat on the edge of the bed. "But that’s not our biggest problem right now. The Elders Council has called for the Luna Selection Ceremony. Tonight."

My stomach dropped. "But that’s impossible! We’re in the middle of a crisis!"

"That’s exactly why they’re pushing for it," Lucien stated. "They say the pack needs steadiness. A good Alpha and Luna pair to face what’s coming."

The door opened again. Kael and Jaxon entered, their faces serious. Seeing all three babies together made my heart ache in different ways. The mate bond tugged in multiple ways, like strings tied to different parts of my soul.

"The preparations have already begun," Kael said. "The Elders won’t wait. They say tradition must be kept, especially in times of danger."

"And you need to look strong," Jaxon added. "After what happened with Reed and your collapse... some pack members are worried you’re not fit to lead."

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, pushing away the dizziness. "So I’m going to choose one of you? Officially? Tonight?"

The tension in the room increased. Each triplet had a hold on me in different ways. Lucien was my true mate, the one my heart longed for. But Kael had shown his strength and loyalty to the pack, and our bond had grown deeper than I’d expected. And Jaxon... complex, wild Jaxon had risked everything trying to make a connection with me.

"There’s something else," Kael said grudgingly. "Elder Malin sent a message. He says if you don’t choose properly at the ceremony, the First Wolf will awaken fully."

"What does that even mean?" I stood up, annoyed. "How can my choice of mate affect an ancient wolf spirit?"

"Because it’s all connected," said a voice from the doorway. Dr. Lena entered, holding a thick book. "I found something in the ancient books. The First Wolf doesn’t just need a vessel—it needs balance. Three forces united as one."

She opened the book to show a faded illustration of three wolves circling a fourth, larger wolf.

"The Alpha Trinity," she explained. "In the oldest packs, command wasn’t just one Alpha and one Luna. It was three Alphas supporting each other, with a Luna at the center."

I stared at the picture, my mind racing. "So all three twins were meant to lead? Together?"

"With you as the binding force," Dr. Lena nodded. "But the tradition was lost centuries ago, replaced by single Alpha rule."

The triplets exchanged looks.

"That’s why the bond feels fragmented," Lucien realized. "It was never meant to be with just one of us."

Jaxon let out a low whistle. "Well, that would certainly shake things up."

"The Elders would never accept it," Kael frowned. "It goes against everything they believe about pack structure."

"Maybe that’s exactly what needs to happen," I said quietly. "Maybe that’s why the First Wolf is waking now. To restore the old ways."

A knock at the door stopped us. Mira peeked in, her face grim.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there’s a problem downstairs. Elira’s back. With reinforcements."

I groaned. Just what I needed—my old rival returning at the worst possible moment.

When we reached the main hall, Elira stood in the center, surrounded by wolves from nearby packs. She looked different—harder, more determined, with a new cut across her cheek.

"The prodigal Luna returns," she said mockingly when she saw me. "I heard you were dying. Shame to see you still standing."

"What do you want, Elira?" I was too tired for games.

"To save this pack from destruction." She motioned to the wolves around her. "I’ve brought friends who know the truth about what’s happening. About what you are."

My blood ran cold. "And what am I, exactly?"

"An abomination," she spat. "A vessel created to house a spirit that should stay dormant. Your very existence threatens all werewolves."

The pack members around us shifted uncomfortably. I could feel their uncertainty, their fear.

"You know nothing about me," I said evenly.

"I know enough." Elira smiled coldly. "I know about the Alpha Trinity. I know what the Luna Selection Ceremony really means. And I know that if you choose wrong tonight, we all die."

She stepped closer, dropping her voice. "The question is, do you know which triplet is the betrayer? Which one has been working with Elder Malin all along?"

My heart stopped. The warning from my dream repeated again: The enemy you trust most stands right beside you.

I looked at the three brothers—Kael, strong and strategic; Jaxon, wild and unreliable; Lucien, my supposed true mate.

"You’re lying," I whispered, but doubt had already taken root.

"Am I?" Elira’s eyes gleamed. "Ask them about the night your parents died. Ask them who visited Elder Malin the day before you fell."

Before I could answer, a howl sounded from outside—the same ancient, bone-chilling howl we’d heard before. The floor beneath us shook.

"It’s beginning," Dr. Lena gasped. "The Luna Selection Ceremony must start now!"

Pack members scrambled to prepare as the traditional circle of stones was hastily arranged in the middle of the room. The Elders filed in, their looks grave.

"Choose, Luna Aria," the Head Elder ordered. "Choose your mate and seal the bond before it’s too late."

I stood in the circle, the three triplets around me. Each held out a hand. I had to choose.

Lucien, my heart’s dream. Kael, the born boss. Jaxon, the wild card.

But which one was the betrayer?

As I reached out my hand, time seemed to slow. The voice inside me—not Lyra’s, not the First Wolf’s, but something older, wiser—whispered: "The true choice isn’t between them. It’s whether you’ll break custom entirely."

I pulled my hand back, a plan forming. Instead of picking one, I could choose all three—restore the Alpha Trinity. But as I opened my mouth to speak, a burning pain shot through my chest. I dropped to my knees, clutching at my heart.

Through blurring vision, I saw one of the triplets step forward, his eyes shining not amber but an unnatural blue.

"Too late, little Luna," he said, but it wasn’t his voice. "The betrayer has already made his choice."