Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 91 - 89: The Inner Beast

ARIA POV

"Duck!" I shouted as the black thing lunged at Jaxon’s head. He dropped to the ground just in time, the monster’s claws slicing through the air where he had been standing.

Three days had passed since the soul binding rite. Jaxon was back with us, but the First Enemy stayed inside him, fighting to regain control. Each time Jaxon slept, the battle started anew in his mind.

And tonight, I had followed him into his dreams.

"It’s getting stronger," Jaxon panted, climbing to his feet beside me. In this dreamscape, his body flickered between human and wolf form, never staying on either.

"We can beat it," I insisted, though fear twisted my stomach. The babies inside me kicked furiously, as if they could sense the danger even in this dream world.

The creature circled us, its form changing constantly—sometimes looking like a massive wolf with too many teeth, sometimes like a shadow with gleaming red eyes. Whatever it was, it wasn’t normal. It was something the Shadow Division had made by combining ancient DNA with their twisted science.

"You can’t fight forever," the creature taunted, its words echoing weirdly. "Every night, I grow stronger. Soon, this body will be mine again."

"Never," Jaxon growled, his hands briefly becoming claws before shifting back.

The thing laughed. "You’re weakened. I can feel it."

It was right. Each night, these dream battles drained more of Jaxon’s power. In the waking world, he grew paler, thinner. Dark rings ringed his eyes. The pack muttered that he was losing the fight.

But I refused to give up.

"What is that?" I asked suddenly, realizing something I hadn’t seen before. In the middle of the creature’s chest, a small light pulsed—not the sickly blue glow of the Moonfire serum, but something pure and white.

"Nothing," the creature growled, backing away when I took a step toward it.

"It’s afraid," Jaxon realized, watching closely. "It’s afraid of you, Aria."

I moved forward again, and the creature fled further. It wasn’t fighting anymore—it was defending itself. From me.

"Stay back!" it warned, all confidence gone from its voice.

I felt a strange warmth spreading through my palms. Looking down, I saw my hands were glowing with a soft silver light—the same color as the moon.

"What’s happening?" I whispered to Jaxon.

"Your connection to the Moon Goddess," he said in awe. "It’s getting stronger."

The thing let out a howl of rage and fear. "You can’t destroy me! I am ancient! I am powerful!"

But its boasts sounded hollow now. It was backing into a corner of Jaxon’s mind, away from the light shining from my hands.

"Wait," I said as understanding dawned on me. "That light in its chest—that’s a wolf spirit. A real one. The First Enemy isn’t just ruling a body..."

"It’s corrupted a wolf spirit," Jaxon finished, his eyes wide. "That’s how it’s able to stay inside me."

The Moon Goddess’s words from my vision months ago suddenly came back to me: You will heal those who are broken. You will cleanse what has been corrupted.

I hadn’t understood then. Now I did.

"I know what to do," I said, moving forward with new confidence.

The creature growled and lashed out, but its claws couldn’t touch me. The silver light around my hands had spread, forming a screen.

"What are you doing?" Jaxon asked, watching in wonder.

"What I was meant to do." I reached toward the thing. "I’m going to purify the wolf spirit they used to create this monster."

The thing howled and tried to run, but suddenly it couldn’t move. Jaxon had it pinned mentally, keeping it in place through sheer force of will.

"Hurry," he gasped. "I can’t hold it for long."

I pressed my glowing hands against the creature’s chest, right over the small light. The monster screamed—a sound of pain and fury that shook the dreamscape around us.

Heat spread from my hands, burning through the darkness. The creature thrashed and fought, but my link to it grew stronger. I could feel the tainted wolf spirit inside, trapped and suffering.

"Let it go," I ordered, pushing more energy into my hands. "Release what isn’t yours."

Sweat beaded on my face. This was harder than I’d expected. The corruption ran deep, woven into the very core of the spirit.

"Aria," Jaxon warned, his voice strained. "Something’s wrong."

I looked up to see black lines spreading across his face, just like when the First Enemy had controlled him. The creature was fighting back, trying to reclaim Jaxon while I was preoccupied.

"No!" I cried, pushing harder with my power. "You can’t have him!"

The light from my hands burned brighter, burning away the darkness. The creature screamed again, its form beginning to vanish.

"Help me," I called to Jaxon. "Push it out!"

Despite the pain, Jaxon put his hands over mine. Together, we poured our energy into the tainted spirit. The small light in the creature’s chest grew brighter, pushing back against the darkness surrounding it.

"It’s working," I gasped.

Slowly, painfully, the rot began to peel away. As it did, the wolf spirit inside grew brighter, bigger. It was beautiful—a pure, silver wolf, nothing like the monster that had imprisoned it.

With a final burst of energy, we broke through the last of the corruption. The darkness shattered like glass, pieces falling away to show the true wolf spirit floating free.

The spirit looked at us with intelligent eyes, then bowed its head in thanks. In a flash of light, it disappeared—free at last.

I fell to my knees, exhausted. "Is it over?"

Jaxon knelt beside me, his face returning to normal. "I think so. I can’t feel the First Enemy anymore."

Relief washed over me. We had done it. We had freed the wolf spirit and removed the corruption.

But our joy was short-lived. A low growl echoed through the dreamscape, raising the hair on the back of my neck.

"What was that?" I whispered, looking around.

Jaxon’s face had gone pale. "It’s not possible..."

From the shadows emerged another creature—similar to the first, but bigger, stronger. Its eyes glowed with malevolence.

"Did you really think there was only one?" it growled, its voice deeper than the first. "The humans made many of us. An army waiting to be born."

Horror dawned on me. "The Shadow Division made more than one hybrid."

"Many more," the new creature confirmed. "And each time you kill one, another takes its place. We are legion."

It stalked toward us, confident in a way the first thing hadn’t been.

"We need to wake up," Jaxon said quickly. "Now."

I tried to pull myself out of the dream, but something held me there. The creature was doing it somehow, keeping us trapped in Jaxon’s thoughts.

"Not yet," it said, circling us slowly. "First, I want to show you something."

The dreamscape changed. Suddenly we were standing in a large laboratory. Tubes and tanks lined the walls, each holding a floating form—half human, half wolf. Scientists moved between them, taking notes.

"This is happening right now," the thing said. "While you’ve been fighting one battle, you’ve been losing the war. " One of the tanks bubbled more fiercely, and the creature inside opened its black eyes. "They’re waking up," it said. "Soon they’ll be released. " "Into what? " Jaxon asked. "Into your pack, of course. The humans want weapons they can controlwhat better way than to replace every Alpha with one of us? " Fear filled my heart; this wasn’t just about saving Jaxon, but all werewolves. "We have to warn the others," I said. The thing laughed, saying it would be too late by the time we woke up.

It lunged at us, but I was ready and pushed it back with silver light from my hands. "Go! Wake up! Warn them! " I told Jaxon. "I’m not leaving you," he declared. "You have to! I’ll hold it off. " The thing attacked again, making me focus on keeping it at bay. Jaxon paused but finally nodded, telling me to come back to him. "I will," I promised, as he faded from the dreamscape.

I faced the thing alone. "Brave little Luna," it mocked, circling me. I gained strength. "I’m not by myself. I have the Moon Goddess on my side. " The creature laughed but showed doubt. It howled, making a painful sound. I pressed my hands to my ears, and the thing pounced, knocking me down. Despite fighting, I couldn’t focus because of the pain.

Then something strange happened: the babies inside me kicked hard. Warmth spread through me, and silver light returned, brighter than before. The monster howled in pain as the light touched it. I reached for the perverted wolf spirit, but it was darker and more twisted. I felt a connection to many mindsJaxon, the pack, and even other werewolves. I realized I could purify all corrupted souls, not just the one I faced.

I closed my eyes, drawing strength from this link. The silver light filled the dreamscape as the thing screamed while I pushed deeper into its mind. I called to the trapped wolf spirit, and it began to answer. Just as I was about to succeed, pain exploded in my belly; something was wrong with the babies. The thing sensed my distraction and threatened them. "Your babies will be mine," it snarled. Filled with horror and anger, I gathered my strength.

With one final surge, I destroyed the corruption, and the creature dissolved into mist, leaving the pure wolf spirit behind. But the win came at a cost; blood trickled down my legs, and the pain worsened. "Please, Moon Goddess, protect my babies! " I gasped. As the dreamscape faded, the freed wolf spirit looked at me with sad eyes, feeling something I did not.

Then darkness took me, and I fell into a place where not even dreams could follow.