Ansel POV POV
I walked into the throne room, jaw tight,with my brothers behind me.
The tension was thick between us, but I didn’t care. My blood was still boiling.
The doors shut behind us with a thud.
“This has to be some kind of mistake,” I muttered, pacing the length of the throne steps.
“The Moon Goddess gave us an omega? She looked like she’d never shifted a day in her life. Hell, she smelled like dirt and tears.”
Asher shot me a look. “Don’t be cruel, Ansel.”
“I’m being honest,” I snapped. “Did you see her? She didn’t know where she was. She could barely stand up straight, and her aura…there was barely anything there, almost like she was a rogue wolf.”
Rowan said nothing, leaning against the stone pillar as usual, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
I turned toward him. “You felt the bond, didn’t you?”
He nodded once. “Of course I did.”
I raked a hand through my hair. “Then how the hell are we all supposed to share her? The three of us? That’s not normal. That’s not even remotely sane.”
I could already feel the tightening in my chest, the pull like a hook lodged deep inside me. I hated it. I hated her for it.
I slammed my palm against the edge of the throne, jaw clenching. “Well, I don’t need a mate. I don’t care what you two do with her. But let’s not kid ourselves…we can’t reject her. We all know the consequences.”
Asher’s lips thinned. Rowan didn’t even look at me.
I continued anyway, needing to say it out loud even if it made me sick.
“Our wolves won’t let us stay far from her. Mine’s already getting restless… and her scent…fuck.” I looked away, disgusted at myself. “Her scent almost brought me to my knees.”
There was a beat of silence. No one dared to speak.
“I don’t want her. Not as a Luna. Not as a mate. But my wolf…” I let the words drip like poison.
“He wants her. I Need her. So fine. She stays. But as a breeder. She gives us strong pups, and that’s all she’ll ever be to me…a breeder for my wolf.”
Asher stepped forward slowly, and for the first time, I saw anger flicker in his calm eyes.
“You say that again,” he said, his voice dangerously soft, “and I’ll punch you so hard you’ll be coughing up your pride for a week.”
“Remember who you’re talking to, Asher,” I growled, stepping closer.
“We might be triplets, but I’m still the one who leads when Father isn’t here. Don’t forget that.”
He backed off, jaw tight, fists clenched, but he didn’t challenge me again. Not this time.
Rowan stood still, eyes cast to the side, as always unreadable. That was the thing about Rowan—he was quiet, but when he did move, it always meant something.
I turned my gaze to both of them. “Either way, the mating must take place tonight. That’s the only way to settle the bond before it weakens us. She should be ready by then.”
Asher’s eyes flared. “You want to force it?”
“She’s our mate. The moon bound her to us. I’m not waiting around while she cries in some corner. We take what’s ours.”
“You mean you take,” Asher hissed. “Don’t speak for all of us.”
I smirked. “You’ll feel it too, Asher. Don’t pretend you’re any different.”
Then I turned to leave the room, the weight of my decision settling in my chest like ice.
By evening, my wolf was pacing under my skin like a caged beast.
I’d held back longer than I thought possible.
From the moment she crossed through the trees, standing in front of us, I should’ve claimed her. Taken her. Buried myself inside her until the bond satisfied the ache.
But I didn’t.I was done waiting.
Let them judge me.
They could join if they wanted or stay the hell out of my way. Either way, I wanted her. Now.
But I wouldn’t mark her. No. I wasn’t that far gone. I wouldn’t bond myself to a wolfless omega. She didn’t deserve that kind of honor.
Still… the need to mate her pulsed like fire in my blood.
She's ours karl growled louder this time the edges of my vision turned gold as my wolf rose to the surface.
The urge was unbearable.I clenched my fists and stalked through the corridor.
Her scent hit me like a wave. It was wild, fresh, tinged with the faint trace of fear,the smell of tears was gone.
It only made my wolf more eager.
I reached her door, shoving it open with no hesitation.
The door slammed open against the wall.
She jerked up from the bed, eyes wide, lips parted like she was about to scream.
Good.
She should be afraid.
She looked small in the night gown.they gave her, legs bare, hair still slightly damp from her bath. Her scent hit me like a drug.
Her back pressed to the headboard, fingers curling around the sheets. “W-what do you want?” she asked, voice trembling.
“I think you already know,” I said, stepping inside, closing the door behind me with a sharp click.
She shook her head, panic rising in her eyes. “Please…don’t. I don’t want this.”
I stalked toward her, slow but sure. “I didn’t ask what you wanted.”
Just then Asher stepped into the room, his eyes glowing fierce yellow, his wolf pressing hard to the surface. The tension between us was electric.
“I thought you were the gentleman, Asher,” I sneered, eyes locked on his shifting form. “Glad you finally showed your true self.”
Without another word, I strode toward the bed and grabbed her ankle, pulling her roughly toward me.
Her body tensed, panic flashing in her eyes, but there was a strange, undeniable heat beneath the fear.
She trembled between us, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
She fought her wolf, struggling to resist the force of our commands, but her body betrayed her, responding in ways that left her confused and ashamed.
“Stop,” she whispered, voice barely audible, “I don’t want this…” she repeated like a broken record.
Raven POV The palace felt alive again.Sunlight filtered through the crystal windows, casting gold across the marble floors as the scent of roasted meats, honeyed bread, and blooming lilacs filled the halls. I could hear the twins racing down the corridor…barefooted , loud, and laughing as if the world had never known war.“Slow down!” I called after them, but I was smiling too hard to mean it.Rowan walked in behind me, holding a bottle of aged wine and a bouquet of wildflowers he swore he picked himself. “Remind me again why we let your children run this palace?”“Our children,” I corrected, smirking. “And because they’re faster than the guards.”He laughed and kissed my cheek. “Asher’s finishing up the final touches outside. Everything’s ready.”I looked out over the balcony, watching the courtyard slowly transform into something out of a dream. Lanterns hung from tree branches, glowing with soft magic.Tables were arranged in a crescent shape, lined with fruits and spices from
Gwen POV I ran..really ran…blurring past stunned faces and silver-draped columns, past the clinking of crystal and the soft laughter of royals and warriors. I didn’t stop until I reached my room, the one they’d given me at the far end of the wing.I slammed the door shut, my chest heaving, my heart threatening to break free from my ribs. I locked it out of instinct, pressing my back against the cool wood like it would somehow keep everything else from breaking in too.A second later, there was a sharp knock on the door.“Gwen.” Elisha’s voice. Muffled but unmistakable. “Open the door.”I didn’t move. I couldn’t.Another knock, louder this time. “Please.”I pressed my palm harder against the door, willing him away, even as my body ached to let him in.What was wrong with me?Why did the sight of him undo me?Why did his voice crawl under my skin like a spell I couldn’t shake?I sank to the floor, pulling my knees to my chest and burying my face in them. He didn’t knock again, but I
Gwen POV I stood quietly in the corridor overlooking the main hall below, my hands resting on the smooth stone railing. The palace buzzed with life and laughter, warm chatter, and the echo of preparations as the staff readied the space for the coronation. Everything looked almost… normal again. Or at least, a version of normal we were all trying to reclaim after so much blood, loss, and pain.Today was the day.The day, Raven would be crowned queen, and Rowan, our king. A union not just of mates, but of power, duty, and a promise to lead this land into peace. Asher would be named First Prime Alpha…an honor he earned through sacrifice and bravery. He might have started this journey shrouded in secrets, but he had more than proven where his loyalty lay.Everything had fallen into place. And that meant it was time.Time for me to leave.My fingers tightened slightly on the rail. It wasn’t easy…gods, it wasn’t, but my people needed me. Rebuilding the Outerlands wasn’t just a task…
Loira POVI lay curled against my mate’s body, Kael’s warmth wrapped around me like a second skin, his heartbeat slow and steady beneath my cheek. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt… at peace. Not just safe, not just alive…but whole.The sun had dipped low, casting gold over the grass and filtering through the broken trees we hadn’t yet had the strength to cut down. Nature was still healing. So were we. But there was laughter…genuine, full-bellied laughter…that echoed through the quiet. The kind that used to feel like a dream.I turned my head just a little, watching as Raven giggled breathlessly between Asher and Rowan, her smile brighter than I’d ever seen it. Gwen was pretending to sulk nearby, pouting dramatically while Elisha teased her, and the others sat in small groups, talking, smiling, just… living.Some months ago, none of this seemed possible. Back then, everything was survival. Blood. Fear. Loss.But here we were.My fingers tightened slightly agains
Raven POVThe wind was softer these days. The skies are clearer. The world… lighter.I stood at the edge of the garden, the same garden where I almost lost him—where I thought I’d say goodbye forever. But now, as the morning sun kissed the petals of the moon lilies, I watched Rowan sparring with Kael in the courtyard below, the two of them laughing like boys with no shadows hanging over their heads.He was stronger now. Not the same Rowan I had dragged away from the brink of death, but something even better…renewed and stronger.His mark on me shimmered faintly with every heartbeat, and the bond between us had only deepened. Sometimes I felt it before I heard him speak. Other times, I woke up to find him already watching me, as if afraid this peace might still vanish.But it hadn’t.The war was over. The queen was dead. My father… gone.Our people were healing.Gwen was currently barking orders at a group of warriors helping rebuild the outer walls of the palace. She hadn’t changed
Raven POV Rowan sank slowly to the ground beneath the tall flowering tree that had once been witness to vows of forever.I followed him down, my hands already reaching for his. They were warm…but not as warm as they should be. His skin was paler than before, and though his eyes still held that fierce light, it was dimming, fading like the last stars before dawn.“I used to imagine growing old with you,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady as I sat beside him. “I thought we’d have time.”He smiled faintly, brushing his thumb along the back of my hand. “We did, in our way. Time didn’t give us years, Raven… but it gave us this. Right here. Right now.”I shook my head, tears spilling over my lashes.“Don’t say goodbye yet. Please. We can try again. There has to be something…anything…”“There’s nothing left to fight, love,” he murmured, gently cupping my cheek. “And I’m tired of fighting this curse.”I buried my face in his chest, listening to the fading rhythm of his heartbeat