The clock on the classroom wall ticked loudly, its sound amplified by the suffocating silence. Nicola James sat in the back corner, her chair slightly askew to keep her distance from the other students. Not that anyone wanted to be close to her. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed faintly, flickering every now and then, but no one else seemed to notice. Crescent Moon High was old, the kind of school where the lockers stuck, the cafeteria food tasted like cardboard, and the faint smell of mildew lingered no matter how many times they cleaned.Nicola glanced at the clock again. Two minutes until the bell. Two minutes until she could blend into the crowd, slip through the hallways unnoticed, and finally escape the judgmental stares that followed her everywhere. Two minutes until she could retreat into the safety of her own mind.The teacher’s voice droned on, his monotone explanation of algebra formulas fading into the background. Nicola’s gaze drifted to the window. The late autumn s
The roar of the crowd echoed through the stadium as Nicola followed Chloe and Theo to the bleachers. The air was crisp, filled with the mingling scents of pine and damp earth, a constant reminder of the pack lands that surrounded Crescent Moon High. Nicola pulled her hoodie tighter around herself, as though the soft fabric could shield her from the noise, the people, and the weight of her own thoughts.The field was alive with activity, a kaleidoscope of movement and sound. Cheerleaders in glittering uniforms danced energetically on the sidelines, their pom-poms shimmering under the bright stadium lights. The band perched at the edge of the stands, their instruments gleaming, occasionally bursting into short, triumphant tunes that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Students packed the bleachers, a sea of Crescent Moon High colors waving banners and shouting encouragements. The air buzzed with the collective energy of the pack, an unmistakable pulse of unity that Nicola felt disconnected fr
After the game, Nicola found herself swept up in Chloe and Theo’s relentless enthusiasm. She had protested all the way to Theo’s car, but her friends had brushed off her excuses as if she’d been saying she didn’t like chocolate.“You’ll be fine,” Chloe said for the hundredth time as they drove toward the Blackstone mansion. “It’s just a party, Nic. No one’s going to bite you.”“Speak for yourself,” Theo quipped with a sly grin, adjusting his rearview mirror.Nicola groaned, leaning her forehead against the window. She didn’t belong at a party like this. The Blackstone house wasn’t just any house; it was a symbol of power and wealth, the seat of the Crescent Moon Pack’s Alpha family. Everyone who mattered in the pack would be there. Everyone except her.The Blackstone mansion loomed ahead like something out of a gothic fairy tale. Perched on a hill overlooking the pack lands, the sprawling estate was more castle than home. High stone walls framed a grand entrance, and glowing lights sp
The first scent hit her like a lightning strike - warm, musky, and intoxicatingly familiar. Her wolf stirred, a low growl rumbling in the back of her mind, waking from its deep slumber. The connection was immediate, like a spark that ignited something ancient and primal within her. It was him - them.Her fingers slipped, the glass of punch she had been holding tumbling from her hand and shattering on the floor with a loud crack. Her breath caught, the sound of the glass breaking drowned out by the sudden rush of blood pounding in her ears.“Nic?” Chloe’s voice was distant, a blur against the ringing in her head.Nicola turned slowly, her body stiff, her mind fighting against the instinct to flee - -or worse, to run towards them. Her gaze moved across the room, drawn as if by an invisible force, until her eyes landed on the three figures standing at the edge of the party, barely visible through the crowd.Damien. Dylan. Dean.The Blackstone triplets.They stood as one, their bodies exu
Nicola’s footsteps echoed through the stillness of the night as she ran, her body moving on autopilot. She didn’t know exactly where she was going, but the pull in her chest, the sudden surge of energy from the bond, drove her forward, deeper into the woods. The darkness closed in around her like a blanket, muffling the sound of her labored breath and the rapid beat of her heart.The scent of the triplets lingered in the air, warm and intoxicating - earthy, wild, and unmistakably theirs. It seemed to weave through the trees, twisting and curling around her like an invisible thread. She could almost taste it on her tongue, a sharp tang of desire and danger, and it made her wolf stir restlessly inside her.No, no, no, Nicola’s mind screamed. I can’t do this. I can’t.But her body betrayed her.With every step, the pull of the bond grew stronger. Her wolf, always a silent presence at the back of her mind, clawed to the surface, urging her to turn back, to go to them. It was a primal, ins
Her heart fluttered in her chest as she tried to push the overwhelming urge away. But it was impossible. The pull of the bond had her in its grip now, its force undeniable, its magnetism more powerful than she had ever imagined. She didn’t want this - didn’t want them. But her wolf, her body, was a different story.The bond was a living thing. It was her now.Nicola took another step back, her chest tightening. “I can’t be with you,” she said, her voice more forceful now, though she could feel it wavering. “I’m an Omega. I’m not good enough for you.”Damien’s expression softened just slightly, but his eyes remained dark and intense. He reached forward, capturing her chin with a firm but gentle hand, guiding her gaze back to his.“You are everything we need, Nicola. Everything we’ve always wanted.” His thumb brushed over her bottom lip, the touch soft but with a clear possessiveness beneath it. “We don’t care that you’re an Omega. You are our mate. And no matter how much you fight it,
Nicola’s chest heaved as she stood there, surrounded by the triplets. Her lips were still tingling from their kisses, her body thrumming with the bond that pulsed between them. She knew she should be afraid, overwhelmed by the intensity of what was happening, but instead, a deep, primal need was unfurling inside her - a need she could no longer deny.Her gaze locked with Damien’s, and she reached out, her trembling fingers brushing against his hand. He stilled at her touch, his dark eyes searching hers.“I…” Nicola hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper. Then, with a surge of courage, she intertwined her fingers with his. “Come with me.”The air in the room grew heavier as the triplets exchanged a glance. They didn’t need words to understand her meaning. Without hesitation, Damien nodded, allowing her to lead him, and the other two followed close behind.Nicola’s house was modest, the hallway narrow, but she barely noticed. Her focus was on the warmth of Damien’s hand in hers, th
Her frustration was short-lived as Dylan and Dean moved in, their hands and mouths working in tandem to keep her on the precipice. Every touch, every kiss, every whispered word was designed to stoke the fire within her, drawing her higher and higher but never letting her fall.Nicola whimpered, her nails digging into Damien’s shoulders as the sensation became almost too much to bear. “Please,” she gasped, her voice barely audible. “I can’t…”“Yes, you can,” Dylan said, his voice soft but firm. He kissed the corner of her mouth, his golden eyes filled with a mix of desire and devotion. “Just trust us.”She nodded, her body trembling as they continued their slow, deliberate assault on her senses. Every nerve was alive, her skin buzzing with the electricity of their bond. And then, finally, they let her tip over the edge.Her orgasm hit her like a tidal wave, her body arching as the pleasure coursed through her. But even as she came undone, the triplets didn’t stop. They held her, steadi
The ruins of the Order’s stronghold still smoldered, filling the air with the acrid scent of burnt stone, ash, and old magic. Nicola stood at the edge of the destruction, staring into the wreckage with a sinking feeling in her stomach. The once-imposing fortress was reduced to jagged remains, blackened by fire and laced with deep cracks from the violent collapse.The triplets flanked her, their expressions grim as they surveyed the devastation."Do you think anyone made it out?" Dylan asked, his voice low."Unlikely," Damien muttered, kicking a loose stone from his path as they moved closer. "We barely made it out.Dean exhaled sharply, scanning the ruins with wary eyes. "We should check anyway. Someone might have survived."Nicola nodded, though she wasn’t sure what she was hoping to find. The Order had been both an enemy and an ally in the past weeks. She still hadn’t fully decided whether they could be trusted. Now, it seemed that choice had been made for her.The group carefully s
The ruins still smoldered behind them, the scent of burned stone and magic thick in the air. Nicola’s pulse pounded as she faced Elias, his golden eyes reflecting the flickering embers of the destruction they had barely escaped." This didn’t start with me. " His words echoed in her mind, unraveling everything she thought she knew.She tightened her grip on the worn leather of her father’s book. The triplets stood close, their presence grounding her, but nothing could prepare her for the weight of the truth she was about to hear.Elias took a slow step forward, his movements deliberate. “You’ve been asking the wrong questions, Nicola. This isn’t just about the Order, or Marla, or the altars.”His gaze pinned her in place.“It’s about you.”The air felt too thin.Nicola forced herself to speak. “What do you mean?”Elias exhaled, his eyes flickering to the triplets before settling back on her. “This didn’t begin with me, my son or grandson.”Dean’s jaw tightened. “Then where does it be
The dust still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating, as Nicola stood on the uneven ground outside the collapsed tomb. The night was eerily quiet, as if the world itself was holding its breath.Elias was free.And he wasn’t running. He waited.Nicola’s heart pounded in her chest, the weight of everything they had just uncovered pressing against her ribs. The triplets flanked her, their postures tense, their eyes locked on the man who had once been nothing more than a name in a forgotten book.Now, he was standing in front of them - alive, breathing, and entirely too calm.Dylan was the first to break the silence.“You should be dead,” he growled, his voice edged with restrained fury. “You were supposed to be...”Elias tilted his head slightly, studying him with an almost amused expression. “Supposed to be what?” he murmured. “A ghost? A warning? A lesson in a book?”His golden eyes flicked to Nicola.“No,” he said, as if answering a question she hadn’t even asked. “I was suppose
The first chain snapped.The sound ripped through the underground chamber, deep and unnatural, like the snarl of a beast awakening after centuries of restless sleep.Nicola's breath hitched as the vibrations from the broken links rippled through the stone floor, unsettling the dust that had settled over the tomb for generations. The triplets reacted instantly - Dean and Damien stepping in front of her, Dylan pulling her back by instinct.But it was too late.Another snap.And another.The chains, thick as an iron-forged prison, began to unravel, each link breaking apart as if an unseen force was unbinding them.The inscriptions on the sarcophagus pulsed, the word "Condemned" flickering between visibility and something far darker.Then the whispers began.Low at first. Crawling through the cavern like a rising tide, seeping into the cracks between the stones, the edges of Nicola's mind.Words she couldn't understand.But felt.Felt like a storm gathering on the horizon.Like a prophecy
The silence was suffocating.Dust still hung in the air, swirling in the dim torchlight like restless spirits. The collapse above had sealed them inside the hidden chamber, trapping them in a tomb of ancient stone.But it wasn’t the darkness that unsettled Nicola.It was the altar.Half-buried beneath rubble, carved from black obsidian, and marked with a name that shouldn’t have existed anymore.Elias.The name whispered through the chamber, even though no one had spoken it aloud. A name that carried weight, history, power - the root of everything that had led them here.Nicola swallowed, taking a slow step forward. The triplets stood close behind her, their eyes scanning the ruins, their bodies tense.“This place…” Dylan’s voice was low, cautious. “It wasn’t on the Order’s maps.”“No,” Nicola murmured, her fingers brushing against the rough surface of the altar. The stone was cold - not in the way stone should be, but in a way that made her fingers feel numb as soon as they touched i
The darkness didn’t disappear.Even as the necklace shattered in Nicola’s hands, even as Marla’s scream echoed through the Archives, the shadows remained.And then - they moved.Like something alive.A suffocating force pressed against Nicola’s chest as she stumbled back, her breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. The triplets were near, but she barely registered them. The room felt smaller, the air thicker, as if the very walls were closing in.But Marla wasn’t fleeing.She was laughing.A sound that sent a deep, primal unease skittering up Nicola’s spine."You think this was a victory?” Marla’s voice was sharp, raw, filled with something unhinged. “You think breaking the link would stop me?"Nicola’s pulse thundered. The shattered remains of the necklace lay at her feet, but instead of diminishing, the shadows were growing.Something wasn’t right.She severed the link. She cut off Marla’s hold.Then why did it feel like they had just made everything worse?The shadows surged.Not tow
The hallway outside the council chamber felt colder than before, as if the very walls carried the weight of her decision. The torches flickered against the dark stone, but they did nothing to push away the looming dread curling in Nicola’s chest.She had time until sunrise.Until then, she had to decide:Bind herself to the Order to sever the link with Marla… or walk away and risk staying in her enemy’s grasp.But as much as she hated the idea of becoming part of the very institution that had manipulated her bloodline, she knew one thing:Marla wasn’t going to wait for her decision.The triplets walked in tense silence beside her. Their bond was full of unspoken words, emotions tangled in frustration, protectiveness, and something dangerously close to fear.Nicola barely noticed when they reached the room the Order had given them for the night. The door slammed shut behind them, and the moment it did, Dean turned on her.“You can’t do this,” he said, his voice sharp, eyes blazing.Dyl
The ride to the Order’s stronghold was silent. Tension coiled in Nicola’s chest, pressing against her ribs like an iron vice. She sat in the backseat between Damien and Dean, their bodies warm at her sides, but it did nothing to stop the cold weight of uncertainty pressing down on her.Dylan drove, his hands gripping the wheel tighter than necessary. No one spoke. Not even through the mate bond.Marcus had refused to accompany them. "This is your battle to fight," he had said. But Nicola had seen it in his eyes - the weight of the past, the knowledge that returning to the Order meant stepping into a world of secrets, manipulations, and carefully spun webs of power.Nicola exhaled sharply, her fingers grazing the necklace resting against her collarbone. The very object that had linked her to Marla. The very thing that might be her downfall.When the Order’s fortress finally came into view, her stomach twisted.It looked exactly how she remembered - cold, imposing, filled with ghosts of
Marcus’s office was heavy with silence, the air thick with unspoken thoughts. Nicola sat at his desk, her fingers pressed against the worn cover of her father’s book. The triplets stood close, their presence grounding her, yet doing little to ease the storm brewing inside her mind.Marla had orchestrated this from the very beginning. Every step they had taken, every discovery they had made - it had all been within her plans."You were never in control."Her last message burned in Nicola’s mind. A challenge. A taunt.Or worse - a truth.Marcus paced behind his desk, his sharp gaze fixed on the rune that Nicola had traced in her father’s book.“If this was just a threat,” Damien began, arms crossed tightly over his chest, “she wouldn’t have needed the rune. A threat is a statement. This - this was something more.”“She’s been watching us,” Dylan said, his voice grim. “That rune wasn’t just a warning - it was a tracker.”Nicola clenched her jaw. “But why? If she was already playing us, w