Flames of the Heart

Aria couldn't sleep in her new room. It was too big, too fancy, with silk sheets and carved wooden furniture that made her feel like a stranger in her own skin. The events of the day kept spinning in her head like leaves caught in a storm.

Mate bond. Curse. Moon daughter. Monster?

A soft knock on her door made her jump.

"Aria? It's me, Cira. Can I come in?"

Aria rushed to open the door and pulled her friend into a tight hug.

"Everyone's talking about it," Cira whispered, looking around the grand room with wide eyes. "Three mate bonds? The triplets? Is it true?"

Aria nodded, sinking onto the edge of the bed. "It doesn't make any sense. Why me? Why all three?"

"Because you're special," Cira said, sitting beside her. "I always knew it." She touched the silver bracelet on Aria's wrist. "How do you feel about them? The brothers?"

Aria's cheeks warmed. "I don't know. It's all happening so fast."

"Well, which one do you like best?" Cira nudged her playfully.

Before Aria could answer, a crash came from outside, followed by angry voices. The girls ran to the window.

In the moonlight, Riven and Kade faced each other, fists clenched.

"Stay away from her," Kade growled, his eyes glowing gold in the darkness.

Riven stood tall, his face cold as stone. "The bond changes nothing. Remember your place, brother."

"My place?" Kade laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "My place is with her. I felt it first!"

"We all felt it at the same time," said a quieter voice. Silas stepped from the shadows, a book tucked under his arm. "And fighting won't help anyone."

Aria's heart raced as she watched them. She could feel their emotions like they were her own—Riven's anger, Kade's passion, Silas's worry.

"I have to stop them," she whispered, turning from the window.

Cira grabbed her arm. "Are you crazy? Let them fight it out."

But Aria was already heading for the door. Something pulled her toward them, like moon to tide.

Outside, the night air was cool on her skin. The brothers fell silent when they saw her, their faces changing in three different ways.

Riven's jaw tightened, and he looked away, as if the sight of her burned.

Kade's whole body relaxed, a smile breaking across his face like sunshine.

Silas watched her with careful, knowing eyes, his fingers tightening on his book.

"What are you doing out here?" Riven asked sharply. "You should be inside."

"I heard fighting," Aria said, lifting her chin. "Over me."

Kade moved closer, his warmth reaching her even from feet away. "Not fighting. Just a brotherly disagreement."

"Don't lie to her," Silas said softly. He turned to Aria. "The bond affects us all differently. Riven is fighting it. Kade is embracing it. And I..." He paused. "I'm trying to understand it."

Riven growled. "There's nothing to understand. Father has decided she'll train with all three of us until we figure this out. That's all."

"Train for what?" Aria asked.

"To be Luna," Kade said, his eyes shining with pride. "My Luna."

"Our Luna," Silas corrected quietly.

Riven turned away. "No one's Luna yet. This isn't normal. It isn't right."

His words stung like thorns. Aria wrapped her arms around herself. "I never asked for this."

"But it's happening anyway," Silas said, stepping closer. For the first time, Aria noticed dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn't slept. "And we need to be careful. The bond is unstable with three anchors."

"What does that mean?" Aria asked.

Riven finally looked at her, really looked at her, and Aria felt a jolt run through her body. "It means we're all in danger. Especially you."

Before she could ask more questions, a howl cut through the night. Then another. Warning calls.

"Intruders," Kade said, instantly alert. "Northern border."

Riven's body tensed, ready for battle. "Aria, get back inside."

"But—"

"Now!" All three brothers said at once.

Their combined command hit Aria like a physical force. She stumbled backward, a strange heat flooding her veins. Her vision blurred, and for a moment, she could see golden threads connecting her to each brother—one faded and resisting, one bright and pulsing, one steady and watchful.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered.

Kade caught her before she fell. His touch sent fire racing across her skin. "The bond is getting stronger."

"Get her inside," Riven ordered, already backing away. "I'll handle the border."

"I'm coming with you," Kade said, carefully passing Aria to Silas.

As Silas's hands touched her shoulders, Aria felt a different sensation—like cool water washing over fever. He looked into her eyes, and she knew he could see what was happening inside her.

"You know something," she whispered. "Something you're not telling."

"Many things," he admitted quietly. "But now isn't the time."

More howls filled the night. Riven and Kade exchanged a look, then shifted into their wolf forms—Riven's coat midnight black, Kade's a rich chestnut brown. They raced toward the forest, leaving Aria alone with Silas.

"Come," he said, guiding her back toward the house. "There's something I need to show you."

Inside, instead of taking her to her room, Silas led Aria down a hidden staircase. The walls were lined with ancient-looking symbols that seemed to glow faintly in the dark.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked, her heart racing.

"To the truth," Silas answered.

They entered a small underground room filled with books, scrolls, and strange objects. Candles lit themselves as they entered.

"Magic," Aria breathed.

Silas nodded. "The kind we're not supposed to have anymore. But some secrets are worth the risk."

He pulled out an old scroll and carefully unrolled it on a table. On it was a drawing of a woman with three wolves around her—one black, one brown, one golden. Above her head was a blood-red moon.

"The Prophecy of the Moon Daughter," Silas said. "Written centuries ago, before our pack was even formed."

Aria stared at the drawing. The woman had a crescent moon on her shoulder, just like her birthmark.

"When the moon daughter awakens on her eighteenth year, three will be called, three will be bound," Silas read from the ancient text. "One will deny, one will consume, one will protect. Blood of the past will rise again, and the curse of the fallen will be fulfilled."

Aria's skin went cold. "What does it mean?"

"It means you're not just any omega, Aria." Silas looked up at her, his amber eyes glowing in the candlelight. "You're the descendant of the Moon Goddess's daughter who fell in love with a mortal. Their love was forbidden, so the Goddess cursed her bloodline."

"That can't be true," Aria whispered, backing away. "I'm nobody."

"You're everybody," Silas said, following her. "The blood that runs in your veins is royal, ancient, and dangerous."

A crash from above made them both jump. Shouts echoed down the stairwell.

"They're inside the house," Silas said, his face going pale. He grabbed Aria's hand. "We have to—"

The door to the secret room burst open. A man Aria had never seen before stood there, his eyes glowing red.

"Found you," he said, his voice inhuman. "The Moon Child awakens."

Behind him, more red-eyed figures appeared, their bodies shifting between human and wolf in a way that looked wrong, painful.

"Rouge wolves," Silas whispered, pushing Aria behind him. "But something's wrong with them."

The leader smiled, showing teeth too sharp for a human mouth. "Your brothers are busy fighting decoys at the border. No one's coming to save you."

"I can save myself," Aria heard herself say, though she had no idea where the courage came from.

As the words left her mouth, the crescent mark on her shoulder began to burn. Silver light poured from her skin, filling the room. The red-eyed wolves shrieked and covered their faces.

Aria felt power surge through her body—ancient, wild, and frightening. This was what had been locked away inside her all these years.

"Run!" she shouted at Silas, but he stood frozen, staring at her with wonder and fear.

The leader lunged at them, claws extended.

And in that moment, Aria felt the bond with all three brothers ignite like wildfire in her blood. Somewhere in the night, three wolves howled as one.

The power within her exploded outward.

And then everything went black.