"Rowan, it's me—Jaxon. Your brother." Jaxon's voice cracked as he gripped Rowan's shoulders.
Rowan stared blankly, his blue eyes empty of recognition. The wound on his chest had healed, leaving only a silver scar shaped like a crescent moon.
"I'm sorry," Rowan said politely, like he was speaking to a stranger. "I don't remember you."
Kael stood frozen, his fists clenched at his sides. The mate bond with Arin thrummed strong in his chest now, fully restored, but the price had been unimaginable. His brother's memories—his entire identity—gone in an instant.
"We need to get him back to the pack house," Alpha Vaughn ordered, his voice tight with grief. Two warriors gently helped Rowan to his feet.
As they left the Moonwell clearing, Arin noticed something terrifying. The sacred pool's water level had dropped, revealing dry edges that had never been seen before. The once-silver liquid had dulled to a murky gray.
"The Moonwell is dying," Elder Mava whispered, her ancient face lined with fear. "Just as the Goddess warned."
Queen Althara placed a comforting hand on Arin's shoulder. "Come, niece. We have much to discuss."
The walk back to the pack house passed in a blur of shock and sorrow. Arin felt the weight of Kael's stare on her back, but he kept his distance, walking beside the guards who supported his empty-eyed brother.
When they reached the pack house, news of Luna Calista's attack and Rowan's sacrifice had already spread. Pack members lined the halls, watching in stunned silence as their future Alpha carried his broken brother past.
"Take him to the healing rooms," Alpha Vaughn instructed. "And find Zera. If anyone can help him, it's her."
Siena had been taken away too, locked in her room while the key continued to burn its mark into her flesh. Her agonized cries echoed down the corridors.
Queen Althara led Arin to a private sitting room where Elder Mava waited with a steaming cup of tea.
"Drink," the old woman ordered. "It will calm your spirit."
Arin's hands shook as she accepted the cup. "Will Rowan ever remember us?"
Elder Mava exchanged a glance with Queen Althara. "The sacrifice was complete. His memories were the price for restoring your bond with Kael."
"But I never wanted that!" Arin cried, tears streaming down her face. "I wanted all three of them safe!"
"The Goddess's will cannot be denied," Queen Althara said gently. "The prophecy stated clearly: one lives as your mate, one dies, one sacrifices. Rowan chose sacrifice."
"And the Moonwell?" Arin asked, touching her pendant where only two stones remained—one green, one amber.
"It fades," Elder Mava confirmed grimly. "Without it, the pack's strength will wane. Our territory will be vulnerable."
The door opened, and Kael entered. His green eyes, usually so controlled, were red from unshed tears. "Leave us," he commanded. "I need to speak with Arin alone."
Queen Althara hesitated. "Nephew, this isn't the time—"
"Now." Kael's voice carried the unmistakable power of a future Alpha.
After they left, Kael paced the room like a caged animal. Arin waited, her heart racing with both fear and the pull of their bond.
"My brother doesn't know his own name," Kael finally said, his voice raw. "His sacrifice gave us this." He gestured between them, indicating their bond.
"I never wanted it this way," Arin whispered.
"Yet here we are." Kael stopped pacing and faced her directly. "The bond is complete. You and I are mates, whether we like it or not."
His words stung, despite their truth. "Do you blame me for what happened?"
Kael's expression softened slightly. "No. I blame my mother for her attack, Siena for her jealousy, and myself for not protecting my brother." He raked a hand through his dark hair. "But now we face the consequences."
"The Moonwell is dying," Arin said quietly.
"Yes. And with it, our pack's power." Kael moved closer, towering over her. "The Council wants answers. Our neighboring packs are already testing our borders, sensing weakness."
Arin's mind raced. "What can we do?"
"Accept our fate." Kael's hand reached for hers, hesitantly. When their fingers touched, the bond between them flared with warmth. "We must make this work, for the pack's sake."
The door burst open, and Jaxon stormed in. His usually playful face was twisted with grief and anger.
"How touching," he spat, glaring at their joined hands. "Already moving forward while Rowan sits empty as a shell."
"Jaxon—" Kael began, but his brother cut him off.
"Save it! I was there too, remember? I felt the bond with Arin as well." He touched his chest where the amber stone in Arin's pendant connected them. "It's still there, pulling at me."
Arin felt it too—the second thread, connecting her heart to Jaxon's. Weaker than her bond with Kael, but definitely present.
"This isn't the time for this," Kael growled.
"When is the time?" Jaxon demanded. "When you've claimed her completely? When you've forgotten Rowan entirely?"
Kael lunged at his brother, but Arin stepped between them.
"Stop! This solves nothing!"
A commotion in the hallway drew their attention. Alpha Vaughn's voice boomed, ordering guards to secure the perimeter.
The three rushed out to find chaos. Warriors rushed through the halls, grabbing weapons.
"What's happening?" Kael demanded.
Alpha Vaughn's face was grim. "Rogues. They've crossed our borders. Dozens of them."
"How?" Jaxon asked. "Our territory is warded by the Moonwell's power."
"The wards are failing," Alpha Vaughn confirmed their fears. "As the Moonwell dies, so does our protection."
A tall woman with tribal tattoos and one golden eye pushed through the crowd. Zera, the pack healer. "It's worse than that," she announced. "The rogues are being led by someone who knows our defenses."
"Who?" Kael demanded.
"Malik," Zera replied, her single eye finding Arin. "And he's calling for the omega girl."
Arin gasped. Malik, her childhood friend from the omega quarters. The one who had disappeared months ago.
"What does he want with Arin?" Alpha Vaughn asked.
"He claims she's his true mate," Zera replied. "Stolen by Alpha blood."
Kael's hand clamped around Arin's protectively. "Impossible. Our bond is sealed."
"By sacrifice," Jaxon reminded him bitterly.
Alpha Vaughn turned to Arin. "Do you know this Malik?"
"He was my friend," Arin admitted. "We grew up together in the omega quarters. He always looked out for me, but he left the pack before my eighteenth birthday."
"Someone helped him escape," Alpha Vaughn growled. "And now he returns with an army at our weakest moment."
A warrior burst through the doors, bleeding from a shoulder wound. "Alpha! They've breached the outer wall!"
"Sound the alarm!" Alpha Vaughn ordered. "Kael, Jaxon—arm yourselves. Protect the pack house."
As the brothers rushed off, Alpha Vaughn fixed his gaze on Arin. "This attack is for you. What will you do?"
Before Arin could answer, another commotion drew their attention. Rowan walked down the hallway, moving with purpose despite his empty eyes. He carried an ancient book bound in wolf skin.
"The Omega will end it," he said, his voice distant and strange. "The blood of the High Luna must return to the source."
Elder Mava hurried to Rowan's side. "Where did you find that book? It was locked away!"
Rowan didn't answer her. Instead, he held the book out to Arin. "The Moonwell speaks through me now. Take this."
With trembling hands, Arin accepted the heavy tome. The moment her fingers touched the cover, the remaining stones in her pendant glowed—green for Kael, amber for Jaxon.
"What does it mean?" she asked, looking to Elder Mava for answers.
"It's the original Prophecy of the Triplets," the old woman whispered. "Written by the first Seer of our pack. It contains the true meaning of your bond."
A loud explosion rocked the pack house. The sounds of fighting grew closer.
"Read it quickly," Queen Althara urged. "Before it's too late."
Arin opened the book to a page marked with a silver ribbon. Ancient words glowed on the parchment, rewriting themselves as she watched:
"The Omega's choice is not between the three, But whether all must fall or all go free. The Moonwell thirsts for blood of royal line, To break the curse that time cannot unwind. One bond now sealed, one broken, one remains, The third reveals the truth behind the pains. The mate who lives is not what he appears, The one who dies still walks among his peers, The sacrifice was made but incomplete, Until the Omega makes the circle meet."
The windows shattered as a flaming arrow shot through, embedding itself in the wooden floor. Outside, war cries filled the night.
"Arin!" Malik's voice bellowed from beyond the walls. "Come out! I've come to free you from their lies!"
Rowan's empty eyes suddenly focused, locking with Arin's. For just a moment, she saw recognition flicker there.
"The circle," he whispered. "Complete it."
Then he collapsed, a silver liquid leaking from his eyes like mercury tears.
The book in Arin's hands burned, the pages turning to ash. But the words remained seared in her mind.
One bond sealed. One broken. One remains.
Kael rushed back into the hall, blood splattered across his face. "They're everywhere! Arin, you need to hide!"
But Arin suddenly understood what she had to do. The Moonwell wasn't dying—it was changing. And Rowan wasn't gone—he had become its voice.
As she stood amid the chaos, the pendant around her neck began to crack, golden light seeping through the fissures.
"The third reveals the truth," she whispered.
The pendant shattered, releasing a blinding flash that froze everyone in place. In that moment of suspended time, Arin saw the truth at last—and the terrible choice she would have to make.