Chapter 2 - The Triplets' Claim

Aveline's P.O.V

"She's mine," growled Damon, his voice sharp like steel.

I jerked awake, my heart slamming against my ribs as unfamiliar voices cut through the fog in my head. The ground beneath me was cold and damp, covered in fallen leaves that rustled as I tried to sit up. My shoulder blade still ached from whatever had happened to me, and the Moonstone pendant felt warm against my skin.

Where was I?

"Back off, Damon. We all felt it." This voice was smoother, almost charming, but there was an edge to it that made my skin crawl. "The bond affects all three of us equally."

"Equally?" A third voice joined the conversation, darker and rougher than the others. "Nothing about this is equal. She's going to choose, and when she does, it'll be me."

I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision. Three massive figures loomed over me in the moonlight, their eyes glowing with an intensity that made me shrink back against the tree trunk behind me. Even sitting on the ground, I could tell they were enormous, easily taller and broader than Alpha Marcus.

But it wasn't their size that terrified me. It was the way they looked at me, like predators who had cornered their prey.

"W-who are you?" I stammered, scrambling to press myself further against the tree. "What do you want?"

The one in the middle stepped forward, and I got my first clear look at him. Dark hair, sharp jawline, and eyes so cold they seemed to freeze the air around us. Everything about him screamed danger.

"I'm Damon Blackthorne," he said, his voice carrying the authority of someone used to being obeyed. "These are my brothers, Dominic and Darius."

Blackthorne. My blood turned to ice. Everyone knew about the Blackthorne Pack, they were the most feared wolves in the region. Ruthless, violent, and completely without mercy. What were they doing here?

The brother on the left, Dominic, I assumed, gave me what might have been a smile if it wasn't so predatory. He was handsome in a way that would probably make most girls swoon, with golden hair and features that belonged in a magazine. But his eyes held the same dangerous glint as his brothers'.

"Hello, beautiful," he said, his voice like honey over broken glass. "Don't be afraid. We're not going to hurt you."

"Much," added the third brother with a dark chuckle. Darius was the largest of the three, with black hair and scars across his knuckles that suggested he enjoyed violence. When he smiled, I could see teeth that were just a little too sharp.

"I don't understand," I whispered, my voice shaking. "Why are you here? What do you want with me?"

"Want with you?" Damon's laugh was cold and humorless. "Little wolf, we don't want anything with you. We need you."

He crouched down in front of me, bringing us to eye level. This close, I could see the flecks of silver in his dark eyes, could smell his scent, pine and winter storms and something else that made my wolf-less soul react in ways I didn't understand.

"The mating bond," he continued, his gaze never leaving mine. "Surely even a defective wolf like you knows what that means."

Mating bond? But that was impossible. I didn't even have a wolf. How could I be mated to anyone, let alone three of the most dangerous Alphas alive?

"There's been a mistake," I said quickly, trying to edge away from him. "I can't shift. I don't have a wolf. There's no way I could be anyone's mate."

"Oh, but you are," Dominic said, moving to my left side with fluid grace. "We felt it the moment you collapsed. That burning in your chest, the mark appearing on your skin, it all makes sense now."

"The Moon Goddess has a sense of humor," Darius added, positioning himself on my right. "Giving the three most powerful Alphas in the territory a broken little pup as a mate."

"I'm not broken," I snapped before I could stop myself, then immediately regretted it when all three brothers smiled, predatory expressions that made my heart race.

"There's some fire in you after all," Damon murmured, his hand reaching out to touch my cheek. I flinched away, but he was faster, his fingers cold against my burning skin. "Good. We don't want a completely spineless mate."

"Let me go," I pleaded, trying to stand up. But Darius was there instantly, his large hand on my shoulder, keeping me seated with barely any pressure. "Please, you have to be mistaken. I need to get back to my pack."

"Your pack?" Dominic's laugh was beautiful and terrifying. "The same pack that just humiliated you in front of everyone? The one where your stepmother slapped you for existing?"

How did they know about that? Had they been watching?

"They'll be looking for me," I lied, though we all knew it wasn't true. No one in the Silver Moon Pack would miss the girl who couldn't shift.

"No, they won't," Damon said matter-of-factly. "And even if they were, do you think they'd challenge us for you? Three Alphas who could destroy their entire pack without breaking a sweat?"

"She's scared," Darius observed, tilting his head as he studied me. "I can smell it on her. Fear and confusion and something else... arousal?"

"I am not…." I started to protest, but Dominic cut me off.

"The bond doesn't lie, sweetheart. Your body knows what your mind is trying to deny."

"This is insane," I said, my voice rising in panic. "You can't just claim someone as your mate because you feel some kind of connection. That's not how it works."

Damon's grip on my chin tightened, forcing me to look directly into his eyes. "The bond never lies, little wolf. You belong to us now. All three of us."

"But I don't want to belong to anyone!" The words tore from my throat in a desperate cry. "I just want to go home."

"Your home is with us now," Darius said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through the ground.

"We'll teach you what it means to be claimed by Alphas," Dominic added, his charming mask slipping just enough to show the darkness underneath.

"And we'll protect you from anyone who tries to hurt you," Damon finished, though his tone suggested I should be more worried about them than anyone else.

Before I could respond, before I could beg or plead or try to run, all three brothers tilted their heads back toward the moon. Their eyes began to glow brighter, their bodies seeming to expand with barely contained power.

And then they howled.

The sound was unlike anything I'd ever heard, three distinct voices blending into one powerful claim that echoed through the entire forest. It spoke of possession and power and promises that made my blood sing even as my mind screamed in terror.

Every wolf for miles would hear it. Every pack would know what it meant. The Blackthorne triplets had found their mate, and they were claiming her before the moon and stars as witnesses..