Chapter 4

Elixir’s POV

"You have to eat something," Soren said, his voice calm but firm, like he was talking to a stubborn child. He gestured to the plate of food he’d placed on the bedside table earlier. "You’ve been through a lot. You’ll need your strength."

I sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at the food but unable to stomach the thought of eating. My throat felt tight, my chest hollow. Everything that had happened was too much, too fast.

Three men.. no, three Alpha's had taken me from the woods and brought me here, claiming I was part of some prophecy. It sounded ridiculous, like something out of a bad story, and yet… my body still ached from the transformation I couldn’t explain. The symbol, their words, the way my very essence had responded, it was all too real.

"Who even are you people?" I finally managed to ask, my voice hoarse.

The dark-haired one with an air of authority that made the room feel ten degrees colder, stepped forward. His movements were deliberate, his gaze piercing. "I’m Lucian. This is Soren, and over there is Ewen." He nodded toward the other two men.

Soren gave me a small, almost reassuring smile. Ewen just stared, his calm demeanor somehow more unnerving than Lucian’s intensity.

"Why did you take me?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest. "I didn’t ask for this. Whatever this is."

Lucian’s jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing. "We didn’t take you for fun, if that’s what you’re thinking. You’re here because you’re the chosen one."

"The chosen one?" I echoed, my voice laced with disbelief. "You can’t be serious."

Soren exchanged a glance with Ewen before stepping closer to the bed. "It’s not a joke. There’s a prophecy, passed down through generations. It speaks of a queen who will unite the divided packs and bring peace to our kind. Without her, there will only be chaos and bloodshed."

I let out a hollow laugh, the sound foreign to my ears. "And you think that’s me? Look at me! I’m nothing but a half-breed. I don’t belong to your kind or the humans. I’m cursed, abandoned by my own people and left to rot in the woods. How the hell could I be anyone’s queen?"

The words spilled out before I could stop them, raw and jagged. My stepmother’s face flashed in my mind, her disgusted sneer as she stood before the council, condemning me as a monster. My stepsister’s triumphant smirk as the flames licked at my skin.

Lucian’s gaze softened, but his voice remained firm. "You may see yourself as a curse, but the prophecy doesn’t lie. You’ve already proven it, your reaction to the symbol. No one else could have survived such painful transformation."

"I didn’t survive," I shot back, my voice trembling. "I broke. I became something else, something cursed."

"Enough," Ewen said, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. He uncrossed his arms and stepped forward, his calm tone carrying a weight that demanded attention. "We’re not here to argue about what you think you are. The fact remains, you’re here now. You’re part of this, whether you like it or not."

I flinched at his words, my stomach twisting into knots.

"Why would you want me as your queen anyway?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "I can’t even protect myself. You saw how easily those rogues overpowered me."

Lucian stepped closer, his towering presence making the air feel heavier. "You’ll have us to protect you. To guide you. You’re not in this alone."

"And what’s the catch?" I asked bitterly. "There’s always a catch."

Soren’s expression softened, and he knelt beside the bed, meeting my eyes. "The prophecy doesn’t just say you’ll unite the packs. It also says you’ll be bonded to three Alpha's, our fates are tied to yours. We’re your mates, Elixir."

The air was sucked from the room. My heart pounded in my chest, my skin cold as ice. "What?"

Lucian folded his arms, his face unreadable. "You heard him. You’re destined to be ours. All three of us."

I shook my head, backing away until my back hit the headboard. "No. No way. That’s insane. You can’t just… claim me like that."

Ewen sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We’re not asking you to decide right now. But you need to think about it. This isn’t just about you, or us. It’s about everyone, the packs, the prophecy, the future."

Soren placed a hand on my knee, his touch surprisingly gentle. "We’ll give you time to process this. We don’t want to force you into anything."

I stared at them, my mind racing. They didn’t understand. How could they? They saw a prophecy, a queen, a savior. All I saw was a scared, broken girl who didn’t belong anywhere.

"We’ll leave you to rest," Soren said softly, standing and motioning for the others to follow.

Lucian hesitated, his gaze lingering on me for a moment before he turned and walked toward the door. Ewen was the last to leave, pausing to glance back at me with an expression I couldn’t read.

When the door clicked shut, the silence was deafening.

I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as my thoughts churned. “Queen. Mate. Prophecy” It all sounded so grand, so impossible.

But the weight of their words lingered. If it was true, if I really was the chosen one, what did that mean for me? For them?

I curled up under the blanket, my body trembling as exhaustion pulled at me. Despite my racing mind, sleep eventually claimed me.

The dream came swiftly, vivid and overwhelming.

I stood in a clearing bathed in silver light, the full moon hanging low in the sky. The air shimmered with energy, and a figure emerged from the shadows, ethereal, otherworldly, with eyes that seemed to pierce my very soul.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice small.

The figure smiled, a serene and knowing expression. "I am Selene, the messenger of the Moon Goddess."

I froze, my breath catching in my throat.

"You are stronger than you believe, Elixir," Selene said, her voice like a melody. "You were not abandoned; you were chosen. Your pain, your struggles, they have shaped you for the path ahead."

"I’m not strong," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "I’m broken. I don’t belong anywhere."

Selene stepped closer, her hand brushing against my cheek. The touch sent warmth coursing through me, soothing and invigorating all at once.

"You belong here" she said firmly. "You are destined to save them, to save yourself. Embrace your fate, Elixir. Accept the bond. Unite the packs. You are the light in the darkness."

The world around me began to fade, her words echoing in my mind.

I jolted awake, my heart pounding, her voice still ringing in my ears.

"Accept the bond," I whispered to the empty room, the weight of her message sinking in.

The question that had hauntedme since the beginning lingered in the air.

“Could I really be what they needed me to be?”