Chapter Three

~ Kaleen ~

After three years of rejecting Seraphine, we were finally permitted to choose another mate as pack law demands. I had always anticipated this day, and now it stood before me, almost smiling.

I wasn’t pleased merely because of the ceremony; my satisfaction ran deeper because by nightfall, Night Fang would finally have a leader. Pack tradition demanded that the Alpha triplet heirs reach thirty winters before any of us could be granted leadership and today was our thirtieth birthday. The Moon Goddess herself would decide who would rule Night Fang among my brothers and me.

I smiled to myself, already convinced the title was mine. I was the eldest, the Commander of the pack’s warriors, forged by battles and discipline. Leadership had always rested naturally on my shoulders.

Lyra stood before me, radiant and carefully chosen. Her beauty was delicate, her eyes filled with devotion as she gazed at me as if I were already her Alpha.

“I can’t believe you’ll finally be mine, Kaleen,” she said softly, rising on her toes to kiss me.

“Yes,” I replied, holding her close. “And I swear I’ll be the greatest Alpha you could ever pray for.”

“There’s something troubling me,” Lyra admitted.

“What is it?” I asked, tension creeping into my voice.

“My fear is your brothers. What if one of them is chosen instead?” she asked.

Before I could respond, the door burst open. Lysander the middle triplets strode in, laughter heavy and mocking.

“I can’t believe you’re already trembling,” he said, his voice sharp with amusement. “And it hasn’t even begun.”

“How dare you barge into my chambers?” I snapped, anger flaring.

“While you’re celebrating and pondering over the leadership role, the Moon Goddess and the elders are waiting. Everyone’s on edge, wondering if you’ll ever show up.” His eyes gleamed.

Before I could reply him, he slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing like a challenge. The mention of the Moon Goddess tightened something dark inside me. I despised the weight of her silence, the memory of her last proclamation. Still, before leaving, I turned back to Lyra and forced a reassuring smile.

“Everything will be fine,” I promised.

…

When I entered the council grounds, the air was thick with anticipation. My brothers sat among the elders, eyes fixed on me. The moment I stepped forward, tension eased slightly, and breaths were released as if my presence alone restored balance.

The Moon Goddess descended, her voice ringing through every bone in my body. “Alpha Triplets of Night Fang,” she said, her voice shaking the sky itself. “You rejected your fated Luna. Fate has not forgotten. Seraphine Vale, the one you cast aside, will decide who rules Night Fang. Whichever of you she accepts shall wear the Alpha crown,” the Moon Goddess continued coldly.

“What !!!!” The roar tore out of us like thunder as my wolf surged violently; he hates it when I am troubled.

Breen, my loyal beta, was at my side instantly, gripping my arm. “Kaleen, stop,” he pleaded urgently. “This is the Moon Goddess. Lose control now, and you doom yourself.”

Before I could steady my breath, Riven stepped forward, fury blazing.

“You can’t do this,” he shouted. “Seraphine left three years ago. She could be forgotten; she could even be dead!”

“She lives,” the Goddess thundered. “Wherever she walks, her destiny waits.”

Then Lysander’s voice cut in, sharp with disbelief. “She’s voiceless. How can a silent girl become Luna to the heirs of Night Fang?”

“Leave that to the gods,” the Goddess replied, unmoved.

Silence crashed down.

“Does anyone else challenge my decree?” she asked.

I forced myself forward. “Moon Goddess,” I said tightly, “pack law grants us the right to choose our mates. We are the heirs.”

Her gaze burned through me. “Seraphine father died protecting this land,” she said. “That sacrifice binds this fate. No ritual will undo it unless leadership is stripped from your bloodline entirely.”

The threat landed like a blade. Before I could speak again, the silver light vanished. She was gone. And with her disappearance, certainty shattered, leaving only chaos, rage, and a single name holding our future hostage: Seraphine Vale.

When the Moon Goddess vanished, something far worse followed: silence.

The elders did not argue. That alone was more dangerous than any curse. One by one, they turned away, their gazes sharp, deliberate, and filled with warning. Their message was clear: fail this task, and Night Fang would be taken from our bloodline without mercy.

As their footsteps faded, I ordered my brothers to follow me into the war chamber. No guards, just blood and rivalry sealed behind stone walls. The moment the doors shut, Riven slammed his fist against the table.

“This is madness,” he snarled. “A girl we threw away now holds our fate?”

Lysander scoffed, pacing slowly. “Don’t pretend you’re shocked. The Moon Goddess has always favored her kind.” His eyes flicked toward me, sharp and accusing. “You led the rejection, Kaleen.”

I stiffened. “We decided together,” I said.

Riven laughed bitterly. “Decided?” he scoffed. “You commanded it, Kaleen. I never intended to reject her. Never.” His eyes burned as they locked onto mine. “You said since she was fated to the three of us, and only one could claim her, that rejecting her won't spare the rest. You swore she would become a curse to the remaining brothers.” He took a sharp breath, pain cracking through his anger. “I loved her. I always did. But you made me do it.”

Silence pressed in as his voice fell lower, heavier.

“And now,” he finished hoarsely, “we’re the ones paying for it.”

“I didn’t put the words into your mouth, Riven,” I said coldly. “I only made a suggestion; I never forced you. If you truly loved her the way you claim, you could have ignored my advice and chosen differently.”

Lysander interrupted us to stop it from escalating. “Weak people don’t survive exile,” he said gently. “If Seraphine is alive, she’s no longer who we remember.”

That thought coiled uncomfortably in my chest.

“She hated us,” Riven muttered. “I saw it in her eyes that day.”

“And yet,” Lysander added, “she was still our mate.”

The word hung between us like a blade.

I folded my arms, masking the storm inside. “Whatever she has become, she is now the key. We don’t trust each other, and we don’t need to.”

My gaze hardened. “But understand this: whoever wins her favor rules Night Fang.”

Riven’s eyes burned with ambition. Lysander’s lips curved into a calculating smile.

It was terrifying, and fear crept through me as I imagined what it could become.

Three brothers.

One throne.

And one woman standing between blood and ruin.