THE CURSE OF THREE BLOODLINES

The whispers from the hallway didn't need supernatural hearing to hit their mark. Even through the heavy wood of the bedroom door, the tension in the Ironveil territory felt like a physical weight pressing down on my chest.

I was twenty-two years old, and I had spent every single one of those years believing I had a home. Now, I was sitting in the bedroom of a rival Alpha, realizing the truth: I had never belonged anywhere.

Why did Alpha Brecken look at me with so much quiet intensity?

There was a raw, biological urge inside me that wanted to reach out, to pull him close and bury my face in the crook of his neck. But the rational, terrified part of my mind held me back. I was a rejected omega. My very existence was currently throwing the city into a panic. I couldn't afford to lose my head over a man I barely knew.

"Will I ever find a place here?" I whispered to the empty room, wiping a cold sweat from my forehead.

The door squeaked open.

Brecken walked in, his expression guarded as he approached the bed. "You need to stay inside for now," he muttered, his voice low. "At least until I can handle the talk going around the pack house."

He stopped directly in front of me, his gold-rimmed eyes locking onto mine.

"You smell like my mate," he said softly.

He reached out, his thick fingers gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind my left ear. The brief touch sent a shock of heat straight to my core.

Brecken leaned closer, his forehead brushing against mine. His damp hair brushed my skin, and my breath caught in my throat. His hand slid down to my waist, his grip tightening as he pulled me flush against his chest. I could feel the hard, rigid line of his body pressing against mine, the raw dominance of his wolf demanding surrender. For a fraction of a second, I thought he was going to take my lips.

Instead, his mouth brushed the shell of my ear, his wet lips sending a shiver of heat down my neck. "You need to rest," he whispered. "My staff will bring you whatever you need."

Then, he pulled away.

My skin felt cold the moment the air hit it. Why was he claiming me one second, only to push me away the next? Did he regret bringing me here? Did he see me as a monster now that my true nature was out in the open?

Before I could find my voice, the door swung open. Gareth walked in, his face tight.

"Alpha," Gareth said, his posture rigid. "There is something you need to see."

"Speak," Brecken commanded, his voice turning rough.

"The news from the Frost pack is spreading," Gareth said, adjusting the collar of his suit. He let out a harsh, dry laugh. "They are calling her a curse. A forbidden bloodline that has no right to live."

The words knocked the air right out of my lungs. I sat back down on the edge of the mattress, my head dropping into my hands. My heart was beating so loud I could hear the pulse rushing in my ears.

A curse.

Is that what I was? This was exactly what my grandmother had spent her final years trying to prevent. She had poisoned my body with those agonizing suppressant herbs every morning just to keep me hidden from the world. And now, my fated mate had rejected me and was calling for my head.

"Send a message to Marcus," Brecken said, his voice cold and flat. "He is hosting a banquet at the Primrose Club tomorrow night. Tell him I will be attending."

I stood up, my legs trembling so hard I could barely keep my balance. "Alpha, please don't."

Brecken turned his back to me, his shoulders tensing.

"During my time with the Frost pack, I learned about the political border wars between Ironveil and Frost," I said, my voice dry. "The city is already on edge. If you go there, news will travel faster than..."

"Aria," Brecken interrupted, turning to face me. "Even though my instincts are telling me to keep you hidden, I am not going to let you get hurt."

Did he feel this intense pull because of my scent? My own inner wolf was howling, clawing at my ribs to get closer to him, but my brain was screaming for caution. Was he keeping me here out of duty, or because he truly believed I belonged to him?

"I cannot let you go back to the Frost territory alone," Brecken said. "It is too dangerous."

"You don't have to protect me," I said, stepping closer. "I am a tribrid. Marcus cannot easily hurt me. I am stronger when all three of my bloodlines are awake. Let me go with you to the club. I promise I will stay calm."

A subtle shift passed through his eyes. For a moment, he looked like a man weighing the safety of his entire pack against the life of a girl he had just met.

He reached out, resting a heavy, warm hand on my shoulder. The weight of his palm felt steady. Secure. "Make sure the security team increases the surveillance around the perimeter," he told Gareth. "I don't want any Frost scouts near this property."

"Yes, Alpha," Gareth said, bowing his head before quickly leaving the room.

First, Marcus had humiliated me. Now, he wanted to crush me like an insect.

I wished I knew who my father was. My grandmother had only told me that he was a powerful wolf who had died before I was born. My mother was a vampire, and my grandmother was a witch. I was a child when the sickness took her, but I could still remember the agonizing heat radiating from her skin on her deathbed.

Never let them see what you are, Aria, she had whispered, coughing up blood as I wept beside her. Tribrids are forbidden. Once your scent is broken, the entire city will become a hunting ground. When you are eighteen, Marcus will claim you as his Luna. You will be safe under his protection. Use the herbs, but be careful... a time will come when the herbs will no longer be enough.

I had done exactly what she asked. I had hidden my scent, smiled at Marcus, and swallowed the bitter roots every single morning. And it had all ended in ruin.

Suddenly, a sharp, concussive pressure hit my chest, knocking me flat onto the hardwood floor.

The chandelier overhead began to flicker, the light bulbs buzzing with unstable static. Deep, disjointed whispers flooded my head, speaking in a language I couldn't comprehend. I bit my lower lip so hard the metallic taste of copper and the sharp sting of electric static filled my mouth. I pressed my hands over my ears to block out the noise, but my vampire side seemed to thrive on the chaos, rising to the surface like a predator waiting for its cue.

My wolf was howling for Brecken. My vampire side was craving blood. And my witch side was flashing violent, impossible visions behind my eyelids: a dark room, a massive bed, and four powerful men looking down at me with hunger in their eyes.

My head throbbed under the pressure.

What is happening to me?