All Chapters of The Alpha’s Love Came Late: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

"I have to go," Phoenix said. "No," Aiden grabbed their arm. "We stay together." "They want me. If I give myself up…" "They'll kill you and then come for us anyway," Luna said firmly. "Nova, what do you see?" Nova's eyes had gone distant, seeing possible futures. "If Phoenix goes, they die. If we all stay here, we die. If we fight, some of us might die. If we run... there's a chance. A small one." "Then we run," Aiden decided with the authority of someone born to lead. "No." Phoenix's voice was strange, echoing. "There's another option." The child's form began to shift, becoming translucent. "I can't fight them. But I can hide. Not just me. All of us." "What do you mean?" "I can pull us between worlds. Between life and death. We'll still be here, but they won't be able to see us. Or touch us. But I've never tried it with other people before. It might not work." "It will work," Luna said with certainty. "I can feel it. Your power is strong enough." Outside, the cult was advan

"Like what?" Dominic asked. "Your Alpha positions," Phoenix said suddenly, understanding dawning in their strange eyes. "You're both Alphas. That's not just a title. It's power. Authority. Connection to every member of your packs. What if you gave that up? Became normal wolves? Would that be enough of a sacrifice?" Grandmother Yuki was silent for a long moment. "I... I don't know. It's never been tried. But theoretically, yes. The Alpha bond is a form of life force. Severing it completely, for both parents simultaneously, might provide enough power to fuel a partial awakening." "Partial awakening," Ivy repeated. "What does that mean for the children?" "They'd be stronger than any normal Alpha. Probably stronger than any supernatural being currently alive. But they wouldn't have the full Aeternum abilities. They couldn't reshape reality or command the elements or alter time. They'd be powerful enough to defend themselves, but not powerful enough to accidentally destroy the world."

Three days after the ritual, Marcus made a discovery that changed everything.He burst into Ivy's home without knocking, his face white with shock."We have a problem," he said. "A massive problem.""What now?" Dominic asked wearily. They were both still adjusting to the loss of their Alpha powers, the constant mental silence where pack bonds used to be.Marcus spread documents across the table. "I've been analyzing the Cult's attack patterns. Where they struck, when, how they knew where to find our allies. And I found something impossible.""What?""They had inside information. Detailed information about pack locations, security measures, defensive capabilities. Information that only someone deeply embedded in our coalition could have provided."Ivy felt ice in her stomach. "We have a traitor.""Worse. We have a traitor who's been feeding information to the Cult for months. Possibly years. Someone who's been setting us up from the beginning.""Who?"Marcus pulled out a photograph. Fi

"We heard the recording," Aiden said, his voice cold. "All of it."Luna's eyes were red from crying. "You were never trying to help us. You were trying to control us."Nova stepped forward, her foresight abilities showing her every lie Cassandra had ever told. "I can see it now. Every manipulation. Every planted piece of information. You've been steering us toward this moment for years."Phoenix's translucent form flickered with rage. "You made our parents give up everything. Made them sacrifice their power. And you were planning to use that sacrifice to make us vulnerable. To make us dependent on you.""Children," Cassandra said, her voice taking on a soothing tone. "You don't understand. Everything I did was to protect you…""Don't," Aiden interrupted, his Unity magic flaring. He was connected to everyone in the factory, feeling their emotions, reading their intentions. "I can feel your lies. Every word is calculated. Designed to manipulate. You're still trying to control us even no

They gathered in the sanctuary, all four children sitting together while the adults explained the situation."A Void Weaver is coming," Grandmother Yuki said. "It wants to consume your potential. We can stop it, but only by sacrificing the Aeternum power source. Which means you'll never be more powerful than you are right now. You'll never achieve your full potential.""And if we don't sacrifice it?" Aiden asked."Then the Void Weaver might consume you instead. You'd lose your powers entirely. Become normal wolves."The children were quiet for a long moment.Finally, Nova spoke. "I've seen both futures. The one where we keep our potential and the one where we give it up. Neither is perfect.""What happens in each one?" Luna asked."If we keep our potential, we become incredibly powerful. But the power consumes us. We stop being people and start being... something else. Cold. Distant. Like the original Aeternum. We unite the supernatural world, but at the cost of our humanity.""And if