All Chapters of Triple Temptation: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"What was that in the world?"Blaze Draven's voice was a growl, and his fist against one of the ancient stone pillars in the Alpha Row common room sounded like a shot. A cracked fissure radiated out across the old stone. The atmosphere within the room was thick with a storm of furious, crashing Alpha scents—Ash's black cedar, Kai's frigid steel, Blaze's bitter pine, and a frightened, feral citrus from Zane. Outside, the Equinox celebrations continued unabated, but within, another kind of ritual was underway. A ritual of decay."Step back, Draven! You'll crash the bloody ceiling," Ash Ryder growled, his tone life-threateningly close to a growl. He stood in the center of the room, fists clenched, entire body tense, coiled spring of rage. His gaze was on the door, waiting for Zane. He had felt the shot of possessiveness, the savage jolt of the binding connecting, and the terrifying, abrupt cut-off. He had felt it all, and it had triggered his own wolf to mindless, howling rage."I hate i

"Did you ever hear of 'The Shattering'?" Rhea asked, her voice barely audible.Noria's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "That name. it is very seldom spoken. It is an allusion to an era of awful strife, when the packs were nigh torn apart by wars spawned from the Omega bonds. It was said that certain Alphas, unable to restrain the crushing power of their intended Omega, descended into a madness of possession. They slew what they claimed to love, rather than sharing it.""And the Mooncrests were at the center of it all?" Ash pressed, his jaw locked."Yes," Noria confirmed, a low hum of a voice. "The last recorded instance of 'The Shattering' was with an Omega of your line, Rhea. Centuries ago. After that, the Council became. strangely tyrannical in their governance over Omegas. The rites were truncated, the true history expunged. All to prevent another 'Shattering'.""So, this is not just a family curse," Blaze said, a new layer of dark understanding descending upon him. "It's a cove

"A matter of perspective, dear boy," replied Noria, her lips curving into a wistful smile. "The Council's stance is that the Omega's power was too great, too unmanageable, and that it corrupted the Alpha bond. But the ancient documents. the ones that remain before the Council's revised history. they speak of the 'unworthy vessel'. They say that the Mooncrest Omega's bond is like a spiritual truth serum. It lays an Alpha bare, exposing them to their innermost secrets, their most selfish desires, their darkest vices. If the Alpha's soul is weak or corrupted, the bond will magnify that until it is overwhelming. That is what The Shattering was. Not a curse on the Omega, but a reckoning for the Alpha.""So the curse is not on Rhea," Kai said, realization dawning. "It's on us.""More precisely, your ability to be a 'worthy vessel'," Noria corrected. "Your ability for selflessness, for real, uncompromised love that is not created out of possession. The Council fears this not because the Omeg

"I found her. She's in a cave."Ash's voice was a strained whisper, raw with a mix of relief and fear. He knelt at the mouth of a small, hidden cavern, the entrance shrouded by dense vines. The air was heavy, not just with the scent of pine and damp earth, but with something else—a strong, addictive pheromone that whispered of an Omega caught in the throes of a heat, fighting every urge to yield. It was the scent of Rhea, mature and intoxicating, a thick blend of her desperation and her strength.At a respectful distance, Zane, Kai, and Blaze stood guard, their faces stern. Micah, the uncommunicative sentry, stepped out from behind a shrub, his eyes filled with brother's worry."Is she. is she okay?" Zane breathed."She's cold," Ash replied, his voice breaking. "She's shaking. The heat. it's too much for her to handle by herself. She's struggling.""Then go to her," Blaze urged, his bristling coarseness now a mere façade for a desperate nervousness. "Touch her. Maim her. Rescue her. W

"I have to talk to you, Ash." Rhea's voice was gentle, but it had a new, fragile strength that compelled him away from the window where he'd been watching. The other Alphas had gone, on their own mysterious "pilgrimages," but Ash remained, a mute sentinel outside the door when Rhea slept, his presence an unchanging, comforting weight.He strolled across the room and climbed onto the side of the bed, not near, but near enough that she could feel the warmth of his presence. "What is it, Rhea?"She looked at him, her eyes clear now, no longer clouded by the terror of the heat. "What you did in the forest. in the cave. It changed things.""I was just trying to help you," he said, his voice low rumble. "I was not trying to do anything else.""Right," she said, a small, sad smile playing on her lips. "That's the thing. You chose to be a comfort, not a captor. You chose to be a guardian, not a master. You chose to be a 'worth vessel'."He flinched at the words, the weight of her mother's boo