All Chapters of Triple Temptation: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

"Your time as Alpha of this pack is done, Theon," Rhea declared, her voice echoing in the hushed, tense Council Hall. The power vibrated in the air, one she now commanded so effortlessly. She stood before the Circle of Authority, the four alphas to either side of her, their guardian energy a palpable force. Her marks thrummed softly beneath her skin, constant reminder of the holy bond that gave her this power.Theon sat on his elevated throne, sneer contorted on his face. "You have no business here, Omega. You're a renegade, a traitor who performed a forbidden ritual. You think a burst of light will intimidate me? I've been alpha of this pack for thirty years. I am Vale. The pack looks up to me. They fear me. They will not listen to a child."."They will hear the truth," Rhea fired back, never taking her eyes from his face. "They will hear the omega who defied you. They will hear the daughter of Lira Mooncrest, the omega you bullied because you were afraid of her power. Just as you ar

"You look tired, Rhea," Ash said to her, his low, deep voice smooth. He sat opposite her in the tiny, warm living room of the lake house, observing her where she lay on a comfortable couch, a book open across her lap, but not reading. Her eyes were fixed on the flames of the burning fireplace. The house was a sanctuary, a haven from the chaos of the pack. They had moved there a week ago."I am just thinking," she said, her voice low. The warmth of the fire, the quiet calm of the room, it was a balm to her weary soul. "I am thinking about the new laws. I am thinking about Theon. I am thinking about what we have done." She looked at the symbols on her hand, a soft, glowing light from the bond. "Is this real? Are we safe here?""We are as safe as we can be," Zane replied, standing up and sitting beside her. He pushed the book gently from her hands. "The pack is with us. The Captain Rylan and his guards are standing at the borders. We have individuals going out every day to patrol. Theon

"The stars are so bright here," Rhea breathed softly, her voice a contented, joyful sigh. She was lying on a blanket at the back of the lake house, her head against Zane's chest. The air was cool, but she was warm, in his arms, in the love of her pack. The scent of him, cinnamon and fresh rain mixed, was a soothing presence."They are," Zane agreed, his deep voice a low rumble. He was tracing patterns on her arm with his fingers, his touch a soft, hypnotic beat. "My family, the Valez family, we are star people. We believe our fates are charted in the stars. That we are all connected by an cosmic string.""Is that what you believe?" she asked, looking up at him. The moonlight struck his face, illuminating the unusual seriousness in his eyes."I believe it more now than ever," he confessed, his devious mask completely shed. "I have always felt a pull. A connection. A thread to something, to someone. I just never knew it was you. My star." He looked down at her, his own eyes brimming wit

"The wood is cold," Rhea murmured softly, her voice a gentle hum as she sat on a fallen tree trunk in the clearing outside the lake house. She was alone with Blaze. The other alphas were still out on patrol, their absence a hollow space in the pack bond. She wasn't frightened, but she knew."While it's for that," Blaze growled, his voice rough and low. He knelt on the earth in front of her, big hands expertly building a fire out of a little pile of tinder. His aroma, a mixture of smoke and pine, filled the air. "A fire warms cold wood.""Is that the way you see me, Blaze?" she stated, gazing at the little flames just beginning to flicker into existence. "A fire? A warmth-giver?"He halted whatever he was doing and looked at her, his normally intense and feral eyes watering up with a deep, unguarded truth. "You are not a fire, Rhea. You are the sun. You are the warmth that engulfs the ice. The ice I have been carrying in my heart all these years."She stared at him, surprised at the sh

We cannot hold them off much longer," Kai growled, his voice a low growl over the din of ringing steel. He shoved an attacking rogue back, his motions economical and deadly. "Theon's forces are too many. His Alpha guard is well-trained."."This has nothing to do with numbers, Kai. This is combat with a purpose," Ash retorted, his eyes flashing gold in the dim light of the Council Hall. He tore through the enemy ranks, his ferocity unparalleled. "They're fighting for a tyrant. We're fighting for our freedom."Blaze's snarl was a harsh challenge as he pushed his body into two rogues, sending them off balance. "Purpose doesn't stop a sword from splitting you in two, Ryder. We need to retreat. Get Rhea to safety."."No," Rhea answered, her voice clear and firm in the midst of the chaos surrounding them. She stood in the center of the Circle of Authority, arms outstretched, a faint, silver light beginning to ooze from her palms. "I won't run. Not again."Zane, amusement forgotten, parried