Chapter 6: ARIA POV
The windows smashed. I ducked as glass shattered everywhere. A pebble with a letter attached to it landed on the floor of my new cabin.
My hands shook as I grabbed up and unfolded the page. Someone had written: "DEATH TO THE OMEGA WHO WOULD BE LUNA."
I crumpled the note and flung it into the fire. This was the third threat since the morning. I'd been transported to this small cabin near to the Alpha's house "for my own protection," but I didn't feel secure. The guards outside were not there to keep others out, but to keep me in.
Elder Malin's warning lingered in my mind: "One of us is trying to kill you."
A light tap on the door made me jump. I stepped back, looking for something to defend myself with.
"Aria? "It's me," Mira said softly through the opening.
Relief washed over me. I ran to let my friend in, grabbing her in a strong hug.
"How did you get past the guards?" I asked.
Mira grinned. "I brought them food." No wolf can resist my berry tarts, even if they're monitoring a deadly omega.
I laughed despite everything. "I'm so glad you're here."
Mira's smile faded as she glanced about the cabin. "Aria, this is horrible. "Very bad."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"The pack is divided," she explained, her voice dropping. "Some believe you are the true partner and should be honored. Others believe you utilized evil magic and should be punished.
My stomach turned. "And what do you think?"
"I think my best friend is caught in something bigger than all of us." Mira squeezed my hand. "The omegas are talking. They have never seen the Alpha family so upset. And Elira—she is furious. She's telling everyone that you took her destiny.
"I didn't steal anything!" I protested. "This mate bond—it's not something I wanted or asked for."
"I know," Mira replied. "However, many people do not care about the truth. They are just concerned that an omega may become Luna."
I sank into the bed. The three pulls on my chest had not stopped. Each one linked to a different triplet, but I couldn't see any of them from here. "Elder Malin says one of the triplets is my true mate," I told her, feeling as if I had three hearts with various desires. "But someone is impeding the full relationship. Tomorrow night, they'll test us to see which one."
Mira's eyes widened. "Take care, Aria. These tests may be harmful. And with so many people opposing you—"
A sharp knock cut her off. We both froze.
"Open up," a deep voice said.
Kael.
Mira gripped my hand one more time before slipping out the back door. I took a deep breath before opening the front door.
Kael stood tall and powerful. His dark gaze swept over me, frigid like winter. My heart raced—partly from terror, and partly from the tug that drew me to him.
"May I come in?" It wasn't actually a question.
I stood aside. Kael entered and filled the small space with his presence. The pull on my chest intensified, making it difficult to breathe.
"You had a visitor," he stated, without asking.
"Just my friend Mira."
"The omega who works in the kitchens." He nodded. "She should not be here. Nobody should speak to you before the test."
"Am I a prisoner then?" I asked, attempting to appear fearless.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "You are a mystery. "One that I intend to solve."
He gently circled me, examining me as if I were a problem. Unlike his brother Jaxon, who flirted, and Lucien, who watched from a distance, Kael tackled the situation full on.
"What are you hiding, Aria?" he said abruptly.
I took a step back. "Nothing."
"Everyone hides something." He moved closer. "Especially those who claim they don't."
The tension between us tightened like a cord. Part of me wanted to get away from his cold look. Another portion wants to go closer.
"I'm not hiding anything," I insisted. "I'm just an omega who got caught in something I don't understand."
"Are you?" His voice sank. "Just an omega?"
My heartbeat skipped. What exactly did he mean?
"I've spent all day researching mate bonds," Kael added. "In our pack's history, there has never been a case like yours. Never has one wolf been drawn to three others.
"I didn't ask for this," I muttered.
"Perhaps not." His eyes softened slightly. "But you're at the center of it nonetheless."
To my amazement, he reached out to touch my cheek. A surge of power passed through me, making the pull in my chest sing. His cool mask slipped, revealing shock.
"You felt it too," I added softly.
Kael snatched his hand away, as if it had been scorched. "That proves nothing."
"It proves there's something real between us," I said. "Whether you want to admit it or not."
His jaw stiffened. "One mate relationship, perhaps. But three? That is impossible. That suggests someone is lying. "Or someone is being duped."
"You think I'm deceiving you?" I felt my rage mounting. "I'm the one who might die from this broken bond!"
"Perhaps." Kael walked towards the door. "Or perhaps you're more powerful than you appear."
Before I could react, the door sprang open. A pack warrior rushed in.
"Alpha Kael," he exclaimed urgently. "Your father needs you. "There has been an attack."
Kael turned to go and halted. "Stay here." Lock the door. Trust no one."
The warning in his eyes chilled my blood.
"What attack?" I asked. "Who was hurt?"
"Your friend," the warrior said. "The kitchen's omega." Mira was found bleeding along the forest edge. My heart stopped, "Is she—"
"Alive, just barely," Kael stated coldly. "And she had this in her hand."
He held up a tiny canvas satchel, which I recognized immediately. It was the moonstone jewelry that Elder Malin had given me for my birthday. The one that was burning hot when I met the triplets.
"That's mine," I muttered. "I lost it during the ceremony."
Kael's eyes hardened again. "She used her last breath to say one word before collapsing unconscious." "
"What word?" I inquired, but something told me I already knew.
His response chilled me to the bone.
"Aria."
He left me standing there alone, my name hanging in the air like an accusation. Had Mira tried to return my pendant? Or was she naming me as her assailant?
And if someone had hurt my sole friend in order to get to me, who would be next?