Maeve paced her bedroom, Ash's notebook clutched to her chest. Her phone buzzed again - the fifth time in twenty minutes. "Maeve!" her mother called from downstairs. "Don't you hear your phone? Calla's been calling!" Maeve grabbed her phone. Twelve missed calls and a new message: EMERGENCY PACK MEETING TONIGHT. MANDATORY. Alpha's orders. Her stomach dropped. Pack talks were rare. Something big was happening. Another text from Calla popped up: Wear something nice. Alpha Braden directly asked if you'd be there. Maeve froze. The Alpha asked about her? Before she could reply, her bedroom door flew open. "Did you hear?" Her mother's eyes were wide with joy. "The Alpha requested you personally for tonight's meeting!" "But why would he—" "No time for questions! We need to get you ready." Her mother hurried to Maeve's closet, pulling out clothes Maeve never wore. As her mother worried, Maeve's mind raced. First the bracelet, then the strange meetings with Raiden and Ash, and now this. Everything was linked, but how? The pack hall buzzed with whispers as Maeve entered. Wolves split like water to let her through, their curious eyes following her every move. "There you are!" Calla grabbed her arm. "What's going on? Why is everyone staring at you?" "I don't know," Maeve whispered, though Ash's notebook hidden in her room suggested otherwise. At the front of the hall stood Alpha Braden, tall and dominating. Beside him were his three kids, lined up like soldiers. Raiden stood stiff, his ice-blue eyes scanning the crowd until they locked onto Maeve. Ash's face stayed expressionless, but his jaw clenched when he spotted her. And Cade – the charming middle triplet – was grinning at everyone, but his smile faltered when his gaze met hers. "Something's definitely up," Calla whispered.
"The triplets never attend these meetings." Alpha Braden raised his hand, and silence fell immediately. "Thank you all for coming," his deep voice repeated. "Tonight marks a special occasion for our pack." Maeve's band suddenly felt warm against her skin. "For generations, we've followed custom. But sometimes, fate has other plans." The Alpha's eyes found Maeve in the crowd. "Maeve Graham, please come forward." Gasps spread through the hall. Calla's grip on her arm tightened painfully. "What did you do?" Calla hissed. Maeve's legs trembled as she walked forward. The crowd's whispers got louder with each step. "The omega girl?" "What could Alpha want with her?" She reached the front and stood before the most powerful wolves in the pack. Up close, Alpha Braden was even more frightening, his amber eyes seeming to look straight through her. "Maeve," he said, his voice softer now. "I understand you recently celebrated your eighteenth birthday." She nodded, unable to find her voice. "I'd like you to meet my sons properly." He pointed to the triplets. "They'll be racing to become the next Alpha. And you, it seems, have caught their attention." Murmurs exploded behind her. Maeve felt her face burning. "Raiden," Alpha Braden called. The darkest of the triplets stepped forward. His face stayed unreadable as he extended his hand to Maeve. "We meet again," he said softly. Hesitantly, she put her hand in his. The moment their skin touched, a jolt shot through her body. Her bracelet flashed red, and Raiden's eyes widened slightly. The Alpha nodded, as if confirming something. "Ash." Raiden stepped back, and Ash took his place. His gray eyes held a warning as he reached for her hand. The same electric shock coursed through her when they touched. This time, her band glowed blue. Ash quickly freed her hand, but not before everyone saw the light.
The whispers in the hall grew wild. Maeve felt dizzy. "And Cade," Alpha Braden said. The third brother stepped forward with his famous smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Pleasure to finally meet you, Maeve." When their hands met, the jolt was so strong that Maeve gasped. Her bracelet shone bright, casting a warm glow on their joined hands. All three brothers now stood side by side, staring at her with identical shocked faces. "It's true," Alpha Braden stated to the pack. "What hasn't happened in five generations has occurred now. Maeve Graham carries the triple mate link." The hall exploded in chaos. Voices yelled over each other: "Impossible!" "An omega as Luna?" "All three heirs?" Through the noise, Maeve heard Calla's voice, shrill with rage: "This is some trick! She's nobody!" Alpha Braden's growl hushed everyone. "The link does not lie. The Moon Goddess has chosen." Maeve's head spun. Mate bond? Luna? She looked at the three brothers in confusion. "Each of my sons will have three months to court Maeve," the Alpha continued. "At the next full moon after that period, she will choose her mate and become our Luna." "Father," Ash stepped forward. "This isn't what we discussed—" "Silence!" Alpha Braden's words boomed. "The decision is made." Cade winked at Maeve. "Well, this just got interesting." Raiden stayed silent, his intense gaze never leaving her face. "The competition begins tomorrow," Alpha Braden announced. "May the best wolf win his Luna." As the meeting collapsed into excited chatter, Maeve felt a hand on her arm. She turned to find Liam, the quiet pack fighter. "Be careful," he whispered. "Nothing is as it seems." Before she could ask what he meant, he slipped into the crowd. Maeve looked back at the triplets. Each watched her with different expressions: Raiden with intensity, Ash with worry, and Cade with amusement.
Three powerful Alphas, all bound to her by some old magic she didn't understand. As she turned to leave, Calla blocked her path, eyes burning with hate. "Enjoy this while it lasts," Calla spat. "You may have the mate bond, but I have secrets that could destroy you." Before Maeve could reply, a commotion erupted at the hall entrance. Everyone turned as the doors burst open. A stranger stood there, blood dripping from bite marks on his face. "They're coming," he gasped before falling. Behind him, red eyes gleamed in the darkness outside. The same eyes Maeve had seen in the forest. The same eyes that had been hunting her all along.