The crowd fell into shocked silence at first as Knox's declaration echoed through the arena. Alpha Viktor's grip on Lyra's hair loosened. Igla froze, his expression shifting from lust and satisfaction to wary uncertainty.
Then, the arena erupted into chaos. Wolves leapt to their feet, some in outrage, others in shock. The ceremony had descended into something unexpected, something that violated all their understanding of pack order. Alpha Igla stood frozen, his hand still gripping Lyra's backside, his face twisted with disbelief as he stared at the half-transformed Alpha before him.
"Release her," Knox snarled, his words barely comprehensible through his elongated fangs.
Alpha Igla recovered quickly, leaving Lyra's behind and stepping back from the table, but his face hardened with anger rather than fear. "You brought her for Hollowing, Alpha Knox! The ceremony must continue!"
Lyra curled into herself on the table, her head swimming with the noise. Her body, which was already on the brink of collapse, trembled violently as she tried to cover her naked form with her arms. No one paid her any mind. All eyes were fixed on the confrontation between two Alphas.
"Touch her again, and I will tear your throat out," Knox growled, taking a step forward. The fur rippling across his skin shimmered in the sunlight as he fought to control his transformation.
Alpha Viktor moved to Igla's side, hastily pulling his clothing back into place. "This is an outrage! You cannot interrupt the sacred ritual of Hollowing. Your own pack demands justice for what her brother did!"
On his throne, Alpha Kade remained seated, engaged in a violent internal battle with his wolf. His knuckles had turned white as he gripped the armrests, his veins bulging along his forearms. His jaw clenched so tightly that a muscle twitched visibly along his temple. His fangs began to descend, threatening to tear through his gums as his wolf howled inside his mind.
'Mine. Mine. Mine,' Acheron, his wolf, demanded. 'Protect. Claim.'
'Traitor's blood,' his human half countered. 'Enemy. Punish.'
His feet tapped frantically against the stone floor, showing his struggle. His eyes flickered between their normal green and a molten yellow as Acheron fought for control.
Across the arena, Seraphina sat rigid in her seat, her face contorted with fury. She gripped her skirt so tightly as she watched the proceedings with mounting rage.
"What is this?" she hissed to no one in particular. "After everything her brother did to us? After what Kronos did to us because of him?" Her eyes narrowed as she watched Knox stand protectively before the table where Lyra huddled. "Why will they not let her receive her punishment? Why would Knox protect her?"
Elder Federick, her uncle, moved from where he sat with his mistress, Claudia, stepping into the space between Knox and the other Alphas. His hands were raised in a placating gesture as he spoke to Alpha Knox.
"Alpha Knox," he began in a measured tone, "surely you understand the traditions that bind us—"
Knox whirled on him and snarled, "Say one more word, Gareth, and I will rip your gut out and feed it to you."
The Elder stumbled back, shock evident on his face. This was not the protocol he had expected. This was not how things were supposed to proceed. The Hollowing had been planned for days, ever since the Blood Moon revealed the impossible bond.
Other Alphas rose to their feet, voices rising in protest.
"The traitor's blood must be spilled!" one shouted.
"You brought her here for Hollowing!" another accused.
"You cannot back out now!" a third growled.
The crowd's voices joined in a wave of anger and confusion that swept through the arena. Some called for the Hollowing to continue; others muttered about the goddess' will and the sacredness of mate bonds, even ones as unnatural as this.
Meanwhile, Kalem rose slowly from his seat, climbing down from the dais. He was the most unlikely triplet to speak in such matters, and he only watched. But his descent made a few other Alphas and nobles curious, and so the murmur began to die. He raised a hand, and to everyone's surprise, the arena fell silent.
"If I may remind the council," he said, his voice carrying across the grounds, "our ancient laws state clearly: 'If a captor is discovered to be a fated mate before The Hollowing, the ritual is forfeited by ancient decree. The mate must then claim them in private, but only after declaring their bond before the entire pack. If they reject the mate bond, the Hollowing proceeds.'"
His words hung in the air. No one dared contradict the ancient law he cited, though many faces reflected displeasure.
Alpha Igla's eyes narrowed. "You rejected her already when you brought her here. The ceremony started. It must be completed."
"We did not formally reject the bond," Kalem corrected him, his tone razor-sharp. "We merely delayed our decision."
Another murmur arose from the gathered crowd, but none dared speak out loud.
Kade finally snapped, surging to his feet and striding to join his brothers. His battle with his wolf had ended in a stalemate, neither fully in control, but both present in his burning eyes.
"Enough!" he declared, his voice silencing the remaining murmurs. Kade's eyes still flashed between green and yellow as he declared in a voice that brooked no argument, "The girl is ours."
The other Alphas exchanged glances, some skeptical, others calculating. The energy in the arena shifted; wolves adjusted positions as they sensed a new power dynamic forming.
"Are you accepting the mate bond, then?" Alpha Igla demanded, his tone challenging. "You would take the sister of the traitor who caused so much death? Whose actions led to the fall of half your pack?"
The triplets exchanged a look that spoke more than words could. Despite their hatred for Lyra and everything her bloodline represented, the mate bond was radiating between them, and it was impossible to deny. Kade knew he was not the only one his wolf had fought moments ago. From the change of color in his brothers' eyes, he knew the mate bond had already overpowered them, and Lyra was releasing such intoxicating pheromones he could barely think.
"I, Kade Blackwood, Alpha of Alphas, accept Lyra Thorne as my mate," he declared, not bothering to look at Kalem, whom he sensed watched him calmly. "We will claim her in private, as is our right."
Knox and Kalem followed, not because they wanted to save the traitor's sister but because they could not bear the stench of other men on the woman they all claimed to hate.
The crowd murmured in disbelief. Some looked outraged, others confused. A few nodded slowly, as if they had expected this outcome all along.
Elder Federick's face had gone pale. "Alpha Kade, this decision—"
"Is made," Kade cut him off with a finality that silenced any further protest.
He turned to his personal guards, who stood at attention nearby. "Rowan, Jace, take her to the lower chambers. Ensure she is cleaned and tended to."
The guards moved immediately towards the table where Lyra was still huddled. Rowan removed his cloak and draped it over her naked form before they helped her to her feet. She swayed, barely able to stand after the ordeal of the past days.
Kade turned back to face the assembled Alphas and nobles. "This event is over. You have all witnessed our declaration. The bond will be honored as tradition demands."
Alpha Igla's face darkened with fury, but he did not dare challenge Kade directly. Instead, he bowed stiffly and stepped back. It was a begrudging retreat rather than a surrender.
As the guards led Lyra away, Knox's eyes followed her, and his half-transformation began to recede slowly. The fur withdrew beneath his skin, his claws retracted, but the wildness remained in his eyes.
"This is not finished," he muttered to his brothers, quiet enough that only they could hear. Now, Ravage, his wolf, had loosened his grip on him, and his human side was now much in control. "We may have claimed her, but that does not mean we have forgiven what her blood has done."
"No," Kalem agreed softly. "It does not. But she is ours now, to deal with as we see fit."
Kade did not respond as his eyes tracked Lyra's departure with an intensity that spoke of possession rather than affection. Whatever happened next would be on their terms, in their territory, and with their rules.