Elara couldn't stop staring at her image.
Silver eyes. A bright mark. This couldn't be happening.
"Breathe," she whispered to herself, holding the edge of the sink.
"Just breathe." She traced the half moon and three stars on her wrist.
The mark glowed with a soft silver light, warm to the touch. No matter how hard she rubbed, it wouldn't fade.
A loud knock at her door made her jump. "Elara! Open up!" It was Mia, her only friend in the pack.
Elara quickly pulled her sleeve down and opened the door. Mia burst in, eyes wide.
"Is it true?" she asked. "Everyone's talking about it. They say the Blackwood triplets found their mate last night, and it's—" Mia stopped mid-sentence, looking at Elara's face.
"Your eyes! "They're silver!"
"Keep your voice down!" Mia was pulled inside by Elara, who hissed and shut the door.
"I don't know what's happening to me."
"Show me your wrist," Mia said.
Hesitantly, Elara rolled up her sleeve. Mia gasped. She said in a whisper, "It's real."
"You are paired with the Alpha's sons. All three of them."
Elara said, "That's not possible. I'm just an omega."
"Maybe you're not," Mia said, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Maybe you never were."
Before Elara could answer, there was a louder, more serious knock on her door.
"Elara Moon," a deep voice called. "By order of Alpha Marcus Blackwood, you are to come with us immediately."
Elara's heart dropped to her stomach. Two pack guards stood outside, their looks grim.
"What's happening?" she asked, fear climbing up her throat.
"The Alpha wants to see you," one guard said simply.
"Now." With shaking hands, Elara grabbed her jacket.
Mia squeezed her arm. "Be careful," she whispered. "Don't let them intimidate you."
Easy for her to say. Mia wasn't an omega being summoned by the most powerful wolf in the area.
The guards led her through the pack grounds. Wolves stopped to stare as she passed. Some talked behind their hands. Others openly pointed at her. Elara kept her head down, wishing she could disappear.
The Alpha's house loomed ahead, massive and imposing. Elara had only seen it from a distance before. Up close, it was even more intimidating—dark stone and tall windows that seemed to watch her approach.
The guards led her through heavy wooden doors into a grand main hall. A woman stood waiting, her posture perfect, her face unreadable. Luna Evelyn Blackwood.
"Thank you," she told the guards. "I'll take her from here." The Luna's gaze swept over Elara, pausing on her face.
"So it's true," she whispered. "Your eyes have changed."
"I don't understand what's happening," Elara said, her voice small. Something softened in the Luna's face.
"No, I don't imagine you do. Come with me." She led Elara down a hallway and into a smaller room where an elderly woman waited. Elara recognized her as Ruth, the pack doctor.
"Show her your wrist," Luna Evelyn directed.
Elara unwillingly pushed up her sleeve. Ruth's eyes widened as she took Elara's arm, examining the mark carefully.
"Three stars," Ruth whispered. "I've never seen anything like it."
"What does it mean?" Elara asked. "It's a mate bond mark," Ruth said.
"But not an everyday one. The moon with three stars... it signifies a bond with various mates. Three, to be exact."
"The triplets," Luna Evelyn said quietly. Ruth nodded.
"This isn't just any mate link. It's a true mate bond—the rarest kind. The Moon Goddess herself has marked you." Elara felt dizzy.
"But why me? I'm nobody."
"Perhaps you're not who you think you are," the healer answered, studying Elara with new interest.
"Silver eyes are the mark of something special. Something powerful."
"But I'm an omega," Elara argued. Ruth shared a look with Luna Evelyn.
"Are you certain about that?"
Before Elara could answer, the door burst open. Kael Blackwood charged in, followed closely by his brothers. All three froze when they saw her.
For a moment, no one spoke. Elara felt that strange pull in her chest again, stronger than before. By the way the triplets tightened, they felt it too.
"Mother," Kael said stiffly, not taking his eyes off Elara. "We were told to come here."
"Yes," Luna Evelyn answered.
"Ruth has proven what we suspected. This girl bears the mate mark for all three of you."
"Show me," Kael ordered. Reluctantly, Elara held out her hand.
The mark seemed to glow brighter in the triplets' presence. Ronan moved forward first, taking her hand softly. His touch sent electricity running up her arm.
"It's beautiful," he whispered, tracing the stars with his thumb. Darian approached next, his face thoughtful.
"Three stars," he said softly. "One for each of us."
Only Kael hung back, his face a storm of feelings. "This changes nothing," he said coldly.
"I refuse to accept an omega as my mate. As the future Luna." His words stung more than they should have.
Elara pulled her hand from Ronan's grasp and stepped back. "I didn't ask for this," she said, finding her voice.
"I don't want it any more than you do."
"Kael," Luna Evelyn warned. "The Moon Goddess has chosen."
"Then the Goddess made a mistake," he snapped. The room fell silent. Even Ronan and Darian looked shocked at their brother's blasphemy.
Ruth broke the stress. "There's more you should know," she said. "I need to test something."
She pulled a small silver knife from her pocket. "May I?" Elara paused, then nodded. Ruth pricked Elara's finger with the blade. A drop of blood welled up—but instead of red, it shimmered with threads of silver. Ruth gasped.
"Silver blood," she whispered. "Just as I suspected."
"What does that mean?" Ronan asked, leaning closer.
"It means she's no omega," Ruth responded. "Her true nature has been hidden. Suppressed somehow."
Luna Evelyn's face paled. "It can't be," she whispered.
A commotion outside stopped them. Angry sounds approached, getting louder by the second. The door flew open again, and this time Celeste stormed in, her face twisted with rage.
Behind her, Alpha Marcus entered more quietly, his powerful presence filling the room.
"Is it true?" Celeste asked, pointing at Elara. "Is this... this nobody claiming to be their mate?"
"Watch your tone," Ronan growled, stepping between them. Alpha Marcus held up a hand, stopping everyone. His cold gaze moved from Elara to the mark on her wrist, then to his boys.
"So," he said, his voice falsely soft. "The reports are true. My sons have been taken by an omega."
"She's not an omega," Ruth said definitely.
"Look at her eyes. Her blood. She's something else entirely."
Celeste gave a bitter laugh. "What, you think she's special? She's nothing! I was going to be Luna!"
"The Goddess has decided otherwise," Luna Evelyn said.
Alpha Marcus circled Elara slowly, watching her like a wolf might study its prey.
"Special or not," he said, "she could be useful."
A chill ran down Elara's spine at his words. There was something calculating in his eyes that scared her more than Celeste's open hatred.
"Father," Kael began, but Marcus cut him off. "The girl stays here," he stated. "Under our care. Until we discover exactly what she is."
"I can't stay here," Elara argued. "I have work, my cabin—"
"That wasn't a request," Alpha Marcus said coldly.
Ronan moved closer to Elara, his arm brushing hers in what felt like quiet support. Darian watched her with curious eyes, while Kael looked away, jaw clenched.
Celeste's face darkened with anger. "This isn't over," she hissed at Elara before stomping out.
As everyone fought around her, Elara felt a strange sensation—like someone watching her. She glanced toward the window and caught a glimpse of a man she'd never seen before. His eyes met hers briefly before he disappeared from view.
In that moment, a voice whispered in her mind: Be careful, little wolf. Not everyone in this house wants you to survive the night.