The golden light from Arin's shattered pendant faded. Time unfroze. Everyone blinked, confused by what had just happened.
Arin stood in the center of the hall, the truth burning in her mind. Before she could speak, a scream tore through the pack house.
"Let me go!" Siena's voice echoed down the hallway. Guards dragged her forward, her wrists still bound with silver chains. The key that had burned into her skin glowed like a hot coal.
Alpha Vaughn stepped forward. "Bring the traitor here."
The guards shoved Siena to her knees. Her golden hair hung in tangles around her tear-stained face. When she saw Arin, her eyes narrowed with pure hate.
"You," she hissed. "This is all your fault."
Kael moved protectively beside Arin. "She's not the one who tried to steal a mate bond."
"Quiet!" Alpha Vaughn commanded. "The rogues are at our gates. We need to know what Siena knows."
Outside, Malik's forces continued their attack. The sounds of fighting grew closer.
Siena laughed, a hollow sound that sent chills down Arin's spine. "You really don't get it, do you? I was supposed to be Luna. Me! It was promised to me!"
"By who?" Alpha Vaughn demanded.
Siena's eyes flicked toward where Luna Calista had been taken away. "Ask your wife. She made a deal with my mother years ago. I was raised to rule this pack!"
Arin knelt before her childhood friend. "Siena, please. People are dying. If you know something that can help us—"
"Help you?" Siena spat. "After you stole everything from me? We were friends, Arin. Sisters! And the moment you got a taste of power, you forgot all about me."
"That's not true," Arin said, her voice cracking. "I never wanted any of this."
"LIAR!" Siena screamed, lunging forward despite her chains. The guards yanked her back. "You love being special. The mysterious omega with three mates. The long-lost royal blood. You're nothing but a thief!"
The building shook as something heavy slammed against the outer walls. Dust rained from the ceiling.
"We don't have time for this," Kael growled. "The pack is under attack."
Jaxon rushed in, blood streaming from a cut above his eye. "They've breached the inner courtyard!"
Siena smiled, tears streaming down her face. "Too late. It's all too late."
Something in her voice made Arin's blood run cold. "What did you do?"
"I opened the way," Siena whispered. "For Malik. He promised me you would fall, and I would take my rightful place."
"You let rogues into our territory?" Kael's voice was deadly quiet.
Siena lifted her chin. "I did what I had to do. Just like you, Alpha's son."
Jaxon cursed. "She's been working with Malik all along."
A strange calm settled over Arin. The words from the ancient book swirled in her mind. One bond sealed. One broken. One remains.
She looked at Rowan, still on the floor with silver tears leaking from his eyes. Then at Jaxon, whose amber connection still pulled at her heart. Finally at Kael, her mate by sacrifice.
"The circle must be complete," she murmured.
Before anyone could stop her, Arin reached out and touched the glowing key embedded in Siena's palm.
A shock wave of energy exploded between them. Siena gasped, her eyes wide with surprise as the chains binding her wrists shattered.
"What are you doing?" Kael shouted, but Arin couldn't stop now.
The truth was clear. The Moonwell wasn't dying—it was changing form. And Rowan hadn't lost his memories—he had sacrificed his mind to become its voice.
"Forgive me," Arin whispered to Siena. "I never knew what they planned for us."
Something shifted in Siena's eyes. Confusion replaced anger. "What do you mean?"
"We were both pieces in someone else's game," Arin said. She pointed to the window where Queen Althara stood watching them. "She's not my aunt. She's the one who cursed your bloodline and mine."
Queen Althara's elegant face hardened. "Foolish girl. You understand nothing."
Alpha Vaughn turned on the queen. "Explain yourself!"
Before she could answer, the main doors burst open. Malik stood there, wild-eyed and flanked by rogue warriors. His gaze locked on Arin.
"Finally," he breathed. "I've come to free you, just like I promised."
Kael and Jaxon moved in front of Arin, ready to fight.
But Arin stepped around them, the pieces finally coming together. "You're not here to free me, Malik. You're here to complete the ritual."
Malik's fierce expression faltered. "How did you—"
"The third reveals the truth," Arin quoted. She looked back at Siena, who was slowly rising to her feet. "We were never enemies. We were sisters. Real sisters."
Siena's face paled. "What are you talking about?"
Queen Althara moved with shocking speed, pulling a silver dagger from her sleeve. "Enough! The sacrifice must be made!"
She lunged toward Siena, blade flashing.
"NO!" Arin screamed, throwing herself between them.
Time slowed again. Arin felt the blade sink into her shoulder. Her blood—royal blood—spattered on the floor.
The world exploded in blue light. The floor beneath them cracked open, revealing not stone but water—the Moonwell itself, flowing beneath the pack house all along.
Arin's blood touched the water. The entire building trembled.
Rowan suddenly sat up, his eyes clear and focused. "The circle begins."
Kael grabbed Arin as she swayed, blood soaking her clothes. "What's happening?"
"The truth," she whispered, pointing at Siena. "She's not the Beta's daughter. She's my sister. My twin. Split at birth to hide the prophecy."
Siena stared at her, shock and disbelief on her face. "That can't be—"
But the mark of the key on her palm was changing, reshaping itself into a crescent moon—the same mark that scarred Rowan's chest.
Queen Althara backed away, her perfect composure cracking. "This isn't possible. The ritual was perfect!"
Malik moved toward Arin, his expression strange and conflicted. "Is it true? You and Siena are—"
"The daughters of the last High Luna," Arin confirmed, her vision blurring from blood loss. "Separated to prevent the prophecy."
The floor rumbled again. Water rose around their ankles, glowing silver like the Moonwell.
"The pack house is built on sacred ground," Elder Mava realized aloud. "The original Moonwell!"
Arin reached for Siena's hand. After a moment's hesitation, Siena took it. Where their fingers touched, silver light pulsed.
"Sisters," Siena whispered, tears streaming down her face. "All this time..."
The rising water swirled around them, lifting them both into the air. Arin's blood turned the water crimson, then gold.
"The circle must be complete," Rowan called out, his voice stronger now.
A howl came from outside—not a battle cry but a call of recognition. The fighting stopped.
Arin looked at Kael, then Jaxon, love and pain mingling in her heart. "I understand now. The choice isn't between you. It's something much bigger."
The golden water rose higher, enclosing Arin and Siena in a shimmering bubble. As consciousness began to fade, Arin saw Queen Althara's face twisted with rage and fear.
"Kill them both!" the queen shouted. "Before they—"
The bubble of light exploded outward, blinding everyone. And in that blinding flash, the truth about the Triplets' curse—and who had cast it—was finally revealed.