BOUND TO THREE ALPHAS
Chapter 41: THE TRUE HEIR

Chapter 41: THE TRUE HEIR

Chapter 41: The True Heir

Liana watched Elder Mira slip into the darkness, her eyes catching a flash of something troubling. "We need to go," Kael said, breaking the quiet. "The eclipse happens tomorrow." "Wait." Liana held up her hand. "There’s something else we need first." She turned to face Mira in the darkness. "You’re hiding something, Elder. I saw your fear." Mira stepped forward, her face pale. "There’s a place I must show you before we face Astor. A place only a true owner can enter." "We don’t have time for detours," Jace protested. "This isn’t a detour," Mira said strongly. "This is your destiny, Liana." Thorne’s eyes widened. "You don’t mean..." "The ruins of Moonshadow," Mira finished. "Your mother’s pack, Liana. Your true home." "My true home?" Liana whispered, her heart racing. "It’s not far," Mira said. "And what waits there might be the key to everything." Kael looked at Liana, then nodded. "One hour. That’s all we can spare."

Dawn broke as they reached the ruins. Crumbling stone walls emerged from morning mist, creating eerie shadows across what once had been a mighty fortress. "The Moonshadow Pack was the oldest of all wolf packs," Mira explained as they walked through fallen archways. "Until they were destroyed twenty years ago." "My mother escaped," Liana realized. "With you growing inside her," Mira confirmed. "She was the last royal, or so we thought." They stopped before a stone wall covered in vines. Carved into it was a half moon. "Only Moonshadow blood can open this door," Mira said. Liana stepped forward. Her hand shook as she placed her palm against the cold stone. Nothing happened. "Blood," Mira urged. "It needs your blood." Rowan offered his knife. Liana took it, pricking her finger. When a drop of blood hit the stone, silver light pulsed through cracks in the wall. With a grinding sound, the stone slid open. "Whoa," Jace whispered. Inside, torches sprang to life with silver flame, showing a massive throne room untouched by time. The roof arched high above, painted with stars that seemed to twinkle. Great columns lined the way to a raised platform where a single throne stood. But what caught Liana’s breath were the walls.

Every inch was covered in murals—vivid paintings showing the past of werewolves. "Look," Talia gasped, pointing. One part showed three wolves—black, brown, and silver—standing together while a female wolf with golden eyes stood before them. "That’s us," Rowan said in awe. "This mural is centuries old," Mira said. "The prophecy has been waiting all this time." Kael moved to a different area, frowning. "What’s this?" The painting showed wolves dividing, splitting into different groups, with some wolves standing tall while others bowed. "The Great Division," Mira stated. "When alphas, betas, and omegas were created." "Created?" Liana asked, shocked. "You mean we weren’t always divided by rank?" "No," Mira traced the picture with wrinkled fingers. "Once, all dogs were equal. But power corrupts. Leaders wanted more power." "So they invented ranks," Jace spat. "To keep some wolves down." "And my pack?" Liana asked. "The Moonshadow Pack refuses to follow the new system. They kept the old ways, where worth came from heart, not birth." Mira’s voice cracked. "That’s why they were destroyed. They threatened the power system." Liana felt anger building inside her. "My mother died because of a lie? Because powerful wolves wanted to stay powerful?" "Yes," Mira said simply. Liana turned away, fighting tears.

Her eyes fell on writing carved into stone near the throne. Strange marks she couldn’t read. "What does it say?" she asked. Mira approached slowly, her eyes widening as she read. "When silver eyes return to the lost throne, five shall become one, and the old ways will crumble." Mira’s voice shook. "This is it. The full prophecy." "Five?" Kael questioned. "There are four of us." "Look!" Talia pointed again. Behind the throne, earlier hidden in shadow, stood a pedestal. On it sat a crown unlike any Liana had seen. Made of twisted silver filled with moonstones, it seemed to pulse with inner light. Without thinking, Liana walked toward it. With each step, the crown glowed brighter. "Liana, wait," Rowan called, but she barely heard him. The crown called to her. It sang in her blood. When she stood before it, the moonstones flared with blinding light. "It recognizes you," Mira whispered. Liana reached out, her fingers floating above the crown. "If you take it," Mira warned, "there’s no going back. You claim not just your heritage, but a war that’s raged for ages." Liana paused. She looked back at the triplets—at Kael’s strength, Jace’s fire, Rowan’s wisdom. At Talia’s loyal friendship. "I never asked for any of this," she said softly. "Neither did your mother," Mira answered. "But she chose to fight rather than let the lies continue." Liana took a deep breath and placed her hands on the cap. Power rushed through her body. She gasped as her vision went white. Images flooded her mind—her mother fleeing with her unborn child, Astor’s rage when he found his mate gone, the slaughter of the Moonshadow Pack, and deeper still, the ancient truth of wolves before the Division. When her vision cleared, Liana stood taller. Her eyes, mirrored in the polished stone floor, glowed silver. "We need to go," she said, her voice steady as she put the crown on her head. "We have a battle to fight." The triplets stared at her in awe. "You look..." Kael struggled for words. "Like a queen," Jace finished. A slow clap echoed through the throne room.

Everyone spun around. Elder Mira smiled, but it wasn’t the smile they knew. It was cold. Calculating. "Finally," she said, her voice changing, becoming younger. "After all these years of waiting, the crown has awakened." "Mira?" Talia backed away. The elder’s face began to shift, her lines smoothing, her silver hair darkening to midnight black. "Not quite," the woman said. Liana felt her blood run cold. "Who are you?" The woman bowed mockingly. "Astor sends his regards, daughter." She straightened, her eyes now glowing red. "And he thanks you for releasing the crown’s power. Now I’ll be taking it to him." "Celeste," Rowan growled, recognizing the magic. The fake Mira laughed. "Celeste is merely a vessel. I am Vira, First Witch of the Shadow Court." Her eyes fixed on the crown.

"And you, little queen, just activated the final key." She raised her hand. Darkness burst from her fingers. "Run!" Kael yelled, pushing Liana behind him. The triplets made a wall between Liana and the witch. Silver light glowed around them, meeting the darkness. "Where’s the real Mira?" Talia cried. "Dead, probably," Vira growled. "Just like you’ll all be soon." The darkness pressed harder. The triplets’ silver shell began to crack. "The key," Liana realized, touching the crown. "She needs the crown!" "We can’t let her take it," Rowan gasped, pulling against the magic. Liana looked around frantically. Behind the throne, she spotted a small opening—a secret passage. "This way!" she called to Talia. "You can’t escape," Vira laughed. "The eclipse starts in hours. Astor rises. And the world you know dies." The metal shield shattered. The triplets fell to their knees. "Go!" Kael ordered Liana. "We’ll hold her!" Liana paused, tears filling her eyes. "Trust us," Jace urged. "We’ll find you," Rowan promised. With a final look at her friends, Liana grabbed Talia’s hand and ran for the passage.

"After them!" Vira screamed. The last thing Liana saw before the passage sealed behind her was darkness taking the triplets whole. The crown on her head grew hot, lighting their way through the tunnel. "They’ll be okay, right?" Talia asked, her voice small. Liana touched the crown, feeling power flowing through it. Something was happening—something bigger than all of them. "They have to be," she whispered. "Because I just realized what ’five shall become one’ means—and we need them all to make it happen." Ahead, the tunnel opened to daylight. And a howl that froze her blood echoed from outside. "Father," Liana whispered.

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