BOUND TO THREE ALPHAS
Chapter 46: RACE AGAINST TIME

Chapter 46: RACE AGAINST TIME

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Chapter 46: Race Against Time

Celeste’s magical voice still echoed through the Alpha house when Jace slammed his hand against the wall. "She’s not getting anywhere near you," he growled at Kael.

But Kael strained to stand, his legs shaking from the shared curse. "I can barely walk. How am I going to fight?"

"You’re not," Jace stated, his green eyes blazing. "I’m taking over defense of the fourth convergence point."

"The cemetery?" Liana’s heart sank.

"That’s where all the previous Alphas are buried. If she performs her rites there—"

"She’ll have access to centuries of Alpha power," Elder Mira finished grimly. "We cannot let her reach those graves."

Through the window, they watched dark shapes moving across the grounds like dangerous shadows. Too many shapes.

"How did she get so many followers?" Rowan whispered.

Dr. Rivera burst through the door, her face pale. "We’re getting reports from scouts. Wolves from the Bloodmoon Pack, Silvercrest Pack, even some Nightshade rogues—they’re all moving toward our territory."

Jace’s jaw dropped. "She’s united our enemies?"

"Worse," the doctor continued. "They believe she’s the true Luna. Word has spread that she can break the old pack rules and create a new world order."

Liana felt sick. "They think I’m the fake one."

"Because you won’t claim your Moonshadow birthright," a new voice spoke from the doorway.

Everyone turned to see Marcus, leader of the Moonshadow followers who’d been camping at their borders. His silver hair gleamed in the emergency lights.

"Marcus," Liana said warily. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to save you from yourself." He stepped inside, his old eyes serious. "My people grow tired of waiting. Either claim your royal blood and become our true Luna, or we remove our protection."

"Protection?" Jace snarled. "We don’t need—"

"You need it now," Marcus interrupted. "Celeste has convinced five packs that she’s meant to rule. Without Moonshadow help, you’re outnumbered ten to one."

The building shook as something heavy slammed into the walls. Shouting erupted from the halls.

"They’re inside," Rowan breathed.

Jace grabbed his jacket. "I’m going to the cemetery now. If Celeste wants cursed Alpha blood for her ritual, she’ll have to go through me first."

"Jace, no!" Liana caught his arm. "You’re not cursed. Your blood won’t work for her spell."

"Exactly." His smile was sharp and dangerous. "When she realizes that, it’ll buy us time."

Elder Mira pulled out an old book, her fingers flying through the pages. "There might be another way to stop this curse permanently."

"What way?" Kael asked, leaning heavily against the wall.

"The curse can only be broken by the willing sacrifice of the witch who cast it—or her direct descendant."

The room fell silent except for the sounds of battle getting closer.

"You mean Celeste has to die?" Liana asked softly.

"Or choose to sacrifice herself to break what she’s created," Mira clarified.

"But given her current state of mind..."

"She’ll never choose sacrifice," Rowan said. "She’s too consumed with power."

Another blast rocked the building. The lights flickered dangerously.

"We’re out of time," Jace stated. "I’m going to the grave. Rowan, work with Mira on the curse study. Liana—"

"I’m coming with you," she said strongly.

"Absolutely not. You’re what Celeste wants."

"Which is exactly why I need to be there. She won’t perform the rite without the right blood."

Marcus stepped forward. "If you come with me now and accept your Moonshadow crown, I can have three hundred warriors here within the hour."

Liana looked between Kael’s pale face and Jace’s determined gaze. Her heart was being pulled in different ways.

"I can’t abandon my pack," she whispered.

"Then your pack will fall," Marcus said sadly. "And you’ll fall with it."

The door burst open. Pack fighters stumbled in, bloody and exhausted.

"Alpha," one gasped to Kael. "They’ve entered the main hall. Celeste is asking for you specifically."

"Tell her I’ll meet her at the cemetery," Jace ordered. "One hour."

"Sir, she said if you don’t come to her, she’ll start killing pack members one by one."

Liana’s blood turned to ice. "She’s using our people as bait."

Suddenly, Rowan grabbed Mira’s book and pointed to a section. "Look at this. The curse doesn’t just require the witch’s ready sacrifice—it needs to happen at the place where the curse was first cast."

"Where was that?" Jace demanded.

Mira’s eyes widened in fear. "The cemetery. She cast it using the power of the hidden Alphas."

"So she has to go there anyway for both rituals," Liana realized. "The curse-breaking and the final convergence."

"Which means we have one chance to stop everything," Kael said, pushing himself to stand straighter. "We end this tonight."

Marcus shook his head. "You’re all going to die. Last chance, Princess. Come with me now."

Before Liana could answer, Talia’s voice rang out through the mind-link all omegas shared: Liana! I’m having another vision. I see you surrounded by graves, three wolves roaring, and blood on the moon. But there’s something else—a fourth dog, silver like moonlight, standing behind you.

Liana gasped. "Talia’s idea. She sees a fourth wolf."

"What fourth wolf?" Rowan asked.

But Marcus’s expression had changed totally. "She sees the Moonshadow Alpha form. Your true wolf."

"I don’t understand—"

"You’ve never fully shifted because you’ve been denying half of your bloodline," Marcus explained urgently. "Accept who you really are, and your wolf will be strong enough to face anything Celeste throws at you."

The sounds of fighting grew closer. They could hear Celeste’s voice shouting through the halls: "Kael! Come out, come out, wherever you are! Your pack is bleeding!"

Jace headed for the door. "Cemetery. One hour. With or without help."

"Wait." Liana’s words stopped everyone. She looked at Marcus with new resolution. "If I accept my Moonshadow birthright, do I lose my connection to Shadowfang Pack?"

"No, Princess. You become the bridge between places. The Luna who can join all packs."

She looked at Kael and felt his pain through their curse bond. She looked at Rowan’s guilt-ridden face. She thought of Jace rushing into danger.

"Then I accept."

Marcus smiled for the first time. "Finally."

But before the rite could begin, a new voice echoed through the building—cold, ancient, and terrifying: "Too late, little girl. I already have what I came for."

Through the window, they saw Celeste standing in the courtyard, holding a struggling figure. Talia.

"Your little seer friend had such interesting visions," Celeste’s voice carried on the wind. "She saw exactly where to find the fourth meeting point. Cemetery, here I come!"

Liana screamed as she watched Celeste leave with her best friend into the night.

"She has Talia," she gasped. "She’s going to use her as bait."

"Or worse," Mira whispered. "Seer blood might make her ritual even more powerful."

Marcus grabbed Liana’s arm. "We have to move now. The Moonshadow change takes time, and your friend doesn’t have much of it."

But as they prepared to leave, Rowan made a find that changed everything.

"The curse," he said, his voice shaking. "I found something else in the book. The shared curse between you and Kael—it’s not just splitting the load."

"What do you mean?" Kael demanded.

"It’s building a permanent psychic link. Which means..."

"Which means what?" Liana asked, though she was afraid of the answer.

"If one of you dies, the other dies too. You’re magically bound for life."

The room fell silent as the full weight of this hit them.

Just then, Marcus’s radio crackled: "Cemetery under attack. Massive forces approaching from all sides. They have prisoners."

Liana looked at Kael, knowing that saving Talia might cost both their lives. But in the distance, Celeste’s laughter rang through the night, promising that the worst was yet to come.

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