BOUND TO THREE ALPHAS
Chapter 53: ECLIPSE RISING

Chapter 53: ECLIPSE RISING

Chapter 53: Eclipse Rising

The moon turned blood red as the eclipse started. Liana stood at the mansion’s front window, watching thousands of red eyes surround their land. Shadow-warriors moved like smoke between the trees. Corrupted wolves prowled the edges. Things that had never been alive at all shambled through the darkness. "They’re everywhere," Alpha Garrett whispered beside her. "At least ten thousand," Dr. Rivera agreed, lowering her binoculars. "Maybe more." "We have fifty-three fighters," Kael said grimly from his wheelchair.

The curse had weakened him too much to walk, but his eyes still burned with resolve. "Fifty-three against ten thousand," Jace mumbled. "I like those odds." "Since when?" Rowan asked. "Since never. I was being sarcastic." Despite everything, Liana almost smiled. Even facing impossible odds, the brothers were still themselves. Thunder roared overhead, though no clouds filled the sky. The red moon pulsed like a heartbeat, getting darker with each pulse. "Something’s happening," Elder Mira stated from across the room. She stood over an old map spread across the table, her face pale with worry.

Everyone crowded around her. The map showed their territory with five glowing dots arranged in a perfect star design. "The convergence points," Liana realized. "They’re all active." "Four were already powered by Celeste’s rituals," Mira explained, pointing to each glowing dot. "But the fifth one... it’s activating on its own." As she spoke, the fifth point blazed to life. Lines of dark energy connected all five dots, making a perfect pentagram with the Alpha’s estate right in the center. The building shook strongly. Books fell from shelves. Windows cracked. "What does that mean?" Alpha Sarah demanded. "It means we’re standing on the most magically powerful spot in the territory," Mira answered. "And Celeste planned it that way." The ground beneath their feet began to tremble continuously now. Not earthquake shaking, but something regular. Like a huge heartbeat deep underground. "Do you hear that?" Talia whispered. Her corruption mark had faded after Mara’s brief possession ended, but she still looked fragile. Everyone went silent, listening. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. "It’s coming from below us," Dr. Rivera said, checking her instruments. "Something huge is moving under the mansion." "The basement?" Jace suggested. "Deeper than the basement," Mira amended, studying her ancient texts. "These books describe caves beneath the estate. Natural caves that the original builders never mapped." "Caves that Celeste somehow found," Liana added, understanding rushing through her.

As if called by her name, pain suddenly shot through Liana’s skull. Not her own pain—someone else’s. Someone linked to her through dark magic. Celeste. Through their unwelcome bond, Liana saw flashes of what the traitor was doing. Deep underground tunnels lit by black candles. Ancient symbols cut into stone walls. And in the middle of it all, a pool of liquid shadow that rippled without any wind. "She’s starting the final ritual," Liana gasped, pressing her palms against her temples. "Right now, directly beneath us." "How can you see that?" Alpha Marcus asked warily. His corruption mark was gone too, but everyone still watched him closely. "The Moonshadow bloodline connects me to other magical sources," Liana explained through gritted teeth. "Including dark ones." Another vision flashed through her mind. Celeste standing over the shadow pool, chanting in a tongue that hurt to hear. The liquid began to bubble and rise, taking shape. "She’s calling Mara out of the spirit realm," Liana announced. "Using the eclipse energy and the convergence points to give her sister a physical form." "How long do we have?" Kael demanded. Liana watched through Celeste’s eyes as the dark ritual advanced.

The shadow was already forming legs, a body, arms. "Minutes. Maybe less." Outside, the ghost army began moving closer. They flowed toward the mansion like a black tide, no longer satisfied to simply surround it. "They’re attacking," Alpha Brett called from the east window. "All sides," Alpha Chen added from the west. The first wave hit the mansion’s magical defenses with sounds like thunder. Silver light flashed as Elder Mira’s protective magic tried to hold. "The barriers won’t last long," Mira warned. "Not against this many." "Then we don’t wait for them to break," Kael stated. "We go out and meet them." "That’s suicide," Alpha Garrett objected. "Staying here is suicide too," Jace pointed out. "At least if we attack, we go down fighting." "No one’s going down," Liana said strongly. "We’re going to win." "How?" various voices asked at once. Liana looked around the room at these brave dogs who had become her family. Fear showed in their eyes, but also resolution. They would follow her into hell if she asked. She wouldn’t ask that of them. But she would ask them to follow her into something almost as dangerous. "We split up," she revealed. "Half of us fight the army outside. The other half goes underground to stop Celeste." "The underground team will be trapped," Rowan pointed out. "Not if we move fast enough."

Liana’s mind raced through scenarios. "Mira, can you map the cave system?" "Give me five minutes with the old blueprints," the elder replied. "Alpha Garrett, take twenty-five dogs and hit the shadow army from the north. Make as much noise as possible. Draw their attention." "On it," Garrett nodded. "The rest of us go down into the caves. We find Celeste and stop the ritual before Mara fully appears." "And if we’re too late?" Alpha Sarah asked. Liana touched the secret dagger in her boot. "Then we improvise." The walls outside flickered and sparked as more shadow-warriors struck them. Cracks appeared in the silver light. "Sixty seconds until barrier failure," Dr. Rivera stated, monitoring her equipment. "Mira?" Liana called. "Found them!" The elder spread new papers across the table. "The caves lead to the old wine cellar. There’s an entry hidden behind the furnace in the basement." "Perfect." Liana turned to the triplets. "You three are with me." "Like hell," Kael said instantly.

"I’m not letting you face Celeste alone." "You can barely walk," she argued. "Then carry me." His gray eyes flashed with stubborn purpose. "We’re pack, remember? We stick together." "Pack," Jace agreed, gripping his guns. "Pack," Rowan repeated, his blue eyes glowing with newly awakened magic. The walls outside shattered with a sound like breaking glass. "Go!" Liana shouted. Alpha Garrett led his team out the front doors, screaming battle cries as they charged into the shadow army. Silver claws met dark fangs. Wolf growls mixed with inhuman shrieks. Liana’s team raced for the basement as the sounds of war exploded above them. Behind the old furnace, Mira found a stone door hidden by decades of dust and spider webs. "It hasn’t been opened in fifty years," she said, pushing against the heavy stone. Jace and Rowan helped her shove it away. Beyond lay a tunnel that vanished into absolute darkness. "I’ll go first," Liana said, moving toward the opening. "We go together," Kael corrected from his wheelchair. "Whatever’s down there, we face it as one."

Above them, something burst. The house shook, and dust rained from the ceiling. "The house won’t last much longer," Dr. Rivera threatened. "Then we better hurry." Liana engaged her Moonshadow magic, silver light glowing from her skin to illuminate the tunnel. "Stay close. Stay quiet. And whatever happens..." She looked back at her friends—her family—one last time. "Don’t let me become the monster." They dove into the darkness just as the mansion’s roof caught fire above them. Behind them, the sounds of battle grew louder and more desperate. Ahead of them, something old and evil waited in the depths. And beneath their feet, the beating grew stronger.

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