BOUND TO THREE ALPHAS
Chapter 71: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Chapter 71: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Chapter 71: Strange Bedfellows

The estate’s main hall exploded in chaos the moment Jace walked through the doors with Talia and Celeste flanking him. Wolves who had been preparing for the Conclave ceremony froze mid-conversation, their eyes locked on the odd trio. "Seize them!" Alpha Marcus barked, his troops moving forward.

"Wait!" Jace ordered, his Alpha voice cutting through the noise. "They’re here to help." Liana appeared at the top of the grand staircase, her golden-brown eyes blazing with hurt and anger. She descended slowly, each step echoing like thunder in the sudden silence. "Help?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but everyone heard it.

"My best friend has been lying to me for months, and you bring her here talking about help?" Talia stepped forward, tears running down her face. "Liana, please—" "Don’t." Liana held up her hand. "Don’t say my name. I trusted you with everything. My fears, my dreams, my thoughts about the triplets. You calmed me when I felt lost, and all along you were—" "Protecting you!" Talia burst out. "Every vision I shared, every warning I gave—it was to keep you safe!" "By lying to me?" Liana’s wolf sparked in her eyes, silver light dancing with pain. "By pretending to be my friend while plotting with her?" She pointed at Celeste. Celeste stepped forward, her normal arrogance replaced by something raw and desperate. "I never wanted to hurt you. At first, yes, I hated you for taking what I thought was mine. But when I learned about the Silverbloods—" "The what?" Kael’s speech cut through the tension as he and Rowan entered the hall, both looking battle-ready. "Silverbloods," Celeste repeated. "That’s what the mixed creatures are called. They’re made by mixing wolf blood with liquid silver and sealing them with dark magic." A collective gasp rippled through the gathering wolves. Silver was their biggest weakness, and the idea of creatures that carried it in their very veins was horrifying. "How do you know this?" Rowan demanded, his usually calm attitude cracking. "Because I helped create the first batch," Celeste admitted, her voice barely audible. The hall burst again. Shouts of rage, calls for her instant execution, and the sound of claws extending filled the air.

Jace moved protectively in front of both girls. "She’s telling the truth," he said strongly. "And we need to hear the rest before we do anything stupid." Liana descended the final steps, stopping just out of arm’s reach from Talia. "Then talk. Fast. Because every second we waste here, more people die." Talia wiped her eyes and looked directly at Liana. "I need to show you. The vision I had—it’s the only way you’ll believe me." "I’m not letting you touch me," Liana said coldly. "Then we’re all dead," Talia answered simply. "Because what I saw is the only chance we have to save everyone." The two girls looked at each other across a chasm of broken trust. Finally, Liana extended her hand, her jaw set with purpose. The moment their skin touched, Liana’s eyes rolled back. The vision hit her like a physical blow—hundreds of silver-eyed creatures swarming the Conclave grounds, Alphas falling under waves of liquid silver weapons, screams ringing through the night. But there was more. She saw the underground room Jace had described, but now it was filled with imprisoned Alphas chained to stone altars. Their life force was being drained through silver tubes, giving power to a figure in dark robes. When the vision stopped, Liana staggered backward, her face pale. "How many?" "At least three hundred Silverbloods," Talia whispered. "Maybe more. They’ve been building this army for months." "And the Alphas?" Kael asked coldly. "Seven taken. They’re being used as live batteries to power the creation of more soldiers."

Rowan’s fists clenched. "Who’s managing them? Who has that kind of magical knowledge?" Celeste stepped forward unwillingly. "Someone with witch blood. The ritual needs a descendant of the original coven that created the first werewolves." "That’s impossible," Elder Mira’s voice rang out as she entered the hall, her silver hair gleaming in the lamplight. "The witch bloodlines died out centuries ago." Liana studied Mira’s face carefully. Something felt off about the elder’s response, but she couldn’t place what. "Not all of them," Celeste said quietly. "My mother was a descendant. So was Talia’s. That’s how we’re able to do magic at all." "And you used this knowledge to create monsters?" Alpha Marcus snarled. "I was angry!" Celeste shot back.

"I wanted my rights back. I thought if I could control a small army, I could force the Moon Goddess to change her mind about Liana’s fate." "But someone else took control of your experiment," Jace added. "Someone with more power than you." "Who?" Liana demanded. Before anyone could answer, a young pack member burst through the doors, his face white with fear. "Alpha! There’s a servant at the gates. But he’s... he’s not normal." "What do you mean?" Kael demanded. "His eyes glow silver, and he smells like death. He says he has a message for the Luna." All eyes turned to Liana. She straightened her shoulders, feeling the old power of her wolf stirring beneath her skin. "Bring him in." The servant that entered barely looked human anymore. His skin had the same grayish tint Jace had described, and his moves were jerky and unnatural. When he spoke, his voice sounded like grinding metal. "Greetings from the Master," he rasped. "He sends a gift for the false Luna." The thing dropped a small package on the floor and stepped backward. Inside was an old silver coin, tarnished with age, wrapped in a piece of bloodstained fur. Elder Mira gasped, her face going white as snow. She reached for the fur with shaking hands, then jerked back as if burned. "What is it?" Liana asked. "This fur..." Mira’s voice shook. "It belongs to Alpha Thorne of the Mountain Pack." "The one who disappeared three months ago?" Rowan asked. "The one who was supposed to be dead," Mira corrected. "We held his funeral. Mourned his passing." The messenger’s lips pulled back in a frightening smile.

"The Master says to tell you that death is just the beginning. Alpha Thorne sends his greetings from the deep places, where all the lost Alphas sing in silver chains." "What does he want?" Liana demanded. "A trade," the creature answered. "The false Luna’s life for the freedom of the captured Alphas. You have until midnight to decide." The messenger turned to leave, then stopped. "Oh, and the Master wanted you to know—he’s been watching you for much longer than you think. Ever since you were a little girl, crying over your mother’s grave." The creature dissolved into silver mist, leaving only the smell of decay and the terrible gift behind. Silence stretched across the hall like a real weight. Finally, Liana spoke, her voice steady despite the fear in her eyes. "How could he know about my mother? I was only five when she died. I never told anyone about visiting her grave." Elder Mira picked up the silver coin with shaking fingers.

"This sign... I’ve seen it before. In the oldest texts about the witch wars." "What does it mean?" Talia asked. Mira’s face crumpled with what looked like grief and fear. "It’s the mark of the Void Walkers. Witches who learned to cheat death by binding their souls to metal and shadow." "Are you saying whoever’s behind this is immortal?" Jace demanded. "Worse," Mira whispered. "I’m saying he’s someone we thought we killed long ago. Someone who has been waiting in the spaces between life and death for his chance at payback." The coin fell from her fingers, clattering on the stone floor. As it rolled, the silver surface caught the light, showing an inscription none of them had noticed before: "For my dear Luna, who chose duty over love. Your daughter will pay the price you refused to pay." Liana felt the blood drain from her face. "My mother knew him." "More than knew," Mira said, her voice barely audible. "According to the old stories, she was supposed to marry him.

Before she met your father. Before she picked love over power." The implications hit everyone at once. This wasn’t just about destroying the packs or taking territory. This was personal. This was payback three decades in the making. And somewhere in the darkness, a voice that sounded almost like her mother’s whispered in Liana’s mind: "Run, little dog. He’s coming for what was promised to him long ago."