BOUND TO THREE ALPHAS
Chapter 74: BLOOD AND MAGIC

Chapter 74: BLOOD AND MAGIC

Chapter 74: Blood and Magic

When Evelyn made her threat, there was a heavy quiet. Twenty-four hours. Give up Liana or everything will go down in flames. Kael helped his hurt father stand up and said, "We need to move." "If she can send assassins through our defenses—" He was talking when there was a crash in the kitchen.

Then yelling. "Talia!" Liana’s heart stopped beating. Her best friend was meant to be safe in the back rooms with the other omegas. As they ran toward the noise, another figure in black fell from the roof. This assassin was bigger than the first, carrying two silver daggers that gleamed with dangerous magic. "The omega dies tonight," he growled, lunging straight at Liana. Jace tried to stop despite his wounds, but the assassin moved like liquid shadow. The blade sliced through the air toward Liana’s heart— "NO!" Talia burst from the kitchen opening and threw herself between them. The enchanted dagger sank deep into her chest instead of Liana’s. "TALIA!" Liana caught her best friend as she fell, blood spreading across her shirt like spilled wine. The killer smiled and raised his second blade. This time Rowan was ready. His claws found the killer’s throat before he could strike again. "Talia, stay with me," Liana begged, pressing her hands against the cut. But the blood wouldn’t stop pouring. Worse, the cut wasn’t healing at all. The skin around it turned black, spreading like poison through her blood. "It burns," Talia whispered, her freckled face going pale. "Liana, it burns like ice and fire together." Elder Mira knelt beside them, her healer’s magic flowing from her hands.

But the moment her power touched the cut, she jerked back with a gasp. "This isn’t just cursed silver," she said, her voice shaking. "This blade was made with blood magic. Ancient blood magic." "What does that mean?" Kael demanded. "It means the wound will never heal unless we can break the spell that created it." Liana’s wolf pushed forward, desperate to save her friend. Silver light poured from her hands as she touched Talia’s face. The moment their skin touched, the world exploded into memories that weren’t her own. A five-year-old Talia watched her grandmother draw symbols in the air, making flowers bloom in winter. A ten-year-old Talia accidentally setting her pillow on fire when she had dreams. A fifteen-year-old Talia crying as her grandma died, whispering, "Hide what you are, little witch. The pack must never know."

A seventeen-year-old Talia practicing spells in secret, learning to control her magic so she could protect the one person who truly mattered to her. Liana gasped and pulled back. "You’re a witch." Talia’s eyes fluttered open, weak but aware. "Half-witch," she corrected softly. "My grandma was from the old covens, before they went into hiding. I’ve been training in secret, trying to learn how to shield you from dark magic." "That’s how you really knew about the visions," Rowan realized. "You weren’t just a seer. You were using magic to see the future." Talia tried to nod but winced in pain. The black veins were spreading faster now, moving up her neck toward her heart. "We’re running out of time," Elder Mira warned. "The poison will reach her heart within minutes." Celeste stepped forward, her face twisted with something that might have been guilt. "There’s only one way to break a blood magic curse," she said softly. "You need the blood of whoever created it." "Great," Jace mumbled through gritted teeth, still clutching his own silver wound. "So we need to find the witch who made the knife and somehow get their blood. Easy." "Actually," Celeste continued, not meeting anyone’s eyes, "it doesn’t have to be the exact person who faked it. Blood power works through family lines. Anyone from the same special bloodline can break the curse." Understanding dawned on Liana’s face. "You know whose bloodline it is." Celeste nodded miserably. "The same as mine. Shadow Coven power. I can feel it in the blade." She looked at Talia, who was getting weaker by the second.

"My ancestor probably forged that dagger centuries ago." "Then break the curse," Kael ordered. "I can’t just—" Celeste started to argue, then saw the look in everyone’s eyes. For once in her life, she was the only one who could save someone instead of kill them. She knelt beside Talia and pulled out a small silver knife. Without hesitation, she cut her hand, letting her blood drip onto the spreading black veins. "Sanguine vincit maleficium," she whispered. "Blood conquers curse." The moment Celeste’s blood touched Talia’s skin, several things happened at once. The black lines stopped spreading and began to retreat. Talia’s wound started to close, though slowly. And Celeste screamed as power she’d never felt before rushed through her body. "What’s happening?" Liana asked, keeping her hands on Talia to steady her.

"The bloodline connection," Elder Mira breathed in amazement. "They’re sharing magic." Talia’s eyes snapped open, but they weren’t their normal hazel color anymore. They glowed with the same silver light as Celeste’s when she used magic. "I can see everything," Talia whispered, her voice stronger than it had been moments before. "The past, the present, the future—it’s all connected." She sat up suddenly, the cut on her chest now just a thin pink scar. But the change in her went deeper than mending. Her red hair seemed to shimmer with its own light, and when she moved, the air around her hummed with energy. "You’re not just a seer anymore," Celeste said, looking at her in wonder. "You’re a full witch now. The curse breaking awakened your dormant magic totally." Talia looked at her hands, watching sparks of silver fire dance between her fingers. "I can feel it. All of it. The magic that’s been sleeping inside me my whole life." "This is incredible," Rowan said. "But we still have the bigger problem. Evelyn gave us twenty-four hours, and we’ve already used up one." Talia’s newly awakened eyes went wide. "That’s not the worst part." She grabbed Liana’s arm, her grip surprisingly strong. "I can see what she’s really planning. The threat isn’t about getting you back, Liana." "What do you mean?" Kael asked. "She’s counting on us to refuse. She wants us to fight back."

Talia’s voice held the weight of terrible knowledge. "Because while we’re focused on protecting Liana, she’s going to strike somewhere else entirely." "Where?" Liana demanded. Talia closed her eyes, letting her new skills show her the threads of the future. When she opened them again, her face was pale with horror. "The Moon Temple. She’s going to destroy the holy stones that bind all the packs together. If she succeeds, every werewolf in the world will lose their link to the Moon Goddess." "That’s impossible," Elder Mira argued. "The Temple is protected by ancient magic." "Not from someone who knows the original binding spells," Talia said grimly. "And Evelyn helped make them. She’s been planning this for twenty years."

As if summoned by their chat, Evelyn’s voice drifted through the windows again, no longer singing but speaking with cold certainty: "Tick tock, my darling boys. Twenty-three hours left. But don’t worry—whether you give me the girl or not, tomorrow night will change everything forever." The lights in the house flickered, and for a moment, everyone felt their dogs pull back in fear. "She’s not just threatening us," Kael realized. "She’s threatening every werewolf alive." Talia struggled to her feet, her new magic making her moves fluid and graceful in a way they’d never been before. "There’s more. The vision showed me something else." "What?" Liana asked, though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. "The person helping her get into the Temple." Talia’s eyes met each of theirs in turn. "It’s someone we trust.

Someone who’s been giving her information about our defenses all along." "Who?" all three triplets demanded at once. But before Talia could answer, the front door burst inward, and a figure stepped through the smoke and debris. Someone they all knew. Someone they’d never suspected. Someone whose betrayal would ruin everything they thought they knew about loyalty and love.