Chapter 1 001

The chains were too tight. Ria could feel them piercing into her wrists, the pain surging her through skin.

Blood trickled down her fingers, dripping onto the stone floor of the council square. She didn't care.

The pain was nothing compared to what she felt. Her father had served this pack all of his life. But what did he get in return, he was dragged, tortured, humiliated and murdered infront of everyone and she was about to experience the same fate

The square was packed. Hundreds of wolves, all gathered to watch justice be served. That's what they called it. Justice. As if killing an innocent man and his daughter would somehow fix anything.

Ria's knees hit the ground hard. The guards shoved her forward, forcing her head down. She could smell the blood still staining the platform, her father's blood.

They hadn't even cleaned it up yet.

"Ria Blackthorne." The voice boomed across the square, cold and final. "Daughter of the traitor Marcus Blackthorne. You stand accused of conspiracy in the murder of Alpha Dimitri.".

She wanted to scream. Wanted to tell them all how wrong they were, how her father would never murder the man he had protected all his life.

But her throat was sore from crying, from begging them to stop when they'd dragged him to the execution block. No one had listened then. No one would listen now.

The crowd murmured, a low rumble of anger and satisfaction. They wanted blood. They always did.Ria lifted her head, just enough to see the three figures standing on the raised platform above her.

The Alpha's sons. Lucien, Dante, and Silas.Triplets, born in the same hour, but you'd never know it by looking at them.

Lucien stood in the center, tall and broad-shouldered, his presence commanding even in silence. His face was all sharp angles,bhigh cheekbones, a strong jaw, a mouth that looked like it had forgotten how to smile.

His dark hair was pulled back, not a strand out of place, and his eyes were cold. Gray like storm clouds, calculating, always watching.

He wore authority like armor, his black coat perfectly tailored, his posture rigid. Everything about him screamed control.

To his right stood Dante, he had brown hair, it was longer, messier, like he'd just rolled out of bed or out of a fight. His face was broader, rougher, with a scar cutting through his left eyebrow.

His eyes were a warmer brown, but there was nothing warm about the way he looked at her. He looked like he wanted to rip something apart.

His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, his jaw tight. Where Lucien was controlled, Dante was barely restrained chaos.And then there was Silas.

The youngest by mere minutes, but you could tell. He was leaner than his brothers, not as broad, but just as tall. His face was softer, prettier even. sharp cheekbones, full lips, dark lashes that framed pale green eyes. Eyes that looked right through you. He stood perfectly still, hands clasped behind his back, expression blank.

If Lucien was ice and Dante was fire, Silas was the cold, deep ocean. You never knew what was beneath the surface until it was too late.

All three of them stared down at her And all three of them looked like they wanted her dead.

“Your father confessed,” Lucien said, his low.. "Before he died, he admitted to poisoning our father. To plotting against the pack."

"He didn't." Ria's strutter as she felt her throat sore from all the shouting she did while she watched her father butchered like he was nothing.

"You tortured him. He would've said anything to make it stop."

"Careful," Dante growled, taking a step forward. "You're already dying. Don't make it worse."

"Worse?" Ria laughed, bitter and broken. "You killed my father. You're about to kill me. How does it get worse?"

Silas spoke for the first time, his voice quiet, almost bored.

"You could beg."The crowd laughed. Actually laughed, like this was entertainment. Ria's hands shook. Not from fear. From rage."I won't beg," she said, looking Silas straight in the eye. "Not to you. Not to any of you."

His expression didn't change, but something flickered in those green eyes. Something that wasn't quite indifference.

Lucien raised his hand, and the square fell silent.

"Ria Blackthorne, you are guilty by blood. Your father's crimes are your crimes. His betrayal is your betrayal."

He paused, letting the words sink in. "The sentence is death. Immediate. No trial. No mercy."

The crowd roared its approval. Ria closed her eyes. Fine. If this was how it ended, so be it. At least she'd see her father again.

She heard the executioner step forward, boots heavy on the stone. Heard the scrape of the blade being drawn from its sheath.

The sound of the blade singing in the air.This was it.The executioner moved behind her. She felt the cold edge of the blade touch the back of her neck, right where it would need to strike to make it quick.

The crowd held its breath. And then, It hit her Like lightning tearing through her chest. Her eyes flew open.

A gasp escaped from her throat. The world exploded into color. too bright, too sharp, too much.

Every sound amplified. Every smell was overwhelming.The chains around her wrists burned like fire.

Her skin felt like it was being torn apart and stitched back together all at once. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would break through her ribs.

And the scent, gods, the scent. Pine and smoke. Leather and rain. Earth and something wild, something primal that made her wolf surge inside her chest, clawing to get out.

Mate!

The word echoed in her head, screaming through every nerve.

No No!

this couldn't be. She looked up, and she saw it in their faces, Lucien had gone completely rigid.

His hand frozen mid-air where he'd been about to give the final signal. His eyes were locked on her, wide, and for the first time since she'd known him, he looked utterly lost.

His mouth opened slightly, like he wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.Dante staggered back a step. His hand flew to his chest, clutching at his shirt like something had just punched through him.

His face twisted in confusion, rage and denial all fighting for dominance.

"What—" The word came out strangled. Silas didn't move. But the color drained from his face like someone had opened a vein. His lips parted, his breath coming faster. His hands, clasped so perfectly behind his back, were shaking.

She could see them trembling even from here.The bond snapped into place.Not just one thread. Three.Three separate bonds, three golden threads wrapping around her soul and pulling tight, connecting her to each of them.

She could feel them now, feel everything. Lucien's usual domineering nature shattering like glass.

The panic underneath, The denial. Dante's rage turning inward, his wolf howling in confusion and fury.

Silas's perfect composure breaking, something desperate clawing its way to the surface, And they could feel her too. Her grief, Her pain, Her absolute hatred for all three of them.

The bonds pulsed, alive and burning, tying them together whether they wanted it or not.

“No!”

Lucien said, his voice hoarse. He shook his head, taking a step back.

"No. This isn't—this can't—"

"What the hell is happening?" Dante's voice trembled. He looked at his brothers, then back at her, his eyes wild.

"Tell me this isn't—"

"It is." Silas's voice came out barely above a whisper.

"She's—we're—" He couldn't even finish the sentence.The square had gone deadly silent. Every wolf in the crowd felt it, the shift in the air, the bond r

adiating from the platform.

They all knew what a mate bond felt like, even from a distance And this? This was three mate bonds igniting at once.