Lily Carter POV
I woke up yelling, the pain on my wrist so intense it felt like someone was burning me with hot iron. Morning sunlight streamed through my window, but I barely noticed as I clutched my arm to my chest.
The bandage I'd wrapped around my mark last night had fallen off, showing the three moons glowing bright silver against my skin. Each pulse of light sent waves of pain shooting up my arm.
I stumbled out of bed, knocking over my small nightstand in my rush to reach the water bowl. The cold water did nothing to ease the pain. If anything, the mark glowed brighter when wet, like moon reflected on water.
A anxious knock came at my door.
"Lily! Open up!" Elder Iris's voice called. "I felt the mark awakening!"
I yanked open the door with my good hand. Elder Iris stood there, her white hair wild around her face like she'd run all the way to my house. Her eyes immediately fixed on my bright wrist.
"Oh, child," she whispered. "It's true then. The Triple Moon Mark has picked you."
"What's happening to me?" I gasped, the pain making it hard to think. "It hurts so much!"
Elder Iris rushed inside, closing the door behind her. From her pocket, she pulled a small jar of green paste that smelled like mint and something earthy.
"This will help with the pain," she said, gently putting it to my wrist. Almost instantly, the burning eased to a dull throb. "The mark is finishing itself. Last night was just the beginning."
"The beginning of what?" I asked, remembering the book I'd found in the library and the wild wolf's warning. "Elder Iris, a rogue tried to attack me last night. He knew about my mark."
Her eyes widened. "Already? They're moving faster than I expected."
"Who's going faster? What does this mark mean?" I held out my wrist, where the three moons now pulsed in time with my heartbeat. "The book in the library said it's a warning of danger."
Elder Iris sat heavily on my bed. "It's that and more, child. The Triple Moon Mark is the rarest mate mark in wolf history. It shows only when the pack needs great change."
She touched the mark gently. "This links you to the Alpha's triplet sons. One of them is your true mate."
Despite having assumed this since the mark first appeared, hearing it confirmed made my head spin. "But that's impossible! I'm just an omega. Luna is supposed to—"
"The moon chooses, not us," Elder Iris interrupted. "For generations, alphas have planned marriages to keep power within certain families. But the moon magic remembers the old ways, when all wolves were equal."
I shook my head in disbelief. "But which brother is my mate? And why would the mark choose me?"
"The Triple Moon Mark is special," she stated. "It won't reveal your true mate until you've proven yourself worthy and until they have proven themselves worthy of you."
I remembered how one moon had glowed brighter than the others. "One of the moons was brighter last night when I was with Caleb."
Elder Iris looked interested. "That's unusual. The mark usually keeps its secret until the final event." She studied my face. "What happened with Caleb?"
I told her about our midnight meeting, the wild wolf, and the book we'd found. With each word, her expression grew more worried.
"This is moving too quickly," she muttered. "You need protection."
She stood up and started pacing my small cabin. "Today is the second day of the event. Tonight, all unmated wolves will gather for the Scenting Ceremony, where possible mates catch each other's scents. Your mark will be hard to hide then."
My stomach twisted with fear. "Everyone will know."
"Yes," she nodded grimly. "Including those who would stop this match from happening."
"Like Luna?" I asked.
"Luna is the least of your worries," Elder Iris said. "There are those in our pack who have worked for generations to keep omegas in their place. The Triple Moon Mark risks everything they've built."
A thought hit me. "The rogue said others were coming. That they would kill me before the closing ceremony."
Elder Iris grabbed my shoulders. "Listen carefully, Lily. You must tell Alpha Marcus about the mark quickly. By pack law, he must protect you until your mate is exposed."
"But what if he doesn't want an omega for his son?" I whispered my biggest fear.
"The Alpha follows moon law above all else," she said, though she didn't sound entirely sure. "Now run and dress. The morning meal will be starting, and you need to speak with him before the Scenting Ceremony tonight."
My hands shook as I quickly changed into clean clothes, trying to understand everything. Me, mated to one of the Silver brothers? It seemed like a dream—or a nightmare, given people apparently wanted me dead because of it.
As we left my cabin, the pain in my wrist suddenly spiked again. I gasped and looked down to see the mark shining brighter than ever.
"What's happening?" I asked through gritted teeth.
Elder Iris looked around, her face pale. "They're near. The mark warns when danger approaches." She pointed toward the woods. "Go to the pack house through the back way. Don't let anyone see your hand."
"Where are you going?" I asked as she started in the opposite direction.
"To create a distraction," she said, her old face determined. "Now go!"
I ran toward the main pack grounds, sticking to the shadows of trees. The festival was in full swing, with wolves laughing and preparing for the day's events. None of them recognized the danger lurking nearby—danger meant for me.
As I neared the Alpha's house, I spotted the three brothers in the training field. Aiden was guiding younger wolves in combat positions. Brock was showing fighting moves with impressive strength. And Caleb—Caleb was looking directly at me, worry written across his face.
Had he told his brothers about last night? About the rogue wolf and the mark?
I gave him a small nod, trying to signal that I was okay, then hurried toward the Alpha's house. I needed to reach Alpha Marcus before anything else happened.
Just as I neared the steps, a hand grabbed my arm, yanking me behind a snow-covered bush.
"Where do you think you're going, omega?" Luna hissed, her eyes narrowed to angry slits.
"Let me go," I said, trying to pull away. "I need to see the Alpha."
"About this?" she snarled, grabbing my wrist and turning it over to show the Triple Moon Mark. "Caleb told us everything this morning."
My heart sank. Of course he would tell his brothers. But I hadn't expected them to tell Luna.
"It's not what you think," I started, but she cut me off with a hard laugh.
"Oh, I know exactly what it is. Some weak omega trick to climb the pack ranks." Her grip tightened painfully. "You think you can steal what's rightfully mine?"
"The moon chose me," I said, finding courage I didn't know I had. "I didn't ask for this."
"The moon made a mistake," she spat. "And I'm going to make sure everyone knows it."
Suddenly, my mark flared with blinding light. Luna jumped back with a yelp, freeing my arm. At the same moment, a commotion erupted near the pack house door.
"Rogues!" someone yelled. "Rogues in our territory!"
Wolves began running toward the northern border, including the Silver brothers. Alpha Marcus came from his house, shouting orders.
Luna looked from me to the chaos, uncertainty on her face. Finally, she leaned in close, her voice deadly quiet.
"This isn't over. Tonight at the Scenting Ceremony, everyone will see you for what you really are—a nothing omega trying to rise above her place."
She turned and ran toward the noise, leaving me shaking with fear and anger.
I needed to find Elder Iris. If rogues had indeed entered our area, it was almost certainly because of me and my mark.
As I turned to go back to my cabin, I almost clashed with Caleb, who appeared suddenly before me.
"Lily," he said, his voice frantic. "Come with me. Now."
"But the rogues—"
"It's a distraction," he said, taking my arm lightly. "They're trying to draw us away from you."
He led me quickly toward the library, checking over his shoulder constantly. Once inside, he locked the door behind us.
"My brothers know," he said instantly. "I had to tell them after last night."
"And they told Luna," I said, unable to keep the hurt from my voice.
Caleb's eyes widened. "No. We agreed to keep it secret until we could speak with Father."
A chill ran through me. "But Luna just told me that you told them everything."
"I haven't spoken to Luna since yesterday," Caleb said slowly. "Which means..."
The truth hit us both at the same time.
"There's a traitor in the pack," I whispered. "Someone working with the rogues."
Caleb nodded grimly. "And they're using Luna to get to you."
He took my marked wrist gently, studying the three moons. As his fingers touched my skin, one moon glowed distinctly brighter.
"The middle moon," he whispered. "It's responding to me."
Our eyes met in shocked understanding. If the middle moon was linked to Caleb, then the other two...
"My brothers," he said, voicing my thought. "But how can you have three mates? It's not possible."
Before I could reply, a deafening howl shook the library windows—the alarm signaling that rogues had breached the inner pack territory.
Caleb pulled me toward a secret door behind a bookshelf. "We need to hide you until the Scenting Ceremony. Once your mark is publicly known, killing you would break pack law."
"But the rogues don't follow pack law," I told him.
His grip on my hand tightened. "No, but if they're working with someone inside our pack, that wolf does. It's your only safety."
As the door closed behind us, plunging us into darkness, my mark illuminated the small area with silver light.
"Caleb," I whispered, watching as the middle moon pulsed in time with his heartbeat. "If you're connected to the middle moon, then who—"
A second howl cut me off, this one closer and more desperate. Not the pack's alarm call, but something different. Something old.
"The Triple Moon Call," Caleb breathed, his eyes wide with shock. "It hasn't been heard in seven generations."
The hidden door suddenly burst open, showing Aiden and Brock, their eyes glowing silver in the darkness.
"We heard the call," Aiden said, looking at my glowing mark.
"We felt the pull," Brock added, his voice strangely gentle.
As all three brothers gathered around me, my mark answered with blinding light. The three moons separated slightly, each one glowing in reaction to the brother closest to it.
"This is impossible," Aiden whispered.
"The Triple Moon Bearer," Brock said in awe.
"Isn't just connected to one of us," Caleb finished.
The truth hit me like a physical blow as I looked from one similar face to another.
"I'm connected to all three of you."