Aria Blackwood woke up when sunshine came in through her window.
It wasn't any day today. On her 18th birthday, everything would be different. "Happy birthday to me," she said in a low voice as she ran her honey-blonde hair through her fingers. As she looked around her simple room, her amber eyes caught the light.
Since she was the Beta's daughter, she didn't get to enjoy the nice things that the Alpha's boys did. Her walls were made of stone instead of textiles, and her clothes were useful rather than pretty.
She jumped when someone knocked on her door. "Aria? Are you good?" It was her father, Sebastian. "Yes, come in," she called, quickly pulling on her leather bracers. They weren't fancy, but they made her feel strong.
Sebastian entered, his brown eyes warm but worried. His sandy hair had more gray lines than last year, and his strong hands gripped his silver-tipped cane tightly. "My daughter," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Eighteen years old today."
"Father, what's wrong?" Aria asked, noticing how he kept looking at the floor. Sebastian sighed. "You've been called to the Great Hall. This afternoon." Aria's heart raced. "Already? I thought the mate ceremony wouldn't be until next week!"
"Alpha Raphael moved it up. I tried to argue, but..." Sebastian's voice trailed off. As Beta, he had power, but never enough when it counted. "Who will it be?" Aria's voice trembled.
Omegas like her always mated other Omegas. That was pack law. She'd spent years preparing to accept whatever match was picked for her. "I don't know. The Alpha keeps his advice." Sebastian put a hand on her shoulder. "Be brave, little wolf."
After he left, Aria changed into her best tunic still plain compared to what the triplets' future mates would wear. She paced her small room, heart hammering against her chest.
A soft tap at her window made her turn. Selene Hart balanced on the rock outside, her curly chestnut hair wild in the breeze. "You're going to fall!" Aria hissed, opening the window.
Selene slipped inside with the ease of a cat. Her pale blue eyes sparkled with excitement. "Happy birthday!" she squealed, hugging Aria tightly. Her flowery smell of herbs and flowers filled the room. "I brought you something." From her pocket, Selene pulled a small pouch that smelled of lavender and rosemary.
"For courage," she explained. "I heard about the ceremony." Aria clutched the charm. "I'm scared, Selene. What if they pair me with old Grayson from the kitchens? Or worse, what if no one picks me at all?"
Selene took Aria's hands. "Listen to me. You're special, Aria. I've always felt it. This won't be just another boring Omega match."
"Don't say that," Aria whispered. "Special isn't good in our world. Special means trouble." A bell rang in the distance, marking mid-morning. "I need to go," Selene said, holding Aria once more.
"My mother needs help with the wedding preparations. But I'll see you there!" After Selene left, Aria walked to her small window.
From here, she could see the training grounds where the Blackwood triplets trained fighting. Dorian, the heir-apparent, moved with calculated accuracy. His strong form and serious face made him seem older than twenty-four.
The scar across his eyebrow twitched when he focused. Beside him, Tobias studied a map, his glasses sliding down his nose. His sandy blond hair fell in curls as he pointed something out to his brothers.
And then there was Marcus, wild and free, swinging his battle axe in wide arcs that made the trainers scramble back. His dark eyes gleamed with something dangerous.
Aria had watched them for years, wondering what it would be like to be important. To have choices. To be Luna instead of just another Omega. "Silly dreams," she scolded herself, turning away. Girls like her didn't become Luna.
They married bakers or guards and had lots of kids. They didn't matter in pack politics. The hours passed too fast. Before she knew it, Aria stood before her small mirror, trying to tame her hair.
"It's just a ceremony," she told her image. "By tonight, you'll know your place." A hard knock made her jump. "Girl! Time to go!" It was her father's second-in-command. Not even her birthday earned her gentle treatment.
The walk to the Great Hall felt like marching to her death. Pack members stopped to stare as she passed. Some talked behind their hands. "That's the Beta's daughter." "Eighteen today." "Wonder who she'll get?" "Poor thing. No mother to guide her."
Aria kept her chin up, remembering her father's words. Be brave, little wolf.
The Great Hall loomed ahead, its stone walls stretching toward the sky. Banners bearing the Suncrest Pack symbol a wolf roaring at a rising sun flapped in the wind. At the huge wooden doors, her father waited. His face looked older in the strong sunlight.
"Ready?" he asked quietly. "No," Aria replied. "But it doesn't matter, does it?" Sebastian's eyes filled with pain. "I wish I could have given you more choices." "It's not your fault," Aria said, squeezing his hand.
"It's just how our world works." The doors swung open, showing the Great Hall packed with people. At the front sat Alpha Raphael Blackwood on his throne, cold grey eyes observing everything.
Beside him stood Rowan Vale, the old seer, whose milky white eyes seemed to stare right through Aria. And there, lined up before the throne, stood the triplets. They turned as one to look at her, and Aria felt a strange jolt in her chest. Behind them, Elias Crow watched with a hungry look that made Aria's skin crawl.
"Proceed," Alpha Raphael commanded, his words echoing in the sudden silence. Sebastian guided Aria forward. Each step felt heavy than the last.
This was it the moment she'd be given her place for the rest of her life. Rowan Vale stepped forward, her gnarled hands tightened on her wooden stick.
"The moon reveals all truths," she intoned. The old seer put a hand on Aria's forehead. The touch burned, and Aria gasped. "Begin the bond ceremony," Alpha Raphael ordered. "Let the Omega find her match."
Aria closed her eyes as Rowan began muttering ancient words. This was supposed to be easy she would feel a pull toward her destined mate, another Omega who needed a partner. Instead, a strange heat flowed through her blood.
The room started to spin. Aria's eyes flew open as pain shot through her chest. "What's happening?" she gasped. The crowd muttered as Aria stumbled forward. Something was pulling her not toward the gathered Omegas at the side of the room, but straight toward the front. Toward the triplets. "Impossible," someone whispered.
"Stop this at once!" Alpha Raphael yelled. But Aria couldn't stop. Her body moved without her permission. The burning in her chest increased as she reached out not toward one of the princes, but to all three. Dorian stepped forward first, his green eyes wide with shock.
Then Tobias moved, almost against his will. Marcus growled but couldn't resist the pull. When Aria's fingers touched all three boys at once, a blinding light filled the hall. "The triplet bond," Rowan Vale's words cut through the chaos. "After all these centuries!"
Aria looked up at the three faces surrounding her. Dorian's face was fierce and protective. Tobias looked shocked but curious. And MarcusMarcus looked angry. In the back of the room, Elias Crow's face twisted with rage. Sebastian had gone pale. "This cannot be," Alpha Raphael roared, standing from his chair.
"An Omega cannot bond with Alpha children! And certainly not with all three!" But as the light faded, Aria felt it links, like golden threads, linking her soul to each brother. It wasn't possible. It wasn't allowed. Yet it had happened. "Seize her!"
Alpha Raphael ordered, pointing at Aria. Before the guards could move, Dorian stepped in front of her. "Touch her," he growled, "and you answer to me." The Great Hall exploded in chaos as Aria realized the truth: her ordinary life had just gone up in flames. And she had no idea what would rise from the ashes.