Chapter One
Elora's POV
I was caught.
The slow creak of the door pulled me from a restless haze. My eyes cracked open, only to squeeze shut again against the blinding light spilling in.
My head felt heavy, my body weak. My wrists burned with the pressure of rough ropes, and when I tried to move, I realized my ankles were bound too. I was trapped, tied to the chair like a criminal.
A woman stepped into the room, her figure blocking out the light. My stomach dropped. I didn't need anyone to explain what had happened. The one thing I had feared most was now a reality.
I had been hiding for months, running from the destiny I never asked for. I had crossed borders, changed names, left everything behind. Yet, here I was. Caught. And for what? Just to get me back with my Fated mates?
"I hope you enjoyed your little game of hide-and-seek with your fated mates," the woman said, her voice sharp and mocking. "I must applaud your courage. It is quite surprising for someone who is just a human."
I stared at her, unsure if she was mocking me or praising me.
"You'll regret ever finding me," I whispered, my throat so dry the words came out cracked. "And you'll wish you never did."
The woman's lips curled. "Weak. You have only been locked up for two days and you already sound like you're dying."
I forced my eyes upward, meeting hers. My voice steadied, though my body trembled. "Stop wasting time and do whatever you came here to do."
"The Alpha is really annoyed with you. You are so lucky that there aren't bruises on your skin yet." She scorned, her eyes stared at me with so much disgust.
"I guess that was one of the perks that comes with being the one meant for your kids." I scoffed at her reply.
The Alpha wouldn't want to harm me knowing fully well who I was.
She smirked and turned her back. "Bring her out. Prepare her properly before taking her to the Alpha."
At her command, two men stepped inside. One untied the ropes, the fibers leaving angry red marks across my skin.
As the woman walked away, her voice lingered in the room like poison. "Make sure she has her bath. The Alpha will not meet her like this."
The moment I had been dreading was finally here. I had seen glimpses of this future, prayed I could change it, but destiny had a cruel way of catching up.
---
Fresh clothes clung awkwardly to me, a plain shirt and pants that were not my own.
My hair was damp, the scent of soap lingering, though it did nothing to wash away the dread curling in my stomach. Two maids flanked me as we walked through the palace corridors, their silence louder than any words.
The towering doors in front of me stretched high enough to scrape the ceiling. Carved with ancient marks, which I couldn't recognize..
My heart hammered as the heavy wood groaned open, revealing the grand chamber beyond.
At the far end, a throne stood tall, and beside it, a figure. The Alpha.
His back was to me, his hands clasped behind him. Even without seeing his face, the air shifted with his presence.
I had heard countless stories about the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack, but nothing compared to the suffocating weight of actually standing in his domain.
He was known to be one of the powerful Alpha in history, destroyed several packs and claimed them as his. He rose to the throne before he reached twenty making him really respected in the society too.
"Leave us," his deep voice commanded.
The maids lowered their heads and retreated quickly, the doors closing with a forceful thud. The sound made me flinch.
"You were clever at hiding," the Alpha said as he finally turned, his sharp eyes locking onto mine.
My knees buckled instinctively. Tradition demanded submission. My forehead nearly touched the floor as I lowered my head.
"There was no point in hiding," I muttered bitterly. "I was only trying to protect everyone. You will understand soon enough."
His boots echoed against the floor as he stormed toward me. "How dare a mere human lecture me?" His voice thundered, filling the room like a storm.
I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms, but I bowed lower. "I am sorry, Alpha."
Getting on his bad side now would only seal my fate faster.
His shadow loomed over me. "Your only goal is to grow strong. You are not even worthy of being with my sons, yet I dare not disobey the Moon Goddess."
My breath hitched. His sons. The triplets.
I had heard a lot about the three of them. How ruthless they we brought you by their father And I was tied to all three of them by fate itself. My chest tightened. I wasn't ready to face them, not now, not ever.
"You will prove yourself worthy to be their mate," the Alpha continued, his words like chains tightening around me.
He should have chosen someone else. The Moon Goddess wouldn't punish him for it. Or would she?
Every triplet born into this pack had shared a single mate. It was a law written in blood, passed down through generations. And now, I was that chosen one.
The thought made bile rise in my throat. Being bound to three brothers—three men—wasn't destiny. It was a curse.
"What if I fail?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "What if I am not what you expect?"
The Alpha crouched in front of me, forcing me to look up. His hand gripped my jaw, tilting it until I met his gaze.
"You will not fail," he said. His eyes, ancient and burning with power, bore into mine.
His face was weathered with age, his beard thick and white, his hair falling in dark waves to his neck, adorned with golden trinkets that marked his status.
And if he looked like this, I could only imagine what his sons looked like.
"You will attend Crescent Hollow Academy with them," he said, his grip tightening before releasing me. "There, we will see if you live up to my expectations."
The blood drained from my face. My jaw fell open, disbelief crashing over me.
Crescent Hollow Academy.
I have a heard a lot about the academy, but I have never imagined I'd ever step my foot in there.
*****
The car stopped, and the guard opened the door.
"Come down," he said.
I stepped out, my legs weak, and then I saw it.
Crescent Hollow Academy.
The gates were high and black, standing like something that wanted to swallow me whole. Behind it, the building stretched tall, the towers sharp against the sky. I've heard there were a lot of supernatural beings in this school.
Even those from other packs were present.
My heart beat faster because I had seen this before.
The Moon Goddess had shown me in the vision, now I was here.
A guard pushed me lightly. "Move."
I forced myself forward, my chest tight. The sound of the gates opening felt heavy, like a warning.
This was the just the beginning. I'd do everything in my power to change what the moon goddess had shown me.