When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was the moon.
It hung high and heavy in the sky, its light spilling through the branches above me like silver threads. My body ached as if I had been trampled, every muscle trembling, every breath sharp in my lungs.
For a moment, I thought I had dreamed it all—the growls, the clash of Alphas, the impossible bond snapping in two directions. But then I turned my head and saw them.
Kael. Darius.
They stood only a few paces apart, their bodies tense, their eyes locked, as if they hadn't stopped watching each other even for a second. The ground between them was torn, claw marks carved into the dirt, splintered branches scattered around like broken bones.
Not a dream. A nightmare.
My voice was a rasp, weak and small. "Why… why are you still here?"
Two pairs of Alpha eyes shifted instantly to me. Two voices answered at once.
"Because you're mine."
"Because I won't leave you."
The words clashed in the air, sharp as blades. My stomach twisted.
I tried to push myself up, but the world spun too fast. Before I could fall, Kael moved, a blur of strength. His hands caught me, firm and unyielding, his heat searing through my skin.
"Careful," he murmured, his voice softer than I expected, though still rough with possession.
But before I could catch my breath, Darius was there too, crouching on my other side, his cool presence steadying me. His hand brushed my arm, and the ache in my muscles eased as if his touch itself carried calm.
"You don't have to let him hold you," Darius said quietly, his gaze steady on mine. "You're not his possession."
Kael's growl rumbled like distant thunder. "She's not yours either."
I wrenched my arms free, staggering to my feet. "Stop. Both of you."
The forest fell silent, as if the trees themselves held their breath.
"I can't… I can't do this," I whispered, shaking my head. "Whatever this is, it's wrong. The bond doesn't work this way. It can't."
Kael straightened, his fiery eyes never leaving me. "The bond doesn't lie."
Darius's gaze was just as certain, just as fierce. "The Moon Goddess chose this. She chose us."
The words made my blood run cold. Us.
I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering despite the heat that still clung to my skin. My life had been simple in its misery before. I was invisible, unwanted, forgotten. But now? Now I was the center of a storm that could tear everything apart.
A rustle of leaves made me jerk my head. I wasn't the only one who had heard it—Kael and Darius tensed instantly, their bodies shifting, ready for a fight.
But it wasn't an enemy.
Two wolves emerged from the shadows, their fur bristling, their eyes wide. I recognized them—they were scouts from Darius's pack. They froze when they saw me standing between the two Alphas, their gazes darting from one to the other.
"Alpha," one of them said carefully, bowing his head to Darius. Then his eyes flicked to Kael, uncertainty clouding his face. "What… what is this?"
Before Darius could answer, Kael stepped forward, his voice sharp. "Leave."
The wolves didn't move. Their nostrils flared, and I realized with horror what they smelled. The bond. The truth.
"She's—" one of them started, then stopped, as if the words were too heavy to speak.
The other whispered it anyway. "She's both of yours."
The air thickened, heavy with shock. Even Kael's power couldn't erase the truth now.
The scouts dropped their gazes, but I saw the fear in their eyes before they turned and fled back into the trees.
Panic clawed at me. "They'll tell the others."
"Yes," Darius said, his voice low, grim. "They'll tell the whole pack."
Kael's expression was unreadable, but his jaw tightened. "Then let them. None will dare challenge me."
"Challenge you?" Darius's voice sharpened. "Do you have any idea what this means? Two mates—it's not a gift, Kael. It's a curse. The packs will see it as an omen."
Kael's fiery gaze flicked back to me, burning. "She's mine. That's all that matters."
But it wasn't. And we all knew it.
The Moon Goddess had tied me to two Alphas. And now the whole world would know.
The walk back toward the village was silent, heavy with tension. Kael kept to my right, his body radiating heat, every step protective, possessive. Darius stayed to my left, his presence calm but unyielding, his eyes flicking constantly between Kael and me.
I felt trapped between them in every sense. Their scents tangled in my lungs, their energies pulling at me until my head throbbed. Wolves moved through the trees in the distance, whispers rising like wind. Word was spreading faster than I could breathe.
By the time we reached the edge of the village, a crowd had gathered.
Dozens of eyes turned toward us. Some wide with shock. Some filled with suspicion. Some burning with fear.
I heard the murmurs.
"Two mates…"
"It's not possible."
"It's a curse."
My skin crawled under their stares. I wanted to vanish, to crawl back into the shadows where I had always belonged. But I couldn't. Not anymore.
Kael stepped forward first, his presence making the crowd flinch back. "She is mine," he announced, his voice carrying like fire across dry leaves. "The Moon Goddess chose her for me."
"No!" Darius's voice rang out, sharp and clear. "She belongs to me. The bond chose us both."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Wolves exchanged fearful looks, their whispers turning frantic.
Two Alphas. One mate.
I stood frozen between them, my heart slamming against my ribs. The weight of their claims crushed me from both sides.
Then a new voice cut through the noise. Old. Steady. Strong.
"Enough."
The crowd parted as the elder stepped forward. Her hair was silver as the moon, her eyes clouded but sharp with wisdom. I had seen her before, always at the edge of gatherings, always watching with a gaze that seemed to see through skin and bone.
She stopped in front of us, her cane tapping against the earth. Her gaze slid over Kael, then Darius, then finally me.
The weight of her stare made my throat close.
"Two mates," she murmured, her voice carrying despite its softness. "The old stories warned of this."
Kael's head lifted, defiant. "She is mine. There is no warning. No curse."
Darius's jaw tightened. "She's ours. We must understand why the Goddess did this."
The elder shook her head slowly. "The Moon Goddess never ties two Alphas to one wolf without reason. This bond brings power…" Her gaze lingered on me, sharp and heavy. "…but also destruction."
A chill ran down my spine.
"What does that mean?" I whispered, though part of me didn't want to hear the answer.
The elder's voice lowered, but the whole crowd leaned in to hear.
"It means your choice will shape the fate of both packs. If you choose wrongly… blood will follow."
My heart stopped.
Behind me, Kael growled, low and dark. Beside me, Darius's hand brushed mine, steady and protective.
And I stood between them, caught in the pull of two destinies, knowing that no matter what I chose… someone would burn.