BOUND TO THREE ALPHAS

Chapter 10: SILVER EYES RISING

Chapter 10: SILVER EYES RISINGChapter 10: Silver Eyes Rising

The huge black wolf growled, and his eyes shone in the dark like hot coals. Everyone stopped moving when Darius stepped through the opening and blocked their way out. "Run!" Kael yelled and pushed Liana behind him. The black wolf charged forward. As the Alpha held him back, his teeth snapped just inches from Kael’s face. As soon as Jace jumped into action, he changed into his brown wolf form and slammed into Darius’s side. The two wolves broke Elder Mira’s table when they ran into it. The jars broke. Things that smelled bad splashed all over the floor. "This way!" Elder Mira grabbed Liana’s arm, pulling her toward the back of the house. "We need time!" Liana’s heart hammered in her chest. Behind them, furniture broke as the wolves fought. Kael had shifted too—his black and silver wolf bigger than Jace’s but smaller than Darius. Together, the brothers drove the rogue wolf back toward the door. But more shadows appeared in the doorway. More rogues. "They’re surrounding us," Liana gasped. Elder Mira yanked a rug away, revealing a small trapdoor. "Down here. Quickly!" The hidden area beneath the floorboards was small—barely big enough for the two of them. As Elder Mira pulled the door closed, Liana got one last glimpse of the brothers fighting. Blood covered Jace’s fur. "We can’t just leave them!" "Hush," Elder Mira whispered, striking a match. "This is why he came tonight. He noticed the bond forming. He wants to break it before it’s complete." The small flame showed a circle drawn on the earthen floor. Strange images lined its edge. "Kneel here," Elder Mira directed, positioning Liana in the center. "We don’t have much time." Above them, something heavy crashed against the floors. Dust rained down on them. A wolf howled in pain. "What are you doing?" Liana asked as Elder Mira pulled out small pouches from secret pockets in her dress. "Protecting the bond." The old woman sprinkled plants and what looked like salt around Liana. "Your mother taught me this spell before she died." Liana’s chain grew warmer against her skin. The black marks on her arm pulsed in time with her racing heart. "I feel strange," she whispered. Something inside her was changing, stretching, waking up. Heat spread through her body like flames. Elder Mira’s eyes widened. "Your wolf—she’s coming forward." A crash above them split the floors. Moonlight spilled through the crack, touching Liana’s face. She gasped as pain shot through her bones. "It’s too soon!" Elder Mira cried. "You’re not ready!" The hatch ripped away. Darius’s bloody muzzle showed in the opening, his teeth dripping red. Liana screamed—but the sound changed halfway, becoming a growl that didn’t sound human. Her vision improved. Smells assaulted her—blood, fear, rage. Elder Mira chanted faster, throwing something into the air that burst into blue sparks. The sparks formed a wall between them and Darius, but it flickered weakly. "I can’t hold him long," Elder Mira panted. "Your wolf is fighting to appear, but the first shift takes time. We don’t have time!" Darius slammed against the shield. Cracks formed in the blue light. Suddenly Kael was there, pulling Darius back by his hind leg. Jace appeared too, bleeding from deep gashes but still fighting. Liana felt her toenails lengthening, sharpening into claws. Her teeth ached as they changed shape in her mouth. "She’s shifting!" Elder Mira shouted to the boys. "Protect her!" Darius broke free from Kael’s grip. With one powerful leap, he dove toward the hole, straight at Liana’s exposed throat. Time seemed to slow. Liana saw Darius suspended in the air, mouth open, trying to kill. Kael lunged but wouldn’t reach her in time. Jace howled in despair. Then a gray blur shot through the cottage door. A third wolf—leaner than the others but quick as lightning—slammed into Darius mid-air. "Rowan," Liana whispered, somehow knowing it was him. The three brothers now made a circle around the opening, with Darius trapped in the middle. They moved in perfect unison, as if having one mind. That’s when it happened. A rush of energy pulsed through the room like a shock wave. Liana’s collar glowed bright as the moon itself. The black lines on her arm transformed, changing from black to shimmering silver. Her eyes burned. She could feel them changing, glowing silver in the darkness. "The triplet bond," Elder Mira gasped. "It’s activating!" Darius howled—not in anger, but in pain. The energy seemed to hurt him, pushing him back. The rogue wolves at the door split, running into the night. "This isn’t over," Darius growled, his form shifting halfway between wolf and man—a frightening sight with his elongated face and human words coming from a wolf’s mouth. "The bond may have started, but it can still be broken. I’ll return when the moon is full again. And I’ll bring more than just rogues." He fled, leaving blood on the cottage floor. The brothers changed back to human form. Kael grabbed clothes from the wreckage while Jace helped Elder Mira climb out of the secret space. "Are you hurt?" Jace asked Liana, his eyes