Desired by Three Alphas, Fated to One

Chapter 5 – The Storm in My Veins

The night air was thick with tension, like the whole forest was holding its breath, waiting for something to break. My heart pounded as I walked away from the bonfire, away from the heated stares of three men who each claimed me in ways I still didn’t understand.

I didn’t know if I was running from them… or from myself.

The moon hung low, silver light spilling through the trees, making the shadows dance. Every step I took seemed to echo with their voices.

Ronan’s deep, commanding tone, his words like a vow.

Kaelen’s smooth, teasing whisper that held promises I was afraid to hear.

Darius’s quiet, piercing gaze that seemed to see straight through every lie I told myself.

My skin still burned where their hands had brushed mine, where their eyes had lingered. The pull toward each of them was dangerous — intoxicating — but I couldn’t let it drown me. I had to keep moving, even if the ache in my chest begged me to turn back.

I stopped by the riverbank, the moon’s reflection rippling in the water. My fingers curled into my cloak as if holding myself together. Why me? Out of all the women in the pack, why was I the one tangled in this impossible web?

“Running away won’t change it.”

The voice came from behind, deep and husky, sending a shiver down my spine. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Ronan. His scent — pine and smoke — wrapped around me before his warmth did.

“I’m not running,” I lied, my voice barely above a whisper.

His boots crunched on the pebbles as he came closer, stopping just behind me. “Then tell me you don’t feel it. Tell me you don’t hear it — the bond humming between us.”

I swallowed hard. My wolf stirred restlessly, traitorously. “You’re not the only one I feel it with.”

Silence. Heavy. Dangerous. Then his voice, low and rough. “I know.”

Before I could turn, a new scent drifted in — wild honey and storm winds. My breath caught. Kaelen.

“Looks like the Alpha’s losing his patience,” Kaelen drawled as he stepped into the moonlight, his grin wicked but his eyes dark with something heavier. “And here I thought I’d get a moment alone with you tonight.”

Ronan growled under his breath, but I felt his hand brush my arm in silent warning.

Then, before either of them could speak again, the ground seemed to hum beneath us. The trees whispered in a language older than time. A strange, electric energy curled in the air, making the hairs on my arms stand on end.

And from the shadows across the river, Darius emerged — silent, watchful, his gaze locked on me like I was both the question and the answer to a prophecy he’d been waiting his whole life to solve.

My knees weakened. The bond tugged, three different threads pulling at my soul. It was unbearable. It was beautiful.

“Something’s coming,” Darius said at last, his voice deep and certain. “And when it arrives… you’ll have to choose.”

The wind shifted, carrying the scent of danger — and I knew in my bones that whatever was coming wasn’t just about me. It was about all of us.