Chapter 9
1685 Words
Raphael's POV
“Do you think the bond is going to manifest today?" Zenon, my brother, asked. The black patch over his left eye stood out under the warm glow of the chandelier as I stared at him. He was dressed in a custom-made suit, one I was certain had cost a fortune.
I’d been getting quiet reports from the secretary about how freely he spent from the pack’s treasury, but I’d never confronted him. Zenon had lost that eye when we were just boys, during the war with the West. I hadn't.
So if spending lavishly from the pack’s wealth made him feel alive and dulled the pain of his loss, then I didn’t mind. As long as he was happy, that was enough for me.
“I don’t know,” I lied smoothly.
Since the night I returned to the North, I’d kept the fact that the mate bond had already formed between me and the Western girl. I hadn’t told Zenon. I hadn’t told Ryan, our other triplet.
And though the seer had once said the Moon Goddess might bless all three of us with a shared mate, it had only been a probability.
I’d done everything in my power to keep the girl hidden from them. For the chance of tie probability not to be
Jennifer, the late Beta’s daughter, had to become Luna. That had always been the plan. The bond with the Western princess felt more like a curse. I’d been praying it was a mistake from my wolf that would fade tonight when the Goddess finally revealed our true mate or mates.
A Western princess as the Luna of the Northern pack? That would be political suicide.
“Jennifer is a sexy lady, just my type” Zenon said, fixing his suit in front of the mirror with a half-smirk. “The Moon Goddess should grant her to me.”
I forced a nod, though a bitter taste settled on my tongue. He didn’t mean us. He wanted her for himself.
“Zenon, what if…” I began, but my words faltered as his gaze drifted to his reflection, lingering on the scar beneath the black patch. The familiar ache hit me and I swallowed the rest of what I’d wanted to say.
He turned toward me, brows furrowed. “What if what?”
“Nothing,” I rasped, shaking my head. “I just wanted to wish you luck, that you get who you want as a mate.”
“Right.” He chuckled dryly. “I’ve been wishing for that since we turned twenty-five, and still, no bond. Rafe…” His voice lowered, the playful arrogance cracking into fear. “We’ll be thirty and tonight, if no bond manifests, we’ll start losing our wolves. You know what that means. I can’t— I can’t live like that.”
For the first time, the confidence in his tone faltered and I saw the frightened boy behind the confident Alpha façade.
“I don’t think the Moon Goddess will allow that,” I said, though even as the words left my mouth, I wasn’t sure I believed them. “This is the final time. She won’t abandon us.”
The first time a grand celebration like this was held with high priests from faraway regions gathered under the same roof, was when we turned eighteen. The hall had been filled with songs, offerings and prayers to the Moon Goddess, all in hopes that our fated mates would appear that night. But nothing happened.
We turned twenty-one, still nothing.
At twenty-three, when late mate bonds were said to bloom in those blessed by the Goddess, we hoped again. Yet the night passed and still, no mark of destiny appeared on our skins.
By twenty-five, the elders grew restless, whispering of curses and fate’s cruelty. Now, we were turning thirty and the silence of the Moon had never felt so loud.
Jennifer, the late Beta’s daughter, was already twenty-five herself and still mate-less. I worried for her. Women were supposed to receive their mates earlier, their bonds manifesting before the age of twenty-three. The fact that hers hadn’t appeared all this time… it only deepened my guilt. For all I knew, we were the reason her bond refused to manifest.
“You’ve been the one protecting and running the pack so far, Rafe,” Zenon said, breaking into my thoughts. “If your wolf goes dormant too, I fear what will become of the North.”
“That won’t happen,” I assured him quickly though the words felt hollow.
Because it was already happening.
Just a few days ago, I had tried summoning my wolf. He hadn’t responded. He hadn’t even stirred beneath my skin. I’d barely managed to cover it up in front of Beta Thor and the warriors, pretending it was a moment of fatigue. But I knew. Sooner or later, I wouldn’t be able to hide it anymore.
Was it because I hadn’t claimed the girl? The thought haunted me.
“I need a hundred grand, Rafe,” Zenon said suddenly, smoothing his suit and glancing at his reflection in the mirror again. “There’s a business I’ve been eyeing. The secretary at the treasury said I need your permission before they can release that much. Call them and fire the fool who told me that.”
I exhaled slowly. “Yes, I will.”
He smirked, satisfied and turned to leave.
I should have known. He hadn’t come here to talk about the bond or our wolves. He came for money. Money he’d waste within a week on pleasure, luxury or another meaningless venture. Still, I swallowed my irritation and reached for my phone. I couldn’t refuse him.
He paused by the door, watching to make sure I was doing exactly what he’d asked.
He’d lost an eye because of me. Because I’d been too slow that day. And even now, after all these years, that guilt had its claws around my throat. I couldn’t deny him anything, not when he bore the scar of a battle that should’ve been mine.
“Good,” he rasped finally, before stepping out and closing the door behind him.
The room fell into silence. Only then did I let out the breath I’d been holding and wondered how much longer I could keep holding everything else together.
*****
I was walking toward the mating hall when my steps faltered as I saw the Western girl.
Amongst the rows of neatly dressed servants preparing to serve the royals during the birthday ball. My chest tightened with unease. What was she doing here? She was supposed to be confined to Jennifer’s wing, serving quietly until the ceremony was over. I had specifically ordered that. So why was she here?
My jaw clenched. I turned to leave, determined to find out who had disobeyed my command, when I saw my second twin, Ryan, approaching and limping heavily.
“Ryan,” I called, surprise lacing my voice. “Why aren’t you wearing your prosthetics?”
He gave me a small, humorless smile. “Can I have your staff? I didn’t feel like wearing them today. I wanted something different.”
“Something different,” I repeated under my breath, glancing down at the staff in my hand, the alpha’s staff, the symbol of authority and leadership. The very emblem that marked me as the acting Alpha of the North.
“The staff belongs to the Alpha, Ryan,” I said evenly. “It’s not something you just lend because someone wants to look different.”
He scoffed. “If you were in my shoes, Rafe, you wouldn’t say that. Don’t forget you became Alpha because Zenon and I let you.” His tone darkened, the bitterness clear in his words. “If it wasn’t for what I lost when the West attacked our pack, I wouldn’t be limping today. You wouldn’t be Alpha, you—”
Before he could finish, I pressed the staff into his hand.
He’d lost his leg that night. Zenon had lost an eye. And me? I’d walked away untouched. The guilt of that truth had followed me like a shadow ever since.
“Do you think the Moon Goddess will grant Jennifer to me?” Ryan asked as he adjusted his grip on the staff, using it to support his limp. There was no gratitude in his voice, no acknowledgment of what I’d just done.
“I believe she will,” I whispered, forcing the lie through the lump in my throat.
He gave a bitter chuckle. “You say that easily. Complete men like you don’t understand what it’s like for someone like me. It’s easy for you, you’ll find a mate without even trying. But for a one-legged man like me…”
“You’re not one-legged, Ryan,” I said quickly, my voice softening. “You were injured, yes, but the doctor said you’d heal. One day—”
“One day,” he cut in sharply, his voice rising. “It’s been decades, Rafe. Don’t patronize me. You’ll never understand what it’s like to wake up incomplete every morning, to see your brothers whole while you’re… broken.”
“Ryan—”
“Shhh.” He raised a hand to silence me, eyes cold and distant. “I just hope Jennifer becomes mine,” he muttered, more to himself than to me. “She’s the only one who understands how I feel.”
And with that, he turned away, the staff clicking rhythmically against the marble floor as he walked off.
I stood frozen, watching his retreating form. My pulse thundered in my ears.
Zenon wanted Jennifer. Now Ryan did too. Both wanted her for themselves and not as a shared Luna. This was dangerous. The balance between us was already fragile.
I dragged a hand through my hair and turned to look for the Western girl again, the one who was never supposed to leave her assigned quarters. But the spot where she had been standing moments ago was empty.
She was gone.
- Writer
