Fated Mate to the Triplet Alpha-Chapter 23: The Stranger’s Truth

Sleep wouldn’t come to Selene. How could it? Her body still tingled with the memory of fire running through her veins. The pack’s whispers followed her like shadows as Dante had led her back to his cabin, telling guards to stand watch through the night. "They fear me," she’d whispered when they were alone. "They fear what they don’t understand," Dante had amended, his face unreadable as he left her to rest. Now dawn painted the sky pink as Selene slipped out of bed. Her torn silver dress lay discarded on the floor, a memory of last night’s chaos. She changed quickly into strong pants and a leather jacket, pulling her dark hair into a tight braid. If Dante thought she would wait while Ivy stayed in danger, he was wrong. The cabin door creaked open. Selene froze, expecting to see Dante, but instead, Jace stood in the doorway.

"Sneaking out alone?" His eyes held no judgment, only worry. "I can’t wait. Midnight is too far away." Selene grabbed a small pack she’d packed with water and a knife. "Elara has my sister." "And you have no plan." Jace stepped inside, closed the door. "Dante’s gathering the pack leaders. He wants to—" "Talk? Make plans?" Selene’s voice cracked. "While that... thing wearing my mother’s face does who knows what to Ivy?" Jace sighed. "I’m not here to stop you." This caught her off guard. "What?" "I’m here to help." He pulled back his jacket to show a sheathed dagger. "Dante would kill me if he knew, but he’s not thinking clearly. He’s afraid." "Afraid of what?" Selene asked, though a part of her already knew. "Of losing you the same way he lost her." Jace’s eyes darkened. "His first mate... when her powers manifested, they consumed her from within." Selene’s heart thumped painfully. "I’m not her." "No," Jace agreed, "you’re stronger." He gave her a small vial of clear liquid. "Lyra’s awake. She made this for you—said it might help control the fire if it comes again." Selene pocketed the vial, shocked and touched. "Thank you." A noise outside made both of them tense. Jace peered through the window, then cursed under his breath. "Dante’s returned early." He turned to Selene, choice made. "The western path. There’s a hidden trail through the silver pines. I’ll distract him." Selene paused, then impulsively hugged Jace. "Be careful." "You too, fire-walker." A small smile touched his lips before he slipped out. Selene waited until she heard Jace loudly greeting Dante at the front of the house before climbing out the bedroom window. The forest welcomed her with the smell of pine and early morning dew as she raced along the western path. She had barely reached the silver trees when a voice stopped her. "Running to your death won’t save your sister." Selene turned around, knife already drawn. A tall man stood among the trees, his white-blond hair gleaming in the early light. He wore simple dark clothes that seemed to mix with the forest, but his eyes—a startling violet—marked him as something other than ordinary. "Who are you?" she asked, not lowering her knife.

"Someone who knows what you are." He stepped forward, showing empty hands. "My name is Rowan Stormchaser." Selene’s grip tightened. "Stormchaser? From the Northern Packs?" "Once," he admitted. "Now I walk alone." "What do you want?" Rowan’s violet eyes studied her. "To help you understand what’s happening before you rush into Elara’s trap." "I don’t have time for riddles," Selene snapped, though something about him made her pause. "My sister—" "Your sister is alive and will remain so until midnight," Rowan interrupted. "Elara needs her that way." He pointed to a fallen log. "Five minutes. That’s all I ask." Against her better sense, Selene nodded. But she kept the knife ready. "The fire you commanded last night," Rowan began, "it’s not a curse, despite what you’ve been told. It’s a gift—one that hasn’t been seen in the packs for generations." "Dante’s first mate had the same power," Selene said. "It killed her." Rowan’s face darkened. "Kayla Moonfire. Yes, her story is a tragedy, but not for the reasons your Alpha believes." "How do you know her name?" Selene asked. "Because I was there when she died." Rowan’s voice grew quiet. "Just as I was there when your sister ’drowned’ ten years ago." Selene lunged forward, putting her knife to his throat. "What do you know about Ivy?" Rowan didn’t move. "I know that she never truly died. I know that Elara has been planning this for decades. And I know why she wants both of you." "Tell me," Selene hissed. "There’s a prophecy, as old as the packs themselves." Rowan gently pushed her knife away. "When day and night unite in flame, the old world’s gate shall open wide. Two sisters born of ancient line, one of water, one of fire, together hold the power divine." Selene stepped back, cold understanding washing over her. "Fire... and water." Rowan nodded. "You control fire. And Ivy—" "Water," Selene whispered, remembering how Ivy had always been drawn to rivers and lakes, how the rain seemed to follow her moods. "The old temple Elara mentioned is actually a gateway," Rowan explained. "Centuries ago, it was sealed to prevent creatures from crossing between worlds. The only way to open it requires two specific keys—" "Fire and water magic," Selene finished. "But why keep Ivy all these years? Why make everyone think she died?" "Your powers are linked to strong emotion," Rowan said. "Grief, rage, love. Elara needed your power dormant until the stars aligned correctly. What better way than to traumatize you with your sister’s ’death’? Your guilt suppressed your magic for years." Fury rose in Selene’s chest. "So everything—my exile, my guilt—it was all part of Elara’s plan?" "Yes," Rowan agreed. "When you and Dante were revealed as fated mates, she had to act quickly. The bond between mates can awaken dormant gifts." Selene paced, mind racing.

"How do you know all this?" Something like pain crossed Rowan’s face. "Because I was once Elara’s prisoner too. She... collected people with gifts. Studied them. Used them." "And you escaped?" "Eventually," he said sadly. "Not before watching her destroy many lives, including Kayla’s." Selene stopped moving. "What really happened to Dante’s first mate?" "Elara tricked her into opening a smaller portal, promised she could control what came through." Rowan’s violet eyes darkened. "The power overwhelmed Kayla. Her fire consumed her from within, but it wasn’t because the gift itself was deadly—it was because Elara pushed her beyond her limits deliberately." "To test if she could survive opening the main gateway," Selene realized with fear. Rowan nodded. "Kayla was powerful, but not part of the prophesied pair. You and Ivy are different. Together, you might survive what Kayla couldn’t alone." Selene’s mind whirled with possibilities. "I need to tell Dante." "Your Alpha won’t believe me," Rowan warned. "His grief has blinded him where Kayla is concerned."

"Then what do you suggest?" Selene challenged. "I know another way to the temple," Rowan said. "A path Elara won’t be watching. We can observe, plan, find Ivy’s exact location before rushing in." "Why help me?" Selene asked suspiciously. Rowan pushed up his sleeve, showing a burn mark in the shape of a crescent moon. "Because I’ve spent ten years working to destroy Elara after what she did to my sister." His voice turned hard. "Kayla Moonfire was my twin." Selene stared at him, seeing now the resemblance around the eyes, the same determined set of the jaw she’d noticed in the picture of Kayla in Dante’s study. "Dante doesn’t know you exist," she realized. "Elara made sure of that," Rowan said coldly. "Erased me from Kayla’s history, told everyone she was packless, alone. By the time I tracked her down..." "It was too late," Selene finished softly. A howl cut through the forest—Dante, calling for his soldiers. Searching for her. "We need to move," Rowan urged. "Trust me or don’t, but decide quickly." Selene paused only a moment. "Show me this other path. But know that if you’re lying—if this is a trap—the fire you saw last night will be nothing compared to what I’ll do to protect my sister." Rowan’s lips curved into a sad smile. "You sound just like Kayla." He turned and melted into the trees, Selene following close behind. Neither noticed the golden eyes watching from the shadows, or the dark figure that slipped away to report back to the Alpha. Dante slammed his hand into the wall, cracking the wooden panels. "What do you mean, she’s gone?" he growled at the guards. Jace stepped forward, his face carefully blank. "She must have slipped out the back while we were patrolling the perimeter." Dante’s golden eyes narrowed. "And you had nothing to do with it?" Jace met his Alpha’s eyes steadily. "I serve you, and the pack." "That’s not an answer," Dante snarled, moving closer. The cabin door burst open as Lyra rushed in, her healer’s robes stained with plants. "Alpha! I’ve discovered something about the poison used on me." Dante turned, momentarily distracted. "What is it?" "It contains moonshade—a rare herb that only grows in the Northern territories." Lyra’s face was grim. "And this." She held up a small vial holding a strand of white-blonde hair. "Found on my clothes from last night." Jace frowned. "Northern territory... white hair..." "Stormchasers," Dante growled. "They were supposed to be extinct after the Great Purge." Lyra nodded. "Someone survived. And I’d bet anything they’re working with Elara." Dante’s eyes darkened with rage and fear. "And now they have Selene." Deep in the forest, Selene followed Rowan through a maze of twisted trails. The trees grew denser, older, their branches forming a canopy that hid most of the morning light. "How much farther?" she asked, looking back. There had been no sign of pursuit, but she felt Dante’s anger like a physical presence, tugging at the bond between them. "Not far," Rowan answered. "There’s someone you need to meet first. Someone who can help us control your fire." They exited into a small clearing where a tiny cabin stood, so covered in vines it nearly disappeared into the forest. Smoke curled from a crooked chimney.

Rowan knocked in a complex manner. The door creaked open to show an elderly woman with skin like weathered leather and eyes as bright as polished amber. "You’re late," she scolded Rowan before turning her eyes to Selene. "And you brought the fire-walker." She smiled, showing surprisingly white teeth. "Good. The water-child needs her sister." Selene startled. "You know about Ivy?" "I know many things, child." The woman beckoned them inside. "Including that your mate is gathering his warriors to hunt you down as we speak." The cabin’s interior was larger than it looked, filled with hanging herbs, bubbling pots, and shelves crammed with ancient-looking books. In the center sat a stone bowl filled with water so clear it seemed to glow. "Grandmother Willow is the last of the forest seers," Rowan revealed. "She’s been helping me track Elara for years." "Not that he listens to my advice," the old woman grumbled, moving to the basin. "Come, fire-child. Look." Selene approached carefully. The water in the basin began to swirl, colors forming and shifting until a picture appeared—Ivy, sitting alone in what looked like an underground chamber, drawing patterns in the dirt floor. She appeared unhurt but her face was blank, emotionless. "She’s alive," Selene breathed in relief. "Alive but not herself," Grandmother Willow amended. "The water-child’s mind is clouded by Elara’s magic. She believes you abandoned her, that you wanted her dead." The image shifted to show Elara, pacing near an ancient stone archway carved with symbols Selene didn’t know. Other forms moved in the shadows around her. "The temple," Rowan said grimly. "She’s preparing the ritual." "What happens if she succeeds?" Selene asked. "If the gateway opens?" Grandmother Willow’s face grew serious. "Chaos. The beings on the other side were banished for a reason. They feed on magic, on life itself. They would drain this world dry, starting with the packs." Selene watched as the picture in the water dissolved. "How do I stop her?" "You don’t," the old woman said frankly. "Not alone. You need your sister. You need your mate. And you need to master your gift before it masters you." She pointed to Selene’s hands, which had started to glow faintly in her agitation. Selene hadn’t even noticed the usual tingling. She took a deep breath, willing the fire to fade. "The poison that felled your friend Lyra," Grandmother Willow continued, "it was meant for you. Elara wants you weakened but alive—easier to control that way." "We have until midnight," Rowan told them. "Time enough to prepare if we start now." "Prepare how?" Selene asked. The old woman smiled again, her amber eyes glinting. "By awakening what sleeps inside you, child. By teaching you to dance with your fire instead of fearing it." She gestured to a small wooden box on a nearby shelf. "Inside is a crystal from the old world. Touch it, and your true power will reveal itself." Selene approached the box carefully. "What will happen?" "Pain," Grandmother Willow said honestly. "Then clarity. It is necessary." Selene paused, then thought of Ivy alone and afraid, of Dante believing she’d betrayed him, of the pack in danger. With purpose, she opened the box. Inside lay a crystal that pulsed with red-gold light.

Selene reached for it, her fingers just brushing its surface when pain burst through her body. She fell to her knees, gasping as fire exploded from her skin, engulfing her completely. Through the flames, she saw Rowan and the old woman step back, watching impassively as she burned. But strangely, the fire didn’t hurt anymore. Instead, images flashed through her mind—Ivy controlling water in the river when they were children, her parents fighting in hushed tones about "the prophecy," Dante’s first mate Kayla reaching toward a smaller version of the gateway, screaming as fire consumed her from within. Then, most scary of all, she saw herself standing with Ivy before the great stone arch, their powers combining to tear open reality itself as Elara laughed triumphantly behind them. The vision stopped abruptly as the fire receded. Selene found herself on the floor, shaking but unhurt, her clothes somehow intact. "What... was that?" she gasped. "The truth," Grandmother Willow said simply. "And a warning." Rowan helped Selene to her feet. "The crystal shows what was, what is, and what might be. The future you saw can be changed." Selene steadied herself, new determination flowing through her veins along with the lingering feeling of fire. "I need to find Dante. We need to work together." "That won’t be necessary," came a cold voice from the doorway. "I found you first." They spun around to find Dante filling the cabin’s entrance, his golden eyes blazing with anger and betrayal.

Behind him stood Jace and several pack warriors, all partly shifted and battle-ready. Dante’s eyes locked on Rowan. "Stormchaser," he growled. "I thought your line was extinguished." "Not all of it," Rowan answered evenly. "Dante," Selene stepped forward. "It’s not what you think. Rowan is—" "A traitor who helped kidnap my mate," Dante growled. "Step away from him, Selene." "He’s Kayla’s brother," Selene said quickly. "He knows what really happened to her. He knows what Elara is planning." Dante paused for just a moment before his face hardened again. "More lies. Kayla had no family." "Because Elara erased me," Rowan said, slowly raising his hands to show he meant no harm. "Just as she tried to erase your memory of what really happened that night." "Silence!" Dante roared, his control slipping as his features started to shift. "You’ll come with us now, or we’ll drag you back." Grandmother Willow stepped between them, unafraid of the angry Alpha. "Such blindness in one so powerful," she chided. "Look with your heart, young wolf, not your wounded pride.

The fire-walker speaks truth." The old woman raised her gnarled hand, and the water from the basin rose into the air, making a shimmering mirror. In it appeared an image of Kayla and Rowan together as children, their white-blonde hair and violet eyes marking them clearly as siblings. The picture shifted to show Elara speaking with a younger Rowan, then Kayla’s death as Rowan watched helplessly from behind magical barriers. Dante stared, his rage weakening as doubt crept in. "This proves nothing. Illusions can be crafted—" "I know where the matching locket is buried," Rowan interrupted quietly. "The one you placed around her neck before you laid her to rest. The one with your mingled blood inside." Dante’s face drained of color. "No one knew about that. No one except..." "Her twin brother," Rowan finished. "Who promised her he would watch over you if anything happened to her." The tension in the cabin got unbearable as Dante struggled with this revelation. Selene watched the feelings war on his face—disbelief, rage, and finally, a terrible hope that perhaps he hadn’t known the full truth after all. Finally, Dante spoke, his voice like gravel: "You have one chance to explain. Make it quick." Rowan nodded. "Elara wants to open the gateway between worlds using Selene and Ivy’s combined powers. It’s why she faked Ivy’s death years ago—to suppress Selene’s abilities through grief and guilt. Now that Selene’s powers have awakened, Elara needs both sisters to complete the ritual at midnight." "What comes through this gateway?" Jace asked. "Ancient beings that feed on magic and life itself," Selene answered. "They’d destroy the packs first." Dante’s eyes narrowed as he looked from Rowan to Selene. "And I’m supposed to believe you discovered all this in the few hours since you sneaked away?" "Believe what you want," Grandmother Willow snapped. "But time grows short, and the water-child suffers while you stand here doubting." Dante looked at the old woman, then at Rowan, and finally at Selene. Something shifted in his expression—a choice made. "Jace," he said without looking away from Selene, "take the pack warriors and secure the perimeter.

No one enters or leaves without my permission." "And them?" Jace nodded toward Rowan and the old woman. "They stay with me," Dante said. "We have planning to do." As the others filed out, Dante approached Selene, his face blank. "You left without a word," he said softly. "After everything that happened." "I couldn’t wait," Selene responded. "Ivy needs me." "And I don’t?" The words slipped before Dante could stop them, raw and honest in a way he rarely allowed himself to be. Selene’s heart clenched. "I thought you wouldn’t understand. After what happened with Kayla..." "I understand more than you think." Dante’s voice grew softer. "I’ve lost one mate to fire. I won’t lose another." Before Selene could answer, a piercing howl cut through the air—not a wolf’s call, but something unnatural that made the hair on their necks stand up. Grandmother Willow hurried to her basin, the water swirling furiously. "Elara grows impatient," she said, her amber eyes wide with alarm. "She’s started the ritual early!" The water showed Ivy standing before the stone archway, her small hands pressed against old symbols that glowed blue under her touch. Around her, dark-robed figures chanted while Elara drew symbols on Ivy’s forehead with what looked horribly like blood. "No!" Selene cried. "She’s using Ivy alone? That will kill her!" "Not kill," Rowan corrected sadly. "Transform. If Elara can’t have both sisters, she’ll pour all her power into one. She’ll make Ivy into something else entirely." "We need to go. Now." Dante’s voice brooked no argument. Grandmother Willow handed Selene a small pouch. "Crystals to focus your fire," she stated. "And this—" she pressed a vial of blue liquid into her hand, "—for your sister. It will clear her mind of Elara’s influence." Selene nodded thanks, tucking both items safely away. As they turned to leave, the ol