The temple’s inner sanctum feels like a tomb.

I kneel beside Chloe’s makeshift bed, watching as Sarah works to stabilize her latest prophetic episode. The ancient stones around us pulse with old magic, responding to the young prophet’s power in ways that make my wolf uneasy. It whispers silently to my mind, its ancient resonance making me shiver.

Not safe, it warns, keeping a protective circle around Lara. Not safe to enter. Ancient rites sing with forbidden power...

We’ve taken refuge in a hidden chamber beneath the main temple—a space that hasn’t seen use since before the Great War. Dust coats the elaborate floor mosaics, and the air tastes of centuries of silence. But it’s defensible, and more importantly, its old wards help mask our presence from Jackson’s hunters.

“Hold her still,” Sarah commands as Chloe begins to convulse. “The visions are getting stronger.”

I press my hands to the prophet’s shoulders, lending her my strength as another wave of power courses through her small frame. Her skin burns fever-hot beneath my touch, prophecy literally burning her up from within.

“Three kings bound by blood and bone,” she gasps, her voice taking on that otherworldly resonance that marks true visions. “Three kings to anchor silver’s throne. But darkness rises, ancient power breaks, what was bound in blood now wakes...”

The words send chills down my spine. Through our mate bonds, I feel Lara’s immediate spike of concern from where she and my brothers guard the chamber’s entrance.

“The old tongue,” Sarah breathes, recognition widening her eyes. “She’s speaking in the old tongue!”

I lean closer as more prophecy pours from Chloe’s lips. The language is ancient—older than our written histories, older than the first pack bonds. But I understand it. All Alpha Kings do.

Chloe seizes, silver fire making her skin glow. Power lashes around us, striking against the sanctuary ward like angry whips. Sarah holds her ground, drawing on the old healing spells taught to her through generations of service.

“Light splits and shadows dance,” Chloe continues in that dead language, her voice holding harmonics that make the very air vibrate. “Silver wolf leads the final dance. Three must bind or all will fall, when darkness answers power’s call...”

Her back arches as another seizure takes hold. I have to use all my strength to keep her from hurting herself as prophecy burns through her veins like liquid fire. Sweat pours from her brow and her heart races as fast as hummingbird wings.

“What is she saying?” Lara demands from the doorway, worry for her sister overwhelming her usual caution around us.

“It’s a warning,” I translate grimly. “About the silver power. About us.”

Sarah’s hands move swiftly, mixing herbs with practiced efficiency. “The old prophecies are using her as a conduit. All of them at once.”“Why now?”

“Why now?” I demand. “Why with such urgency?”

“Because time grows short,” Chloe whispers, suddenly lucid. Her eyes fix on mine with unnerving clarity. “The ritual Jackson plans... it will break everything. All the old bonds, all the ancient barriers...”

She breaks off coughing. Blood stains her lips, and Sarah curses softly. I can almost feel the healing energy battling against the ancient prophecy taking hold of the prophet. Making her pay for serving as its vessel.

“Her heart can’t take much more of this,” the healer warns.

From the entrance, Kian swears under his breath. Power coils around him as he fights his instinct to comfort our mate.

Alaric stands closest to Lara, one hand half-raised as if to pull her close and never let go. Ever the strategist, I think to myself, with fondness and not a little jealousy. How long before she realizes not all of her mates have the same style?

I press my hand to Chloe’s chest, feeling the erratic flutter of her pulse. Without thinking, I push a thread of my power into her—not to command or control, but to support. To steady.

The effect is immediate. Her breathing eases slightly as my strength helps her body cope with the prophetic assault. But it’s not enough. Not nearly enough.

“The Kings were meant for this,” Chloe says suddenly, her voice stronger. “Meant to anchor the silver power. To prevent...” She trails off, her eyes going distant again.

“Prevent what?” I lean closer. Through our bonds, I can feel Lara bristling, but it does little to temper my fascination.

“What happened before. When the last silver wolf lost control.” Her fingers dig into my arm with surprising strength. “You have to protect her. My sister. The power inside her... it’s not just a gift. It’s a key.”

“A key to what?” I demand, but she doesn't respond.

Another vision takes hold. This time, when she speaks, her voice holds a deeper resonance—like multiple voices layered together:

“Blood of the moon, throne of stars,

Three kings to heal the ancient scars.

Silver rises, darkness falls,

When power answers power’s calls.

What was bound must now break free,

What was three must now be she.

Choose the path with wisdom true,

Or darkness claims both old and new.”

The words seem to hang in the air, heavy with prophecy’s weight. Through our mate bonds, I feel my brothers’ immediate recognition of their significance. Feel Lara’s confusion and growing concern.

What was three... must now be she.

“It’s about the mate bonds,” I realize aloud. “About why three Alpha Kings were needed to anchor one female Alpha’s power.”

“Not just any female Alpha,” Sarah corrects quietly. “A silver wolf. The first in centuries.”

Chloe’s grip on my arm tightens. “You have to swear,” she gasps. “Swear you’ll protect her. Not just from Jackson, not just from the ritual... from herself.”

“What do you mean?” I ask gently.

“The silver power... it changes things. Changes people.” Her voice drops to barely a whisper. “I’ve seen what she could become. What the power could turn her into if she tries to contain it alone...”

Understanding dawns cold and clear. The mate bonds aren’t just about control or dominance. They’re about protection—protecting our mate from power that could consume her completely.

Through our bonds, I feel Lara and my brothers grow uneasy.

Sarah meets my eyes, her expression distant. As if looking at something deep inside me. Something only she can see.

“I swear,” I say quietly, letting her feel the weight of Alpha power behind the words. “On my blood and crown, I swear to protect her. All of her.”

Chloe’s eyes meet mine, and for a moment I see the full weight of prophecy behind them. See countless possible futures branching out from this moment—some bright with promise, others dark with terrible purpose.

“The oath is witnessed,” she whispers in the old tongue. “Blood binds, power calls, the price must be paid...”

Her voice trails off as unconsciousness claims her again. But this time, her sleep seems more natural. The desperate edge of prophecy has eased, leaving her looking young and fragile in the temple’s dim light.

“The medicine is working,” Sarah reports, checking her pulse. “For now.”

I stand slowly, my mind racing with implications. Through our bonds, I feel Lara’s desperate need to understand what just happened. Feel my brothers’ grim acceptance of the prophecy’s weight.

“Lucas?” Lara’s voice holds an edge of fear she can’t quite hide. “What did she mean about the power changing people?”

I study our mate’s face, noting how silver energy still coils around her like living smoke. Beautiful. Deadly. And completely beyond her ability to fully control alone.

“It means, little Alpha,” I say carefully, “that you have a choice to make. Trust us to help you contain this power, or risk becoming something none of us, including you, will recognize.”

Her jaw sets stubbornly. “I won’t let the power control me.”

“No,” I agree, moving closer until I can feel the heat radiating off her skin. “You’ll let us help you control it instead.”

Before she can argue, another pulse of prophecy ripples through the chamber. Chloe whimpers in her sleep, ancient words spilling from her lips:

“Three crowns unite or all shall fall,

When darkness answers power’s call.

Silver wolf must choose her fate,

Before the final moon grows late...”

The words echo off ancient stones, a warning and a promise wrapped in prophecy’s dark purpose.

The hunt for truth has only just begun.

And something tells me none of us will like where it leads.