Chapter 9:Hidden In Plain Sight
Georgia's POV
"Don't go in there!" I screamed, but it was too late.
Keira had already pushed open the heavy wooden door of the old pack house. The moment her small foot crossed the threshold, every window in the building suddenly blazed with golden light.
The voice that had spoken to her got louder, booming through the air like thunder: "The Alpha children have come home."
"Keira, get back here now!" I ran toward the house, but an unseen force slammed into me like a wall. I bounced back and hit the ground hard.
"Mommy!" Keira tried to run back to me, but she couldn't move either. She was stuck in the doorway, golden light whirling around her like she was caught in a magical tornado.
"What's happening to her?" Kelvin cried.
"The house is awakening," Elder Marcus said, his voice full of fear. "It's recognizing their bloodline."
Kelsey stepped forward. "I'm going to help my sister."
"No!" Jared grabbed him. "If you go in there too, we might not be able to get any of you out."
But it was too late for advice. The golden light suddenly shot out from the house and wrapped around all three children like glowing ropes. One by one, they were pulled inside.
The door slammed shut behind them.
"My babies!" I threw myself at the door, pounding with my hands until they bled. "Let them out!"
Jared tried to help, but the door wouldn't move. It was like it was sealed by magic.
"There has to be another way in," Anna said desperately.
"There is," Elder Marcus said quietly. "But you're not going to like it."
"I don't care. Tell me."
"The house will only open for someone of the same family. Or..." He paused, looking uncomfortable.
"Or what?" I asked.
"Or for someone who has been marked by an Alpha."
I looked at him. "Marked how?"
"Mated. Bonded. Connected by blood or spirit."
My heart sank. Jared had rejected me. We weren't mated. And James... the thought of being linked to that monster made me sick.
"Wait," Jared said suddenly. "Georgia, that night five years ago. When James..." He couldn't finish the sentence.
"What about it?"
"You said you don't remember much. But what if there was more than just... what if he didn't just hurt you? What if he tried to force a bond?"
"That's impossible," Elder Marcus said. "Forced bonds don't work."
"But what if it was partial?" Anna suggested. "What if it was just strong enough to leave a connection?"
I felt like I was going to throw up. The idea that I might be related to James in any way was horrible.
But if it could save my children...
"How do we find out?" I asked.
"You have to try to enter the house," Elder Marcus said. "If the bond exists, even a broken one, the house might let you in."
I walked back to the door and put my hand on it. For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the wood grew warm under my palm.
"It's working," I whispered.
The door creaked open just an inch.
"I can get in," I said. "But I'm not going alone."
"Georgia, if the house only recognizes you—" Jared started.
"Then we make it recognize you too." I turned to face him. "You're the Alpha now. You have power over pack rules, right?"
"Yes, but—"
"Then claim me. Right here, right now. Make me your mate so the house will accept you too."
Jared's eyes went wide. "Georgia, you don't understand what you're asking. A claiming tie is permanent. Forever."
"I don't care about forever. I care about the next ten minutes and getting my children out of that house."
"If I claim you, and we escape this, you'll be bound to me for life. You'll be the Alpha's mate whether you want it or not."
I looked at the closed door, thinking about my babies stuck inside with unknown magic.
"Do it."
Jared stepped closer. "Are you sure?"
"Do it now before I lose my nerve."
He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "I, Jared Justin, Alpha of Blue Moon Pack, claim you, Georgia Brooke, as my mate and Luna."
I felt something like lightning shoot through my whole body. Every nerve was on fire, and I could suddenly sense things I'd never felt before. I could hear Jared's heartbeat. I could smell feelings from everyone around us. I could feel the power of the pack like energy in the air.
"Whoa," I breathed.
"The bond is complete," Elder Marcus said with wonder. "I can feel it from here."
I put my hand back on the door. This time, it swung open wide.
"Let's go get our children," I said to Jared.
"Our children?"
"If I'm your mate now, then they're your duty too. That's how this works, right?"
For the first time in hours, Jared almost smiled. "Right."
We stepped into the house together. The moment we crossed the doorway, I could hear the triplets calling for me.
"Mommy! We're upstairs!" Keira's voice echoed from somewhere above us.
"We're coming!" I called back.
But as we climbed the stairs, I noticed something was different about their voices. They sounded... older. Stronger.
"Georgia," Jared said quietly. "Do you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
"Power. Coming from upstairs. A lot of it."
He was right. The air was thick with energy that made my skin tingle.
When we reached the top of the stairs, I gasped.
My children were standing in the middle of a room that glowed with soft light. But they weren't the same children who had entered the house minutes ago.
They looked exactly the same, but their eyes were different. Ancient. Wise. Like they suddenly knew things they'd never learned.
"Hello, Mommy," Keira said quietly. "We've been waiting for you."
"Waiting for us?" I asked confused. "You just went upstairs."
"No," Kelvin said in a voice that was deeper than before. "We've been waiting for five years. Waiting for you to bring us home. Waiting for the promise to begin."
"What prophecy?" Jared demanded.
Kelsey stepped forward, and when he smiled, I saw that his teeth were sharper than they used to be.
"The prophecy that says three Alpha children will be born to bring peace to all the packs. Or destroy them all."
"We get to choose," Keira added happily, like she was talking about what to have for dinner. "Isn't that exciting?"
I felt my blood turn to ice. "Choose what?"
All three of my children looked at me with those strange, old eyes.
"Whether we save the world," Kelvin said.
"Or end it," Kelsey finished.
And then, in perfect harmony, they asked the
question that made my heart stop: "What do you think we should do, Mommy?"