CHAPTER 114: CHAPTER 114: THE SISTER PACK

ARIA POV

The silver arrow missed my head by inches.

I rolled behind a thick tree trunk as another arrow whistled past. My heart pounded so hard I thought it might explode.

"We don’t want to hurt you!" a female voice called from the shadows. "But we will if you bring those males any closer!"

I pressed my back against the rough bark, trying to catch my breath. We’d been following Maya’s decoded directions for two days, searching for the Hidden Valley where the Stone of Luna was supposed to be. Instead, we’d walked straight into an ambush.

"Aria!" Kael yelled from somewhere behind me. "Are you okay?"

"Stay back!" I yelled. More arrows flew in his direction. These women weren’t playing around.

"Show yourself, daughter of Elena Moonstar," the voice ordered. "Come alone, or we’ll fill your male friends with silver."

I took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the tree, hands raised. "I’m here. Don’t hurt them."

Three women came from the forest. They moved like dogs even in human form – silent, deadly, perfect. The boss had long black hair braided with silver ribbons. Her eyes were the same pale blue as mine.

"You have her scent," she said, sniffing the air. "Elena’s daughter, finally come home."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Luna Raven, Alpha of the Moon Sisters’ sanctuary." She motioned to the women beside her. "This is Luna Sage and Luna Storm. We’ve been waiting twenty years for you to find us."

My throat went tight. "You’re the secret pack my mother wrote about."

"Not just any pack," Luna Raven said happily. "The only all-female pack left in the world. Your mother died to make this place."

She waved her hand, and the trees around us shimmered like water. Trees moved aside to show a hidden valley filled with small wooden houses. Women and girls of all ages walked between them, laughing and talking openly.

"Welcome to New Moon Valley," Luna Raven said. "The home Elena always wanted you to have."

I stared in wonder. There had to be fifty women here, maybe more. All of them looked strong and confident in a way I’d never seen before.

"How did you hide this place?" I whispered.

"Ancient magic," Luna Sage explained. She was younger than Luna Raven, with red hair and green eyes. "Passed down from female Alphas for generations. The men never learned these secrets."

Luna Storm nodded. She looked like she could break trees with her bare hands. "Your mother was the strongest of us all. She taught us how to weave moonlight into shields."

"Can my friends come in?" I asked, looking back toward where the triplets were hidden.

Luna Raven’s face hardened. "The men stay outside our borders. This is a safe space for women only."

"But they’re my mates," I argued. "They’ve been helping me this whole time."

"Helping?" Luna Storm smiled bitterly. "Or controlling? There’s a difference."

Heat flashed through me. "They saved my life multiple times. They’re good men."

"All males think they’re good," Luna Sage said sadly. "Until they decide you’re too powerful and need to be stopped."

Luna Raven stepped closer to me. "Your mother wrote about this in her secret letters. She worried that you would form attachments to guys before learning your true strength."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It means you’ve been weakened by your bonds," Luna Raven said firmly. "A true Moon Alpha doesn’t need males to finish her power. She gets strength from her sisters."

I felt like she’d hit me. "My bond with them makes me stronger, not weaker."

"Does it?" Luna Storm challenged. "Or does it make you hesitate? Hold back? Worry about their safety instead of focused on your mission?"

I opened my mouth to argue, then stopped. She wasn’t entirely wrong. I had held back during fights to protect them. I had made choices based on keeping them safe.

"Come with us," Luna Raven said gently. "Let us show you what you could become without those chains holding you down."

"They’re not chains," I said, but my voice sounded unsure even to me.

"Aren’t they?" Luna Sage asked. "When was the last time you used your full power? When did you last make a choice without considering how it would affect your precious triplets?"

I couldn’t answer. Because she was right.

"Your mother’s letters spoke of this," Luna Raven continued. "She feared you would repeat the mistakes of other female Alphas. Allowing males to limit your potential in exchange for their safety."

"But I love them," I breathed.

"Love is just another word for dependency," Luna Storm said cruelly. "Your mother loved your father too. Look how that ended."

My chest ached. These women were saying everything I’d been afraid to think myself.

"One night," Luna Raven offered. "Stay with us for one night. See what life could be like surrounded by sisters who understand your power instead of men who fear it."

I looked back toward the trees where Kael, Jaxon, and Lucien were waiting. They’d been so patient with me. So helpful. But...

"What if they leave?" I asked.

"If they truly love you, they’ll wait," Luna Sage said. "And if they don’t..."

"Then you’ll know they were only interested in controlling you," Luna Storm ended.

My heart felt like it was being torn in half. But curiosity won out. I needed to know what these women could teach me.

"One night," I agreed.

Luna Raven smiled widely. "Excellent. Come, there are others who want to meet Elena’s daughter."

As we walked into the valley, I heard Kael calling my name from the trees. The sound made my chest tight with guilt.

"Don’t look back," Luna Sage warned. "The past only holds you down."

But I couldn’t help myself. I turned to see all three triplets standing at the edge of the tree line, watching me walk away. The pain in their eyes was almost too much to bear.

"Aria!" Lucien shouted. "Whatever they’re telling you, don’t listen!"

"Why?" Luna Storm called back mockingly. "Afraid she’ll finally see the truth about what you’ve done to her?"

"What does that mean?" I asked quickly.

Luna Raven’s eyes shone with secrets. "Oh, sweet child. There’s so much you don’t know about your precious children. So much they’ve hidden from you."

"Like what?"

"Like why they were really at Elder Malin’s compound the night you escaped," Luna Sage said softly. "They weren’t there to help other prisoners."

My blood turned to ice. "What?"

"They were there to retrieve you," Luna Storm revealed. "Under direct orders from the Council. Your bonds weren’t made by love, Aria. They were meant to control you."

The world spun around me. "That’s not possible."

"Your mother’s final letter explains everything," Luna Raven said, pulling out a piece of old paper. "She learned the truth just before she died. The Council doesn’t just remove female Alphas – sometimes they try to control them instead."

She handed me the letter with shaking hands. My mother’s handwriting was rushed and desperate:

Elena – they’ve found a new way. The triplet bonds aren’t natural. They’re artificial links created by Council magic. Three males, chosen especially to appeal to a female Alpha’s heart. Once bonded, she becomes depending on them for her power instead of learning to access it herself. It’s the perfect cage – one she’ll never want to leave.

I dropped the letter like it was on fire.

"No," I whispered. "They love me. I can feel it."

"You can feel what the magic makes you feel," Luna Raven said sadly. "But love built on lies isn’t real love, child."

Behind us, I heard the triplets calling my name again. But now their voices sounded different. Desperate. Like they were afraid of losing control.

"The choice is yours," Luna Sage said softly. "Stay with us and learn the truth about your power. Or go back to them and remain their prisoner forever."

I looked at the letter in my hands, then at the triplets shouting from the forest, then at the women surrounding me with faces full of sympathy and understanding.

My heart broke into a million pieces as I realized I didn’t know what was real anymore.

"What do I do?" I asked in a broken voice.

Luna Raven smiled, but it wasn’t a kind smile. It was hungry.

"You choose who you trust, daughter of Elena. The guys who may have been sent to control you..." She paused dramatically. "Or the sisters who’ve been waiting your whole life to set you free."