CHAPTER 112: SHATTERED THE ENTIRE BALANCE

Leia checked her phone and saw several missed calls from Rhea. Without delay, she called her back.

"Leia!" Rhea’s worried voice came through immediately. "I came to visit you, but the guards said Alpha Lucien has restricted everyone from entering the mansion. Are you okay? Is your injury still not healed?"

"I’m fine, Rhea," Leia replied softly. "I’m not sick... I’m in heat."

"Oh," Rhea murmured in surprise, then lowered her voice. "That explains a lot. I heard heats intensify when an omega is surrounded by alphas. No wonder the Alpha restricted everyone, it must be hard for you to deal with."

Leia leaned back on the bed, sighing. "I didn’t even know Lucien had banned everyone from coming."

"Well, that’s our Alpha for you, always a step ahead," Rhea said with a light chuckle. "But... are you alright? You sound a little shaken."

There was a pause on Leia’s end before she spoke again, "Rhea... I caught the scent of my mate."

"What?" Rhea gasped. "Right now? You mean... it’s someone in the mansion? Is it... our Alpha?" she asked, her voice trailing into silence, giving Leia the space to answer.

"Well... it’s all three brothers," Leia finally confessed in a whisper.

There was a brief stunned silence on the line before Rhea practically squealed, "Oh my god! Are you serious? That’s amazing! The Moon Goddess granted you not one, but three mates!"

Leia blinked at her phone, unsure whether to laugh or sigh.

"This is beyond rare, Leia! You should be over the moon!" Rhea gushed. "The Calandrino brothers are powerful, loyal, and completely obsessed with you already. Now they’ll probably treat you like their queen. Just imagine, three alphas wrapped around your finger!"

Leia let out a soft breath, feeling her cheeks warm.

"And your heat? Girl, you’ve got three alphas to help you through it," Rhea added with a mischievous tone. "Honestly, you were already developing feelings for all three. Now the Moon Goddess just gave you a free pass. It’s your destiny to be with them."

Leia rubbed her forehead, her heart fluttering and anxious at once. "You sound more excited than I am..."

"Well, someone has to be, since you’re too overwhelmed to enjoy it," Rhea teased. "Come on, Leia. You’ve been through so much. Maybe this is the blessing you didn’t expect but truly deserve."

"A blessing? How? My mom always wanted me to stay away from wolves," Leia murmured. "Now everything is slipping out of my hands. I—I honestly don’t know how to react to this."

Her confession hung in the air, laden with doubt and the weight of years spent hiding.

Rhea’s tone softened. "Leia, your mom probably had her own fears and reasons. Maybe her experiences shaped that warning. But you’ve seen with your own eyes, wolves aren’t monsters. We live with loyalty, strength, and community. Our packs are our families."

Leia remained quiet, listening.

"And look at the life you’ve had since coming here," Rhea continued gently. "You were hidden for so long, but fate, no, destiny brought you to the Darkmoor Pack. You’ve felt it too, haven’t you? The way things clicked, even if it feels overwhelming now. You found a home here... and now, maybe you’ve found love too."

Leia’s chest rose with a slow inhale.

"Don’t think you have to figure it all out right now," Rhea added. "But don’t push it away either. Just enjoy the moment, girl. I’ll hang up now. You should rest."

"Thanks, Rhea. Your words truly mean a lot," said Leia.

"Mention not. Call me if you feel like sharing anything with me," said Rhea.

"Hmm." The call disconnected and Leia lowered the phone to the mattress.

~~~~~

Around the dining table, the three Alpha brothers sat quietly, focused on their lunch.

Lucien was the first to finish. He sipped his water, then dabbed the corner of his lips with the napkin.

Pushing back his chair, he stood and looked at his brothers.

"I’ll be back late tonight," he said. "In the meantime, I expect you both to act like grown men. Whatever happened earlier in the day, don’t let it happen again."

"Don’t worry. We won’t fight," Ronan assured, leaning back slightly in his chair.

Lucien shifted his gaze to Kieran. "And you, Kieran... I hope you don’t let jealousy cloud your judgment. We all respect Leia, you’re not the only one. You may be special to her, but that doesn’t give you the right to act like you’re above us or start an argument over it."

"I won’t," Kieran replied.

Lucien gave a final glance at them both before stepping away from the table.

"Where are you going?" Ronan called after him.

Lucien didn’t break his stride. "Outside. I have some work," he answered vaguely and walked out.

He stepped into the waiting car and shut the door behind him. Lucien’s sharp gaze fell on Caleb, seated in the front passenger seat, who turned slightly to address him.

"There have been disturbing reports," Caleb began. "Wolves found dead under suspicious circumstances. The signs point toward the use of dark magic."

Lucien’s expression darkened. "Were they from any pack?"

Caleb shook his head. "No. They were lone wolves, rogues or those without a family. That’s probably why it went unnoticed for so long."

Lucien leaned back in his seat, his jaw tightening. "So what’s the reason for this emergency council?"

"As far as I know, the Alpha King wants all Alphas to be on high alert. He’s summoned the council to discuss how widespread the threat is... and who might be behind it."

Lucien glanced out the window, his thoughts turning grim. "If dark magic is truly involved, this isn’t just a threat. The witches are telling us that they want to fight against us."

The car had already driven out of the mansion’s premises, the tall iron gates slowly closing behind them.

"The witches wouldn’t be foolish enough to break the Harmony Pact after decades of peace," Caleb remarked, glancing at Lucien through the rearview mirror.

Lucien’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Who knows what’s going on in their minds? Power has a way of making even the wise reckless. Has there been any suspicious activity reported lately?"

Caleb let out a slow breath. "Not that I’m aware of, Lucien. If something’s happening in the shadows, it’s being kept well hidden."

Lucien leaned back in his seat, tapping his fingers on the leather armrest. "Keep your ears open. If dark magic is stirring, then someone is planning something big."

"Yes, you’re right," Caleb replied with a nod. "The last time wolves and witches clashed was more than five decades ago. That war nearly shattered the entire balance between both races." He paused, then added with a hint of curiosity, "By the way, you’ve still kept Delia captive. What do you plan to do with her? I assumed you’d already sentence her by now."

Lucien’s gaze darkened slightly. "Now that news of witch activity is surfacing again, I plan to make good use of Delia. She’s more valuable alive than dead, for now."

Then, Lucien took a brief pause before speaking, "She has to stay alive until I uncover the truth about Leia’s father. She deserves to know where she comes from, and I intend to find out, no matter how long it takes."

Caleb hummed thoughtfully. "Well, now that she’s your Luna, do you plan to claim her officially anytime soon? The pack’s been without a Luna for a long time, everyone’s waiting for that moment."

Lucien exhaled slowly and leaned back into his seat, his gaze fixed on the passing scenery. "I told you before, Leia isn’t ready. Her heat came unexpectedly and brought a storm of emotions and questions with it. She’s confused, and I won’t take advantage of that. Also, I’m not her only mate. Kieran and Ronan are her mates too. We want her to get over her heat first."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I’ve given her a month. A month to understand her feelings, to listen to her own heart. When she’s ready, I’ll mark her and declare as her the Luna of Darkmoor Pack."

Caleb smiled. "I hope that day comes soon."

"I’ve to find a way to protect her until she doesn’t get my mark," Lucien said.

"For that, Alpha needs to visit a witch for a protection charm," Caleb advised. "But you don’t trust on the witches after what happened in the past."

"I wish there were any trustworthy witch," Lucien murmured when the car came to an abrupt halt and his head almost banged the front seat.

"Sorry, Alpha!" The driver immediately apologized.

"What happened? Why did you stop like that?" Lucien questioned.

"I saw a kid crossing the road suddenly. I’ll check," the driver said and quickly exited the car, followed by Lucien and Caleb.

They rushed to the front of the vehicle and saw a girl lying on the floor with her knee bleeding. However, what confused them the girl wasn’t crying at all.