Fated to the Alpha–And His Triplet Brothers

Chapter 78: Danger

**~ Cyrius’s POV ~**

I dashed after her, into the crumbling ruins of the old building.

The air inside was thick cold and damp, with the heavy scent of moss and dust. The aura clung to my skin like a warning. Something terrible had happened here before. Maybe magic. Maybe blood. Maybe both.

I adjusted the twins, wrapped in cloth around my back. Their warmth pressed into me, steady and fragile. I kept one hand on them and the other ready at my side.

I spotted her silhouette tucked in the corner.

I moved carefully. Just as I turned around the pillar..

Steel met my throat.

A sharp dagger pressed into my neck, and I froze.

Her breath was shaky. Her brown eyes wide with fear, shimmering with tears—but her hand didn’t tremble. She was scared, yes, but brave.

I reacted quickly.

I knocked the blade aside and shoved her backward. She slammed against the cracked wall with a grunt. I closed the distance between us before she could recover, pinning her with one hand.

And then...Heather cried.

A soft, high-pitched wail. Muffled but undeniable. The girl’s expression twisted in confusion, her gaze darting to the babies strapped against my back.

She hadn’t expected that.

"What do you want?" she whispered, voice trembling, breath shallow.

I stared her down. "Your help," I said, voice low. "You. Your coven. The rest of Dahlia’s witches...what’s left of them."

Her lips parted. "Dahlia?"

"Don’t lie to me," I growled. "I’ve seen her. And you" I glanced her up and down. "You have her eyes. You move like her. You smell like her. You are one of them."

"I.." she started, but I wasn’t in the mood.

I pressed my arm across her throat. Just enough to make her cough.

"I don’t want games. I’ll end you right now. Then I’ll find the others and end them too. So choose wisely. Help me or die."

She gasped. "We..we don’t have anything left!" she choked out. "There’s nothing to help you with! We’ve lost everything. Our powers. Our anchor. Dahlia is dead. Our Queen Mother is gone. Without her, we’re not witches. We’re just women now. Human."

I narrowed my eyes. "You’re lying."

She shook her head, desperate. "You think we want this? You think we chose to live in hiding, powerless? We need her too."

I looked at her for a long moment. My jaw clenched. My fingers flexed against my palm. And then, finally..I spoke.

"I’m on your side."

Her eyebrows knit. "What?"

"I said—I’m on Dahlia’s side," I repeated. "She found me. Woke me from the coffin. Promised to help me become a Crescent. Promised me power. In exchange, I promised her the babies."

Her eyes widened.

She looked past me—toward the twins, now silent but watchful, pressed against my back.

"Are they—?" she whispered.

prophesied ones. The reason for all of this. And

seeing holy relics.

not your enemy," I said. "But I will become one if you waste my

suddenly, she straightened back to the wall, eyes

quickly. "If what you say is true, they’ll be hunting you. They’ll find you. The High

that already," I

blood ties. If they catch a whiff of one of those babies, they’ll sniff you out

"What do I do?"

over her shoulder—then back to

Lay low. I’ll gather the others. I’ll call a meeting with

eyes. "And you expect me to trust

she said honestly. "But

I paused.

Fair enough.

necklace from around her neck. It was a simple charm. A black stone, cracked in the center, with a small

have left of Dahlia’s protection. It doesn’t cast magic anymore. But it carries

said you lost

anymore," she said. "I didn’t say we were

raised an eyebrow. "You sound a lot

softly. "We all sound like

looked down at the

"But only once. If I

at the East Gate wall. A crow’s blood

...

left New Orleans just

deep down..I knew she was

realize their Alpha’s heirs were missing. And not just missing..twins. That alone would set off every siren in the pack. The moment their wolves caught the scent of

So I ran.

didn’t go far. Just past the edge of

and wild forest begins. I didn’t want to go too far, in

So I waited.

day, I stayed hidden beneath the twisted branches of a pine grove. At dusk, I used the time to care for the twins. I fed them coconut milk I’d saved from earlier and managed to change their clothes thanks to a nearby

Technically, I paid.

stole the

I didn’t

for the babies. That counts for

and

me and tucked it inside my shirt. I cradled the twins close and sped toward the East Gate wall.

There were wolves everywhere.

had already started locking down the border.

the crow’s blood mark just like she’d told me to and it led me into a thick forest beyond the gate. The deeper I went,

Then..figures stepped out.

Three of them.

Moving like

I tensed.

the babies

near the dagger beneath

pulled

was her. The witch from

softly, "I’d find you with

She turned and gestured.

in silence, the forest growing denser around us. We moved for several minutes until the path opened—and in

center, encircled by stones, ashes, and glowing runes. The scent of herbs and burnt magic filled

then they emerged dozens

from the shadows of the hut. All women. Some old, some young. All of them murmuring,

One stepped forward.

cut through

at me. "This is a trap. This is