Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 147: Elira’s Power

ELIRA POV

The Shadow Lord’s claws raked across my chest, and something inside me burst.

Silver light burst from my body like a bomb going off. The Shadow Lord screamed and flew backward, hitting the cave wall so hard that rocks fell from the roof. Where his claws had touched me, there were no wounds—just glowing silver marks that hummed with power.

"What the hell?" I gasped, looking at my hands. They were shining like moonlight.

I’d been running from Shadow Lords for three days, ever since they’d attacked our refugee camp. I was tired, hungry, and frightened. The last thing I’d expected was to suddenly turn into a human flashlight.

The Shadow Lord pulled himself off the ground, his red eyes fixed on me with a mixture of fear and hunger.

"Impossible," he hissed. "The bloodline was destroyed centuries ago."

"What bloodline?" I demanded, but he was already backing toward the cave mouth.

"The others must know," he mumbled. "She’s here. The Goddess-born is here."

He disappeared into the night, leaving me alone with my bright hands and a thousand questions.

Goddess-born? What was he talking about?

I tried to make the light go away, but it wouldn’t listen. If anything, it got brighter when I focused on it. Great. Now I was a walking target for every Shadow Lord in the area.

I had to find the others. Had to tell them about what was happening.

It took me two hours to make it back to our secret camp. When I finally stumbled through the barrier spell, I found chaos. People were running everywhere, packing supplies and guns.

"Elira!" My best friend Maya rushed over to me. "Thank the Moon Goddess you’re safe. We have to leave. Now." freёwebnoѵel.com

"What’s happening?" I asked, though I had a terrible feeling I already knew.

"Shadow Lords," Maya said grimly. "Dozens of them, going this way. Someone said they’re looking for someone special."

My stomach dropped. Me. They were looking for me.

"We need to talk to Elder Thorne," I said. "Right now."

Maya looked at me strangely. "Elira, are you glowing?"

I looked down at my hands. The silver light was still there, though it had faded a little. "It’s complicated."

We found Elder Thorne near the center of camp, arguing with some of the other pack leaders about which way to run. When he saw me, his face went white.

"Elira," he said softly. "Show me your hands."

I held them up, and the silver light flared brighter. Several people gasped and stepped back.

"It’s true then," Elder Thorne whispered. "After all these years, it’s finally happening."

"What’s true?" I asked, getting irritated. "What’s happening? And why does everyone keep acting like they know something I don’t?"

Elder Thorne looked around at all the people watching us. "Not here," he said. "Come with me."

He led me away from the crowd to a small tent at the edge of camp. Inside, he pulled out an old book that looked like it might fall apart if you breathed on it too hard.

"Elira," he said slowly, "what do you know about your family history?"

"Nothing special," I said. "My parents died when I was little. I was raised by the pack. Why?"

"Because your parents lied to protect you," Elder Thorne said. "Your real mother wasn’t just a pack member. She was something much more important."

He opened the old book and showed me a drawing of a woman who looked exactly like me. Same dark hair, same green eyes, same stubborn chin.

"This is Selene," Elder Thorne said. "The first Moon Goddess. The mother of all werewolves."

I stared at the picture. "That’s impossible. The Moon Goddess isn’t real. She’s just a story."

"The current Moon Goddess is real," Elder Thorne said. "But she wasn’t the first. Selene was mortal once, thousands of years ago. She became a goddess to save her people from the first Shadow Lords."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with me?"

"Selene had children before she became a goddess," Elder Thorne stated. "Her bloodline lived, hidden and protected for generations. Your mother was her direct cousin."

The silver light in my hands pulsed brighter. "So I’m what, part goddess?"

"You carry the original Moon power," Elder Thorne said. "The power that can destroy Shadow Lords forever. That’s why they’re hunting you. And that’s why your parents had to fake their deaths and hide you."

My world turned. "My parents are alive?"

"I don’t know," Elder Thorne said sadly. "They disappeared sixteen years ago when the Shadow Lords got too close. I never heard from them again."

I felt like I was going to throw up. My parents were alive? Maybe? And I had goddess powers? And now the Shadow Lords wanted to kill me because of it?

"This is too much," I said, backing toward the tent door. "I can’t handle this." "Elira, wait—"

But I was already running. I pushed through the camp, ignoring people calling my name, and kept running until I hit the forest.

I fell against a tree trunk, gasping for air. The silver light was getting stronger, spreading up my arms like liquid moonlight. It should have been beautiful, but it just made me feel more alone.

All my life, I’d felt like I didn’t belong anywhere. I wasn’t strong enough to be a fighter. I wasn’t smart enough to be a healer. I was just... regular.

Now I found out I was the opposite of ordinary, and somehow that felt even worse.

"Having a little crisis, are we?"

I spun around to find a woman standing behind me. She was tall and elegant, with silver hair and eyes that looked old.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I think you know," she said with a sad smile. "Hello, granddaughter."

My breath caught. The resemblance was obvious. This was Selene. The original Moon Goddess.

"You’re dead," I whispered.

"Death is complicated for goddesses," she said. "I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you, Elira. Waiting for your power to awaken."

"I don’t want power," I said. "I just want to be normal."

"Normal people can’t save the world," Selene said softly. "And the world needs saving. The Shadow Lords have found a way to corrupt the present Moon Goddess. Soon, she’ll be turned fully, and then there will be no one left to protect the supernatural races."

"What about Aria? She’s related to the Moon Goddess."

"Aria’s connection will be severed when the goddess falls," Selene said. "Only you can stop what’s coming. Only the original gene can cleanse the corruption."

"How?"

Selene’s expression got grim. "You have to kill her."

"What?" I stepped backward. "You want me to kill the Moon Goddess?"

"She’s already dying," Selene said. "The Shadow rot is eating her alive. If you don’t stop her suffering soon, she’ll become something worse than the Shadow Lords ever were."

"I can’t kill a goddess!"

"You can," Selene said. "Because you are one. The power in your blood is stronger than hers ever was. But Elira, you have to choose soon. Every day you wait, more people die."

"How long do I have?"

"Three days," Selene said. "After that, the graft will be complete. The Moon Goddess will become the Shadow Queen, and every magical being on Earth will become her slave."

I felt the weight of the world resting on my shoulders. "What if I can’t do it? What if I’m not strong enough?"

"Then everyone you love will die," Selene said simply. "But I believe in you. I’ve been watching you your whole life, Elira. You’re better than you know."

She started to fade away like mist.

"Wait!" I called out. "What about my parents? Are they alive?"

Selene stopped. "Ask your friend Maya about the night she found you as a baby. Ask her why she never told you the truth about who brought you to the pack."

"Maya?" I said, confused. "But she’s only two years older than me. She was just a kid when—"

But Selene was gone, leaving me alone in the forest with my glowing hands and a terrible new understanding.

Maya had lied to me. About everything.

I ran back toward camp, my mind racing. Maya had been my best friend for sixteen years. She’d been the one person I’d always trusted totally.

But when I reached the camp, Maya was gone. Her tent was empty, her things missing.

On my sleeping bag, she’d left a note.

I’m sorry, Elira. I never wanted to hurt you. But some lies are too dangerous to keep. The Shadow Lords have my real family. If I don’t bring you to them by tomorrow night, they’ll kill everyone I love.

I hope someday you can forgive me.

- Maya

P.S. Your folks aren’t dead. They’re slaves. If you come freely, I can save them too.

I crumpled the note in my shaking hands. My best friend had wronged me. My parents were living but captured. And in three days, I had to kill a goddess or watch the world end.

The silver light blazed brighter as my feelings spiraled out of control.

And somewhere in the distance, I heard the screaming of Shadow Lords getting closer.