Page 3 of The Alpha's Triplets

“This was done to preserve the peace between the packs, and also to ensure the continuity of both lines. This was in the aftermath of the blood wars and the human scourges. Both our pack and theirs were hit the hardest, and this pact was a merger of sorts.

“Anyway, the alphas and elders from both packs came together and took a blood oath together, each wolf adding his blood to the seal. There were two identical seals, one here, and one with the Yellow Cicada pack.

“The sole condition of this oath was that ten generations down the line, the alpha of the Yellow Cicada pack would marry a woman from the Moon Shadow pack, and vice versa. For years, the seals were dormant. That was until Blake became the alpha, awaking his seal.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened. “Wait, you mean—”

“Yep,” he said, nodding his head. “When Blake became the alpha of the Yellow Cicada pack, he became the tenth alpha since the oath was made, triggering the seal. You saw the rock on the velvet cushion?”

Eleanor nodded.

“That’s the seal. The markings on it are the blood of the clan leaders that solidified the oath. The seal selects his mate. The markings will light up as soon as the right woman touches it. So far, nothing has happened and we’re starting to get worried.”

The words were coming in a torrential flood for Eleanor and she struggled to make sense of all of it. How had she never heard about this before? She didn’t think it was possible for her to have heard and forgot.

Or had she? She doubted it. It didn’t seem like the kind of information that one could forget lightly. She found it both laughable and uncomfortable.

She knew that blood magic existed, and she knew all about the rogue vampire who her brother had helped fight, but she’d never thought she would witness it in person.

The idea of some ancient rock picking a mate for Blake seemed pitiful. He was her brother’s best friend, and where Xander was a perpetually overcast sky, Blake was a ray of sunshine in contrast.

Still, she couldn’t imagine he was thrilled about this whole arrangement, and she said as much to her brother.

“What do you think?” Xander replied. “He’s livid. We only found out about this a few weeks ago. We knew about the oath, but we didn’t think so much time had gone by. At least, we were hoping.

“Anyway, we tried asking the elders for alternatives but they said the oath was set in stone. Literally. The rules are clear and closed to personal translation. Blake can’t even stand to watch. God knows who the seal is going to pick. Also, it’s a blood oath and there’s no way he’s wiggling out of it. We asked.”

“Wow. That’s a lot. I mean, I can’t believe they would force anyone to uphold such an outdated tradition in this day and age.” Eleanor turned to watch the line of women walking into the house.

The crowd had thinned significantly, and there was only a fraction left of the initial crowd of people. The seal had still not found a suitable mate, it seemed. A thought crossed her mind. “Have you thought about what happens if it doesn’t select a mate?”

“I’m trying not to think about that,” Xander confessed after a long pause. “The instruction manual doesn’t tell us what to do in that eventuality.” He looked at the line of women and frowned. “I do admit that’s a problem, though.”

They watched the procession silently for a few minutes in silence before Xander remembered that he had been on his way out before running into his sister. Knowing him, Eleanor figured he was probably on his way to meet with his alpha friends from the neighboring packs in Starlight Valley.

She watched him drive off, and then turned back toward the house. She still felt a slight ache in her head, but she felt infinitely better than she’d felt a few hours ago. Now, all she wanted to do was have a long shower and sleep the rest of the day.

The traffic inside the house had reduced significantly and she headed straight for the staircase. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and glanced back at the ancient rock. Another woman had it in her hands and after several seconds, no strange light appeared on the markings.

The elders looked tired and frustrated, and she felt sorry for them. They’d probably been at it for hours, and now they were probably wondering what Xander was thinking. What happened if the seal didn’t pick a mate? What next?

Eleanor blinked and realized that she was standing a few feet from the table in the center of the living room. Confused, she looked at the black rock, and then up at the weary faces of the elders. The woman who had been making her way forward had stopped, and everyone was watching Eleanor quietly.

She had no idea how she’d gotten into the room. One moment she’d been on her way to her bedroom, the next she was standing face-to-face with the obsidian rock.

She turned around sharply and walked out of the room, befuddled. She didn’t stop walking until she was safely behind her bedroom door. Her heart was racing in her chest, but she didn’t know why.

She shrugged out of her clothes and stepped into the shower. She shut her eyes and saw the intricate markings on the seal in her mind. She tried to push out the images, but the harder she tried, the more vividly the image of the rock shone in her mind.

She blanked her mind and focused only on the sound of running water. Only then did the image fade from her mind. After her shower, she slumped into her bed and let out a deep sigh.

She thought about the women who had queued up to test the seal and felt bad for them. Down there was a woman who was about to be made to marry a man she knew absolutely nothing about, just because some old geezers hundreds of years ago had made a decision to swear a blood oath.

The thought of some small-town girl going through that left Eleanor feeling sad. Never mind what her dreams, goals, or ambitions were. She would be expected to put it all to the side and marry a total stranger. No one deserved to go through that.

She had no idea when she fell asleep, but she knew she must have slept. The sound of her phone ringing was what woke her up. She glanced down at the screen with groggy eyes and saw Carla’s name and picture. She yawned and picked up the phone.

“Hey, girl!” Carla’s voice was high-pitched and excited, as usual. “So you won’t believe what just happened. Annie just told me the most ridiculous story. Hold on, let me add her to the call.”

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