Chapter 2 The oracle's price

Amara's heart slammed against her ribs as she pulled the triplets through the underworld's rain-drenched streets, the storm's howl swallowing their footsteps. Her boots splashed in muddy puddles, cold seeping through her cloak, but she didn't stop. Kael's small hand was slick in hers, his silver eyes darting to the shadows, wide with fear. Lira clung to her other hand, her wild curls plastered to her pale face, her whimpers sharp against the wind. Soren stumbled behind, his gray eyes fixed on the sky, as if the lightning spoke to him. Lucien's roar...

"Amara!" echoed in her mind, raw and desperate, mixed with the creature's screech, its red eyes burning. She'd left him bleeding in the alley, his claws slashing, his silver eyes blazing, and the guilt tore at her like claws.

"Mama, is he dead?" Kael asked, his voice sharp, cutting through the storm's roar. His silver eyes, so like Lucien's, searched hers, too knowing for a three-year-old.

His gift...seeing the past of anyone he touched ,had shown him Lucien's bloodied hands when he'd grabbed her cloak in the alley, and it scared him.

"No, Kael,"

Amara said, her voice shaky, pulling him closer.

"He's strong. He's alive."

She hoped it was true, picturing Lucien's broad shoulders, his claws lethal, his Alpha command bending the world. But that creature...half-flesh, half-smoke, its obsidian claws glinting,wasn't natural. It hunted them, and Amara's gut twisted. Was it the Oracle? Her punishment for lying, for stealing a place that wasn't hers?

"He was bleeding,"

Kael said, his voice low, his small face pale under the rain.

"I saw it, Mama. His side, all red. Because of us."

Amara's heart cracked, guilt flooding her.

"It's not your fault," she said, kneeling despite the mud, cupping his face.

"You're my light, Kael. None of this is on you." Her fingers trembled, brushing his wet hair, and she fought tears. Kael's visions were a curse, showing him her betrayal, Lucien's pain. She hated that he carried it.

"Mama, I'm scared," Lira whimpered, her green eyes wide, her small hand gripping Amara's cloak. Her curls bounced, even wet, but her voice shook.

"The dark's bad. The thing's coming." Amara's stomach knotted. Lira's dreams had warned of a "bad thing," a shadow with red eyes, and now it was real.

"You're safe with me," Amara said, forcing a smile, her voice soft. She lifted Lira, her small body warm against her chest, and kissed her forehead, careful not to linger. Lira's gift,erasing memories with a kiss,had flared once, stealing a song from Soren's mind, and it terrified Amara.

"You're so brave, my heart."

Soren stopped, his pale face glowing under a flickering neon sign...Bludhaven,its red light casting shadows.

"They're watching," he whispered, his gray eyes distant, a cold breeze swirling around him. Amara's skin prickled. Soren's gift,summoning spirits,made the air heavy, whispers brushing her ears, too faint to understand.

"Who's watching, Soren?" she asked, her voice low, scanning the street. Neon signs flickered,Shadow's End, Crimson Den,their glow barely piercing the rain.

The air smelled of wet stone and blood, the underworld's alleys a maze of danger. Her Celestian instincts hummed, guiding her to a safehouse she'd hidden years ago, its pull a light in her veins.

"The old ones," Soren said, his voice eerie, his gray eyes unblinking.

"They know we're here. They want her." He pointed at Lira, and Amara's blood ran cold. Lira's dreams, her power,something was after her.

"No one's taking her," Amara said, her voice fierce, pulling them into a narrow alley. Its walls were scrawled with witch runes, glowing faintly, warning of predators. Her glow stirred, a soft light under her skin, and she whispered a Celestian word, calming the runes.

"Stay close," she said, her hand tightening on Kael's, Lira in her arms, Soren at her side.

"Why does he want us, Mama?" Kael asked, his silver eyes sharp, his voice insistent. "The man with your past. I saw you with him. You were happy, then sad." Amara flinched, her throat tightening. Kael's visions had shown him Lucien's touch, their nights in the mansion, the Oracle's ritual. She hated that he knew her shame.

"He's your father," she said, the words heavy, tasting like truth and lies. "He loves you, Kael. But it's... complicated." She couldn't explain Lucien,the Alpha who ruled with fear, whose wolf claimed them, whose gaze had burned her three years ago. In his mansion, under moonlight, his voice had been soft, promising safety, but safety was a lie.

"Why'd you leave him?" Lira asked, her voice small, her green eyes curious. She nestled closer, her curls tickling Amara's chin, and Amara's chest ached. Lira's innocence was a knife, cutting through her secrets.

"I had to keep you safe," Amara said, her voice breaking.

"The Oracle... it wants things I can't let it have."

She couldn't say it,the triplets' purpose, their powers, the destruction they were meant to bring. Not when Lira's dreams grew darker, Kael's visions heavier, Soren's spirits stronger.

"Safe from him?" Kael asked, his voice sharp, his silver eyes narrowing. "He's angry, Mama. I saw him hurt people. Is he bad?"

"No," Amara said, too quickly, her heart racing. "He's not bad, Kael. He's... lost. Like us." She pictured Lucien's silver eyes, his rare smiles, the way he'd fought for them in the alley. She'd loved him once, in stolen moments, before her lie,the Celestian blood she hid, the surrogate she'd killed,broke them.

The alley opened to a crumbling warehouse, its rusted door swaying in the wind. Amara shoved it open, the hinges groaning, and pulled the triplets inside. The air smelled of damp wood and oil, the floor littered with broken crates. Moonlight spilled through a shattered skylight, casting jagged shadows. She barred the door, her hands shaking, and sank to the floor, the triplets huddling against her.

"We're safe now," she said, her voice soft, pulling them close. Their warmth grounded her, but guilt choked her. Three years ago, she'd killed the real surrogate, her Celestian blood wild under a full moon, and taken her place. The Oracle's magic had bound her to Lucien, to the triplets, but it was a curse. They were guardians of destruction, born to end the Alpha bloodline, and Lira's dreams were proof the darkness was coming.

"Mama, tell me about Father," Lira said, her voice trembling, her green eyes wide. "Is he like Kael? Strong?"

Amara's throat tightened, picturing Lucien's broad

frame, his claws, his silver eyes. "He's strong, Lira," she said, her voice soft. "Like Kael, but... fiercer. He fights for what's his. He fought for you tonight."

"Then why can't we stay with him?" Soren asked, his gray eyes piercing, his voice eerie. "The spirits say he's close. He's coming."

Amara's heart leaped, fear and longing twisting together. Lucien's scent,pine and blood,lingered in her memory, his pursuit relentless.

"Because it's not safe," she said, her voice firm. "Not yet." She brushed Soren's pale hair, her fingers lingering, and he leaned into her, his warmth a reminder of why she ran.

"I don't want him to find us," Kael said, his voice low, his silver eyes hard. "He's angry, Mama. I saw it. He'll take us away."

"No one's taking you," Amara said, her voice fierce, hugging them tighter. "I promise, Kael. You're mine." Her tears fell, hot against her cold skin, and she whispered, "I'll keep you safe, no matter what."

A crash shattered the silence, the door rattling, and Amara froze, her heart pounding. Footsteps circled the warehouse, heavy, unnatural. "Amara," a voice hissed, cold and ancient, like the Oracle itself. "You can't hide the children forever. They belong to me." Her blood ran cold, her glow flaring.

"Behind the crates, now!" she whispered, shoving the triplets toward the shadows. Kael pulled Lira and Soren, their eyes wide, and Amara stood, her hands glowing. "Stay away from them!" she shouted, her voice steady despite the fear. The door splintered, red eyes glowing, the creature's screech shaking the walls. Her glow burned brighter, starlight scorching the air, but the voice laughed, cruel and cold.

"You're too late," it said, and the creature lunged, claws glinting.