The Triplet Alphas' Curse: Rejected by the Wolfless Luna.

Chapter 182: Episode 182.

Dawn had barely broken across the kingdom when Aire entered the war room again. She’d hadn’t slept a wink.

The chamber remained crowded despite the hour.

Maps covered nearly every available surface, as the plan had already commenced. Reports arrived constantly, of the current state of the borders.

Xander stood near the center table reviewing eastern routes while Alaric spoke quietly with several commanders nearby.

Nate leaned against one wall with both arms folded across his chest.

The moment Aire entered, all three males looked up.

Xander’s expression changed first. "You should have remained in your room." He told her slowly.

Aire stopped walking immediately. "I can’t remain in my room."

Xander sighed. "Aire."

She continued toward the table anyway. "The eastern villages are already moving from reports."

"Exactly."

Aire reached the map. She dropped a finger on the map, and met his eyes. "Which is why I’ll be joining you."

"No." He refused. This time the refusal came sharper.

Aire lifted one eyebrow.

Xander pointed toward the map. "The situation is unstable."

"And?"

"I am not certain how safe it will be."

Aire almost laughed. Nothing was safe anymore. She couldn’t even breathe in her room.

She wasn’t scared, but the dungeon incident still followed her around unconsciously. Her heart was so unstable for her to be away from her mates. Nate most especially.

Nate finally stepped forward. He could feel her refusal through the bond, but he decided to try. "I agree with him."

Aire looked toward him.

Nate held her gaze calmly. "The people are already agitated."

"Then they can be agitated while looking at me."

Nate frowned. "Aire."

"No."

Her voice cut through the room, firm and authoritative. Even the commanders nearby immediately fell silent.

Aire looked between all three males.

"I am not remaining hidden inside castle walls while thousands of people are forced from their homes."

Nobody answered, because she was right.

Her voice softened slightly. She turned to Nate. "I can’t stay in my room all day. Especially with so many wolves about to arrive in the castle grounds," she admitted.

Pain crossed Alaric’s face. He knew she referred to the dungeon incident. He let out a long breath.

Xander looked away first.

Nate exhaled sharply through his nose, almost blaming himself again. However, he held back when he remembered she’d feel it through the bond.

He already knew he had lost.

Aire watched all three of them. "I wasn’t asking." She informed them, just in case they missed the point.

....

The eastern roads looked worse than she imagined when they finally arrived.

Thousands of wolves filled the valley with wagons stretched endlessly across the landscape.

Families packed their belongings, and children cried around. Arguments erupted constantly, not understanding the sudden evacuation.

Soldiers struggled to keep pathways clear.

The entire territory looked as though it was preparing to flee from the end of the world.

Xanden had told everyone not to mention the war or Aire’s vision to the common wolves, to prevent more panic than what they’d get today.

Aire remained inside the carriage while they approached.

The atmosphere felt strange, heavy, and somewhat wrong. Her fingers unconsciously clenched her gown softly by the sides.

Nate straightened immediately afterward. He could feel her nervousness.

Alaric’s wolf stirred uneasily, being seated so close to Nate. He knew he should have taken another carriage.

The carriage rolled to a stop.

Aire reached for the door, but Xander immediately moved first. He opened the door, and stepped down.

Nate followed, and then Alaric.

Everyone bowed the moment the three Alphas stepped down. Only afterward did Aire emerge.

The moment her boots touched the ground, everything and everyone stopped.

Aire froze when they stopped. A man loading supplies, a woman carrying blankets, and even the workers unloading carts paused.

Every eye turned toward her, and silence spread outward like a wave.

Aire blinked, confused. Everything looked staged, like they had planned to come demn her with their eyes before she stepped down.

She looked around slowly, then offered a small smile.

"Good morning." She greated softly.

Nobody answered.

The silence grew heavier.

Aire felt it immediately. The hatred hit her before the words did. She could feel their watered towards her.

Thousands of eyes were fixed directly on her, visibly judging and codemning her.

Aire’s smile slowly faded.

Someone finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"It should have been obvious." A woman began, bitter and older. The crowd stirred immediately, as they unfroze.

Aire looked toward the voice.

The woman pointed directly at her. "It should have been obvious from the beginning."

Murmurs erupted immediately, as the wolves agreed in unison.

Aire frowned faintly.

"That the Moon Goddess rejected you." The woman went on. Agreement erupted instantly. Their voices rose from every direction.

"She’s cursed!"

"Nothing was wrong before she arrived!"

"The Goddess warned us!"

"The signs were there!"

Aire stood perfectly still.

The words crashed into her from all sides. More voices joined in, louder, and angrier. Aire swallowed. She genuinely thought they were way past this.

"We welcomed her!"

"And look what happened!"

"Our villages are said to be destroyed!"

"Wolves are now missing!"

Every accusation struck harder than the last. Aire could barely process them.

The crowd continued.

"An illegitimate wolf becoming Luna?"

"This was always going to happen."

Nate moved towards the first woman who broke the silence. The growl that left him shook the ground beneath them.

Several wolves immediately fell silent in fear.

Aire touched his arm gently. "You won’t scare off the people we came for," she told him softly.

The growl stopped.

Nate looked down with wondering eyed.

She shook her head, and looked back toward the crowd.

The crowd went on again, believing the Alphas won’t contradict her words, more wolves began speaking again.

"The Moon Goddess never accepted her!"

"She never received a blessing!"

"The Goddess has remained silent since she came!" Someone spat so bitterly. "And now we’re paying for it!"

Aire swallowed. She suddenly felt very small emotionally. She slowly had flash backs to the first time she walked through the castle doors.

A young mother stepped forward.

Tears burned in her eyes. "My husband went missing last month." She whimpered, searching Aire’s eyes, as if searching for her dark side.

The crowd quieted slightly.

The woman pointed directly at Aire.

"My husband." Her voice broke. "He was healthy, but ended up receiving punishment from the moon goddess because of you."

Aire’s chest tightened immediately. She swallowed, and scanned the surroundings. A few wolves had begun loading the wagons again, and that was what mattered.

The mother looked devastated. Every single wolf on the ground except the ones from the castle ground stared at her with hate.

A wolf suddenly threw something.

It was a small stone, but it was targeted directly at Aire’s eyes. The only reason it never reached her was because Xanden caught it before it could.

The stone shattered inside his hand.

The crowd immediately stepped back.

Nate’s eyes glowed, but Alaric moved first, and he let him.

The crowd immediately recoiled. Fear rippled through the wolves nearest the front.

Nobody moved now, just Alaric. He had been observing every single wolf, so he knew who threw that stone.

He was already walking before most realized it. He moved through the crowd without hurry, or hesitation.

The wolf who had thrown the stone seemed to realize too late what was happening.

He took one step backward.

Alaric’s backhand caught him across the face hard enough to throw him into the mud.

The crack echoed across the valley, and several wolves gasped.

The man hit the ground violently. Blood immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Nobody dared help him.

Alaric stared down at him with cold golden eyes.

"Chain him." He ordered.

Two castle guards moved instantly.

The wolf tried to rise, but a boot slammed into his chest and forced him back down. Alaric stared down at him.

"Please—"

"Chain him." Alaric ordered again, colder now, and more like a warning to everyone, and even the guards, if they make him repeat himself.

The guards obeyed immediately. Iron restraints snapped around the man’s wrists.

The entire crowd had gone silent now.

Alaric finally looked around at the villagers. No one was growling, or shouting anymore.

"Anyone else?" He challenged them, towering above most of them with his full height.

Aire stood beside the carriage completely still. Even she hadn’t expected that. She could swear that he was always the gentle one.

Alaric’s gaze swept across the crowd.

"Throw another." He urged.

Nobody moved.

"Go on." He nudged his head towards Aire. His voice remained calm. "Let me see who else thinks attacking a Luna is courage, mlMoon Goddess or not." He dared softly.

The villagers lowered their eyes immediately.

The man in chains was dragged upright, and blood dripped from his split lip, as he healed.

Alaric never looked at him again. "Take him to the castle." He told his guards.