Knotted By The Three Feral Alphas

The trail into the dead mountains was narrower than I remembered. Snow had drifted high against the black rock, and the wind howled through the passes like it was trying to push us back. My horse snorted steam probably from exhaustion, it’s ears pinned flat focusing on the road. I rode in the middle exactly like I promised, hand on my belly the whole time. The flutter in my belly was constant now, small kicks that felt more urgent with every mile.

Darius rode on my left, his ice-blue eyes scanning the cliffs. Kane stayed on my right, knife ready, storm-gray stare never leaving the trail ahead. Rylan scouted a few lengths in front, axe across his saddle, but every few minutes he’d glance back at me like he expected the witch to appear out of the snow.

The wind howled through the dead mountains like it wanted us gone. Snow fell harder now, thick flakes sticking to my lashes and melting down my neck.

The mark on my chest burned hotter the deeper we went. It felt like it was reaching for the baby, trying to pull it out. I pressed my palm harder against my belly and whispered inside my head, so quiet even the bond might not catch it. ’Stay with me. We’re almost there.’

By midday the nausea hit again. I leaned forward and threw up into the snow without stopping the horse. Darius reined in beside me, one hand on my back. "We can rest."

"No," I rasped, wiping my mouth. "We don’t have time. We keep moving."

Kane handed me a skin of water. His scarred fingers brushed mine. "The curse is pushing harder because of the pregnancy. I can feel it in the bond. My wolf is closer to the surface than it’s been in weeks."

Rylan circled back. His grin was gone. "Mine too. If we don’t reach her soon, one of us might not make it back."

I looked at the three of them. The bond hummed between us, fierce and warm, but I felt the strain underneath it. The curse was chewing at them because of the baby. The pack was cracking behind us.

We pushed on and rode further for almost a day.

The witch’s hut eventually appeared at the end of the narrow path just as the light started to fade. Smoke curled from the bone chimney.

The witch stood in front of her stone hut, staff glowing faint red at the tip, her cracked-ice eyes fixed on my belly.

She smiled when she saw my hand on my belly. "The child quickens. I can feel it from here. Less than two days until the full moon. You know the price."

I got off my horse and stepped forward before the brothers could stop me. My legs shook from the ride and the morning sickness that had hit me twice on the trail, but the latent alpha blood kept me upright. The flutter inside me kicked hard, almost frantic, like the kid could feel the witch’s stare and was already fighting back.

"I’m not giving you the child," I said. My voice came out raw. "Take what you want from me instead. My blood. My alpha line. My life if you have to. But the child stays with us."

The witch laughed, dry leaves scraping together. "Brave words from you, girl. The child is already tied to the curse. You give it up, or one of your kings dies when the moon turns red. Those are the terms I set twenty years ago. They don’t bend because you bare your teeth."

Darius moved up beside me. His hand settled low on my belly, warm and steady. The bond pushed his cold rage straight into my chest. Kane and Rylan closed in on either side, wolves so close to the surface I could feel their claws itching under their skin.

I looked the witch dead in the eye. "Then change the terms. Or I’ll burn this hut with you inside it and find another way to break the curse myself."

The witch’s smile widened, slow and terrible. She lifted the staff and pointed it at my belly. The air crackled. Pain lanced through me, sharp and deep, like claws raking inside my ribs. I gasped and doubled over. The flutter in my belly turned into something stronger, a hard contraction that made my knees buckle.

Darius caught me before I hit the snow. "Elena!"

The witch’s voice cut through the wind. "The child is coming tonight. The bond made it quick. The full moon is rising. Choose now. The child or one king dies."

Another contraction hit, harder this time. I felt warm fluid trickle down my thighs under the cloak. My water had broken. The baby was coming right here, right now, in the middle of the dead mountains while the witch watched.

I grabbed Darius’s arm, my nails digging in while I moaned. "It’s happening. The baby is coming!"

Kane was already moving, clearing snow from a flat rock and spreading his cloak over it. Rylan dropped to his knees beside me, hands shaking as he helped me down. Darius stayed on his feet, ice-blue eyes locked on the witch, claws fully out.

The witch laughed again. "Perfect timing. The child will be born under the full moon. Give it to me the moment it draws breath and I lift the curse completely. Refuse and the kings go rogue while you bleed out in the snow."

I screamed as another contraction ripped through me. The pain was blinding, but the latent alpha blood pushed back, keeping me conscious. I felt the child moving lower, fast, too fast for a normal pregnancy. The triple bond had sped everything up from the first night.

Darius knelt beside me, one hand on my belly, the other gripping my hand. "Breathe. We’re here. All of us."

Kane tore strips from his own cloak to wipe my face. Rylan stayed at my feet, eyes wide but steady. "Push when you feel it. We’ve got you."

The contractions came faster. I pushed through the pain, teeth gritted, the bond feeding me the brothers’ strength like fuel. The witch stood a few feet away, staff glowing brighter, watching every second like it was entertainment.

One final push and the baby slid into Rylan’s hands. A cry split the night, small and fierce. Rylan wrapped the newborn in his cloak, eyes shining as he held it up.

"It’s a girl," he said, voice cracking. "She’s perfect."

The witch stepped closer, staff pointed at the baby. "The price is due. Give her to me and the curse ends tonight. Refuse and the kings start tearing each other apart while you bleed."

I reached for my daughter, tears mixing with sweat on my face. Darius placed her in my arms. She was tiny, warm, with a shock of dark hair and eyes that already looked too aware. The bond snapped fully into place the moment I touched her. The curse in the brothers eased, their wolves settling for the first time since I met them.

But it wasn’t gone. I could still feel it, a shadow at the edge of the bond.

I looked up at the witch, my daughter cradled against my chest. "She stays with me. Take the rest of the curse from them. Take it from all of us. Or I swear on her life I will burn everything you have left."

The witch’s eyes narrowed. The staff glowed brighter. Snow swirled around us like a storm.

"Time is almost up," she whispered and cackled. "The full moon rises in hours. The choice is still yours."

The baby cried again, small and fierce. The brothers closed in around us, wolves rising close to the surface, ready to fight even now.

The full moon was coming.

And the witch was still waiting for her price.