Bound to the Triplet Alphas-Chapter 134: Jaxon’s Choice

JAXON POV

The dragon’s roar shook the entire mountain as I sprinted through the cave opening, my heart hammering against my chest.

"Wait!" I shouted at the huge black beast that was spreading its wings, ready to take flight. "I volunteer!"

The dragon turned its huge head toward me, golden eyes blazing like molten fire. Behind me, I could hear Kael and Lucien running to catch up, probably thinking I’d lost my mind.

Maybe I had.

But when Elder Malin had explained that someone needed to bond with the old dragon to stop the Shadow Lords from destroying everything we loved, I knew it had to be me. Not Kael, who was needed to lead the pack. Not Lucien, who had Aria and a future to protect.

Me. The middle brother who never quite fit anywhere.

"You wish to offer yourself as my bonded warrior?" the dragon asked, its voice rumbling through my bones like thunder.

"Yes," I said, trying to sound stronger than I felt. "I do."

"Jaxon, no!" Kael burst into the cave behind me, followed by Lucien. "You don’t know what you’re doing!"

But I did know. For the first time in my life, I knew exactly what I was doing.

"Someone has to do it," I said without turning around. "And we all know it’s not going to be either of you."

The dragon dropped its massive head until it was level with mine. This close, I could see ancient scars across its scales and knowledge in its eyes that was older than our entire pack.

"Do you understand what bonding means, young wolf?" it asked. "Your life force will become mine. Your thoughts will be open to me. You will live only as long as I allow it."

"Will I be able to protect my family?" I asked.

The dragon’s eyes seemed to soften slightly. "Yes. But the price is everything you are."

Everything I am. I thought about that for a moment. What was I, really? The wild one. The troublemaker. The brother who always felt like he was in the way.

"Jaxon," Lucien said slowly, "there has to be another way."

I finally turned to look at my brothers. Kael’s face was hard, but I could see fear in his eyes. Lucien looked like he was about to cry.

"There isn’t another way," I said. "You heard Elder Malin. The Shadow Lords are too strong now. They have Void Worms and possessed pack members and who knows what else. Without dragon power, everyone we care about is going to die."

"But you’ll die too," Kael said, his voice breaking slightly.

I shrugged, trying to act like it didn’t matter. "Maybe. But maybe I’ll finally do something that actually helps instead of just causing trouble."

"You don’t cause problems," Lucien protested. "You’re our brother."

"I’m the brother who tried to steal Aria from you with dark magic," I told him. "I’m the brother who almost got us all killed because I was jealous and stupid. This is my chance to make up for that."

The dragon watched our talk with interest. "Your family bonds are strong," it noted. "That is good. The bonding will be easy if you have something worth fighting for."

"What exactly happens during the bonding?" I asked.

"I will mark you with dragon fire," the dragon explained. "It will burn away your human flaws and remake you as something new. Part wolf, part dragon, part something that has never existed before."

That sounded scary and amazing at the same time.

"Will I still be me?" I asked.

"You will be more than you," the dragon said. "But also less. The wild part of your nature will be tamed by my old patience. The reckless part will be tempered by my knowledge. You will become what you were meant to be."

What I was meant to be. I’d spent my whole life wondering what that was.

"Jaxon," Kael said, stepping closer. "If you do this, we might never see you again. Not the real you."

"The real me hasn’t been worth much," I said. "Maybe it’s time for an upgrade."

Before either of my brothers could argue more, the ground started shaking again. Not like when the Void Worms had appeared, but like something even bigger was coming.

"The Shadow Lords have found us," the dragon said grimly. "We are out of time. Choose now, young wolf. Bond with me, or watch everything you love burn."

Through the cave opening, I could see the sky turning dark green. The same sick color as the affected pack members’ eyes. And rising from the trees below, I could see shapes that made my blood freeze.

Not just Void Worms this time. Shadow creatures the size of buildings, with claws that could tear through mountains and wings that blocked out the sun.

"How many?" I whispered.

"Dozens," the dragon said. "Led by their boss. He has come personally to destroy the last Earth Guardian and claim this realm for darkness."

Their master. I’d heard Elder Malin mention him in whispers. The first Shadow Lord, the one who had started the war against Earth Guardians thousands of years ago.

"What’s his name?" I asked.

The dragon’s eyes went wide with old fear. "He has many names. But the Earth Guardians called him the Devourer. He consumes entire worlds, leaving nothing but void behind."

The Devourer. And he was coming here, to our home, to destroy everything.

I looked at my brothers one more time. Kael, strong and stubborn and always trying to protect everyone. Lucien, gentle and wise and finally happy with Aria.

They deserved to live. They deserved to have families and careers and all the things I’d probably never have anyway.

"I accept the bond," I said firmly.

"Jaxon, wait—" Lucien started.

But the dragon was already moving. It pressed one massive claw against my chest, and fire burst through my body.

Not painful fire. Magic fire. Power beyond anything I’d ever dreamed.

I felt my wolf form changing, growing, becoming something new. My senses grew until I could smell the Shadow creatures miles away. My strength increased until I felt like I could lift mountains.

And in my mind, I heard the dragon’s old voice.

"Welcome, bonded fighter. We are one now."

The transformation was complete in seconds, but it felt like hours. When it was over, I looked down at my hands and saw scales mixed with fur. I felt wings growing from my back.

I was no longer fully wolf or fully human. I was something new.

Something strong enough to fight the Devourer.

"Are you ready?" the dragon asked.

I nodded, feeling more ready than I’d ever felt for anything.

But as we prepared to take flight and face the approaching army of darkness, I heard a sound that made my new dragon senses scream with fear.

A roar from behind us. From deeper in the mountain.

We weren’t the only ones who had been hiding in these caves.

Something else was down there. Something that had been sleeping for a very long time.

And our dragon connection had just woken it up.

"Oh no," the dragon whispered, fear clear in its old voice. "We have made a terrible mistake."

The mountain began to crack apart around us as something huge stirred in the depths below.

Something that made even the Devourer look small.

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