BOUND TO THREE ALPHAS-Chapter 56: TWO SPIRITS, ONE BODY

Chapter 56: Two Spirits, One Body

"Mom?" Liana whispered, her heart hammering against her chest. The crack in the air widened, and her mother’s face appeared in the spinning light. She looked exactly as Liana remembered—kind brown eyes, soft smile, long dark hair. "My darling girl," her mother said, reaching through the opening. "I’ve been waiting so long to see you." Tears streamed down Liana’s face. "But you’re dead. I watched you die." "Death isn’t the end, sweetheart. Not for us." Her mother’s voice was warm honey, calming and sweet. "I’ve been watching over you from the spirit realm. Protecting you." Something felt wrong, but Liana couldn’t think clearly through her joy and sadness. Behind her, she heard Kael calling her name, but his voice seemed far away. "Come with me," her mother urged, stretching her hand further. "We can be together forever.

No more pain. No more fighting." Liana reached toward her mother’s spread fingers. Just before they touched, Elder Mira’s voice cut through the moment like a blade. "Don’t touch her! That’s not your mother!" "What?" Liana jerked her hand back. Her mother’s gentle face twisted into something cruel. "Too late, little omega. You’ve already let me in." The face in the crack changed. The kind brown eyes turned blood-red. The soft smile became a mouth full of fangs. Her mother’s loving voice became Mara’s deadly hiss. "Did you really think I was gone forever?" Mara laughed. "I used the last of my power to escape into the cracks between worlds. All I needed was someone to invite me back in." Horror crashed over Liana like a frozen wave. "No. I didn’t invite you anywhere." "But you did." Mara’s spirit began moving through the crack like dark smoke. "The moment you reached for what you thought was your mother, you opened your heart to me.

And an open heart is all a spirit needs." The smoke hit Liana’s chest and disappeared inside her. Pain burst through her entire body. She fell to her knees, holding her head. "Liana!" All three triplets ran toward her. "Stay back!" she screamed. "She’s inside me!" Her voice had changed. One moment it sounded normal. The next, it carried Mara’s cruel echo. Inside her head, Liana felt the ancient spirit clawing at her thoughts. Trying to take control. Trying to push her own awareness into a tiny corner. You cannot fight me forever, Mara’s voice whispered in her head. I am older than your family. Stronger than your will. Soon, this body will be mine. But another voice answered—one Liana recognized. Not while I still exist, Luna’s spirit stated. Suddenly, Liana wasn’t alone in her own mind.

Two powerful spirits were battling for control of her body, with her awareness caught in the middle. Pain like nothing she’d ever felt ripped through her head. She screamed and fell, her body convulsing on the stone floor. "What’s happening to her?" Talia cried. "Spiritual possession," Elder Mira said sadly. "Mara is trying to take over her body completely." "Can we stop it?" Rowan demanded. "I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like this before." Liana’s back arched as another wave of pain tore through her. When she opened her eyes, one was silver-white like Luna’s. The other burned blood-red like Mara’s. She’s mine now, Mara gloated inside her head. Young brains are so easy to break. Not this one, Luna replied furiously. This one has something you never had. What’s that? Love. Liana felt warmth spreading through her chest. Not the false warmth of Mara’s deceit, but something real and strong. The bond she shared with the triplets was shining inside her like a small sun. "I can feel her," Kael said suddenly. "Through our link. She’s fighting." "We have to help her," Jace urged. "How?" Rowan asked desperately. Elder Mira’s eyes widened with understanding.

"The bond. The triplet bond. I should have realized sooner." "What about it?" all three brothers demanded at once. "It wasn’t just created by the Moon Goddess for love," Mira explained rapidly. "It was meant as protection. A moral anchor." Liana writhed on the ground, her body temperature swinging between freezing cold and burning hot. Mara was winning ground in their internal battle. Give up, the old spirit hissed. Your friends cannot save you now. But Luna’s voice stayed steady. Tell them what they need to do. Somehow, Liana managed to speak through the pain. Her voice was barely a whisper, but in the quiet temple, everyone heard. "Circle... form a circle around me." The triplets immediately moved into position. Kael to her right, showing strength. Jace at her feet, showing passion. Rowan to her left, indicating wisdom. "Now what?" Kael asked. "Link hands," Elder Mira commanded. "Create an unbreakable chain. Your bond with her will become a barrier against Mara’s power."

The brothers joined hands, making a triangle with Liana at the center. As soon as their connection finished, silver light began flowing between them. Inside Liana’s mind, the battle escalated. Mara shrieked with anger as the bond-light pushed against her darkness. Impossible! No mortal link should be this strong! It’s not just mortal, Luna answered. It’s blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. The love of three hearts, perfectly matched. Liana felt the tide of battle changing. With the triplets anchoring her, she could fight back against Mara’s attack. But the old spirit wasn’t finished. If I cannot have this body, Mara snarled, then I’ll destroy it from within. Pain burst through Liana’s nervous system. Her heart began beating rapidly. Blood ran from her nose. "She’s killing her!" Talia screamed. "The connection isn’t strong enough," Elder Mira realized with horror. "Mara is too powerful."

"Then we make it stronger," Kael stated. Without delay, he bit his own wrist, letting his blood drip onto Liana’s forehead. "I give you my strength." Jace followed instantly, cutting his palm with a silver knife. "I give you my passion." Rowan put his bleeding thumb to Liana’s lips. "I give you my wisdom." The taste of their blood on her tongue sent strength surging through Liana’s veins. The triplet tie, already strong, became something beyond mortal understanding. It became divine. No! Mara’s voice was fading now, pushed back by the combined force of their link. This cannot be! It is, Luna said with satisfaction. Love always wins in the end. But Mara had one last frantic trick. Instead of fighting the bond, she suddenly accepted it. If I cannot drive them apart, she hissed, then I’ll corrupt them all. Dark energy shot through the bond-connection toward the triplets. Liana felt Mara’s poisonous impact racing toward the boys she loved. "No!" she yelled aloud. "I won’t let you hurt them!" Drawing on every ounce of power she possessed, Liana grabbed Mara’s escaping spirit and pulled it back into herself. The ancient darkness slammed into her awareness like a hammer blow. But this time, she was ready. You want to possess someone? she challenged. Then take me. But you’ll have to share. Share? With Luna. With me. This body has room for three. It was a desperate bet. Instead of trying to drive Mara out, Liana was asking her to stay. But on her terms. You think you can stop me? Mara laughed, but there was doubt in her voice. I think I can balance you, Liana answered. Light and dark.

Life and death. Order and chaos. That’s what I was born for. The realization hit her like lightning. She wasn’t just Luna’s resurrection. She wasn’t just a royal relative. She was something new. Something that had never existed before. A bridge between opposite forces. The Moonshadow family, she whispered. That’s what it really means. Understanding flooded through her. Her predecessors hadn’t just ruled over wolves. They had ruled over the balance between the living world and the spirit realm. They were meant to keep the peace between light and darkness. And she was the last of them. Interesting, Mara admitted. But you’re still just a child. You cannot control me forever. Maybe not, Liana agreed. But I don’t have to control you. I just have to balance you. She felt Luna’s praise flowing through her.

Now you understand, the old spirit said. Power without balance is death. But equal power can heal worlds. The three spirits—Luna, Mara, and Liana herself—settled into an uneasy peace within her body. It felt strange, like having various voices in her head. But it also felt... right. Liana opened her eyes. The triplets were still holding hands around her, their faces tight with worry. "I’m okay," she said softly. But when she looked at them, Kael stepped back with a gasp. "Your eyes..." Liana could see her image in the polished obsidian altar. Her left eye blazed silver-white like Luna’s. Her right eye burned blood-red like Mara’s. When she blinked, they flashed back and forth between the colors. "Both spirits are still inside you," Elder Mira noted with a mixture of awe and fear. "Yes," Liana agreed. "But they’re not fighting anymore. They’re... coexisting." For now, Mara’s voice whispered in her thoughts, but without its earlier malice. This deal may not last forever. It will last as long as it needs to, Luna answered calmly. And how long is that? Until balance is restored to both worlds. Liana stood slowly, trying her balance. She felt different. Stronger, but also more weak. Like she was carrying something precious and dangerous at the same time. "How do you feel?" Rowan asked softly. "Like myself," she answered honestly. "But also like someone else. Two someone elses." Talia approached carefully. "Are you still... you?" Liana smiled, and for a moment, her eyes both glowed the same warm gold they’d always been. "I’m still me. Just... more complicated now." The temple around them had stabilized. The cracks in the roof had sealed themselves.

Even the fallen stones had somehow returned to their right places. "The balance is holding," Elder Mira marveled. "Light and dark in perfect harmony." But as they prepared to leave the old chamber, Darius suddenly stiffened. "Do you hear that?" Everyone went silent, listening. From somewhere far above them came the sound of howling. Not just one wolf, but dozens. Maybe hundreds. "The shadow army," Jace realized. "They’re still up there." "But without Mara controlling them..." Kael began. "They’re lost," Liana finished. "Confused. Dangerous." Her mixed-colored eyes turned toward the tunnel going back to the surface. In her mind, she could sense the chaos above. Corrupted wolves going wild. Shadow-creatures striking everything in sight. The pack’s warriors battle for their lives. They need direction, Luna’s voice murmured. Someone to show them the way home. Or someone to send them there forever, Mara added darkly. Liana felt the weight of choice resting on her shoulders.

She had the power now to end the threat above. But how she used that power would shape who she was becoming. Monster or savior? Destroyer or healer? The bridge between worlds... or the one who burned them down? Her eyes flickered between silver and red as she made her choice. "Come on," she said to her friends. "We have a war to end." But as they headed toward the tunnel, none of them noticed the small crack that formed in the altar behind them. A crack that pulsed with neither silver light nor red darkness. But with something else entirely. Something that had been waiting for this moment for a very, very long time.