LAYLA'S POV
The hallway is too quiet. My footsteps echo faintly as I walk beside Alpha Kaiden. Each step I take makes my nerves tighten a little more. He doesn't say a word. He just walks ahead with his usual dominating presence. His large muscular frame makes me feel small in comparison. I look like a puppy compared to him.
My heart pounds harder the closer we get to the Council chamber. I'm not even sure why I've been summoned. What have I done? Am I in trouble? Is this about the bond? About us?
Do they not like me for the triplets? I won't blame them if they don't. I knew this day was coming but it doesn't make it any easier. Will the triplets reject me now?
I have so many questions in my mind and just thinking about it makes me even more nervous. I feel a huge lump in my throat.
I glance up at Kaiden, only to quickly look away when our eyes meet. The moment our gazes lock, something flutters deep inside me. I feel the mate bond, pulling between us like a string being stretched. I hate how sensitive I am to it. To him.
All he has to do is look at me and my wolf goes haywire. My body reacts involuntarily to all three of them.
"Do not speak unless spoken to," he says suddenly in a low tone.
I stiffen and nod, trying to hide how his tone makes my stomach flip. It's not just the command in his voice—it's the undercurrent of protectiveness I can feel, like he's not just warning me… but shielding me. Still, I don't trust the fluttering in my chest. I keep my hands clasped in front of me, eyes on the ground.
I don't want to get my hopes up. My mates have made it clear that they don't want me. Except Kieran, of course.
When we reach the tall wooden doors of the chamber, two guards bow before Kaiden then open the doors in perfect synchrony. The air inside feels thicker. Heavier.
The room is massive, with a high vaulted ceiling and stained-glass windows that let in streaks of sunlight. At the far end, the Elders sit in a semicircle. They're stone-faced, dressed in robes, and they look intimidating as hell. In the center are the triplets—Kieran, Killian, and the empty chair obviously reserved for Kaiden. Kieran leans forward slightly when he sees me.
His eyes soften instantly. His lips part open as he takes in my appearance. He looks me up and down. The moment his eyes trail over me, I feel heated. I can't help but feel flattered.
He mouths something across the room.
"You look beautiful."
My breath catches.
Heat rushes to my face so quickly I'm sure it turns red. I don't know what shocks me more—his words or the way they make my heart trip over itself. I look away, but not before seeing the way Killian raises an eyebrow at his brother. There's a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
I dip my head low and bow respectfully. "
Elders," I greet as steadily as I can, though my voice still wavers.
That's when one of them stands up.
Elder Veyron, I guess. I've heard about him in the pack.
He's taller than I expected, lean, and old—older than time, it seems. His silver hair is long, falling past his shoulders, and his eyes… they're sharp. Piercing. The kind of eyes that see things no one else can.
"You should not exist," he says flatly.
The entire room falls into a cold, stunned silence.
My breath catches. I feel Kaiden stiffen beside me. Through the mate bond, I can feel Kieran and Killian's energies spike across the room. But no one speaks up for me. Not even Kieran.
I feel exposed. Small. Like prey standing in the middle of a pack of ancient wolves.
"You are an omega," Veyron continues slowly, like he's reciting something sacred, something old. "And yet, you are fated to not one powerful Alpha… but three. Not even a Gamma or a Beta. Even that would be surprising"
A low murmur passes through the chamber. I feel every whisper against my skin like needles.
"No such thing has happened in over a century," one of the other Elders says, stroking his chin. "Not since… her."
I blink. Her? Who?
Veyron's gaze cuts to the triplets, then back to me. "Your bond threatens the natural order. The balance."
"I didn't ask for this," I say quietly before I can stop myself. Kaiden's arm brushes against mine sharply, a silent reminder to be quiet, but I don't care. "I didn't choose this."
"You may not have chosen," another one of the elders says, "but your very presence may already be setting things in motion."
"What things?" I ask, taking a step forward. "What are you saying? What do you mean I shouldn't exist? What exactly am I?"
They stare at me as if I'm some myth come to life. An omen.
"Shut up" Kaiden mutters but I don't. I want to know what the hell is going on.
"Your bond is unnatural," Veyron says again. "It could mean war. Chaos. A prophecy long buried, awakening. The last omega to be fated to power—she brought ruin."
"And blood," another elder whispers. "So much blood."
Kieran stands now "She's not the one from the past."
"Are you sure?" Elder Veyron asks him directly. "Would you bet your pack on it? Your people?"
"I am sure," he says. "Layla is nothing like her."
I don't even know who her is, but clearly, everyone in this room does. It feels like I've walked into the middle of a story—one that's already been written, already feared—and they're just waiting to see if I'll become the villain.
"She's still unmarked," another Elder says. "The bond is not complete. Perhaps that is mercy. Or perhaps, it is fate's delay."
More murmurs follow.
"She is still young."
"She may not have awakened yet."
"She may yet destroy everything we've built."
"I won't destroy anything," I whisper. But no one hears me. Or they choose not to.
Then one of them says something that makes my blood freeze.
"The past is repeating itself."
I open my mouth to ask what that means, but the moment I do, Veyron raises his hand.
"You are dismissed." He says.
That's it. No explanations. No answers. No choice.
Kaiden steps forward and places a hand on my back to steer me away, but I barely feel it. My head is spinning. My heart is racing. What do they mean the past is repeating? Who was she—the other omega? What did she do? Why are they so afraid of me?
The doors shut behind me.
And I… I have never felt more lost.
Or more dangerous.