Fated Mate to the Triplet Alpha

Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Poisoned Trust

"I won’t let you split yourself," Elara’s doubt said, moving closer. "I won’t let you die."

"You’re not real," Elara said strongly. "You’re just my fear talking." "Am I?" the worry asked. noveldrama

"Or am I the smartest part of you?" "She’s right," Celeste said suddenly. "Splitting yourself is stupid." Everyone looked at her. Since her change, Celeste had been quiet.

Too quiet. "You’ve been thinking about this, haven’t you?" Evelyn asked her.

"I’ve been thinking about a lot of things," Celeste said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small vial. "Including this."

"What is that?" Kael asked. "Insurance," Celeste said. "In case Elara made the wrong choice."

"What kind of insurance?" Ronan demanded. "The kind that stops her from splitting herself," Celeste said.

"And stops her from evolving anyone else." "Celeste," Elara said slowly. "What did you do?" "I made a backup plan," Celeste said.

"While you were all talking about evolution and transformation, I was preparing for the worst." "What’s in the vial?" Darian asked.

"Suppression serum," Celeste said. "The same thing they used on you as a baby, Elara. But stronger."

"You want to lock away my powers again?" Elara asked. "I want to save everyone," Celeste said.

"Your powers are too dangerous. Look what happened to the other timelines." "I’m not them," Elara said. "Aren’t you?" Celeste asked.

"You’re talking about breaking yourself. That’s crazy person behavior." "She’s trying to help," baby Truth said.

"She’s trying to play god," Celeste snapped. "And gods always make mistakes."

"You’re scared," baby Love said sadly. "You’re scared of change." "I’m scared of death," Celeste corrected.

"Your mother’s death. Everyone’s death." "Evolution isn’t death," the changed Devourer said. "It’s growth."

"You would say that," Celeste said. "You just got a new body. What about the rest of us? What if we don’t like what we become?"

"Then you change again," Elara said. "That’s how growth works."

"No," Celeste said. "That’s how chaos works." She uncorked the bottle. "Don’t," Kael warned.

"I have to," Celeste said. "Someone has to make the hard choices." "What’s the serum going to do?" Evelyn asked.

"It will stop her powers temporarily," Celeste said. "Long enough for us to find a better solution."

"There is no better solution," the older Elara said. "I’ve seen every path. This is the only way."

"Then maybe every timeline is wrong," Celeste said. She threw the contents of the vial at Elara. "No!" all three triplets shouted. But it was too late.

The liquid hit Elara’s face and soaked into her skin. Immediately, she doubled over in pain. "What’s happening?" Ronan asked, catching her as she fell.

"The serum," Elara gasped. "It’s not just suppressing my skills. It’s attacking the kids."

"What?" Kael dropped to his knees beside her.

"How?" "My children are made of my power," Elara said through hard teeth. "If the serum destroys my power, it destroys them."

"I didn’t know," Celeste said, stepping back in fear. "I thought it would just make you normal."

"Normal?" Darian shouted. "She’s carrying nine reality-changing kids! There is no normal!"

"Can we reverse it?" Evelyn asked. "I don’t know," Elara said. She was getting paler by the second.

"I can feel them getting weaker." "Mommy," baby Hope said, her voice fading.

"We’re scared." "I know, sweetheart," Elara said, tears running down her face. "I’m scared too."

"The serum is spreading," Tobias said, studying her. "It’s targeting the unique energy signature of her bloodline." "Can you stop it?" Marcus asked. "Not me," Tobias said.

"But maybe them." He pointed at the triplets. "How?" Kael asked desperately.

"Your bond with her is deeper than her power," Tobias said. "It’s based on love, not magic." "So?" Ronan asked.

"So love might be stronger than the serum," Tobias said. "If you can reach her through the bond, you might be able to anchor her."

"What do we do?" Darian asked. "Hold her," Tobias said. "All three of you. Pour your love into the bond."

The triplets instantly surrounded Elara, each taking one of her hands and her shoulders.

"I love you," Kael said strongly. "I love you more than my own life." "I love you more than freedom," Ronan said.

"More than anything." "I love you more than my own soul," Darian said.

"Don’t leave us." For a moment, Elara seemed to settle.

The color returned to her cheeks. "It’s working," Evelyn said. But then Elara screamed.

"The babies," she gasped. "They’re fighting the drug. But it’s hurting them."

"What can we do?" Celeste asked, crying now. "I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen."

"Sorry won’t save them," Kael said harshly. "Wait," the changed Devourer said. "I have an idea."

"What?" everyone asked. "The serum is trying to separate her from her power," he said.

"But what if we give her more power instead?" "How?" Ronan asked. "By sharing ours," the Devourer said.

"I was cosmic energy before I evolved. If I give her some of that energy, it might boost her enough to fight the serum."

"That could kill you," his wife warned.

"Then I’ll die saving someone instead of destroying them," the Devourer said. "That’s evolution."

"Do it," Elara said softly. The Devourer put his hands on Elara’s stomach. "This might hurt."

"Everything hurts," Elara said. "Just do it." The Devourer closed his eyes. Golden light flowed from his hands into Elara’s body. Immediately, she arched her back and screamed.

"What’s happening?" Darian asked.

"The cosmic energy is fighting the serum," baby Wisdom said, her voice stronger now.

"But it’s also changing us." "Changing you how?" Evelyn asked.

"We’re becoming more than we were meant to be," baby Truth said. "But we don’t know what that means yet."

"Is it good or bad?" Marcus asked. "It’s new," baby Courage said.

"And new is always scary." "The serum is weakening," Tobias said. "But so is she." "I can feel it," Elara said.

"The drug is losing its hold. But the heavenly energy is too strong.

It’s burning through me." "We have to stop," Kael said. "No," Elara said. "Keep going.

The babies need more power to survive what’s coming." "What’s coming?" Ronan asked. "The final choice," Elara said.

"The one that will determine whether reality survives or dies."

"What choice?" Darian asked. "Whether to trust Celeste," Elara said, looking at her old rival. "Even after what she did."

"What do you mean?" Celeste asked. "You have to be the one to decide," Elara said.

"When the moment comes, you have to choose between saving me and saving everyone else." "That’s not fair," Celeste said.

"Life isn’t fair," Elara said. "But it’s the only life we have." "Why me?" Celeste asked.

"Because you’re the only one who’s willing to make the hard choices," Elara said. "Even when they’re wrong." "The cosmic energy is stabilizing," the Devourer said.

"But there’s a problem." "What problem?" Kael asked.

"The babies aren’t just stronger now," the Devourer said. "They’re independent." "What does that mean?" Evelyn asked.

"It means," baby Truth said, "that we don’t need our mother anymore."

"But we still want her," baby Love added quickly. "The question is," baby Wisdom said, "whether she still needs us."

"Of course I need you," Elara said. "Do you?" baby Hope asked. "Or do you just think you do?" "I don’t understand," Elara said.

"We could leave," baby Courage said. "Be born early. Give you your life back."

"No," Elara said strongly. "We’re a family. We stay together."

"Even if staying together means we all die?" baby Truth asked.

"Even if," Elara said. "Then we have a problem," baby Wisdom said.

"What problem?" Ronan asked. "The Convergence is complete," baby Truth said. "All timelines are merging."

"And?" Darian asked. "And there’s only room for one version of each person," baby Wisdom said.

"Including us." "What does that mean?" Kael asked.

"It means," said a familiar voice from the doorway, "that we have to fight for the right to exist." Everyone turned. Standing there were nine other children.

They looked exactly like Elara’s kids, but older. And angry. "Who are you?" Elara asked. "We’re your children," one of them said.

"From the timeline where you chose power over love." "We’re here to take your place," another added.

"And we’re not leaving without a fight."