Fated Mate to the Triplet Alpha-Chapter 27: Drowning Truths

"Selene, stop!" Dante lunged forward, grabbing her arm just as her foot touched the glowing water’s edge. The touch broke the strange pull between her and Ivy. Selene blinked, shaking her head as if waking from a dream. "What—" A crash echoed through the cavern as Jace threw himself at Rowan, his knife flashing in the dim light. The two men fell across the stone floor, snarling and clawing at each other. "Now!" Dante shouted, pulling Selene away from the traditional circle. They ran toward a narrow passage on the far side of the chamber, dodging guards who rushed to protect Elara. Selene’s fire still danced across her skin, lighting their way through the darkness. "Ivy!" Selene cried, looking back. "We can’t leave her!" "We need a new plan," Dante growled. "Elara is expecting you to finish the ritual. We can’t play into her hands." They ducked into a small side room just as guards ran past. The room was filled with strange objects—books, crystals, and jars of unknown liquids. In the middle stood a small table with papers scattered across it. "What is this place?" Selene whispered, her fires dimming slightly as she caught her breath. "Elara’s private study," Dante answered, peering at the papers. "Look at these." Selene stepped closer. Her heart stopped. Drawings.

Dozens of them, all done in a child’s hand. But no ordinary child’s drawings—these were Ivy’s. "She’s been drawing," Selene breathed, picking up one of the pictures. It showed a river, blue crayon waters swirling furiously. A small figure—a girl with dark hair—was being pulled under. Another figure stood on the shore, arms spread. Red hair. "Elara," Dante said, his voice tight with anger. "She was there the day Ivy drowned." Selene grabbed another drawing. This one showed the same red-haired woman pulling the dark-haired girl from the water. A third showed the woman taking the girl away while another figure—taller, also with dark hair—searched the river desperately. "That’s me," Selene whispered, touching the bigger figure. "I was looking for her while Elara took her away." She flipped through more pictures, each telling another piece of the story. Ivy in a strange house. Ivy crying for her sister. Ivy drinking something that made her sleep. And most chilling of all—Ivy standing in a circle while Elara chanted over her, the same ritual they had just watched. "She remembered everything," Selene said, her voice breaking. "All this time, she knew what happened." "Not consciously," Dante replied, examining a notebook beside the drawings. "According to this, Elara’s been giving Ivy potions to dull her memories. But they kept coming back in dreams." "So she drew them," Selene realized. "She was trying to tell her story the only way she could." The sound of footsteps made them freeze. Someone was coming. "Hide," Dante whispered, pulling Selene behind a tall bookshelf. The door creaked open. Selene held her breath, forcing her fire to dim even further. Through a gap in the books, she could see Ivy step into the room. Alone. Her sister looked different than she had in the ritual circle. Her eyes were clear, the strange blue glow gone. She moved quickly to the table, gathering the drawings with shaky hands. "Ivy," Selene called softly, stepping out from her hiding place. Ivy spun around, holding the drawings to her chest. For a moment, fear flashed across her face. Then recognition dawned. "Selene?" Her voice was small, uncertain—the voice of the seven-year-old she had once been, not the strange creature from the rite. "It’s me, Little Light," Selene said, using the old nickname. She took a careful step forward, afraid to scare her sister. "I’m here to take you home." "Home?" Ivy’s eyes filled with tears. "I don’t remember home anymore." "But you remember the river," Dante said softly, also emerging from hiding. "You drew what happened." Ivy looked down at the papers in her hands. "I see it in my dreams. The water close over my head. Someone pulling me out. But not you, Selene. You were still looking for me." "Elara took you," Selene said, moving closer. "She’s been lying to you all these years." "I know," Ivy whispered. "I found these in her secret drawer. She doesn’t know I can pick locks." A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "You taught me how, remember?" Selene’s heart twisted with love and sadness. "You were always a quick learner." "Why are you on fire?" Ivy asked suddenly, spotting the flames still flickering over Selene’s skin. "Elara did this to me. She wants to use our powers together—fire and water—to open something called a portal." Understanding dawned in Ivy’s eyes. "The doorway to the spirit world. She talks about it all the time." She clutched the drawings tightly. "She says I’m the key." "You’re not a key," Dante said strongly. "You’re a person. A little girl who was stolen from her family." "Not so little anymore," Ivy said sadly. "I’m seventeen now, even if I look younger. The magic keeps me from growing properly." A crash sounded from somewhere in the tunnels. The fight between Jace and Rowan was still going. "We need to leave," Dante urged. "Before Elara realizes Ivy is gone." "I can’t," Ivy said, backing away. "The ritual has already started. Can’t you feel it?" As if in reaction to her words, the blue crystal at her neck pulsed brightly. Water began to seep from her fingers, puddling on the floor. "The magic is inside me now," she whispered, fear making her voice shake. "If I try to leave, it will pull me back. Or worse." "I won’t leave you again," Selene vowed, reaching for her sister despite the water spreading around Ivy’s feet. As their fingers touched, a strange energy crackled between them. Selene’s fire sparked while Ivy’s water rose in swirling tendrils. For a moment, the two forces danced around each other without mixing. "She was right," Ivy gasped. "Fire and water. That’s why she needed both of us." "Both of us?" Selene asked. Ivy held up another drawing she had kept hidden. It showed two girls—one surrounded by fire, one by water—standing on opposite sides of a big door. "The gateway can only be opened by opposite elements," Ivy stated. "That’s why she took me and left you. She knew someday you’d come looking for me. She planned for us to open the gateway together." "What’s on the other side?" Dante asked, his eyes fixed on the picture. "Power," Ivy whispered. "Ancient spirits that Elara wants to control. But they can’t be stopped. They’re too strong." "How do you know this?" Selene asked. "They speak to me sometimes," Ivy admitted, feeling the crystal at her neck. "Through this. They’re stuck on the other side, waiting. They offer things, but..." She shuddered.

"They lie."

Footsteps heard in the corridor outside. Many footsteps, moving quickly. "They’re coming," Dante warned. "We need to make a decision." Selene looked at her sister, at the water gathering around her feet and the fear in her eyes. Then she looked at the drawings—the proof of everything Elara had done. "We finish this," she said strongly. "But on our terms, not hers." "What do you mean?" Ivy asked. "We open the gateway." Dante stared at her. "Are you insane? That’s exactly what Elara wants!" "No," Selene said, her mind running. "Elara wants to control what comes through. But what if we open it just enough to release the magic binding Ivy, then close it before anything can pass through?" "Is that possible?" Dante asked Ivy. The young girl paused.

"Maybe.

The spirits have been talking about a weakness in the rite. If the parts touch but don’t fully combine..." "We can break Elara’s control over you," Selene ended. The footsteps were right outside now. They had seconds at most. "Trust me?" Selene asked, holding out her burning hand to her sister. Ivy looked at it, then at the pictures that told the truth of her past. Decision made, she reached out, water flowing from her palm. "Always," she whispered. As their hands met, fire and water swirled together without extinguishing each other—a impossible dance of opposite forces. The crystal at Ivy’s neck broke, its pieces falling to the floor. The door burst open. Elara stood there, her face twisted with rage. Behind her, Rowan held a wounded Jace by the collar. "No!" Elara screamed, seeing the broken crystal. "What have you done?" But something was happening to Ivy. The strange openness of her skin began to fade. Her too-large eyes returned to their normal size. The water retreated back into her body. She looked at Selene, joy spreading across her face. "I remember everything now." Elara lunged forward, but Dante stopped her, throwing her back against the wall. "Run!" he shouted to the girls. Selene grabbed Ivy’s hand, pulling her toward a second door at the back of the room. As they fled through the tunnels, Selene looked back one last time.

Dante was fighting both Elara and Rowan, his strong form a blur of motion. But he was overwhelmed. "We can’t leave him," Ivy said, seeing her sister’s doubt. "We won’t," Selene promised. "But first, we need to find something." "What?" Selene’s eyes gleamed with purpose. "The real entrance. The drawings showed its site. And I think I know where it is." Behind them, a roar of pain rang through the tunnels—Dante’s voice. Selene’s heart clenched, but she kept going. Time was running out. For all of th

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