Trap of the King Alpha Triplet
Chapter 40 A Trol

Emily.

As we raced out of the room and towards the sound of battle, I couldn't help but think that this was so not how I expected my night to go. One minute I'm worrying about boys and high school drama, the next I'm running toward a fight with some kind of supernatural army.

Talk about a glow-up.

We rounded a corner and skidded to a halt. The grand entrance hall of the manor was a scene of utter chaos. Werewolves in various stages of shift were locked in combat with a group of rough-looking individuals who could only be the Rogue Alliance.

And in the center of it all, towering over everyone, was... a troll. An honest-to-goodness, right-out-of-a-fantasy-novel troll. It was at least fifteen feet tall, with mottled green skin and a face that looked like it had been carved out of a particularly ugly boulder.

"Holy Shrek on steroids," I breathed, my eyes wide.

"Emily, focus," my mom hissed, her hands already glowing with magical energy. "Remember your training."

Right. Training. Because learning how to light candles with my mind was totally going to help against a small army and their pet troll.

But as I watched my mom launch into action, hurling bolts of crackling energy at the invaders, I felt something stir inside me. A power I'd always known was there but had never fully tapped into. It felt like liquid moonlight in my veins, cool and electric and alive.

Without really knowing what I was doing, I raised my hands. The air around me seemed to shimmer, and suddenly, three of the Rogue Alliance members closest to us were lifted off their feet, suspended in mid-air like they were caught in zero gravity.

"Whoa," I breathed, staring at my hands in amazement. "That's new."

"Emily, behind you!" my mom's voice cut through my wonder.

I whirled around just in time to see a massive werewolf lunging at me, claws extended. Time seemed to slow down. I could see every detail - the saliva dripping from its fangs, the murderous gleam in its yellow eyes.

I was going to die. I was going to die, and I'd never even gotten to second base with any of my hot triplets werewolf mates.

But then, just as the wolf was about to reach me, a blur of midnight black fur intercepted it mid-air. The two wolves went down in a tangle of snapping jaws and flashing claws.

When they separated, I recognized the black wolf instantly. Leo. His golden eyes met mine for a brief moment, conveying a mixture of relief and determination, before he turned back to face his opponent.

"Emily!" Logan's voice rang out over the chaos. I turned to see him and Luca fighting back-to-back, holding off a group of Rogues. "A little help here?"

Right. Focus, Emily. Channel your inner Hermione and get to work.

I reached deep inside myself, tapping into that well of moonlit power. This time, when I raised my hands, tendrils of silvery energy shot out, wrapping around the Rogues like glowing ropes. They struggled, but the more they fought, the tighter the bonds became.

"Nice one, Em!" Luca called out, flashing me a grin that was equal parts proud and mischievous. "Didn't know you were into bondage!"

I felt my face heat up. "Luca! So not the time!"

But even as I scolded him, I couldn't help but feel a rush of affection. Here we were, in the middle of a life-or-death battle, and he was still cracking jokes. It was so perfectly... Luca.

The fight raged on, a blur of fur and fang and magic. I lost track of time, moving on instinct, my newfound powers responding to my will in ways I never thought possible. I froze Rogues in their tracks, created shields of shimmering energy to protect our allies, even managed to levitate a particularly persistent attacker and dump him unceremoniously into a decorative fountain.

But for every Rogue we took down, two more seemed to take their place. And that troll... it was like a force of nature, shrugging off attacks like they were nothing more than minor annoyances.

"We need to take out the big guy!" I shouted to no one in particular, ducking under a swipe from a partially shifted werewolf.

"Agreed," Alpha Christ's voice boomed from somewhere to my left. "But how? Our attacks barely scratch it!"

I wracked my brain, trying to remember everything I'd ever learned about trolls. Which, admittedly, wasn't much beyond what I'd seen in "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings."

Wait. The Lord of the Rings. That was it!

"The sun!" I yelled. "Trolls turn to stone in sunlight!"

"In case you hadn't noticed, little witch," Leo growled as he took down another Rogue, "it's the middle of the night!"

Right. Minor detail.

But then an idea struck me. A crazy, potentially suicidal idea, but an idea nonetheless.

"Mom!" I called out. "Remember that light spell you taught me? The really bright one?"

My mom's eyes widened as she caught on to my plan. "Emily, no! It's too dangerous! You've never attempted anything on that scale before!"

"Well, no time like the present to test my limits, right?" I quipped, trying to sound more confident than I felt.

Before anyone could stop me, I closed my eyes and reached deep inside myself, tapping into every last drop of power I could muster. I thought of the moon, of its cool, silvery light. I thought of the sun, of its fierce, life-giving heat. And then I let it all out.

The world exploded in blinding white light. Even through my closed eyelids, it was painfully bright. I heard screams - some of pain, some of surprise - and a thunderous roar that cut off abruptly.

When the light finally faded and I dared to open my eyes, I gasped. Where the troll had been standing was now a massive, extremely ugly statue. All around the room, the Rogues were either unconscious or frozen in place, shielding their eyes. "Holy shit," I breathed, swaying on my feet. "Did I do that?"

And then, because the universe apparently decided I hadn't had enough excitement for one night, my knees buckled. The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was three pairs of eyes - one golden, one blue, one green - all filled with a mixture of awe and concern.

As I drifted into unconsciousness, one thought flitted through my mind:

I really hope I didn't just break the moon...