The days after Aria's public unveiling as Luna were filled with a newfound intensity. The palace buzzed with activity, as packs began sending gifts, pledges of loyalty—or subtle warnings disguised as diplomacy. Not all were pleased with her rise, but none could deny the power she now radiated.
And yet, beneath the glittering surface of celebration, danger stirred.
Lucien tightened security. Extra guards were posted. Patrols doubled. The memory of the ambush lingered, and his instincts whispered of something darker brewing.
"Someone within these walls is feeding information to our enemies," he told Aria one night as they studied a map of the kingdom. "They knew too much during the last attack—our timing, our blind spots. It wasn't coincidence."
Aria's brows furrowed. "You think there's a spy in the palace?"
Lucien nodded grimly. "I'm sure of it."
Determined to uncover the traitor, Aria began watching more closely. She attended council meetings with sharper focus. She paid attention not just to what people said—but what they didn't say. Who avoided her gaze. Who lingered too long near sensitive documents. Who always arrived just a little too late.
Suspicion fell on several: a low-ranking guard who had transferred in from a northern pack with ties to Bloodfang. A servant who always seemed to appear just when Aria and Lucien were speaking privately. Even Isolde wasn't above suspicion—her cold demeanor made her a perfect candidate for deception.
But no one dared act without proof.
So Aria waited. Quiet. Patient.
Then, one evening, she overheard something.
While passing near the west corridor, she caught the tail end of a hushed conversation between two guards.
"…leave the message by midnight. The Queen doesn't suspect a thing."
Her heart pounded.
She stepped around the corner quickly—just in time to see one of the guards stiffen in shock.
"My Luna—" he stammered.
Aria's eyes narrowed. "Continue."
The other guard bolted before anyone could stop him. The first fell to his knees, trembling.
"I swear—I didn't mean harm! I only passed notes for someone else! I didn't know it was treason!"
Within moments, Lucien and his elite warriors had the man taken into custody.
Through interrogation, the guard revealed a crucial detail: he had been delivering coded messages to a cloaked figure who always wore a mask—even in private. He never saw a face, never heard a name. Only instructions. And a promise of power.
Lucien's jaw clenched. "Selena."
Aria shook her head. "She's not working alone. There's someone inside still."
That night, Aria sat by the window of her chamber, staring into the moonlight.
A voice echoed inside her—her wolf, stronger now than ever.
"Trust your instincts. The one you least suspect hides the sharpest blade."
Meanwhile, Selena sat in a forest clearing, torchlight flickering around her as her secret allies gathered.
"The Luna is smarter than I thought," she admitted. "But it doesn't matter. The game is already in motion."
She opened a scroll marked with a crimson seal—the next phase of her plan.
"She'll never see it coming."
Back in the palace, Aria made a decision.
"I want to create my own guard," she told Lucien. "Loyal only to me. Chosen by instinct, not status."
Lucien looked at her, impressed. "You're thinking like a true Queen."
Aria had faced rejection, battle, and betrayal.
Now, she was preparing to face something even greater:
Deception wrapped in loyalty.
And a war hidden behind smiles.