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Chapter 15 - Luna’s Circle

The morning sky was painted in hues of rose and gold as Aria stood atop the palace's east tower, overlooking the kingdom she was now sworn to protect. Her mind was resolute. The time for watching and waiting was over. She would build her strength—not just in power, but in people.

Today marked the formation of her own guard—The Luna's Circle.

Lucien had granted her full authority to choose. "Let your instincts guide you," he said. "The strongest soldiers aren't always the loudest."

Aria handpicked six individuals—three warriors, two trackers, and one healer. Each had stood out to her over the last few weeks, not for their reputation, but for their loyalty, their quiet courage, and their willingness to stand against injustice.

First was Kael, the silent, scar-faced warrior who had fought in the eastern border wars. Few dared speak to him, but Aria had seen how gently he had helped a limping servant girl carry her baskets after training.

Second was Thalia, a fierce archer from a low-ranking pack who had been overlooked for years due to her gender. Aria admired her precision—and the quiet fury in her eyes.

Then came Riven, a lithe tracker with unmatched scent-trailing skills, and Ilyas, a mage-born wolf whose powers of sensing lies had saved the kingdom more than once.

For healing, Aria turned to Maelis, a soft-spoken herbalist who had been cast out by her original pack for refusing to marry an Alpha. Her hands were gentle, but her knowledge of healing and poisons was deadly.

And finally, Nox, a spy turned defector from Bloodfang. He knew how the enemy thought. Risky—but valuable.

Each was called to the royal courtyard where Aria, dressed not as a queen but as a warrior, stood before them.

"You've all been chosen not for who you are expected to be," Aria said, her voice strong and clear, "but for who you've proven yourselves to be."

She held out her wrist, the silver crescent glowing with magic.

"I bind you to me—not as soldiers, but as protectors of what this kingdom must become. You are my eyes, my shield, my strength."

One by one, they kneeled and swore the oath.

"We live by the Luna's will. We fight for her cause. We fall only to rise again."

Word spread quickly.

Many were shocked that Aria had bypassed seasoned generals and titled warriors in favor of outcasts and underdogs.

But Lucien merely smirked. "She is building what others fear—a new kind of power."

Later that day, Aria sat with her circle in a secluded chamber. Maps were spread across the table, showing pack borders, known enemy routes, and suspected spy locations.

"We begin tonight," Aria said. "There are informants still within these walls. I want them found. Quietly."

Riven sniffed the map and tapped a spot near the lower servants' quarters. "There's a tunnel here that's not on any official record. I've smelled foreign wolves using it."

Kael cracked his knuckles. "Give me one hour. I'll block it off."

Ilyas narrowed his eyes. "One of the palace scribes hesitates when near Selena's name. He's hiding something."

Aria nodded. "Then we start there."

That evening, as the palace dimmed and the kingdom prepared for sleep, the Luna's Circle moved through the halls like ghosts.

Within hours, they found hidden notes, symbols etched beneath furniture, and coded messages tucked into hollowed books.

One message read:

"Phase two begins with the Alpha's Feast."

Aria stared at it, her mind racing. The Alpha's Feast was only four nights away—a banquet of all the high-ranking Alphas across the land. An attack during such an event would be catastrophic.

The next morning, Aria brought the message to Lucien.

"They plan something during the Feast," she said. "It's no longer just about weakening me. They want to destabilize the kingdom itself."

Lucien's expression darkened. "We'll prepare. But we can't cancel the feast. That would show weakness."

"Then we'll turn their trap into ours," Aria said. "Let them come."

In the shadows of the Bloodfang ruins, Selena read her own messages with a smile.

"She suspects. Good," she whispered. "Let her dance. It will make her fall all the more satisfying."

But Aria was no longer a trembling girl desperate for approval.

She was Luna now.

And her Circle was ready.

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