"Luna. Let me tell you a secret." Alpha Kaelen leaned in close, voice barely a whisper. "The late Alpha didn't just die of illness. I switched out his medicine that night." He smiled. "Funny, isn't it? You saved a Rogue's pup, Luna. And I killed your Alpha." *********** Six months since Kaelen took over the pack. Six months, and my guards, my servants, my food had been cut three times. The fourth time, the Beta who delivered the message didn't even bother to bow. He said the Alpha had found me a quiet cabin at the edge of the territory. "The Alpha thinks it would be good for you to rest there." I sat all day, sorting through everything my late mate had left me. The Obsidian Fang. Three Blood Decrees that the late alpha made. The next day, I attended the Full Moon Council as usual. From my seat, I watched the pack through the flickering firelight. Kaelen turned his head and glanced at me. The woman standing beside him wasn't the Luna. It was Chloe—his chosen Mate, the one he'd publicly claimed just last month. She adjusted his collar, her fingers lingering on the fresh bite marks on her neck. She leaned in and whispered something. Then Kaelen raised his voice for everyone to hear. "I don't think our Luna has been feeling well lately. She doesn't need to worry about pack affairs anymore." A few Betas murmured in agreement. I didn't move. "So you think it's time for me to go?" I paused. "Let me ask you something.The late Alpha left three Blood Decrees. Did you konw?" Dead silence. Kaelen's fingers dug into the armrest. "The first one protects my position as Luna. You've seen that one. But you seem unwilling to comply." "The second one—do you want to open it now? Or would you rather wait until I'm gone?" Not a sound. Every wolf in attendance lowered their heads. Even their breathing seemed to slow. Kaelen's face drained of color. He stared in my direction, his throat bobbing twice. His knuckles had gone white from gripping the armrest. I watched his eyes through the dim light. That wasn't guilt. That was fear. "Luna, you can't be serious." His voice dropped low, barely holding steady. "The Blood Decrees is sacred. You can't just throw it around like this. We can talk about this in private after the council." He was stalling. I wasn't going to give him the chance. My hand slipped into my cloak. My fingers brushed against the Blood Decrees. In the front row, a few of the late Alpha's old allies lifted their heads. "Well. Since you're in no rush." I flicked my wrist. The Blood Decrees flew from my hand and tumbled down the stone steps. Every pair of eyes followed it down. No one moved. Kaelen shot to his feet—but the woman beside him was faster. Chloe grabbed her skirts and rushed down the steps, bending low to snatch the Blood Decrees. "Our Luna hasn't been sleeping well. I think the stress is getting to her head. Don't worry, I'll keep this safe—" I watched her bent figure, and a memory surfaced. Twelve years ago. Dead of winter. I had found him half-dead in the snow, a rogue's unwanted pup, and brought him into the pack. I gave him a home. A name and a future. And this was what I got in return. "How dare you." Four Luna's Guards burst through the entrance, half-shifted, claws out and pressed against Chloe's throat. She froze. Hand in midair. All the color gone from her face. Someone gasped. Chloe's legs shook. She looked desperately at Kaelen, lips trembling, but nothing came out. Kaelen's eyes went wide. He pulled Chloe behind him, voice rising. "She was just trying to help! What the hell are you doing? You want to tear this pack apart over nothing?" His hand clamped down on Chloe's shoulder. Veins popped along the back of his hand. The Betas who had backed him up moments ago were now staring at their feet. Silent. I didn't acknowledge him. "Head Elder." In the front row, the white-haired elder's knees gave out. He sank to the ground. "I... I'm here." "Pick it up. Read it out loud." The old man crawled to the bottom of the steps. His hands trembled as he lifted the Blood Decrees. His fingers shook so hard that flakes of dried scattered across the stone. Kaelen opened his mouth, ready to stop him—but dozens of eyes snapped toward him at once. The words died in his throat. His eyes scanned the text. Left to right. His face changed. He looked up at me. Then back at Kaelen. His lips moved, but no sound came out. "Read it." I said.
The Head Elder's voice shook as he read, every word forced out. "The late Alpha's second decree: Should the new Alpha neglect his duties for personal pleasures or permit any mate to overstep her place" "—the Luna holds the right to strip all ranks from those involved. No appeal. No council vote. Effective at once." Silence. Then every pair of eyes turned to the same spot. Chloe stood behind Kaelen. Her face had gone gray. Her nails dug into her palms so hard they nearly drew blood. The Decree bore the late Alpha's blood seal and scent. Every stroke, every mark is unmistakable. Impossible to forge. Kaelen's jaw clenched. He couldn't get a single word out. I rose to my feet. Every wolf in the room turned to look at me. The old guard in the front lowered their gazes. The younger wolves in the back were shaking. "Beta Hendricks failed to teach his daughter her place. He let her snatch the late Alpha's Blood Decree in front of the entire pack. A direct insult to this council." "The Blood Decrees carries the late Alpha's blood seal. Only the Luna has the right to unseal it. " "Beta Hendricks failed to teach his daughter her place. She tried to snatch it in front of the entire pack—that's not just disrespect. That's a direct challenge to his final command." My voice was calm. But everyone heard it. On the left side, third row—Beta Hendricks, Chloe's father, went purple in the face. He swayed twice but forced himself to stay standing. My voice was calm. But everyone heard it. "Effective immediately: stripped of his rank and banished from the inner territory. He runs with the strays now." I looked at Kaelen. "Alpha. Any objections?" His lips pressed into a thin line. His jaw was clenched so tight a vein bulged at his temple. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He'd bitten through his own lip. Behind him, Chloe clutched his arm, trembling all over. Kaelen closed his eyes for a moment. "...Granted." The word came out through gritted teeth. Beta Hendricks stood frozen. Chloe's knees buckled. She collapsed against Kaelen, sobbing without a sound. He held her shoulder and lowered his head. But when his eyes lifted to meet mine— Pure hatred and ice cold. Less than two hours after the council ended, every guard outside my quarters was gone. Replaced by Kaelen's warriors. The marks on their collars bore his initial. I stood by the window, watching them line up in the courtyard. Finley came in with tea, his steps lighter than usual. He set down the cup and gave me a small bow. "Luna. The guards have changed. We'll need to be more careful from now on." I glanced at him but said nothing. He backed out quietly. I opened the hidden compartment and spread out the third Blood Decree and the Obsidian Fang on the table. My fingers traced over the fang's carved surface, inch by inch. Before my mate —the late Alpha died, he had pressed these into my hands. His last words to me— "Keep them. Don't give them to anyone." I thought he was being paranoid. That night, an unfamiliar servant walked in carrying a bowl. He set it on the table without so much as a nod. His eyes swept over me with open contempt. "Alpha's orders. The Luna hasn't been well. One bowl Every day. No exceptions." He paused, then lowered his voice. "And if Luna still refuses to hand over the Obsidian Fang... well, the recipe for this tonic might change."
After the servant left, I picked up the bowl. It smelled faintly sweet. I walked to the window and poured the entire thing onto the ground outside. The liquid splashed against the stone, spreading into a dark stain. Late that night, a soft thud came from the rooftop. A shadow dropped down and knelt before me. One of my hidden scouts. The ones I'd kept outside the territory. "Luna. Something Urgent. Chloe's cousin intercepted General Marcus's supply convoy at the border. Thirty thousand pounds of provisions. Not a scrap left." My grip tightened around the arm of my chair. Marcus—my brother—was stationed at the northern border. Thirty hundred warriors depended on those supplies. Cutting them off was the same as sentencing them to death. The wood cracked beneath my fingers. "Got it." I sat in the darkness, staring at my hands. He wasn't just coming for me. He was coming for the whole pack. The next morning. My door was kicked open from the outside. Kaelen strode in, boots echoing against the floor with every step. Chloe followed behind him. Kaelen walked straight to the table and slammed a piece of paper down. "Luna. Read this." A letter. My brother's handwriting. The contents accused him of conspiring with enemy packs. Treason. The handwriting was close. But Marcus had an old injury in his right hand. His strokes always hitched at the end. This letter was too smooth. Every line too perfect. It was forged. "Your brother, Marcus has been caught red-handed. Conspiring with rogues. Plotting against the pack." Kaelen crossed his arms, looking down at me. "Hand over the Obsidian Fang. Maybe I'll let him die in one piece." Chloe smiled maliciously. "Luna, I'm only trying to help. Marcus's bad leg—he got that protecting our Alpha, didn't he? Such a shame if he dies a traitor." Years ago, during a rogue attack on the border, Marcus had shielded Kaelen with his own body. Took a blow meant for a boy who was nobody back then. He'd walked with a limp ever since, stationed at the frozen border for seven years. And now they wanted to execute him for treason. Kaelen shifted. His claws extended, gleaming in the low light. He held them inches from my chest. "I only ask once more." His voice dropped low. "Give me the Fang and the last Blood Decree. Or tonight, I'll feed Marcus's remains to the rogues."
I didn't back down. I shifted just enough for my claws to extend. In one swift motion, I grabbed Chloe's wrist and yanked her in front of me. My claws pressed against her throat. Chloe screamed. Kaelen's eyes went wide. His claws shifted instantly—away from my chest, now aimed at my neck. Three years ago, I took him in during the dead of winter. Now his claws were at my throat. "Kaelen. This is how you repay the one who saved you." My voice was quiet. Only he could hear. "Fine." I let go of Chloe. She stumbled and fell, then crawled back to Kaelen's feet, sobbing. I walked to the hidden compartment and took out an obsidian fang—but not the real one. A replica. One I'd prepared long ago. It sat heavy in my palm. The late Alpha had told me the day he gave me the real one: This is your last safeguard. Now I was going to throw this fake at his feet. I held it up in front of Kaelen. Watched his eyes. It was greedy. I let go. The fang dropped from my hand and hit the stone floor. A piece chipped off the edge. "Take it. And my family doesn't need your mercy." Kaelen bent down and picked it up. He turned it over three times, checking every inch. The tension in his face finally eased. A smile crept onto his lips. He grabbed Chloe and walked out without looking back. The moment the door closed, Chloe's laughter drifted in from outside. I turned and reached into the deepest part of the hidden compartment. My fingertips touched something cold. I pulled it out. The real Obsidian Fang. Black as midnight. Carved with ancient wolf runes. "They think that fang can command the warriors." I gripped it tight. "They don't know all pack warriors only answers to this real one." A hidden passage opened silently. One of my scouts slipped out and knelt at my feet. I placed the fang in his hand. "Get word to my brother. Fake a defeat. Pull back from the border. Bring three hundred warriors. Surround the territory. Cut off every exit. Wait for my signal." The scout took the fang and vanished without a sound. I stood by the window. The sky had gone dark. Finley hurried in. "Luna. Kaelen used that fang to reassign the border patrols. Every post is now held by his wolves." I didn't turn around. "Finley." "Yes, Luna." "The third Decree. It's time everyone knowned what he really is."
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