Chapter 164

Aria

“The Alpha King is… Darren Avarise. With Luna Aria by his side.”

The room erupted into a mixture of cheers and tense murmurs as Wendy announced Darren’s victory. I felt a strange sensation in my chest. This wasn’t how I’d imagined our coronation would go, under the threat of imminent attack. I hadn’t imagined a coronation at all, honestly.

Darren squeezed my hand before stepping forward to address the room. His face was set in a determined expression—every inch the Alpha King they’d just elected him to be.

“Thank you for your trust,” he said, his words cutting through the noise and bringing immediate silence. “But we don’t have time for celebration. We have approximately five hours before sunrise, and we need to use every minute.”

He turned to Wendy and Bella. “Our first priority is evacuation. Children, elderly, and anyone unable to fight needs to be moved to my father’s estate outside the village. Wendy, you know the code for the bunker underneath his property. Can you two lead them there?”

Wendy and Bella nodded, already moving. This was the first I’d heard of a bunker on pack lands, but I was glad to learn of it now.

Within minutes, we had launched into planning. The other pack leaders sent for all of the warriors they could manage, who would march toward Moonglow territory immediately. Maps were spread across tables, warriors were checking weapons, and Alphas huddled in groups, discussing strategy.

I felt both sick and invigorated, to be in this room amongst so many leaders. Invigorated because, somehow, I had been right when I’d told Bella’s father that Darren would be the next Alpha King. And sick because now Darren and I were the ones the werewolves would look to.

We had to figure this out, and quickly. And throughout the planning, one problem kept coming up: that of the chemical weapons that would allegedly be used to put us in comas.

I slipped away and made my way to the clinic, pushing my way through crowds of refugees as I hurried through the village. Dr. Edward was packing emergency medical supplies when I found him inside the clinic.

“Dr. Edward,” I called, breathless as I burst into the room. “The tincture you created from Lovesting venom—could you modify it?”

He looked up, confused. “Modify it how?”

“To make us resistant to the effects of the chemical weapons the humans will be using,” I explained. “You said the substance they used on Darren was derived from Lovesting venom. If you created the tincture from the same venom, could you create something that would make us less susceptible to their weapons?”

Dr. Edward’s eyes widened as he processed my suggestion. He ran a hand through his graying hair, his mind clearly racing.

“It’s… possible,” he said slowly. “The tincture uses the venom to alter a wolf’s limbic system. Theoretically, I could use the natural antidote for the venom to make a wolf resistant to the chemicals…”

“How quickly could you make it?” I was already moving toward the door once more.

Dr. Edward glanced at the clock. “I’d need at least three hours, and that’s if everything goes perfectly. And I can’t guarantee it will work completely—”

“But it might help,” I interrupted. “Even partially.”

“Yes,” he conceded. “It might help.”

“Do it. Whatever resources you need, they’re yours.”

Dr. Edward nodded, already moving toward his laboratory. “I’ll need assistants—anyone with medical training.”

“You’ll have them,” I promised.

With that, I burst out of the room, commanding any and all medical personnel who were available to aid Dr. Edward. While they worked on the tincture, I returned to the council chamber, finding Darren and many of the other pack leaders where I’d left them. They all looked haggard, their voices a din in the enclosed space, and yet there was a method to the chaos.

I approached Darren, who reached out and pulled me close with one arm around my waist. He pointed at the map, where various areas had been circled in red ink. “We’re planning an ambush,” he explained, his voice nearly lost amongst all the noise. “The village will be set up to appear as if everyone is asleep. Meanwhile, warriors will be stationed in various locations around the border.”

“What about inside the village?” I asked.

He nodded once. “Warriors in every home, around every corner. Some of the further territories’ warriors might not arrive until after the fighting begins, so we have no warriors to spare. Thankfully, some able-bodied refugees have volunteered to fight.”

I swallowed hard. Just then, Alfira moved toward us, holding her camera.

“I’m going to be filming the whole thing,” she explained. “I’ll livestream it online as it happens. If people in the human cities see what’s happening, maybe they’ll finally understand just how cruel and brutal their ‘authorities’ are being.”

“That’s brilliant,” I said, my eyes widening slightly. “Go find some volunteers. No more than three. We can’t spare more than that.”

Alfira nodded and hurried away to begin preparations.

Over the next few hours, we transformed our village into an elaborate trap. Lights were left on in some windows, but warriors hid in shadows around every corner Decoys were placed in beds, ensuring some were even visible from windows. Strategic points were fortified while appearing unguarded.

But, just to avoid appearing too obvious, we stationed our usual guards at the gates. It had to look like a normal night, with the regular patrols active.

Three and a half hours after I’d left the clinic, Dr. Edward appeared at the door of the council chamber, looking exhausted but triumphant. In his hands, he carried a large container filled with small vials of amber liquid.

“It’s done,” he announced, striding into the room and slamming the container onto the table. “I’ve used the natural remedy for Lovesting venom as a base, but modified it to target the specific molecular structures found in the sample from the spy. I’ve also incorporated compounds that should help metabolize any toxins more quickly.”

He took a step back and gestured to the container. “I can’t promise it will block the effects entirely, but it should dull them significantly. At minimum, it will buy you time to retreat or counterattack before being overwhelmed.”

I picked up one of the tiny vials, studying the amber liquid inside. It looked so ordinary, yet it might be the difference between life and death for many of us.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice trembling slightly.

Darren clasped the doctor’s shoulder. “You may have just saved us all.”

Dr. Edward simply nodded. “One dose per wolf. It should last approximately six hours. Take it now.”

The vials were distributed quickly, each warrior downing the bitter liquid without complaint. I grimaced at the taste, but forced it down.

With less than an hour until dawn, the final preparations were made. Warriors took their positions. The refugees were evacuated. Alfira set up her equipment, ready to broadcast to the world.

Darren and I changed into dark leather armor, the same armor that the sentries at the gates usually wore. I was surprised when it fit my body quite well, and even more surprised when the quartermaster handed me a knife along with the bag of medical supplies that all the other medical personnel were wearing.

It hit me, then, that I had no idea how to use a weapon. Or fight, for that matter.

Suddenly, before I could voice that concern, Darren pulled me aside, leading me to a small alcove away from the others. For a brief moment, he let the stern mask covering his face fall, revealing worried eyes and a downturned mouth as he glanced at the knife in my hand.

“You should join the others in my father’s bunker. Liam will take you,” he said softly. “You don’t need to be here.”

But here was no real force behind his words. He already knew what my answer would be.

I shook my head, my fingers digging into the dark leather straining across his broad shoulders. “No, Darren. These are my people, too. I won’t hide while they risk their lives. I’m going to help the medical team.”

His hand came up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing over my skin. “I knew you would say that.” A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “But promise me you’ll stay out of sight as much as possible.”

I nodded. He took my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm before pulling me into him. His lips found mine, fierce and desperate and proud all at once. I melted into him, memorizing everything about this moment.

When we pulled apart, I saw something new in his eyes—not just love or worry, but a fierce, burning pride. He took the knife from my hand and knelt down on one knee in front of me, slipping it into the sheath at my thigh.

My throat bobbed. “I don’t know how to use it.”

Darren glanced up at me. “I don’t expect you to. If anything happens, you should shift first and foremost. Then run.”

I opened my mouth to say something, to tell him that I wouldn’t run anywhere if he wasn’t by my side—if our people weren’t by my side—but the words wouldn’t come when he looked up at me and I saw the hard glint in his eyes.

Finally, I nodded. He finished fastening the knife and stood, towering over me once more.

“My Luna Queen,” he whispered, brushing a strand of hair that had come loose from my braid back behind my ear. “Let’s show them what wolves can do.”

The last minutes ticked by with excruciating slowness. Darren and I reluctantly parted ways—he joined Alpha Arthur, Liam, and a posse of warriors in the shadows. I watched him go, tears misting my eyes, before I pulled myself together and joined a medical squad in the village.

It felt like hours that we waited in the shadows, anticipating the attack, but it was mere minutes.

Mere minutes before the first rays of dawn began to slip across the horizon.

And mere minutes before I heard the first shout.