[POV: Dayana]
I watched from the trees, cloaked in shadow—my own shadow.
The magic coiled around me like a second skin, silent and unseen, a gift I’d long mastered but rarely needed. But tonight, I used it. Because tonight, I needed the truth.
And I found it. Her lips on his.
Their bodies pressed too close, breathless and clinging, like the entire forest could collapse and they wouldn’t notice. I felt something snap inside me.
Not jealousy. No—boiling rage.
That wasn’t supposed to be hers. Not Alpha Hayden. Not his power. Not his title. Not the prestige of being Luna to the most feared and powerful Alpha in the Northern territories.
I had planned for this glorious destiny, maneuvered for it, trained for it. And she—that pathetic little bitch—was about to get it all.
Before me.
My fists clenched at my sides, the shadows around me trembling in response. I had been patient. I smiled, curtsied, made polite conversation at that damned dinner. I’d played the perfect concerned sister. Planted my seeds. I watched and waited.
But I would wait no longer.
If Aria mated with Hayden—if that bond was sealed—it would be over for me. There would be no more alliances to forge, no more steps to climb. I would be beneath her. The very girl that was born to bring ruin.
The girl that was born to die from my hand for me to rise in saint moonlight.
Unless… I acted first. I need to get Hayden.
So the next night, I moved through the halls of the Crimson Fang packhouse with the grace of a queen. Every step deliberate, every movement perfectly timed. My dress was black and slinked around my figure like liquid.
Subtle, not scandalous—elegant. Enough to stir thought. I wore his pack’s crest in gold on a chain around my throat and laced my perfume with nightbloom and crushed amber.
I knew the scent would reach him before I did.
And when I found him—alone, leaning over maps in the war room—I gave him a soft, knowing smile.
“Alpha Hayden,” I said, voice velvet-smooth.
He glanced up, eyes narrowing slightly. “Dayana.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything too important.” I took a slow step forward. “I thought… maybe we should talk. About us. About our packs.”
He watched me without blinking. “There is no ‘us.’”
A flicker of heat touched my cheeks, but I didn’t let it show. “Perhaps not yet. But the past still matters, doesn’t it? Our families were once closely aligned. That history shouldn’t be forgotten.”
I circled closer to him, letting my fingers trail along the edge of the oak table.
His eyes didn’t leave mine. “Is there something you want, Dayana?”
I let a pause stretch between us. “Only to strengthen bonds that once held power.”
Then I stepped into his space—just enough. Close enough for him to smell the perfume, see the curve of my neck, the softness of my painted lips.
I reached out, brushing my fingers lightly across his chest, just over his heart.
“You and I could rule, Hayden,” I murmured. “You know it. Our bloodlines, our strength—it makes sense.”
His expression didn’t shift. Not even a flicker of temptation.
“I’m not interested,” he said, voice cold.
My smile faltered.
“You didn’t even think about it,” I said, sharper now.
“I didn’t need to,” he replied. “You’re not what I want. Never would.”
His words landed like ice on my skin. I took a slow step back, inhaled, recalculated.
Fine.
Seduction wouldn’t work. But I had another weapon—one that always landed better than perfume and smiles.
Doubt.
“Very well,” I said softly, casting my gaze toward the window. “I suppose I was just… worried.”
He raised a brow. “About what?”
“About Aria,” I said, letting the name roll off my tongue like a curse cloaked in concern. “I know she’s… special to you. I can see that.”
His jaw flexed.
“I just think you should be careful,” I continued. “She’s been through a lot. Our family tried to help her for years, but she never quite… adjusted. She has unpredictable instincts. Emotional swings. And then there’s her magic.”
Hayden didn’t speak, but I saw the tension in his shoulders. I pressed on.
“There’s something else,” I said, softer now. “Something you deserve to know.”
His gaze turned sharp. “What?”
“The prophecy,” I said. “An old one passed through our bloodline. Two sisters born under the moon’s shadow. One destined to bring ruin to her pack… the other to bring glory.”
He stared at me in silence.
“I’m not saying it’s real,” I added quickly. “But… our parents always believed it. They thought Aria was the dangerous one. She carries that darkness in her magic. In her silence. In the way she draws power without control. I’m only telling you this because I thought you should know. Before you let your feelings cloud your judgment.”
Still, he didn’t speak. But I could feel it.
The seed had been planted. And soon, it would bloom.