Chapter 14

"You seem different lately."

Cade stood in the doorway of the library, watching Aria with those careful eyes of his. She'd been reading—or pretending to read—a book on pack law, using it as cover to study the political scenarios Darius had outlined for her.

She looked up. "Different how?"

"Happier." He walked in and sat across from her. "For years, you've had this look on your face. Like you're waiting for the next bad thing to happen. But the last few days..." He tilted his head. "Something changed."

Aria kept her expression steady. "Maybe placing third gave me a confidence boost."

"Maybe." He didn't look convinced. His eyes dropped to her neck, and Aria's hand moved before she could stop it, tugging her collar higher. Too late.

"What's that?" Cade asked.

"What's what?"

"On your neck. Below your ear." He leaned forward. "Aria, is that a bite mark?"

Her blood went cold. She'd been careful. She always checked in the mirror before leaving her room. But this morning she'd been rushed because Orion had stayed too long, and—

"It's nothing. A bug bite."

"That's not a bug bite." Cade's voice was flat. "I've seen enough love bites to know what they look like."

"Cade—"

"Who is he?"

"There is no 'he.'"

"Then what's that on your wrist?" He pointed. Aria looked down. A faint bruise, claw-shaped, peeked out from under her sleeve. Darius. Last night. He'd grabbed her wrist when she tried to tickle him—one of the rare moments his composure cracked.

She pulled her sleeve down. "I'm training every day. I get marks."

"Claw marks that heal overnight? Bite marks you try to hide?" Cade stood up. "You're seeing someone."

"And if I am, that's my business."

"It's my business when you're my—" He stopped. Swallowed hard. "When you're my family."

The word hit her harder than expected. Family. Cade had been trying to be her family for years, even when her actual family treated her like dirt.

"Cade." She softened her voice. "I told you before. I care about you, but not like that."

"This isn't about that." His jaw tightened. "This is about the fact that someone is leaving marks on you in a castle full of strangers, and you won't tell anyone who it is. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

"I can handle myself."

"Can you? Because two weeks ago you couldn't even shift, and now you're sneaking around with someone powerful enough to leave claw marks? Aria, think."

She stood up and gathered her books. "I appreciate that you care. I do. But you need to trust me."

"Trust you to do what? Get hurt?"

She walked past him toward the door. "To make my own choices."

"Aria." His voice stopped her. Quiet now. Almost sad. "Just... be careful. Please. Whoever this person is, if they're worth it, they wouldn't have to be a secret."

She didn't turn around. Couldn't. Because he was right, and they both knew it.

The hallway was busy—competitors heading to afternoon sessions, servants carrying linens, guards making rounds. Aria kept her head down and moved fast.

She was halfway to her room when she nearly collided with Royal Beta Knox.

"Aria! Just the young woman I was looking for." Knox smiled at her. He had a wide smile, the kind that showed too many teeth. "Walk with me?"

Every instinct in her body said no. Darius's voice echoed in her head: Don't be alone with him.

"I was just heading to training—"

"This will only take a moment." He fell into step beside her, not waiting for agreement. "I've been watching the competition with great interest. Your performance in the first trial was remarkable."

"Thank you."

"A white wolf. I haven't seen one in my lifetime. Neither has anyone else." He glanced sideways at her. "Where does your mother's bloodline originate?"

There it was. The question, dressed up in casual conversation.

"My mother died when I was born," Aria said carefully. "I don't know much about her family."

"Nothing at all? No records? No stories from your father?"

"My father doesn't talk about her."

Knox nodded slowly. "A shame. The bloodline of a white wolf would be of great interest to historians. And to certain... scholars."

"What scholars?"

His smile widened. "Oh, just people who study the old bloodlines. The ancient families. The ones connected to the Moon Goddess's original gifts." He paused at a corridor junction. "I don't suppose Seraphina Ravencrest has spoken to you about any of this?"

Alarm bells went off in Aria's head. "Seraphina examined me after my collapse. That's all."

"Of course, of course. Well, if you ever learn anything about your mother's family, I'd love to hear about it. Purely academic interest, you understand." He patted her shoulder. "Good luck with the next trial, Aria."

He walked away.

Aria stood in the corridor, her heart hammering. Knox wasn't just curious. He was hunting. Looking for something specific.

He was looking for the bloodline of the First Luna.

She needed to find Blake. Now.

She found him in his office—the small room sandwiched between the two kings' private studies. She could hear Orion's voice through one wall, giving orders to someone. Through the other wall, silence. Darius worked quietly.

"Blake. I need to talk to you."

He looked up from a stack of papers. "Door open or closed?"

"Closed."

He raised an eyebrow but nodded. She shut the door and sat down.

"Knox just cornered me. He's asking about my mother's bloodline. About white wolves and the 'old bloodlines.' He mentioned Seraphina by name."

Blake set down his pen. The easygoing expression he usually wore shifted into something sharper.

"What exactly did he ask?"

She told him everything. Word for word. Blake listened without interrupting, but his fingers were tapping the desk—a nervous habit she'd noticed before.

When she finished, he leaned back. "That's not good."

"I figured."

"Knox has been making inquiries for months. Quiet ones. Meeting with historians, sending letters to old packs. I reported it to the kings, but there was nothing concrete enough to act on." He looked at her. "Now there is."

"What does he want?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Blake ran a hand through his hair. "If he's looking for the First Luna's bloodline, he either knows about the curse or he's working with someone who does."

"Seraphina said only the Ravencrest witches knew—"

"Seraphina says a lot of things. That doesn't mean secrets haven't leaked over three hundred years."

Aria's mind was racing. Knox was Vivian's father. Vivian who cheated in the trial. Vivian who was watching Aria constantly.

"Knox and Vivian," she said. "They're working together."

"That's my guess."

"But toward what?"

Blake held her gaze. "Toward controlling the next Luna. Or destroying her. Whichever serves them better."

The words settled over Aria like ice water.

From behind the wall to her left, she heard Darius's chair scrape against the floor. A door opened and closed. He'd left his study.

Two minutes later, a knock came at Blake's door. Darius entered without waiting.

His eyes found Aria immediately. "I heard your voice through the wall." He looked at Blake. "What's going on?"

Blake told him. Darius listened with the stillness of a frozen lake.

When Blake finished, Darius's voice was very, very quiet.

"Double the watch on Knox. Every meeting, every letter, every person he speaks to. I want to know what he eats for breakfast."

"Done," Blake said.

Darius looked at Aria. In that look was everything he couldn't say in front of Blake. Fear. Fury. Promise.

"Stay close to people you trust," he said. "And trust no one new."

Then he left, his footsteps echoing down the corridor with the precision of a man who was already planning his next ten moves.

Aria looked at Blake. "He's terrifying when he's like that."

Blake almost smiled. "You should see him when he's actually angry."

She didn't want to. Because whatever Knox was planning, she had a feeling they were all about to find out.