JESSICA

JESSICA

I paced the length of my room until I could feel the soles of my feet burning. Every time I stopped, my eyes landed on the clock. In just a few hours, Kaelen would be forced onto a horse and sent toward a wasteland that ate men alive.

The image of him on the floor of the Great Hall, being kicked by Nathan while he was already broken, wouldn't leave my mind. It made my blood boil. It made me want to scream until this entire building crumbled. I couldn't sit here. I couldn't just watch him walk to his death because of an obsessed man who wouldn't accept fate.

"I have to stop this," I said, more like I was talking to someone than to myself.

I could feel my heart hammering against my chest as I made it for the door. I didn't know why I was feeling this restless. Maybe because I was scared of innocent lives walking into a land of no return. Or was there something more?

I needed to see my father. He was the Alpha. He had the power to pull back the order. He was the only one who could stop Nathan’s madness from risking the lives of people who didn't deserve to die.

I was halfway to the study when my mother stepped out from a side corridor. I nearly crashed into her.

"Jessica? Where are you going in such a state?" She asked, looking at me with those tired, beautiful eyes that always seemed to be apologizing for something. She reached out to grab my shoulders.

"Mom, move. I need to see Dad," I said, my voice shaking. "I have to talk to him."

"Jessica, calm down," she said, almost like she was murmuring the words. "You’re trembling. You’re going to make a scene, and you know how your father feels about scenes."

"Calm down?" I let out a bitter laugh. "How am I supposed to be calm, Mom? Nathan is marching innocent lives into a no-man’s-land! He’s sending Kaelen to the Northern Waste just because his ego is bruised! You saw him today. He’s a monster."

"It’s a military scout mission, Jessica. It’s pack business—"

"It’s an execution!" I shouted, tears finally pricking my eyes. I grabbed her hands, squeezing them tight. "Mom, please. You have to help me. Talk to him. Dad listens to you when no one else is around. Tell him to stop the march. Tell him to keep the guards here. I’ll do anything. I’ll be the perfect daughter. I’ll never complain again. Just... please don't let those men die for nothing."

My mother looked at me for a long time. I saw the struggle in her face; a Queen trying to follow the rules and the mother who saw her daughter’s heart breaking. She looked at my messy hair and my desperate eyes, and she sighed.

"You really care for this guard, don't you?" she asked softly.

"I care about justice," I lied, though we both knew the truth. "I care about not being the reason someone’s blood is spilled."

She squeezed my hands back. "Fine. I will go. I will talk to your father, but only if you go back to your room right now. Stay calm. Do not let your emotions take over, Jessica. If you go in there screaming, he will lock you away and double the guard. Do you understand me?"

I nodded quickly, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "I’ll stay in my room. I promise. Just save them, Mom. Please."

She gave me a single, stiff nod and turned toward the Alpha’s study. I watched her walk away, feeling a tiny spark of hope. I turned back toward my room, counting every step, praying that for once, my father would choose us over the crown.

****

LUNA ELENA

I stood outside the doors of the study for a moment, adjusting my gown. I felt a weight in my chest that hadn't been there in years. Seeing Jessica so broken had stirred something in me—something I had buried a long time ago when I accepted my own silent life.

I pushed the doors open.

Silas was behind his desk, leaning over a map with his Beta, Marcus. They were speaking in low tones about border patrols and supply lines. Silas didn't even look up at first.

"Marcus, I want the scouts to move by the western ridge," Silas said, his voice gravelly. "If the Rogues are as thick as Nathan says—"

"Alpha," I called.

He stopped mid-sentence. He looked up, his brow furrowing when he saw me. He waved his hand at Marcus. "Leave us for a moment. I’ll call you back."

Marcus bowed and walked out, closing the doors behind him. Silas leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Elena, if you are here for me to change my mind about the Northern mission, save your breath. The order is signed."

"I have to bother, Silas," I said, walking toward his desk. "This is our daughter we are talking about. You saw her today. You saw what happened at that altar."

"What happened was a disaster," he snapped. "A public embarrassment."

"It was the Moon’s will!" I countered. "The Goddess herself stepped in and said no. Why are you fighting it? Why are you letting the emotions of a rejected man ruin the happiness of your own daughter? Nathan is obsessed, Silas. He isn't acting like a leader; he’s acting like a jilted child."

Silas stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. He leaned over the desk, his eyes flashing. "This isn't just about a wedding, Elena! It’s about power. If this union doesn't hold, the alliance with the South falls apart. We will be weak. We will be a target. This pack needs stability, and Nathan’s family provides that."

"And what about Jessica’s stability?" I asked. "Are you more bothered about the politics of the pack than the soul of your own child?"

Silas scoffed, turning away to look out the dark window. "Why are you suddenly speaking for her? Jessica is the one who spent months complaining that she didn't need a babysitter. She hated having a protector. Now, suddenly, she’s worried about his life? It doesn't make sense."

"She isn't just caring about one man, Silas," I said, stepping closer to his back. "She is worried about the lives you are marching into a death zone. And she’s right. You are sending men to die all because an obsessed prince won't accept his fate. Nathan is using your soldiers to solve his personal problems, and you are just letting him."

Silas turned back to me, his face hard. "I am doing what is necessary for the Silver Moon."

"No," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "This is unlike you, Silas. You have always been a man of honor. But now? You are comfortably letting a boy-prince decide how to control your people. You are letting him dictate who lives and who dies in your territory just to keep an alliance."

I saw him flinch. The words hit exactly where I wanted them to.

"If that is how you lead now," I continued, "then the Silver Moon is in serious trouble. Because you aren't being a leader anymore, Silas. You're being a politician. And a fair leader doesn't sacrifice his best men to soothe the ego of a man who isn't even part of this pack yet."

Silas looked at me. And for a second, I saw the man I had married—the man who cared about justice. He looked at the map, then back at me.

"She’s in her room?" he asked quietly.

"Waiting for you to be her father again," I replied.

He looked down at his desk, his hands trembling slightly. "Go back to her, Elena. I need to think."