Chapter 2

ARIA’S POV

It had been months, maybe longer since I’d done something reckless.

Something that made my blood sing and my wolf stretch her limbs in delight. I was Luna, after all. Dignified. Obedient. Always poised. Always predictable.

But not tonight.

“Tara,” I whispered as we crouched behind a marble pillar near the east wing garden gate. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

My best friend smirked, nudging me with her elbow. “You say that every time, and then you end up leading the trouble.”

I grinned. The palace guards stood at their usual posts, bored and half-asleep. We didn’t need to sneak out—not really. No one would dare stop their Luna if I walked out the gates in full command. But where was the fun in that?

“Okay, on my count,” I whispered. “Three, two—”

“Now!” Tara and I bolted across the trimmed hedges like wild girls on a dare. We stifled our laughter as we ran.

The wind blew it like I was alive again.

And goddess, I needed to feel alive.

-

The city was beautiful at night.

Tara and I moved through the alleys and side streets like we were on a mission. We giggled when we passed confused guards or drunkards too dazed to care.

“You need this,” Tara said as she linked her arm through mine. “Seriously, Aria. You’ve been cooped up for months.”

She wasn’t wrong. My days were filled with a never-ending routine of tea meetings, border treaties, and feigned smiles in front of the elite women in the pack. My laughter was never genuine.

But not tonight.

“I want cookies,” I said.

Tara blinked. “Cookies?”

“Yeah,” I said.  I hadn’t eaten those in a while. Mario had me on a strict diet “Warm, fat, chocolate-stuffed cookies. Let’s find the best ones in the city.”

It didn’t take long for us to find them.

A little street vendor near the old square was just closing up shop when I bribed him to stay open with nothing but a grin and a few sweet words.

Tara and I leaned against a bench under lantern light, sharing a bag of fresh cookies like teenagers. I took one bite and I almost moaned.

“I swear,” I said with a mouthful, “I could marry this cookie.”

“Mario would be so jealous,” Tara teased.

I froze for a moment at the mention of his name, but quickly shook it off. Not tonight. Tonight, I was just a woman enjoying cookies under the stars.

The next corner we turned had a group of rough-looking men crowded around barrels, laughing over some kind of street match. Tara pulled me closer. “We should go the other way.”

“Wait,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “They’re arm wrestling.”

She turned to me slowly. “Aria. Don’t even think about—”

“Excuse me,” I called out.

The group turned, their eyes sizing me up. I could see the amusement on their faces.

“You boys looking for a real challenge?” I asked.

They laughed. “You want to go against Gorn?” one of them chuckled. “He’s our beast. Snap a log in half with one hand.”

“Perfect,” I said, sliding my cloak off. “Let’s make this fun.”

Gorn and I faced each other and after the count of three, we joined our palms together.

I took him down in under ten seconds.

The crowd went wild.

Cheers filled the air. Coins clinked against wood as they placed new bets. One man slapped my back and shoved a drink in my hand. I laughed, high off the rush.

“Aria,” Tara hissed beside me, “you’re insane!”

“I missed this,” I breathed “I missed feeling like… me.”

“You’re going to pay for this,” she said with a shake of her head. “Mario’s going to smell all of this on you.”

At that, I sobered slightly. One of the men raised a glass and offered me ale. Tara nudged me. “C’mon. Just one?”

I eyed the cup then shook my head. “He’ll know. He always knows. And he hates it.”

Tara frowned. “Since when do you care what he likes?”

I didn’t answer. Not because I didn’t have one—but because it was complicated.

We slipped back into the palace just before dawn, passing the sleepy guards who hadn’t even realized we were gone.

I pulled Tara into a tight hug just outside her chamber.

“That was the most fun I’ve had in years,” I whispered.

“Let’s not wait years next time,” she grinned.

I nodded “Good night.”

With that, I went straight to my room.

I had just peeled off my boots and sank into my bed when a knock came at my door.

Not a polite one. It was aggressive. I groaned and pulled the door open. “What—”

Mario.

His face was unreadable as he came in.

He studied me. “You smell like… cookies.”

I stiffened.

“And smoke,” he continued. “And sweat.”

“Is there a reason you’re in my room at this hour?” I asked carefully.

Mario didn’t blink. “Where were you?”

I crossed my arms. “That’s not your business.”

“You’re the Luna,” he said coldly. “Everything you do is my business. People watch you.”

“They don’t watch me nearly as much as they watch you,” I muttered.

. “Tara was with you, wasn’t she?”

I didn’t answer.

“You went to the city.” His tone was flat. “You disobeyed. You humiliated your station.”

I clenched my fists at my sides “I didn’t drink.”

“That’s not the point!” he shouted, stepping forward. “You think I don’t know what people would say if they saw you out there—acting like one of them?”

My voice shook. “You mean free?”

He stared at me for a long, long moment. Then he turned away. “The ball is in three days. Do not disgrace us again.”

He left without another word.

I stood still in my room until the rage finally cracked.

I screamed.

A deep, raw scream that tore from my throat. I punched the wall, hard. Pain flared through my knuckles but I didn’t care. I wanted to shatter something—anything. I wanted to run back to that street and never come back.

“You bastard,” I hissed. “You godsdamned bastard.”

Then it hit me.

Not rage—but a wave of dizziness. The room tilted and I stumbled back.

My wolf stirred inside me. She whispered three names in my head

“Kai” she whispered “Rael. Pierre”

The names hit me like falling stones. I didn’t recognize them.

Flashes filled my vision—three faces, blurred and unfamiliar. They were all so gorgeous. These men looked perfect, like Greek gods.

“What…” I whispered. “What is this?”

-

The morning sun was bright, annoyingly so.

I hated mornings like this. Not because of the light or the chill—but because of the performance that awaited me.

Tea with noblewomen.

The thought made me want to turn around and dive back into bed. But I couldn’t. Not as Luna.

My fingers brushed down the front of my pale blue gown as I walked. Everything about me looked polished. My hair was pinned into soft curls and my expression was calm.

Until I heard it.

It was faint… but I wasn’t just anyone. I was a warrior wolf. And my hearing was sharper than most.

A sound echoed from Mario’s wing.

I heard the sound of…moans.

I paused mid-step. The air caught in my lungs.

No.

Not again.

I turned slightly. I told myself not to. I begged myself to walk away. But my legs moved on their own.

The corridor was silent except for the sound I now couldn’t unhear. The faint creak of his bed. A moan. Laughter. Breathless, feminine laughter.

Lira.

My heart sank.

I reached Mario’s chamber doors which were slightly open.

“Stop,” I whispered to myself. “Don’t look. Don’t—”

But I did.

I opened it slightly more.

And there they were.

My husband. Mario.

Between Lira’s legs.

He was gripping her thighs. His mouth was buried in the crook of her neck, panting her name like he couldn’t get enough.

Oh goddess.