CHAPTER 5: SANCTUARY AND SECRETS

The room Landon had given Aria was nothing like the cold, sterile quarters she'd occupied as Kieran's Luna. Warm wooden beams crossed the ceiling, and soft amber light filtered through gauze curtains. The bed was piled with thick blankets that smelled of lavender and pine. For the first time in months, Aria felt like she could breathe.

She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands resting protectively over her stomach. The twins were still so small, barely more than a flutter of life, but already they were changing everything. They had saved her, in a way. If she hadn't been pregnant, she might have stayed, might have let Kieran and Selene's cruelty break her completely.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in," Aria called, her voice still rough from exhaustion.

The door opened to reveal a woman in her early forties with kind eyes and graying brown hair pulled back in a loose braid. She carried a tray laden with tea, bread, and what looked like healing herbs.

"I'm Cora," the woman said with a warm smile. "Landon asked me to check on you. I'm the pack's healer."

Aria nodded, gesturing for her to enter. "Thank you. I... I'm not sure what I need right now."

Cora set the tray down on the bedside table and pulled up a chair. "What you need is rest, proper food, and someone to tell you that you're going to be alright." Her eyes were gentle but assessing as she looked Aria over. "May I examine your wounds?"

Aria hesitated, then nodded. As Cora carefully unwrapped the bandages on her side, Aria winced at the sight of the gash left by the rogue's blade. It was healing, but slowly.

"This will scar," Cora said matter-of-factly, "but you'll survive. You're stronger than you look." She paused, her hands hovering over Aria's stomach. "Landon mentioned... you're carrying?"

Aria's hands instinctively covered her belly. "Twins. I'm about eight weeks along."

Cora's expression softened with wonder. "Twins are rare among our kind. A blessing from the Moon Goddess herself." She met Aria's eyes. "They're safe. I can feel their heartbeats, strong and steady. Whatever happened to you, these little ones are fighters."

Tears welled in Aria's eyes. "They're all I have left."

"No," Cora said firmly, placing a weathered hand over Aria's. "You have yourself. And now you have this pack. Landon doesn't offer protection lightly, and when he does, it's absolute. You're safe here, Luna."

"I'm not a Luna anymore," Aria whispered.

Cora smiled knowingly. "That remains to be seen."

Meanwhile, in Landon's office, a different conversation was taking place.

Marcus stood before Landon's desk, his expression grave. The Beta had arrived an hour ago, requesting an urgent private audience with the Alpha. Now, he laid a folder of documents on the polished wood surface.

"I didn't know where else to go," Marcus said, his voice tight with barely controlled anger. "Kieran won't listen to me. He's completely under Selene's spell."

Landon leaned back in his chair, his amber eyes sharp. "What did you find?"

"Financial records." Marcus opened the folder, spreading papers across the desk. "Large sums of money transferred from pack accounts to unknown recipients. The transactions started six months ago, right around the time Selene began positioning herself closer to Kieran."

Landon's jaw tightened. "How much are we talking about?"

"Enough to hire a small army of rogues." Marcus pointed to a specific entry. "This transaction, made three days ago, matches the timeline of the attack on Aria. I cross-referenced it with known rogue contacts in the region. The payment went to Dmitri's network."

"Selene hired the rogues to kill Aria," Landon said, his voice deadly calm.

"I believe so. But there's more." Marcus pulled out another document. "Selene has been systematically isolating Aria from the pack for over a year. She spread rumors about Aria's infertility, convinced pack members that Aria was weak, unfit to be Luna. She even—" Marcus's voice cracked with emotion, "—she even poisoned Aria's food with herbs that prevent conception."

Landon's eyes flashed dangerously. "She deliberately sabotaged Aria's ability to get pregnant?"

"For months. That's why it took so long. When Aria finally did conceive, Selene panicked. She pushed Kieran to divorce Aria immediately, before he could find out about the pregnancy."

"And Kieran just went along with it?"

Marcus's expression turned bitter. "Kieran has changed. Ever since his father died and he became Alpha, he's been... different. More susceptible to manipulation. Selene knows exactly how to play him—she appeals to his pride, his need to appear strong, his fear of being seen as weak for having a Luna who couldn't produce an heir."

Landon stood, his presence filling the room. "Does Kieran know about any of this?"

"No. And he won't believe me if I tell him. He thinks I'm jealous of Selene's influence." Marcus met Landon's eyes. "I came here because Aria deserves to know the truth. She deserves justice. And those children..." He paused. "Kieran doesn't even know about the twins, does he?"

"No," Landon confirmed. "And I intend to keep it that way until Aria decides what she wants."

Marcus nodded slowly. "I understand. But you should know—when Kieran finds out, there will be hell to pay. He may be under Selene's influence, but those children are his blood. His heirs. He'll come for them."

"Let him try," Landon said quietly, but there was steel in his voice. "Aria is under my protection now. She's my mate. And I will die before I let anyone hurt her or her children again."

Three days had passed since Aria arrived at Landon's pack. Her physical wounds were healing, but the emotional ones ran deeper. She spent most of her time in her room, emerging only for meals and brief walks in the garden under Cora's watchful eye.

Tonight, however, something was different.

Aria woke suddenly, her body drenched in sweat. The room was bathed in silver moonlight, brighter than it should be. She gasped as a wave of energy rolled through her, starting at her core and radiating outward. It felt like lightning in her veins, powerful and terrifying.

Her hands began to glow with a soft, ethereal silver light.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered, staring at her palms in shock.

The twins. She could feel them now, not just as a physical presence but as two distinct sources of energy within her. They were responding to something, awakening something inside her that had been dormant for years.

Images flashed through her mind, not memories but visions:

Two children with eyes like liquid silver, standing before a great assembly of wolves.

A woman—herself—cloaked in moonlight, more powerful than any Alpha.

A battle beneath three moons, blood and fire, and a choice that would change everything.

Aria cried out as the visions intensified, clutching her head. The glow around her hands grew brighter, spreading up her arms. She could feel power surging through her, ancient and overwhelming.

The door burst open. Landon rushed in, followed closely by Cora. They stopped short at the sight of Aria, haloed in silver light, her eyes reflecting the moon's glow.

"Aria," Landon breathed, his voice filled with awe and concern.

"I can't, I can't control it," Aria gasped. "Something's happening. The babies, they're…"

"It's the Moon Blessed bloodline," a new voice said from the doorway.

Everyone turned to see a woman in her sixties, dressed in flowing dark robes embroidered with silver runes. Her eyes were the color of storm clouds, and power radiated from her like heat from a flame.

"Who are you?" Landon demanded, instinctively moving between the stranger and Aria.

"My name is Morgana," the woman said calmly. "I'm a witch, bound to serve the Moon Goddess. And I'm here because the prophecy has begun to unfold." She looked past Landon to Aria, who was still glowing with ethereal light. "The twins you carry are not ordinary children, Aria. They are the Moon Blessed—prophesied to restore balance to the werewolf world. And their power is awakening yours."

"What are you talking about?" Aria asked, her voice shaking. "I'm just, I'm nobody special. I'm just a rejected Luna."

Morgana stepped forward, and Landon allowed her to pass, sensing no threat. "You are far more than that, child. Your bloodline traces back to the first Lunas, the ones who walked with the Moon Goddess herself. That power has been dormant in your family for generations, waiting for the right time to resurface." She knelt beside the bed, her eyes kind despite their intensity. "Your children are triggering your awakening because they need you to be strong. The world they're being born into is dangerous, and enemies will come for them. You must learn to harness this power, or you won't be able to protect them."

"Enemies?" Aria's hand went to her stomach. "Who would want to hurt unborn children?"

"Those who fear change," Morgana replied. "Your twins are prophesied to break the old ways, to usher in an era where power is no longer determined by brute strength alone but by wisdom, compassion, and true leadership. There are many, Alphas, rogues, even some Elders, who will see this as a threat to their authority."