10

Aria's POV

Looking good is good business they say, and given that this was the first council meeting both Kiera and I were attending in this Pack I planned on leaving an impression–a really good one.

Thankfully Keira wasn't lacking in outfit department

She had a whole boutique if you ask me.

It took a lot of time, but with Evelyn's help I finally settled for a satin tie-neck blouse in warm ivory, bow draped loosely, which I paired with an ivory colored high waisted pants, and a collarless ivory bouclé cropped jacket with raw-edge trim.

"Don't speak unless you're spoken to, Aria” I said to myself as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, feeling totally satisfied with my look.

My hair was neatly packed in an updo, complementing my looks.

Looking like Keira was one thing, being her was another. It wouldn't take other people so long to know that I wasn't her if I didn't learn her ways quickly.

Zie sighed.

"Well, at least you look the part."

"Let's hope they don't see through it all." I replied under my breath.

I left the room with my chin up and a calm expression on my face, even though my palms were sweating and my heart felt like it was being crushed by a brick. The guards at the door opened it for me, bowing in unison. I gave them a nod and kept walking down the long corridor that led to the council chamber.

The closer I got, the more I could hear voices, deep, mostly male, it seemed.

When I entered inside, all eleven heads turned to me.

Jaxon was already seated at the head of the long, carved table, going through a few documents. His eyes met mine, stoic as always.

I gave a small, graceful nod and walked toward the only empty seat directly to his left.

"You're supposed to stay on the other end." He whispered.

"Oh." I muttered in a voice that's barely above a whisper. "Then let's just pretend we're whispering stuff to each other. Goodbye now." I said softly, before walking to the other end to sit.

His Beta, Alex, sat not far from me. He threw me a smile, and I nodded, smiling in return.

"You know the Beta, Alex. The woman next to him is Isla, the Gamma." Zie began. "She's no-nonsense, and she's the one wearing that ridiculous green hat."

Isla had the kind of eyes that looked like they missed nothing, and she was, to say in the least, easy on the eyes. She gave me a brief, almost polite nod.

"Luna Kiera."

The other council members looked older, some bored, some curious, and at least two looked like they'd rather I disappeared.

"Watch out for those two." Zie whispered as I looked at them. "The one with the giant grey beard is Elder Marvin, and he never liked Keira. And the woman beside him, that's Elder Simone. She thinks Keira was a weak link."

Noted.

Before Zie could say any more, Jaxon cleared his throat and everyone's attention returned to him.

"Good. We'll begin." He said. "There have been increased sightings of rogues near our southern borders. Our trackers confirmed movement last night."

Alex leaned forward.

"We've doubled patrols."

Jaxon nodded.

"That's not enough. From now on, I want all rogues eliminated on sight. No questions asked. We're not giving them room to organize or spy on us."

There was a murmur of agreement around the room. Some nodded, others whispered quietly to the person beside them.

I kept my face blank. My heart was racing, but I didn't let it show.

Kill on sight?

That didn't sit well with me. What if someone innocent got mistaken for a threat? What if—

"Keep your mouth shut." Zie warned. "You speak now, they'll eat you alive. They don't trust you yet."

I stayed silent.

"Is there any pattern to their appearance?" Isla asked. "Or any reason to believe they're gathering near our land for something bigger?"

"Not yet." Alex answered. "But we're keeping eyes on all ridges and river crossings."

Jaxon nodded again, looking grim.

"Good. We will have to strike first. If they're testing us, they'll learn quickly that we don't play games."

A few chuckled, and some smirked. But I stayed quiet.

The meeting went on. Discussions about supply chains, rogue activity, and border defenses. All of it mattered, but none of it gave me what I needed.

I was trying to learn them. Their voices, tones, the way they reacted, who they were. I studied how they looked at Jaxon, how they looked at each other.

"You need to know who's truly loyal to him." Zie said. "If you're going to kill him, you can't get caught. And trust me, some of them would protect him with their last breath."

I nodded slightly, pretending to be adjusting the sleeves of my dress.

"Alex is loyal to the title, not the man, although they are best friends, but for obvious reasons... he likes Keira and told her once." Zie continued. "But that aside, Isla, she liked Keira, as she should. She said that she thought she had a calm wisdom. You might win her over."

"And the others?" I asked silently.

“Most care about power, land, and money. Elder Marvin wants more say in ruling. Elder Simone wants to replace you. She didn’t have a chance.”

Of course she does.

The council was beginning to wrap up when Elder Marvin cleared his throat loudly, drawing all attention to himself.

"I have a question.” He said, looking directly at Jaxon. "One that might be long overdue."

Jaxon raised a brow.

“Speak."

Marvin leaned back, folding his arms.

“What is Luna Kiera doing here?”

“I beg your pardon?” Jaxon gave him a pointed look, and I could feel his Alpha aura oozing off him.

“I'm sorry if I spoke out of term, Alpha,” Marvin bowed slightly. “I’m just surprised she's here. She's never been involved in Pack activities. Much less one as serious as this.”

“And how does that concern you?” Jaxon glared. “I don't see an issue with her starting her roles now.”

The room went quiet. All eyes darted between me and Jaxon.

"She is Luna.” Jaxon said simply. "Luna of this pack, so she’s a council member by title and role."

Marvin looked at me.

“True,” Simone spoke next. “But what's the point of her being here if she isn't going to make any contributions, Alpha?”

“That's–”

I held Jaxon's hand, and he looked at me.

I gave a graceful smile and nodded at him to let me speak.

“This is officially my first meeting, Simone,” I began, narrowing my eyes at her. “So, I'm just observing. I can't just make suggestions without having a clear idea of what's happening, can I?” I furrowed my brows.

Simone smiled tightly. “Of course, that’s true.”

“It makes sense, Luna.” Marvin said, looking at the table.

“Careful.” Zie said to me. “You're in their den now."

I could feel the tension rising again.

“So there we have it.” Jaxon said, his eyes burning into Jason’s. "Anyone else who has a problem with the Luna of this pack being in this meeting?”

Nobody said a word.

Jaxon stood, hands resting on the table.

“I guess we're done for the day."

Everyone slowly rose. Some nodded and whispered to each other, and Isla nodded before she left. But no one said anything else to me.

I got up too to leave when Marvin walked up to me.

“Luna Kiera.”

I turned to look at him.

“Marvin. Do you have anything against me?”

He looked up, shaking his head.

“No, I have no ill intentions. I was simply concerned today, it’s nothing against you.” He said. “And I’m glad to see that you’re up and doing so well.”

I nodded, smiling softly even though I held a dagger in my heart.

“Yes, it seems like that’s what recovery does to you.”

He laughed heartily. I didn’t like it. His presence made my skin crawl.

“You’re such a funny woman, Luna Keira. But I’m glad you’re responding fine.” He said, his voice dropping to a lower, malicious tone.

“We wouldn’t want you to fall unexpectedly ill again, won’t we?”

He walked away before I could gather myself.