Chapter 167

Aria

The pain in my shoulder had dulled from a sharp, stabbing agony to a persistent throb by that evening. Dr. Edward insisted that I stay in bed, but the moment he left me, I started to move.

I winced as I pulled a loose sweater over my head, careful to avoid jostling my bandaged shoulder. The wound was healing—werewolf regeneration ensuring I wouldn’t be out of commission for long—but the area around the entry point remained tender. Every movement sent a spasm of discomfort through my left side.

“What are you doing?”

I turned to find Darren standing in the doorway to our bedroom in the pack house where they’d moved me earlier, his arms crossed over his chest. His hair was still damp from his shower, and dark circles shadowed his eyes.

“Getting dressed,” I replied, reaching for my pants with my good arm.

“You’re supposed to be resting.” Darren crossed the room in quick strides. “Dr. Edward was clear—”

“Dr. Edward isn’t responsible for an entire pack that just survived an attack,” I countered, meeting his gaze steadily. “I’ve rested enough. The council is meeting in an hour to interrogate the prisoners, and I want to be there.”

Darren’s jaw tightened. “Aria, you were shot mere hours ago. You almost died.”

“But I didn’t.” I softened my tone, reaching up to place my hand over his. “I’m not going to sit here while our future is being decided. I’m the Luna Queen now, remember?”

He stared at me for a long moment, his eyes searching my face. Finally, he sighed. “At least let me help you.”

I nodded, accepting his offer. Darren knelt, helping me into my pants. His fingers brushed the bare skin of my low belly as he buttoned them, making me shiver slightly.

Once I was dressed, we made our way downstairs, passing warriors who nodded respectfully, many with bandages of their own. News of my injury had spread quickly, and I could feel their eyes on me, assessing, concerned for their Luna.

“Is everyone here?” I asked as we approached the council chamber.

Darren nodded. “Liam, Bella, Wendy, my father. The other pack leaders.”

“And the prisoners?”

“Being held in the cells beneath the house. Guards are bringing them up now.”

The council chamber fell silent as we entered. A crowd of werewolves sat around the large oak table, representing each of the allied packs that had come to our aid. Liam, Bella, and Wendy rose immediately, their expressions spanning from disbelief to frustration.

“You shouldn’t be up, young lady,” Wendy said.

I waved my hand, brushing her off. Darren just shrugged behind me, giving her his best “I tried” look, then pulled my chair out for me.

Darren helped me into the seat, his hand lingering protectively on my back. “The human commanders will be brought in momentarily,” he said, addressing the other concerned Alphas and Lunas. “We need answers about who orchestrated this attack and why.”

As if on cue, the door opened, and four humans were escorted in by armed guards. They wore standard military uniforms, now dirty and torn from the battle. Their hands were cuffed in front of them.

The tallest—clearly the ranking officer—kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, refusing to look at any of us.

The guards forced them to their knees in the center of the room. No one spoke for several seconds, and I thought I might choke from the tension in the air.

“Who sent you?” Darren finally asked, his tone deceptively calm.

None of the humans answered.

Darren’s patience snapped. He slammed his hands down on the table, making everyone jump. “You attacked our territory, killed our people, and used chemical weapons against civilians. You will tell us who gave those orders, or the consequences will be severe.”

The commanding officer finally looked up, making no attempt to hide his contempt. “We don’t answer to animals.”

A low growl rumbled through the room. I felt my own wolf stirring, anger flaring hot beneath my skin. It took a lot of effort to push her down after the events of the past two days.

“You’re in a room full of ‘animals’ who could tear you apart in seconds,” I said, leaning forward despite the pain it caused. “I suggest you reconsider your position.”

Liam suddenly stepped forward, his eyes glowing. “Maybe we should show them exactly what we’re capable of.”

“Is that a threat?” the human commander asked, tilting his head.

“It’s a promise,” Liam replied, baring teeth that had begun to elongate into fangs.

The youngest of the human soldiers—barely more than a boy—began to tremble. “Fletcher,” he whispered to the commander. “Maybe we should—”

“Shut up, Jenkins,” the commander—Fletcher—snapped.

Darren circled the table slowly, approaching the kneeling men. “Someone high up the chain of command wants us dead,” he said. “I want to know who, and I want to know why.”

Fletcher remained silent, but his resolve was visibly weakening.

“We can do this the easy way,” I added, “or we can let our wolves ask the questions. They’re not as… patient as we are.”

The silence stretched on for an eternity. I thought they might choose the wolves over us. But finally, the younger soldier spoke.

“Commissioner Martinez,” Jenkins suddenly blurted out, ignoring the murderous glare from his superior. “The Chief of Police ordered the operation. Said it came from higher up.”

Bella sucked in a sharp breath beside me. I reached out under the table, intertwining my fingers with hers.

“He’s been taking payoffs for years from some politician who’s obsessed with eradicating all werewolves,” the younger soldier went on, ignoring the hateful glare from his superior. “This was just the first step.”

“What do you mean, first step?” Darren pressed.

The older officer finally broke his silence. “Might as well tell them. We’re dead either way.” He looked directly at Darren. “After wiping out Moonglow Pack, we were to move on to the others, one by one. A complete purge.”

My blood ran cold. “Genocide, you mean.”

“The deportations,” Darren said, realization dawning on his face. “They weren’t about immigration at all. It was containment. Round up all the werewolves, concentrate them in tidy areas, then eliminate them pack by pack.”

The room erupted into shouts and growls. I felt nausea rising in my throat that had nothing to do with my injury.

“Who?” Darren demanded, cutting through the chaos. “Who is the politician behind this?”

“Senator James Rivera,” the older soldier answered calmly.

Wendy, who had been unusually quiet, gasped. “Rivera? As in the Rivera family?”

All eyes turned to her in question. Only Arthur, seated beside her, looked like he knew what she was referring to. And if the pale color to his face was any indication, it wasn’t good.

“There was a human family centuries ago,” Wendy explained. “The Riveras. They led one of the earliest organized hunts against our kind. They slaughtered dozens before they were stopped.” She shook her head. “I never thought there were any left.”

“Apparently hatred runs in the family,” Arthur muttered.

“Even if we take down my father,” Bella said, her voice strained, “Rivera has other allies. He’s just a senator. There are likely more above him who are even more powerful and evil.”

My mind raced. Rivera… The name was familiar. I’d heard about his policies in the human world before. He was known for his bigotry, for his alt-right politics and hatred.

“A march,” I suddenly said, causing everyone to look at me. “We need to hold a march. Through the heart of the city. A peaceful one.”

“That’s suicide,” another Alpha protested. “They’ll gun us down in the streets.”

“No, Aria is right. We have far more support than yesterday,” Bella countered, pulling out her phone. “The footage of our battle has already changed thousands of minds. Look.” She slid the device across the table, displaying news coverage of human protests against the human military action.

Darren blinked at me in surprise. I shrugged my good shoulder, saying quietly, “It wouldn’t be the first peaceful protest against hateful politicians. The humans have done it countless times before.”

“It will be dangerous,” he said softly.

“But staying here like sitting ducks and letting them pick us off one by one—that’s certain death,” Bella added. “If we can garner enough support from the humans, the authorities will be less likely to attack. These politicians will never be reelected if they murder their own people in droves.”

The room fell into discussion after that, voices rising and falling as each person weighed in. Plans began to form, strategies taking shape. Guards were instructed to return the prisoners to their cells, all except the older soldier, who agreed to testify against his higher-ups in exchange for leniency, just as Raven had.

As the meeting continued, Darren took the seat beside me, his hand finding mine beneath the table. His thumb brushed over my engagement ring, causing me to glance first at the ring and then up at him.

His mismatched eyes glowed faintly as they met my gaze, and in that moment, a silent understanding passed between us.