Chapter 12: Inside the Wolf’s Den
The note burned in my palm.
Not literally. But it felt like it should.
“One vow down. One soul to go. Watch your back, Luna.”
I read it three times before tucking it into my boot. Aidan hadn’t seen it. Neither had anyone else. Not yet.
And that’s how I wanted to keep it.
Someone was watching me.
Tracking my every move.
The ceremony, the blood vow, the illusion of celebration—it was all smoke.
Someone in this pack wanted me dead.
\---
The next morning, I woke up in Aidan’s house.
His house.
My house, now.
A sprawling estate on the edge of pack territory, surrounded by ancient oaks and hidden from outsiders by miles of forest. I’d been inside it before, but now... I was expected to live here. As Luna.
As his Luna.
I stood barefoot in the hallway, still dressed in one of his oversized shirts from the night before. The house was quiet. Too quiet.
I hadn’t slept well.
The pull of the blood vow still hummed under my skin, a low ache in my chest like my body hadn’t figured out how to be mine anymore.
And Aidan...
He hadn’t come to bed.
We hadn’t talked.
Not after the note. Not after the kiss-that-wasn’t-a-kiss during the bond ceremony. Not after I spent the whole night lying awake, asking myself how much longer I could pretend.
I padded into the kitchen. Found coffee already brewed. Still hot.
That man was infuriatingly thoughtful.
I poured a cup, then sat by the window and pulled out the note again. The handwriting was rough, frantic. Not the kind of message someone leaves by accident.
It was personal.
It was specific.
And it meant someone inside the pack knew what I really was—a hunter playing Luna.
\---
By midmorning, the estate came alive with movement.
Wolves in human form milled about the grounds. Warriors sharpening weapons. Messengers trading news. Omegas delivering food from the kitchens.
I kept my expression neutral as I moved through the halls. I smiled when expected, nodded when necessary. The pack had accepted me—publicly. But behind those polite greetings and stiff smiles, I could feel the wariness. The silent watching.
They were waiting for me to slip up.
Waiting for me to show I didn’t belong.
Good.
Let them think I was soft.
Let them think I was harmless.
The more they underestimated me, the easier it would be to find the truth.
\---
I found Aidan training behind the estate.
His shirt was off, his back slick with sweat as he sparred with one of his top warriors—a broad-shouldered guy named Calder who looked like he could snap a tree in half just by glaring at it.
They were fast—too fast for human eyes to track.
Blades clanged. Fists collided. Growls echoed through the clearing.
But Aidan was faster.
Calder went down hard, landing in the dirt with a grunt. Aidan offered him a hand up, grinning through bruised ribs.
When he turned and saw me, the smile faltered.
I didn’t speak.
Just tilted my head toward the edge of the clearing.
He followed.
We walked side by side into the trees until the noise faded behind us. Then I handed him the note.
He read it once. Twice. His jaw tightened.
“When did you get this?” he asked.
“Last night. After the wedding.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I don’t trust anyone yet,” I said flatly. “Including you.”
His gaze flicked to mine. “Fair.”
He folded the paper carefully, then slipped it into his pocket.
“I’ll find out who wrote it,” he said.
“I already have a plan,” I replied. “I need to start attending pack meetings. Privately. Quietly. No announcement, no fanfare. Just observing. Listening.”
He hesitated. “That’s not how it works. Lunas are expected to be present. Respected. You’re not invisible anymore.”
I crossed my arms. “Then make me invisible. Say I’m sick. Say I’m adjusting. Whatever it takes. Just get me access without the pressure. I need to learn the players before I confront them.”
Aidan stared at me for a long moment.
Then he nodded. “You’ve got one week. After that, people will expect to see you stepping up.”
“Fine.”
“And Roxanne?” he added, voice lower now. “Whoever left that note... I won’t let them hurt you.”
I looked away.
Because the scary part?
I believed him.
\---
Over the next few days, I settled into the Luna role—quietly.
I stayed close to Aidan, shadowing him through meetings and training sessions. I kept my head down, ears open, and started collecting names. Watching body language. Noting rivalries. Tracking whispers.
Some members of the pack were loyal. Fiercely so.
Others were... restless. Resentful.
I recognized the signs.
There were cracks forming under the surface.
And someone—maybe more than one—wanted to split them wide open.
\---
On the fourth night, I was in the east wing library when I found something strange.
A journal.
Old.
Tucked behind a loose panel in the shelf.
I flipped through the pages slowly.
Most were blank.
But halfway through, one sentence was scrawled in tight, cramped handwriting:
“He said the blood debt could only be paid in Luna blood.”
I froze.
My pulse pounded in my ears.
Another reference to the Luna.
To me.
But who wrote this?
And when?
Before I could search further, the door creaked open.
I shoved the book into my jacket.
Aidan walked in, brows raised. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said quickly, turning to face him. “Just needed air.”
He nodded, but didn’t move. “You’re good at lying, you know that?”
“I’ve had practice.”
He walked closer, eyes searching mine. “You’re not just doing this for revenge, are you?”
“What?”
“You say it’s about your mission. About finding a killer. But it’s more than that now. I see it in the way you look at the pack. At me.”
I took a step back. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Make this real.”
Aidan’s voice dropped. “What if it already is?”
My chest ached. My blood felt too warm.
But before I could answer, a howl rang out across the grounds.
Not just any howl.
A warning.
A call to arms.
A threat.
Aidan spun toward the window.
His eyes glowed gold.
“They breached the boundary,” he said. “The Bloodfangs are here.”