In the quiet of her chamber, Athena pulled off the white shawl she’d worn for the council dinner—chosen specifically to wash her out beneath the candlelight.
"I saw her," she said, turning to Lucas and Cassius. "She whispered to the Southern Ridge Alpha."
"Too obvious?" Lucas asked.
"No," Cassius replied. "She thinks she’s cloaked in brilliance. That’s the trap."
Athena pulled a scroll from behind the dresser. "This is the decoy report she planted about my loss of control. We’ll ’accidentally’ find it in her assistant’s quarters tomorrow."
"And when the Alpha comes to speak to you—"
"I’ll show him a mirror of his own conversations. Let him think the palace listens to everything. Let them all think that."
Lucas leaned forward. "This only works if she still thinks she’s three steps ahead."
"She will," Athena said softly. "Because I’m letting her."
Marcella
By morning, the palace was humming. Marcella sipped her tea with satisfaction as two guards rushed past her.
Her assistant returned, pale and shaken. "They... They searched my room."
Marcella stiffened. "Did they find anything?"
The girl swallowed. "That letter you were working on... about the vote..."
Marcella froze.
No. That was hidden.
Unless—
Unless it was planted.
"Go," Marcella snapped, standing. Her heart beat fast. But not with fear. With rage.
Athena had teeth, after all.
This just meant the game had truly begun.
Athena
The Southern Ridge Alpha stood before her, stiff with discomfort.
"I don’t like being spied on," he said.
"Nor do I," Athena replied calmly. "But when someone whispers about dethroning the Moon Goddess, it’s only fair I listen."
He flinched.
Athena continued, "I don’t seek war. But if war finds me, I promise I won’t bleed alone."
He swallowed. "It seems I was misled."
She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.
Let him think he uncovered the deception. Let him scurry back to his court and warn the others. Let them wonder what else Athena knew.
Marcella
She sat in her private garden, gripping a rose so tightly the thorns bit her skin.
"Athena wants to dance? Fine."
She would escalate.
Athena had a dangerous heat. She could stoke it. Force a scene. Something public, something wild. All it would take was the right scent, the right timing—
She’d have to move faster than planned.
But that was fine.
Because once Athena cracked in front of all the Alphas, there would be no salvation.
Only exile.
Athena
"She’s going to try to provoke another heat episode," Lucas said grimly. "You’re still recovering from the last."
"I’ll control it," Athena replied.
Cassius paced. "She’ll likely use scent triggers. Pheromones. Something slipped into the banquet. She wants you to snap in front of the court."
"Then I’ll let her push," Athena said softly. "Just far enough to make her believe I’ve lost control."
Lucas stepped closer, brow furrowed. "And then what?"
"Then you both pull me away in a panic. Just like she planned."
Cassius frowned. "Won’t that make her look victorious?"
Athena smiled.
"Only until the banquet tapes are played back tomorrow—with the hidden footage of her planting the trigger."
Lucas blinked. "You’re recording the banquet?"
Athena nodded. "She’s been feeding the court a performance. It’s time she becomes the star of her own downfall."
The Banquet Night
The hall shimmered with anticipation. Athena entered last, glowing like starlight in silver and blue, her expression unreadable.
Marcella watched from the far end of the table, barely able to keep the grin from her face.
Wine was poured.
Dancers moved.
And then... the scent began to shift.
Athena stiffened.
Across the hall, Lucas stood sharply. Cassius followed.
Eyes turned.
Athena gasped, stumbling slightly. Her hand trembled.
Whispers broke through the music.
"Something’s wrong—"
"She’s overheating—"
"She’s losing control again—"
Marcella’s smile spread.
Cassius swept forward and lifted Athena into his arms. Lucas cleared the path.
They rushed her out of the room.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Marcella stood, turning to the shocked council.
"Forgive our queen," she said sweetly. "She’s been under... strain."
In the dark security chamber beneath the palace, Athena sat wrapped in a robe, sipping water, her breathing calm and even.
Lucas pressed play.
The hidden crystal orb replayed the footage of Marcella’s servant slipping a vial beneath the roast.
Of Marcella whispering to the staff.
Of her watching the queen’s reaction... and smiling.
Cassius let out a low whistle. "That’s game."
Athena looked up.
"Tomorrow," she said, voice sharp and unwavering, "we show the court what she truly is."
Lucas asked, "And if she tries to flee?"
Athena’s eyes gleamed.
"She won’t get far."
The great hall of the Alpha Council gleamed with polished obsidian and golden moonstone, a place where judgments were passed and wars had once been declared. Now, it was heavy with silence, every Alpha seated in a crescent arc of thrones, their gazes sharp and wary. The scent of tension clung to the air.
Marcella stepped into the hall like it belonged to her.
Her gown shimmered like blood in the candlelight—deep crimson silk that clung to her curves, draped with a golden sash marked with the royal crest. She moved with the ease of someone certain of her power. Her lips curled into a triumphant smirk as her eyes swept the room.
She caught Cassius standing guard near the throne. His expression was unreadable. Lucas stood beside Athena, arms folded, gaze fixed forward like a blade drawn and waiting.
Athena sat in silence at the head of the hall—moonlight weaving through her silver hair, her expression calm, unreadable. Power radiated from her, subtle but unshakable.
Marcella’s eyes locked on hers.
"Athena," she purred, her voice slicing the stillness. "Still clinging to ceremony, even as the Council begins to question your... divine legitimacy?"
There was a flicker in the room—Alphas glancing toward each other, a few arching their brows, others leaning forward. Just as Marcella had planned.
She continued. "Some of us wonder if the Moon Goddess herself would let such chaos erupt around her if she truly sat in this throne by divine right."
Whispers rose, and Marcella savored them.
Athena stood slowly.
"I’m glad you brought that up," she said calmly, her voice low but carrying. "Because there are things the Council must see. Things that explain why chaos follows certain people—like a shadow that stains everything it touches."
Marcella’s smirk faltered for a half-second. Only a second. Then she laughed. "What are you saying, Luna?"
But Lucas was already stepping forward, a carved stone tablet in his hand.
"This was found in the sealed wing of the royal archives," he said, his voice sharp. "A record of bribes, correspondences, and planned sabotage... linked to your crest, Marcella."
Gasps echoed.
Marcella scoffed. "Forged. A desperate trick."
Athena didn’t flinch. "Then explain the witnesses."