âIâm their Luna. If I donât, who will?â I said as I caught a sharp
breath.
âYou arenât alone in this,â he said.
I gazed at him, her resolve breaking for an instant. âThanks, Trajan. For everything.â
Raven whom I had sent to meet them rushed up to me, his face deathly pale and sweat dripping down his temple. His hand grasped a crumpled piece of parchment.
âLuna,â the scout said, his voice trembling. âThis just came from them.â
I walked forward, heart pounding then took the note and smoothed the paper with deliberate care as the room fell silent.
I cleared my throat and read out loud: âWe will meet, but know this, only one pack will leave alive.â
The silence after that was oppressive.
Trajan broke it. âIs it a warning or declaration of war?
âItâs both,â I said, my voice firm.
âTheyâre taunting us,â Evelyn growled, her fists clenched at her sides. âTrying to shake our resolve.â
âAnd itâs working,â Warrick muttered. âThe pack is on edge. If we donât act decisively, theyâll lose faith in us.â
I looked up, my gaze sweeping across the room. âWe need to
calm. Panic will only give them an advantage.â
âWhatâs the plan, Luna?â Trajan asked, his tone was even, but laced with urgency.
I looked down at the note once more as thoughts raced through. her head. âWe accept their meeting, but we control the terms. Weâll choose neutral ground, somewhere we know better than they do.â
âAnd if they refuse?â Piper asked.
âThen weâll be ready,â I said. I nodded at Raven and he raced off with my message. I turned to Trajan. âI want every defensive line around the neutral ground also reinforced. Trajan, prepare the warriors. Warrick, ensure the younger wolves stay safe. Piper, work with the Raven to monitor their movements.â
âDo you think theyâll honor the meeting?â Warrick asked skeptically.
My lips pressed into a thin line. âI donât know. But we donât have a choice.â.
Trajan drew closer, his voice low. âAurora, if this is a trapâ
âI know,â I said, holding his eyes. âBut if thereâs any possibility to safeguard the pack without losing any more blood, we must consider it.â
The warriors around all moved away to ready themselves for whatever was to come, while I remained at the hills. I could see Daneâs body frame in my min