The Alpha Luna’s True Mate

The Set-Up

Ares

The summons to the throne room felt off from the second the guard handed me the paper. I walked in, my boots clicking against the marble, and found Leon sitting alone on his massive seat.

He didn't look angry today, which was almost worse. He looked smug, like a man who had finally figured out how to solve a major problem.

"Sit down, Ares," Leon said, gesturing to the heavy chair at the bottom of the dais.

"I prefer to stand," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. "What do you want, Leon? I have training drills to oversee."

Leon leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied my face with a cold smile.

"I have decided to reward your success on the eastern borders," Leon declared, his voice echoing loudly in the empty hall. "I want to make you a vassal lord over the silver city of Oakhaven."

The words hit me, and my jaw tightened instantly. Oakhaven was a wealthy city, sure, but it was also located a full three days' ride from the capital pack house.

He wanted me gone. He was trying to exile me all over again, using a shiny title to grease the wheels so the council wouldn't question it.

"I reject the offer," I said point blank, not even pausing to pretend I was thinking about it.

Leon's smile vanished in an instant, his blue eyes narrowing into sharp slits. "You reject it? It is a lord position, Ares. Most bastards would beg on their knees for a fraction of that power."

"I am not most bastards," I muttered, staring him down without an ounce of fear.

I couldn't see myself leaving Elira's side right now, or anytime soon. The palace was turning into a snake pit, and if I left the capital, Leon and his pretentious mistress would chew her up and spit her out within a week.

“I'd say three days,” my wolf said in my head, making me grit my teeth.

"You need to give me a valid reason for turning down a royal appointment," Leon demanded, his voice rising in pitch as his alpha pride took a hit. "The council expects my warriors to take these titles."

"I am satisfied with being a general," I simply responded, keeping my face completely blank. "My place is leading the royal army at the main pack house, not managing local tax disputes in a distant city."

Leon slammed his fist down on the armrest of his throne. "You are pushing your luck, brother."

"If that is all, Your Majesty, I will return to my duties," I said, giving him a stiff, disrespectful nod before turning on my heel.

I left the throne room before he could order his guards to arrest me for insubordination. My chest felt incredibly tight as I walked down the long, winding corridors of the palace.

I expected to catch a quick glance of Elira in the main hall, or maybe see her walking back from her daily duties, but I found her nowhere close to the residential tracks. The lower hallway was quiet.

I decided to check the library, remembering how I had caught her reading that spicy book a few days ago, but when I pushed the heavy doors open, the room was completely dark and empty. She isn't there.

The only place left for her to be was her room. I knew I had no right to approach the queen's private chambers, especially with Leon looking for any excuse to brand me a traitor, but my feet kept carrying me down the hallway anyway.

My wolf was scratching at the surface, desperate to breathe in her vanilla scent and make sure she was okay after the Red Moon festival announcement.

I stopped myself before I could reach her door, freezing right in the shadow of a massive stone pillar.

My wolf and my brain were both fighting for control, one telling me to knock and the other reminding me that I was a soldier who needed to keep his distance.

At that exact moment, a young maid sneaked out of Elira's room, closing the door behind her with a click. She looked around frantically, completely oblivious to me standing close by in the deep shadows.

Something about the way the maid moved caused a sudden flash of dark suspicion to course through my veins. She was holding her apron tight against her stomach, her steps too fast and too quiet for someone who was just changing the bed linens.

I took a step forward to confront her, but she turned the corner and vanished down the servant stairs before I could call out. I stopped myself, rubbing the back of my neck as I let out a heavy breath.

"Get a grip," I muttered to myself, brushing the feeling off as me just being completely paranoid because of the snake incident.

I forced myself to walk away, heading back down to the training grounds to beat my frustration into the younger recruits until my arms ached.

That evening during dinner, the atmosphere in the dining hall was suffocating. Elira sat like a statue on Leon's left, her face pale and drained of energy, while Nyra sat on his right, wearing a bright red dress that looked too loud for a casual dinner.

Halfway through the meal, Nyra suddenly gasped loudly, dropping her silver fork onto her porcelain plate with a sharp clatter.

"Oh my goddess," Nyra gasped, her hands flying to her bare neck as she looked around the table in absolute panic. "It's gone."

Leon turned to her immediately, his face full of concern. "What is wrong, Nyra? What is missing?"

"My diamond jewelry set," Nyra claimed, her voice shaking as she squeezed Leon's arm. "The heirloom set you gave me from the royal vault last week. I left it on my vanity before lunch, and someone must have taken it."

She paused, turning her head slowly to look pointedly at Elira across the table.

"I know it was there this morning," Nyra whimpered, her eyes watering on cue. "But when I went to put it on for dinner, the velvet box was entirely empty. Someone must have stolen it from my quarters."

Leon's face turned into a mask of pure, unadulterated fury. He stood up from his chair, his eyes locking directly onto Elira, who didn't even look up from her soup.

"Guards!" Leon roared, his alpha voice echoing through the entire dining hall, making several nobles flinch. "Search through the palace immediately. Lock down every single exit and tear the servant quarters apart until you find that box."

"Leon, please, do not make a scene," Nyra whispered, though her eyes were shining with a vicious gleam. "Maybe we should check the royal wing first. Just to be entirely thorough."

"Search the entire residential wing," Leon ordered the captain of the guard. "Start with the queen's chambers."

"Leon, you can't be serious," Elira said, finally looking up, her voice tight with disbelief. "You are going to search my room for a missing necklace?"

"If you have nothing to hide, Elira, you won't mind the guards doing their job," Leon sneered down at her.

I sat at the end of the table, my hands gripping my knife so hard the silver began to bend under my fingers. I remembered the maid I had seen sneaking out of Elira's room earlier, and a cold dread settled deep in my stomach. It had been a setup.

We sat in a heavy, agonizing silence for twenty minutes while the soldiers searched the upper floors. Nobody ate. Nobody spoke.

Finally, the heavy double doors opened, and the captain of the guard walked back into the dining room, holding a small black velvet box in his gloved hands.

"Your Majesty," the captain said, looking uncomfortable as he approached the head table. "We conducted a sweep of the rooms."

"Did you find it?" Leon demanded.

"Yes, Sire," the captain replied, lowering his head. "We found it hidden at the bottom of the wardrobe inside the queen's room."

Nyra let out a sharp, dramatic gasp, covering her mouth as she looked at Elira with an expression of pure, fake horror.

"Elira, how could you?" Nyra sobbed, leaning heavily into Leon's side. "I know you hate me for the festival, but to steal from my room? That jewelry belonged to the royal family."

Leon looked at his wife, his blue eyes entirely wild with a dangerous, hateful fire.

"What do you have to say for yourself, thief?" Leon hissed, his voice dropping into a terrifying growl.

Elira just sat there, her shoulders rigid as she stared at the black box, completely trapped in another one of Nyra's twisted traps.