The assassin came three days after the Grand Council dispersed.
I was in my private study, reviewing intelligence reports from the territories whose Alphas had voted against me, when the window exploded inward in a shower of glass and moonlight. The figure that rolled through was dressed in black, face covered, moving with the fluid grace of someone trained in the ancient arts of silent death.
But I was no longer the naive Luna who had once believed that political solutions could solve every problem.
My sword was in my hand before the assassin's feet touched the floor, Kael's blade singing as it cleared its sheath with deadly purpose. The intruder recovered quickly, producing twin daggers that gleamed with what looked suspiciously like poison, but I was already moving.
The fight was br
