The moonlight reckoning

Chapter 2: First Gaze

As he crossed to the riverside, the water of the river that marked the boundary of the Lunari and Umbra territories glittered in the pale morning light. It was a very discreet boundary that both parties had respected for centuries, but under these tranquil representations of the surface of the water, one could see a tension emanating from their history.

Luca was often by the river's edge, so it was no exception to find him there today. He felt the escape of this place, where the rigid traditions of his pack didn't feel so suffocating. Dressed in a simple tunic and trousers, the young werewolf's boots gave a crunching sound on the gravel. He squatted close to the water's edge and sent a smooth stone skipping. On the other side, in the trees, something moved. His eyes narrowed, and he drew himself back. There was someone there.

"Who's there?" called Luca. His voice had a note of authority, but it was, indeed, quite gentle.

Suddenly, Aria stepped from the shadows, and her hair caught the sunshine of morning, drawing back like spun gold. It was an obvious thing in the pause she took that she was in two minds about stepping forward or away. Yet she eventually stepped nearer to him across the river, two dark eyes almost captured by his gaze, smiling.

And she was laughing then, splashing happily in the river as if she didn't have a care in the world. "I could ask the same of you," Aria replied, quite untroubled.

Luca stood up, really interested. Stories had been told about the daughters of the Umbra alpha, but he had never seen one at close range. There was an air of quiet strength in her that made him curious.

"Aria, right?" he inquired. He had only heard of rumors and tales of how beautiful the umbra princesses were, but he did not expect that Aria’s beauty would capture his attention this much. Her laughter and cheerfulness made it even better; he stared while lost in his own thoughts.

She stared at him blankly for a while, as if she was considering whether she should affirm his guess. "And you are Luca, right?"

This question brought him back from the dream world, and for a moment, neither spoke.

The river between them was more of a barrier and a bridge, a shared silence heavy with unspoken questions.

"So, should we be talking?" Aria asked, finally breaking the tension.

Luca felt his confidence returning; he smirked. "Probably not, but here we are."

Aria softened slightly, allowing herself a faint smile, though she was still on guard. She had never heard of the lunari heir because it was f*******n to talk about them, especially in the palace, but she remembered her father always saying they were arrogant and prideful, but the person standing in front of her was a handsome gentleman with piercing eyes that shone like sapphires in the sunlight, long hair, and broad shoulders. She immediately snapped out of the thought. “What do you want, Lunari?”

Luca shrugged. “Nothing. I came here to think. I didn't expect company.”

Aria raised a hand to her face, crossing her arms in thought. “Neither did I.”

They hung, each on their side of the river. The boundary between their worlds felt rather like an invitation than a barrier. The sun grew higher, and the spell of their encounter was broken by distant cries from both territories.

"I should go." Aria stepped back into the shadows.

"Will I see you again?" asked Luca, his voice casual, but the eyes watching her, large and golden, were anything but.

Aria paused, her nod almost imperceptible, before she turned and made her way into the woods. Luca watched her go, a smile lingering at the corner of his mouth. He didn't know exactly what they had just set in motion, but he couldn't deny the pull he felt towards her.

In the Umbra territory, Aria reemerged in the central clearing, escorted by her father, Orion, who was posted up on an elevated piece of land with all the wolves in the clearing below.

"Constant vigilance is needed. The Lunari pack has always wanted to try to corrupt us," Orion said, his commanding eyes looking over everyone assembled. "Their huge power is sheer force, but our power lies in being united and acting smartly."

Aria stealthily made her way in, careful not to be noticed. Maliya caught her eye, watching as her sister slipped in late for the meeting.

Where have you been?" Maliya whispered sharply.

"Nowhere," Aria replied curtly, avoiding her sister's gaze.

Maliya's lips curled in a sly smile. "Nowhere has a way of leaving traces. Be careful, Aria. Secrets don't stay hidden for long."

There was a hint of teasing in the way she said it, playing with her sister.

Aria stiffened but said nothing; her mind was already racing. Aria might not have brought everything to the picture, but she loved her sister just as much as Maliya did.

As the dark wolves gathered themselves for their usual night patrol, Maliya cornered her sister.

"You're distracted," Maliya said on purpose, almost mockingly concerned. "Something on your mind?"

"I'm fine," Aria replied, clipped.

But there was some kind of sparkle in Maliya's eyes. "I'd think you were hiding something if I didn't know better. But don't worry. I'll find out what it is.”

Aria gritted her teeth, clenching her fists in an attempt to calm herself down. She just couldn't let Maliya's games distract her.

---

That night Luca could barely catch any sleep or control his thoughts; he kept revisiting the moments, Aria’s laughter, her smile. It made him feel a sense of peace; one could even say butterflies in his stomach. He had never felt this way before, not for any female wolf in the Lunari pack; he barely ever looked at them twice, so why this, why now, and why an umbra princess?

As he gathered his thoughts and tried figuring out what was going on, he could feel his heart beating, and it was almost like he felt Aria’s own too. At that moment, a servant came in and interrupted him. Thane had summoned Luca to his quarters. The alpha’s sharp eyes bore into his son as he spoke.

There’s talk of increased activity near the river," Thane noted. "The Umbra wolves are up to something. I need you to keep watch."

Luca nodded, but the first thing on his mind was Aria. He would never admit it to his father, but the mere idea of seeing her again was so much more compelling than any mission.

"I'll take care of it," Luca said, his tone steady.

Thane observed him for a second, then sent him away with a wave. Once Luca had parted from him, it struck him that maybe his father was suspecting more than he was letting on.

Once again, as the night deepened, the river became the meeting point. Only this time, the shadows held more than just secrets—this time, they held the promise of discovery and the threat of betrayal.