The Luna Of Nine Lives

The Commander Under Fire

That morning, the castle felt different.

I noticed it the moment I opened my bedroom door and stepped into the main corridor. Usually, the servants would bow politely with small smiles, greeting me with their respectful titles. But this morning, they lowered their heads hurriedly, as though trying to avoid my gaze. Whispers abruptly stopped whenever I passed, replaced by an awkward silence.

I stopped near the marble staircase, watching two young servants standing in the corner, their heads close together.

"...They say Commander Vero is after the throne..."

"...Some even say he's secretly gathering troops..."

I held my breath. The slander had spread much farther than I had imagined.

Last night, anonymous letters had been found scattered throughout the castle's various wings in the nobles' dining hall, on the advisers' tables, and even slipped beneath the doors of several regional Alphas' rooms. The message was always the same: accusations that Vero, the kingdom's Supreme Commander, was secretly plotting to betray Kale.

I knew it was a lie. I knew Vero better than anyone in this castle. But a lie repeated often enough could begin to sound like the truth, and this morning, I was witnessing firsthand how the poison was beginning to work.

As I passed the council waiting room, two regional Alphas were speaking in low voices, though not low enough to escape my sharp hearing.

"I've questioned his loyalty for a long time," one of them muttered. "Too much power in the hands of a single Lycan."

I quickened my pace, my chest tightening with the anger I was forcing myself to contain.

And that was when I realized this wasn't merely Kale's attempt to drive Vero away from me or provoke jealousy between us. This was something much bigger.

Kale was trying to destroy Vero completely, tearing down the kingdom's trust in him one whisper at a time.

I found Kale in the council chamber, standing with his back to me as he stared through the enormous windows at the vast green forest stretching into the distance. When he heard my footsteps, he turned around.

His expression was almost perfect angry, wounded, the face of a king who had been betrayed.

"Yura." His voice was heavy. "Have you heard what they're saying about me and our marriage?"

I looked directly at him.

"I've heard what they're saying about Vero."

His jaw tightened for the briefest moment, almost imperceptibly, before the mask returned.

"My name has been dragged into this scandal, Yura. They're saying I've allowed my own Commander to undermine my throne. I've been humiliated in front of the entire council."

"Then what are you going to do?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm despite my racing heart.

"For the sake of the kingdom," he said, stepping closer, "I have to investigate him. I have no other choice."

I stared into his eyes for a long moment.

There was something there that was too calm, too prepared. As though he had been waiting for this opportunity to arrive.

He wasn't looking for the truth, I thought.

He was looking for an excuse to bring Vero down.

"All right," I said softly, hiding my suspicion beneath obedience. "Investigate him. I'm certain Vero has nothing to hide."

Kale smiled faintly, a smile that never truly reached his eyes.

"We'll see."

The council session was called before noon.

Vero stood in the center of the enormous chamber, surrounded by the kingdom's Alphas and advisers, who sat in a circle with tense expressions. I sat in my chair beside Kale's throne, my heart pounding unevenly as accusation after accusation was read aloud by one of the elderly advisers.

Vero didn't move.

He stood tall, his hands clasped behind his back, his face as calm as a lake at dawn.

"I demand evidence," he finally said, his voice echoing through the silent chamber. "Not rumors."

The elderly adviser Voren, one of the kingdom's senior advisers stepped forward.

"I personally witnessed Commander Vero receiving secret tribute from rebel clans in the northern territories. Gold gathered to finance a rebellion."

"That's a lie." Vero's voice didn't rise, but it remained firm. "I haven't met with anyone from the northern clans in the past three months."

The chamber erupted into whispers.

Kale sat silently upon his throne, his face like carved stone impartial and unreadable. He looked like a king who was being perfectly fair, carefully making sure not to take either side.

But I noticed something else.

I remembered Voren.

Two days ago, I had seen him leaving Kale's private chambers late at night, his face pale and his movements hurried. At the time, I hadn't thought much of it.

Now, suspicion began spreading through my chest like roots tightening around my heart.

After the session was dismissed without an official verdict, I waited in the shadows of a corridor near the hall, watching Voren hurry toward the western wing of the castle an area rarely used, filled with empty rooms that had once served as storage for the royal archives.

I followed him silently, holding my breath and making use of every shadow I could find.

Voren stopped in front of an old wooden door and knocked three times in a specific pattern.

The door opened.

I crept closer, hiding behind a stone pillar, and peered through the partially closed doorway.

Inside, someone dressed in a dark cloak handed Voren a heavy leather pouch.

The unmistakable clinking of metal gold, I was certain could be heard clearly even from where I was hiding.

I stared intently at the pouch, trying to catch any detail I could use.

And that's when I saw it.

A small emblem was engraved into the leather.

A wolf wearing a thorned crown, surrounded by a crescent moon.

My heart stopped for a moment.

It was the emblem of the Draven family—Kale's trusted confidant, his right hand in matters that were never discussed before the council.

I slowly backed away from the door, my thoughts in turmoil.

Kale was behind all of this.

The slander, the false testimony everything had been carefully arranged to bring Vero down.

That night, I sneaked into the northern tower, where I knew Vero often went when his mind was troubled.

He stood on the balcony, staring at the dark forest beneath the light of the not-yet-full moon.

"Vero," I called softly.

He turned, unsurprised to see me.

"Yura. It's dangerous for you to be here."

"I know who's behind all of this." I stepped closer, my voice barely above a whisper even though there was no one around us. "Voren. He received gold from Kale's trusted man Draven. Kale orchestrated everything."

I waited for shock to appear on his face.

Instead, I was met with a calmness that left me speechless.

"I already know," he said quietly.

"You already knew?"

I could hardly believe it.

"Then why didn't you why did you let all of this happen?"

Vero let out a long breath, his eyes drifting toward the dark forest in the distance.

"Because I wanted to know how far Kale was willing to go, Yura. All this time, he's been hiding behind the words 'for the sake of the kingdom.' I wanted to see that mask crack."

I fell silent, processing his words.

"And now?"

"Now," he said, his voice lowering, "I suspect this isn't simply about you and me, or about his jealousy. He's planning something much bigger."

The cold night wind swept through the balcony, carrying the scent of the damp forest.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to chase away the chill spreading through me—not only from the night air, but from the terrible feeling growing in my chest.

Meanwhile, in another wing of the castle, Ellara walked toward Kale's private chambers with deliberately graceful steps.

Her face displayed such convincing concern that anyone who didn't know her would have been completely deceived.

"Your Majesty," she greeted softly, bowing before taking the chair opposite Kale. "I heard the council session didn't go as you had hoped."

Kale didn't answer. He merely stared at the wineglass in his hand.

"I'm worried," Ellara continued, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "If Vero is allowed to remain free, what if Yura truly chooses to leave you for him? Everyone in the castle can see it, Kale. The way Yura looks at him."

Something flashed in Kale's eyes fear that he tried to hide but failed.

"I simply don't want to see you lose everything," Ellara whispered, gently touching Kale's arm. "Your husband, your kingdom, your wife. Everything."

Kale tightened his grip around the wineglass.

In silence, a decision began to take shape in his mind.

Ellara smiled faintly in the opposite direction, making sure Kale couldn't see it.

Her plan was working perfectly.

The following day, the council was summoned once again.

"Until this investigation is complete," Kale announced before the entire council, his voice echoing firmly through the suddenly silent chamber, "Commander Vero is hereby temporarily removed from his position as Supreme Commander."

A wave of shock swept through the chamber.

Several Alphas exchanged disbelieving glances.

I gripped the edge of my chair tightly, struggling to keep my expression calm despite the anger burning inside me.

Vero merely nodded once, accepting the decision without protest or visible anger.

It was his calmness that made me even more suspicious.

Vero didn't look frightened at all as though he had expected this to happen, as though his removal was merely a small move in a much larger game.

That night, I couldn't sleep.

I sneaked into Kale's private archive room, where I knew he kept important documents he never shared with the council.

Among the piles of papers, I found a document that made my blood run cold.

A written order bearing Kale's personal seal instructed several of his trusted guards to monitor Vero's every movement, day and night, without interruption.

But that wasn't what made me tremble.

At the bottom of the document was a short note that only I could understand, because I knew what Kale had been planning for a long time a plan he had only ever spoken about in whispers, late at night, concerning an ancient prophecy and the strongest Lycan.

Before the Blood Moon Eclipse arrived.

I remembered Kale's words from several months ago about an ancient ritual that could only be performed during a Blood Moon Eclipse a ritual that, according to legend, could prove who was the strongest Lycan in the kingdom in a terrifying way.

Removing Vero from his position wasn't the final objective.

It was merely the first step toward stripping Vero of his protection, leaving him vulnerable, alone, and powerless—right before the Blood Moon Eclipse arrived.

I gripped the document tightly, my hands trembling not from fear, but from the determination beginning to burn inside my chest.

This time, I wouldn't wait until someone died before taking action.

I had to find enough evidence to bring Kale down—before the Blood Moon Eclipse arrived, before he had the chance to lay a hand on Vero.