She had spoken about the fight with such pride, such joy. How would she take this?
“She can’t stay in the army, Lucian,” he said. “She’s your Luna now. That comes with its own responsibilities. You know that.”
And just like that, the hardest part landed in my lap—telling Mara she could no longer serve as Gamma.
“I’ll speak to Darian tonight,” he added. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll announce everything at breakfast. Then to the rest of the pack.”
He looked older in that moment. Tired. Regretful.
“This whole mess,” he said softly, “could’ve been avoided if I had just stopped Martha when she started spreading lies about you. I knew that man’s death wasn’t your fault. And I knew there was an attempt on your life. But I thought giving Darian the army would give him something. I was wrong.”
He
