Chapter 10: Assassination Attempt
1377 Words
The cheers from the throne room still echoed in Luna’s ears hours later.
She sat in her new suite, staring at her hands. They weren’t shaking anymore.
_I did it. I actually did it._
Elara had brought her food, tea, and three different dresses. “For tomorrow, My Luna,” she said with a grin.
Luna smiled back, but her stomach was in knots.
The way Marcus looked at her. The way some of the visiting Alphas whispered. This wasn’t over.
A knock. Soft.
“Come in.”
Darius.
He looked tired. Crown gone. Hair messy. But when he saw her, his whole body relaxed.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Alive,” Luna said. “Thanks to you. And the Goddess.”
Darius sat beside her on the couch. Not touching. But close. “The council meeting went badly. Three packs sent letters. They’re demanding to ‘inspect’ you. Make sure you’re ‘fit to be Luna.’”
Luna scoffed. “Translation: they want to find a reason to reject me.”
“Basically,” Darius said. He rubbed his temples. “I told them to go to hell.”
Luna laughed despite herself. “You can’t say that to other Alphas.”
“I just did.” His golden eyes met hers. “Luna, I need you to be careful. Starting tonight. Don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t eat or drink anything that Elara doesn’t bring you herself.”
Luna frowned. “You think someone will—”
“I know someone will,” Darius cut in. “Marcus made a call tonight. Our tech guys traced it. He’s meeting with a rogue Alpha from the Blood Fang pack.”
Luna’s blood ran cold. Blood Fang. The most brutal pack in the territory.
“They wouldn’t dare attack inside the palace,” she whispered.
Darius took her hand. “They would if they thought they could get away with it. And blame it on rogues.”
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
---
### *Midnight*
Luna couldn’t sleep.
She got up and went to the window. The moon was bright. 3 weeks until the next full moon. 3 weeks until the bond deadline was truly safe.
A sound.
Not from the hall. From the balcony.
Glass scraping.
Luna froze. Selene growled. _Intruder._
The balcony doors slid open an inch. A shadow slipped through.
A man. Dressed all in black. Face covered. Knife in hand.
Luna didn’t scream. She couldn’t. Her throat closed up.
The man lunged.
But before he got 2 steps, the door to her room exploded inward.
Darius.
He was shirtless, only wearing sweats. He must have been sleeping right outside her door.
“GET AWAY FROM HER!”
What happened next was a blur.
Claws. Teeth. Blood.
Darius shifted halfway and tore into the assassin. The man didn’t even get a chance to scream.
In 5 seconds, it was over.
The assassin lay dead on Luna’s rug.
Darius was breathing hard, chest heaving. Blood on his hands. Not his.
He turned to Luna. His eyes went wide when he saw her.
She was standing in the corner, shaking, but unharmed.
He crossed the room in 2 steps and pulled her into his arms.
“You’re okay. You’re okay,” he kept repeating into her hair. “I’m sorry. I was too late.”
“You weren’t,” Luna whispered. Her voice was muffled against his chest. “You were right on time.”
He pulled back and cupped her face, checking her for injuries. “Did he touch you?”
“No.”
Darius exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for years. Then his expression went hard.
“Kade!” he roared.
Guards flooded the room in seconds.
“Get this body to the dungeon. I want to know who he is, who sent him, and how he got past 4 layers of security.” Darius’s voice was deadly calm. “And find Beta Marcus. Now.”
---
### *1 Hour Later - Interrogation Room*
The assassin was dead. But they found something on him.
A coin. Blood Fang pack symbol.
And a note. In Marcus’s handwriting.
_“Make it look like rogues. No witnesses.”_
Darius threw the note on the table. “He’s done.”
Kade nodded grimly. “We have him in holding, Alpha. What are your orders?”
Darius looked at Luna. She was sitting in a chair, wrapped in a blanket. She hadn’t said much since it happened.
“Bring him in,” Darius said.
Two guards dragged Marcus in. His hands were bound. His face was a mask of fury.
“You can’t do this,” Marcus spat. “I’m your brother.”
“You tried to kill my mate,” Darius said quietly. Too quietly. “In her room. While she slept.”
Marcus laughed. “She’s not your mate. She’s a mistake. An omega who tricked you with Goddess nonsense. The pack will thank me when—”
Darius moved so fast no one saw it.
His fist connected with Marcus’s jaw. Blood.
“Don’t you say her name,” Darius growled. “Don’t you ever say her name again.”
Marcus coughed blood and grinned. “You think this changes anything? The other packs already know. They’ll challenge you. And when they do, they’ll see how weak you are. Chained to an omega.”
Darius leaned down. “The only one who’s weak here is you. A brother who betrays his own blood for a throne.”
He straightened up. “Take him to the cells. Trial at dawn. For treason.”
As they dragged Marcus out, he looked at Luna.
“This isn’t over, bitch.”
Luna didn’t flinch.
---
### *After - Darius’s Room*
Luna couldn’t go back to her room. Not tonight.
So Darius brought her to his.
She sat on the edge of his bed, still wrapped in the blanket. Darius was pacing.
“I failed you,” he said. “I promised to protect you and he still got in.”
“Darius,” Luna said softly. “You saved me.”
He stopped pacing and looked at her. Really looked at her.
“You’re not scared of me,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
Luna shook her head. “I was. After the rejection. But not now. Not after tonight.”
Darius sat down next to her. Carefully. Like he was afraid he’d break her.
“I’ve been King for 6 years,” he said. “I’ve fought wars. I’ve killed men. I’ve never been afraid.”
He took her hand.
“But tonight, when I saw him with that knife near you… I thought I was going to lose you. And I realized I don’t know how to live without you.”
Luna’s heart clenched.
Darius lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Then to the mark on her wrist where the bond glowed faintly.
“I’m sorry for what I said at the ceremony,” he whispered. “You were never unworthy. I was. I’m still learning how to be worthy of you.”
Tears welled in Luna’s eyes. “You’re trying. That’s enough.”
They sat in silence. The only sound was their breathing syncing up.
Finally, Darius lay down and pulled her with him. Not for anything else. Just to hold her.
“Stay,” he murmured. “Please.”
Luna nodded and rested her head on his chest. Right over his heart. Right over the mate mark.
For the first time since the ceremony, she felt safe.
---
### *Dawn*
News spread fast.
Beta Marcus arrested for treason.
Attempted assassination of the Luna.
The visiting Alphas who came to “inspect” Luna left early. Without saying a word.
And in the throne room, Darius made another announcement.
“From today, Luna Carter will sit beside me in all council meetings. She will have a voice in every decision. Because a King who ignores his Queen is a King who will fall.”
Luna stood beside him. Head high. Mark on display.
Marcus was dragged out in chains. His eyes met Luna’s one last time. Full of hate.
But Luna didn’t look away .
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