066
1303 Words
~ Eunice
Iris has been getting too close too Duncan, too close. Too her, I was an empty threat, all because Alice didn't believe what I told her.
But f**k! My neice should know better.
I have to act in time,or else…
Cassian did not keep me waiting.
He never did when there was blood in the water.
We met three nights later, not on pack land, not anywhere that could be traced back to me. Neutral ground. An abandoned hunting lodge that sat between our borders like a forgotten secret. Years ago, treaties had been signed there. Promises made. Alliances broken.
It felt appropriate.
Let's just say it was a one night stand.
He was already there when I arrived.
Of course he was.
Cassian leaned against the wooden railing, broad shoulders relaxed, dark hair tied back loosely, looking more like a prince in exile than the ruthless Alpha he truly was.
Moonlight traced the sharp line of his jaw, silvering the edges of him.
“Eunice,” he greeted smoothly. “You look well.”
“I always do,” I replied, stepping up onto the porch without hesitation.
His smile deepened. He liked that answer. Cassian appreciated sharpness.
He leaned towards me, looking down at my boobs. I felt irritated, I mean I'm into girls.
What we had was a mistake.
“I'm not here for this..” I said.
He raised his hands in surrender.
“You said it was about Duncan,” he said, pushing open the lodge door and stepping inside. “That’s a dangerous subject.”
“Only if you’re afraid of him,” I said lightly, brushing past him.
His eyes flickered. Not fear.
Calculation.
“I’m never afraid,” he replied.
“ He almost killed you the last time you tried attacking us.”
“ Almost…” he pointed out.
“ Are you going to helr me or not ?cause I know you want his territory.”
He didn’t deny it.
The lodge smelled of old wood and forgotten winters. Dust clung to the beams overhead. The fireplace was long dead, but the room still held the shape of past warmth. I moved toward the old table in the center of the room and unrolled a map I had memorized long ago.
Crimson Ridge to the east.
Blackwood territory to the west.
Trade routes. Patrol rotations. Sacred grounds.
Cassian came closer again,close enough that I could feel his presence at my back,steady, predatory.
“You tried rogues,” he said casually.
“Amateur.”
“I wasn’t trying to kill her,” I corrected, smoothing the map flat. “Not yet.”
His eyebrow lifted slightly.
“I wanted to measure him.”
“And?”
“He would burn the world for her.”
Saying it aloud did something unpleasant to my chest.
Not pain.
Not jealousy.
Something colder.
Confirmation.
Cassian’s interest sharpened. “A weakness,” he murmured.
“Yes.”
I traced a finger along the wooded trail used during full moon runs.
“Duncan honors tradition,” I continued. “He runs with the pack under the full moon. No formal guards. No political shielding. Just instinct and pride.”
Cassian leaned forward, studying the route.
“You’re suggesting a challenge.”
“I’m suggesting opportunity.”
A formal challenge between Alphas would draw attention. It would legitimize conflict. It would force council oversight. It would stir tension between territories.
And if Duncan accepted,as pride demanded he would.it would place him exactly where we needed him.
Under the open sky.
Exposed.
“And if he wins?” Cassian asked softly.
“He won’t,” I replied.
Cassian turned to face me fully then, amusement flickering in his eyes.
“You sound certain.”
“I know my brother.”
Duncan was strong. Brutal when necessary. But he still believed in honor.
In fairness.
In rules.
Cassian did not.
Silver would be involved.
Wolfsbane.
Hidden shooters among disguised rogues.
Chaos layered inside ritual.
A challenge on the surface.
An ambush beneath it.
Cassian folded his arms. “You’re asking me to stain sacred law.”
“I’m asking you to win,” I said calmly.
His gaze lingered on me longer this time.
“And what does Eunice Blackwood gain from all this?” he asked quietly.
“Stability,” I said smoothly. “Continuity. Influence over the transition.”
He laughed softly. “You want the throne.”
“I want what I’ve always deserved.”
The words were simple.
The truth behind them was not.
For years I had stood beside Duncan. Managed alliances. Smoothed council disputes. Strengthened trade agreements. Protected our borders when he was too distracted by ideals and prophecy.
When Father died, it was Duncan who inherited the title.
But it was me who inherited the burden.
And then..
The Moon chose her.
An omega.
Soft-spoken. Untrained. Unknown.
Chosen over blood.
Over loyalty.
Over me.
Cassian studied me carefully. “You hate her.”
“I don’t waste emotion on her.”
“Mm.”
He didn’t believe that.
I didn’t need him to.
I stepped closer to the map, tapping the ravine bend.
“Here,” I said. “Narrow terrain. Poor visibility. Elevated cliffs on both sides. Perfect sightlines.”
Cassian’s expression shifted from amusement to focus.
“You’ve thought this through.”
“I think everything through.”
“If Duncan falls,” he said slowly, “your council will fracture. Alice is young. Emotional.”
“And Iris?” he added with quiet curiosity.
“Iris,” I said evenly, “will be nothing without him.”
That wasn’t entirely true.
The bond complicated things.
But bonds could be broken.
If not physically…
Emotionally.
Publicly.
Irreparably.
The pack would need strength in the aftermath. Leadership. Someone unshaken.
Someone inevitable.
Cassian’s voice dropped. “And if suspicion points to you?”
“It won’t.”
“You’re very confident.”
“I’ve already begun laying the groundwork.”
Subtle tensions between patrols. Rumors of Crimson Ridge aggression. Council whispers about Duncan’s increasing impulsiveness since bonding.
By the time the challenge was issued, it would look like escalation,not orchestration.
Cassian was quiet for a long moment.
Then he extended his hand.
“Very well, Eunice Blackwood,” he said softly.
“Let’s rewrite fate.”
I took it.
His grip was firm. Cold.
A pact sealed without ceremony.
No witnesses.
No oaths.
Only intent.
As we left the lodge separately, I felt no fear.
Only clarity.
The plan would unfold in stages.
First, provoke tension between packs.
Then, issue the formal challenge.
Duncan would accept.
He always did what was expected of him.
During the full moon run,when the pack would gather, when emotions would already be heightened,we would strike.
Silver bullets dipped in wolfsbane.
Two shots at most.
An Alpha’s heart does not survive both.
And once Duncan fell…
Everything else would follow.
Alice would crumble.
The council would panic.
Crimson Ridge would push for territorial absorption under the guise of “protective oversight.”
I would step in.
Strong.
Controlled.
Necessary.
Iris would watch everything burn around her and finally understand…
Love does not make you powerful.
It makes you vulnerable.
As I drove back toward our estate that night, the moon rising thin and pale above the trees, I allowed myself a small smile.
People thought ambition was ugly.
They were wrong.
Ambition was survival sharpened into purpose.
For too long, I had played the loyal sister.
The supportive daughter.
The almost-Luna.
No more.
If the Moon Goddess wanted to test me, she would learn something.
Fate may choose the mate.
But I choose who survives long enough to claim the throne.
And when the full moon rose red over the ravine…
There would be only one future left standing.
Mine.
- Writer
