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AURORA
The lookout point was alive with the sound of scurrying and the panting of breath. I came up the hill, my heart pounding in my chest.
Before me stood a terrible prospect: a tide of armies, torch lit and steadily flowing across the forest floor, threatened to sweep down the slope at any moment.
I held the wooden railing with my knuckles that were turning white.
“We are running out of time,” I breathed softly.
“Aurora.”
Trajan’s deep voice startled me. As I turned to see him, he was standing tall, his expression grim but focused.
“They’re not holding back,” he said, gesturing toward the advancing forces.
“No,” I replied, her voice hardening. “They’re not.”
Minutes later, the council gathered in the main hall, the tension clear and evident. The room was a chaos of raised voices as
opinions clashed like swords.
Traian pounded his fist on the table, silencing all others in the
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I leaned forward, voice firm yet controlled. “If we go into battle now, Dane’s sacrifice will be for nothing. We must try to avoid. the bloodshed.
“Bloodshed may already be inevitable,” Evelyn said from the
corner, her arms crossed. “But Luna has a point. We need to be smart about this.”
Warrick scoffed, shaking his head. “Smart doesn’t mean passive. They’re counting on us hesitating. Every second we delay is another step closer to the packhouse.“.
Out of annoyance and frustration, I threw up my hand, my voice loud over the annoying argument. “Stop It!” The room fell silent.
“We aren’t acting rashly. Piper, Warrick, keep coordinating our defenses of the packhouse. Trajan, you know what to do, you’ll arrange our frontline positions. I will send a messenger out to hold them up a bit while we prepare ourselves.”
Trajan scowled. “What if they do not accept this?”
Aurora’s jaw locked. “Then we meet them on our turf.”
黃黃鶯 黃黃案 黃黃黃
The air cooled as the pack worked. Piper and Warrick surveyed
preparations, and Trajan and Evelyn practiced defenses. As I
saw them obeying commandment, I went and stood near the
fire, my eyes fixed on some place far away.
Trajan came and stood near me, His voice was low. “You’re bearing too much by yourself.”
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“I’m their Luna. If I don’t, who will?” I said as I caught a sharp
breath.
“You aren’t alone in this,” he said.
I gazed at him, her resolve breaking for an instant. “Thanks, Trajan. For everything.”
Raven whom I had sent to meet them rushed up to me, his face deathly pale and sweat dripping down his temple. His hand grasped a crumpled piece of parchment.
“Luna,” the scout said, his voice trembling. “This just came from them.”
I walked forward, heart pounding then took the note and smoothed the paper with deliberate care as the room fell silent.
I cleared my throat and read out loud: “We will meet, but know this, only one pack will leave alive.”
The silence after that was oppressive.
Trajan broke it. “Is it a warning or declaration of war?
“It’s both,” I said, my voice firm.
“They’re taunting us,” Evelyn growled, her fists clenched at her sides. “Trying to shake our resolve.”
“And it’s working,” Warrick muttered. “The pack is on edge. If we don’t act decisively, they’ll lose faith in us.”
I looked up, my gaze sweeping across the room. “We need to
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calm. Panic will only give them an advantage.”
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“What’s the plan, Luna?” Trajan asked, his tone was even, but laced with urgency.
I looked down at the note once more as thoughts raced through. her head. “We accept their meeting, but we control the terms. We’ll choose neutral ground, somewhere we know better than they do.”
“And if they refuse?” Piper asked.
“Then we’ll be ready,” I said. I nodded at Raven and he raced off with my message. I turned to Trajan. “I want every defensive line around the neutral ground also reinforced. Trajan, prepare the warriors. Warrick, ensure the younger wolves stay safe. Piper, work with the Raven to monitor their movements.”
“Do you think they’ll honor the meeting?” Warrick asked skeptically.
My lips pressed into a thin line. “I don’t know. But we don’t have a choice.“.
Trajan drew closer, his voice low. “Aurora, if this is a trap”
“I know,” I said, holding his eyes. “But if there’s any possibility to safeguard the pack without losing any more blood, we must consider it.”
The warriors around all moved away to ready themselves for whatever was to come, while I remained at the hills. I could see Dane’s body frame in my min
