The air was cool and wet with the mist of dawn, the faint scent of pine and blood tangled with the quiet rhythm of two steady heartbeats. Voices began to pierce the fog of Aoni’s half-dreams, thin at first, then sharper.
Hina’s voice, anxious, light and quivering: “Aoni? Arina isn’t in her room. Did you see where she went?”
He stirred slightly, the twitch of an ear the only sign he’d heard. His mind floated somewhere between waking and sleep.
Then Rolak’s lower voice: “You went hunting together. Are you alright?”
Aoni tried to answer, his consciousness brushing the edge of their link, but his thoughts were slow, heavy, drowning in yearly morning exhaustion.
“Son, where are you!?” Finally came the voice he couldn’t ignore.
That voice cracked the dream entirely. The wolf’s eyes flicked open, gold flashing under the weak light of dawn. For a second, he didn’t move, didn’t breathe as memory returned: the hunt, the deer, the stars, her hand in his fur.
And there she was still asleep. Her head pillowed on his side, one hand resting in his fur as if she’d fallen there mid-thought. The faint traces of dried blood marked her lips, and the ghost of peace lingered over her features. Beside them, the drained deer carcass.
None dared to speak at first. Even Rolak, first to step forward, hesitated — his usual sternness tangled with something uncertain. Nyra let out a quiet exhale, Kara’s brows furrowed, Gio simply stared.
The dawn light washed over them, painting the grass silver and gold, and for one fragile heartbeat, none could tell where the beast ended and the monster began — only that they looked, impossibly, at peace.
Aoni blinked awake to the soft tremor changing from paws to foot in the grass.
Rolak stood at the front, arms crossed, his expression a mix of disbelief and irritation. Behind him, Kara’s lips were pressed tight to hide a smirk, and Nyra wasn’t even trying to hide her grin. Hina looked mortified. The Alpha’s gaze was unreadable, sharp, and Aoni could feel his father’s disappointment radiating even before he said a word.
Then Arina stirred. At first, she only shifted with a soft murmur, a faint tightening of fingers in his fur. Her body arched slightly as she blinked against the silver dawn, eyes fluttering open to meet a sight that froze her in place: a circle of wolves watching.
She jerked upright so fast she almost stumbled, her gaze darting from one wolf to another, then down at Aoni. “Shit…” she whispered, voice small, breathless and panicked.
Aoni shifted back, running a hand through his hair, still half-dazed and not entirely dressed for a morning audience. He was about to say something, but the look on her face — that rare flush of color creeping up her cheeks — left him wordless for a moment.
Arina tried for composure, straightened her clothes, and glared at the ring of wolves. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not what it looks like.”
Nyra, who was the least capable of self-restraint, snorted. “Oh, it looks exactly like what it looks like.”
“Do you all make a hobby out of spying on sleeping people?” Arina shot back, voice sharp enough to slice the morning air. “I was tired. He was warm. End of story.”
That earned a chorus of poorly stifled chuckles. Even Rolak looked away to hide a ghost of a smile.
Finally, the Alpha stepped forward, his voice calm but heavy with authority. “Next time, try to sleep under a roof. You’ve given half my pack a heart attack.”
Arina exhaled through her nose, half in defeat, half in amusement. “Fine,” she muttered, brushing the grass from her clothes. “Next time, I’ll make sure to nap in a coffin. Would that make everyone happier?”
Aoni laughed. “For what it’s worth,” he said quietly, “you snore less than I expected.”
Her eyes snapped to his, burning with mock outrage. “Say that again and I’ll show you how vampires handle insults.”
But there was the faintest tremor of warmth she didn’t want to admit she felt.
The path back to the mansion shimmered in morning mist. Aoni walked beside Arina, their steps almost synchronized though neither noticed. Behind them came the pack, still vibrating with unspent laughter and whispered remarks.
Nyra nudged Kara with her elbow. “Guess we should start calling her Luna now.”
“Or Breakfast in the grass,” Gio added under his breath.
Arina clenched her jaw, pretending not to hear. At first their amusement didn’t sting as much as she expected. Maybe because it was real, unpoisoned by malice. Maybe because for a heartbeat, she’d forgotten who she was supposed to be. But then her gaze lifted to the Alpha, broad shoulders outlined by the light seeping through the trees. His face was carved in stone — no teasing, no scolding, only the raw, unguarded worry of a leader who had seen too many mornings begin with the sight of something broken. His eyes, dark and steady, were locked on her as if searching for answers she didn’t want to give. That look struck her harder than any joke could.
Her steps faltered. The teasing behind her only grew louder. And then — Arina turned. Her fangs showed when she hissed. “Stop it. Now.”
For a long second, no one spoke. Then Arina exhaled, forcing her hands to unclench before she turned to the Alpha. “It’s not what it looks like,” she said in a low, but firm voice. “I swear.”
The Alpha studied her in silence. Finally, he nodded once. “Then I’ll take your word for it,” he said simply. “But next time, make sure your word doesn’t have to defend you.”
Arina held his gaze for a moment longer, then looked away. Aoni, beside her, wanted to speak, but something about her posture, the faint tremble beneath her calm, made him stay silent.
***
The path back to the mansion shimmered in morning mist. Aoni walked beside Arina, their steps almost synchronized though neither noticed. Behind them came the pack, still vibrating with unspent laughter and whispered remarks.
Nyra nudged Kara with her elbow. “Guess we should start calling her Luna now.”
“Or Breakfast in the grass,” Gio added under his breath.
Arina clenched her jaw, pretending not to hear. At first their amusement didn’t sting as much as she expected. Maybe because it was real, unpoisoned by malice. Maybe because for a heartbeat, she’d forgotten who she was supposed to be. But then her gaze lifted to the Alpha, broad shoulders outlined by the light seeping through the trees. His face was carved in stone — no teasing, no scolding, only the raw, unguarded worry of a leader who had seen too many mornings begin with the sight of something broken. His eyes, dark and steady, were locked on her as if searching for answers she didn’t want to give. That look struck her harder than any joke could.
Her steps faltered. The teasing behind her only grew louder. And then — Arina turned. Her fangs showed when she hissed. “Stop it. Now.”
For a long second, no one spoke. Then Arina exhaled, forcing her hands to unclench before she turned to the Alpha. “It’s not what it looks like,” she said in a low, but firm voice. “I swear.”
The Alpha studied her in silence. Finally, he nodded once. “Then I’ll take your word for it,” he said simply. “But next time, make sure your word doesn’t have to defend you.”
Arina held his gaze for a moment longer, then looked away. Aoni, beside her, wanted to speak, but something about her posture, the faint tremble beneath her calm, made him stay silent.
As they entered the mansion, the pack dispersed — some whispering, some still chuckling under their breath. But Aoni’s father lingered at the doorway, eyes tracing the faint red marks on Arina’s wrist from where she’d clutched the deer the night before.
***
The meeting room smelled faintly of cedar and dawn rain, though no window was open. Arina stepped in.
Aoni waited already inside, his jaw tight with something between worry and guilt. Rolak stood with his arms crossed beside him and at the head of the room, the Alpha himself. His presence was calm, commanding, but his eyes gave him away — he had been waiting for this conversation.
“Arina,” he said quietly. “Sit.”
She obeyed, though her chin lifted, defiant still. “I was told it wasn’t a request,” she said, her voice brittle with dry humor.
Aoni’s mouth twitched in a half-smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. The Alpha sighed. “I owe you an apology,” he began. “When you first mentioned the Inner Circle after arriving, we weren’t… entirely honest with you.”
At that name, Arina froze. Her fingers twitched against the table.
“We know who they are,” the Alpha continued. “And we believe they’re here. The silence among the city’s vampires, the sudden disappearances, the rumors of a hierarchy that doesn’t match Rylan’s coven… It all leads back to them.”
Rolak grunted in agreement. “And lately, they’ve gone too quiet. No raids. No scouts. When vampires go quiet, it’s not peace they’re planning.”
Arina’s breath hitched. She turned away toward the window, watching the forest blur against the fading daylight. “Why tell me this now?” she asked, her tone quieter.
“Because you deserve the truth,” Aoni said, his voice gentler than his father’s. “And because we need your help to find them before they strike. You’ve faced them before. You understand how they move.”
Her eyes flashed red then faint but trembling with old, unhealed pain. “You think I will help you?”
The Alpha didn’t flinch. “You already have, Arina. By warning us when you arrived.”
That struck deeper than they could know. She felt something twitch inside that numbness.
“Careful,” Arina murmured, her tone quiet but edged. “The Circle builds wars from shadows, from secrets, from the people you trust most.”
Rolak’s brow furrowed. “You sound like you’ve seen them do it before.”
Her lips curved into the bitter ghost of a smile. “Seen it?” she repeated softly. “I walked straight into their hands.”
The room went still.
“It wasn’t long ago,” she continued. Her gaze lowered, the weight of memory pressing behind her eyes. “My brother, Aleksei — we’d found him. Brought him back to the coven. Rylan believed he could change… But Aleksei—” she hesitated, a flicker of old ache tugging at her voice, “he never forgot who he was. Or what we were before.”
Aoni shifted, the muscles in his jaw tensing.
“I told Rylan not to let him go,” she said, voice sharpening now, each word cut from guilt. “But Rylan —” her laugh was short, humorless, “Rylan believed in mercy more than caution. He let Aleksei roam free.”
Her eyes went distant. “Then a vampire came to me. Said Aleksei had gone to the city alone. I didn’t question. I just followed. I thought… if he was about to lose control, I could stop him before it was too late.”
Her breath hitched. “But it wasn’t him I found. It was the Circle waiting for me.”
Rolak straightened, his eyes narrowing. “They lured you?”
“They used my brother,” she said simply. “They knew I’d come running if I thought he was a threat.” She smiled then, but it wasn’t warm. “They played me perfectly.”
For a moment, no one dared speak.
Then Arina leaned forward slightly, resting her hands on the table. “So when I tell you they’re dangerous, I’m not speaking from rumor or from Rylan’s reports”
The Alpha’s eyes narrowed. “And you also think they’re in our city?”
Arina nodded once. “I don’t think,” she said. “I know. They’ve gone quiet because they’re preparing and testing how far the wolves can see.”
She turned away, with the unreadable expression, but something small and fragile flickered beneath the coldness. “And this time, I’m not sure if they want to kill me… or use me again.”
The Alpha’s gaze sharpened. “What do you mean by that?” he asked, his voice measured but carrying an undercurrent of unease. Something in Arina’s words had clawed at his instincts, that something far darker lay behind her calm tone.
Arina met his stare with that same fragile, deceptive ease — a faint, almost shy smile softening her face, though it never reached her eyes. “I mean…” she began, “I’m a vampire, staying in the heart of a wolf’s den. If I were the Inner Circle, I’d be watching me already — wondering how long before I could be turned into something they could use.”
The steady rhythm of her heart suddenly faltered, skipped a beat, and quickened just enough for the wolves in the room to hear it. Aoni’s eyes flicked toward her, confusion and worry glimmering behind them. Rolak’s brow furrowed, his instincts flaring, while the Alpha’s jaw tightened ever so slightly. They all felt that pulse of something fragile and human beneath her monstrous calm. But the Alpha said nothing. He only folded his arms and waited.
Arina finally exhaled and broke the silence. “There’s a club in the city,” she said changing her tone as if her heart hadn’t just betrayed her. “It’s called Nocturne. If they’re in this city, that’s where the scent will start.”
Aoni straightened immediately. “You’re not going there alone.”
She gave him a look. “I have to. If they see a wolf beside me, they’ll know something’s wrong.”
Rolak crossed his arms. “And if you don’t come back?”
Arina’s eyes lifted to his. “Then assume the worst,” she said softly. “Because if I don’t return, it means they caught me before I reached the door. And if I do…” she paused, that half-smile ghosting her lips again, “then maybe we’ll finally know what they’re planning.”
The Alpha leaned forward. “And what if this is another trap?”
Arina’s gaze lingered on him for a moment. “Then I suppose I’ll be walking into it again,” she said quietly. “But at least this time, I’ll know it’s a trap.”
Rolak, Aoni, and the Alpha remained in the muted stillness of the room after Arina’s departure.
“She’s hiding something,” the Alpha murmured finally, his eyes narrowing, sharp as obsidian. “You felt it too, didn’t you? Her heartbeat… it skipped. There’s more behind those words than she’s letting on.”
Aoni shifted, uneasy. “What are you implying, father?” His voice was cautious, but there was a tension in it.
The Alpha’s fingers hovered over his phone for a moment before he finally swiped it open. “I’m calling Rylan,” he said. “Something doesn’t add up in her story. She claims she’s following leads, but…” He trailed off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “…nobody stopped her? Not a single soul from Rylan’s coven?”
Rolak’s broad shoulders tensed. “You think she’s lying?” he asked, though the question felt almost rhetorical. Every instinct he had, screamed that Arina’s composure was masking something intentional.
Aoni’s gaze flicked toward the closed door as though he could still see her silhouette out there. “And if she is?” he murmured. “She’s not just a coven member. She’s… she’s capable of more than we understand. We can’t underestimate her.”
The Alpha’s thumb hovered over the call button, uncertainty crossing his usually implacable features. “Exactly,” he said finally, voice low but firm. “That’s why I need answers from Rylan before we take any further steps. If Arina is playing a different game than she’s letting on, it could cost us more than just information.”
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