CHAPTER 30
Seraphina had planned it carefully.
She always did.
The Moonborn Kingdom slept beneath a thin veil of mist, the moon pale and distant above the stone towers. The halls were quiet now, the guards fewer, the Alpha deep in council matters that kept him occupied late into the night. Patterns had been memorized. Routines studied. Doors counted. Shadows mapped.
Aria's room was never unguarded — but humans were predictable. Fragile. Tired.
Seraphina moved through the corridor with a familiar tray in her hands, steps light, posture bowed. No one stopped her. No one ever did anymore. She had worn Mira's place like a second skin, slipping seamlessly into a space already carved out for trust.
Inside the cup rested a clear liquid, faintly scented with herbs meant to calm the nerves. Beneath that softness lay something else — subtle, woven carefully, magic diluted enough to pass unnoticed. It would not kill Aria instantly. That would raise questions.
It would weaken her.
Slow her heart. Thin her blood. Make the Moonborn whisper that humans were not meant to rule beside wolves.
Seraphina paused outside the chamber, fingers tightening slightly around the tray.
This was not hatred.
This was necessity.
The alliance between humans and werewolves was an obstacle — a dangerous one. With it intact, borders held. Armies remained disciplined. The vampires waited.
Without it, the world would fracture exactly where it was weakest.
Seraphina knocked.
"Come in," Aria's voice called softly.
The princess sat near the bed, hair loose over her shoulders, candlelight warming her pale skin. She looked tired. Smaller than she had weeks ago. The Moonborn Kingdom was already wearing her down.
Seraphina set the tray on the table, careful, precise.
"For sleep," she said gently. "You didn't rest well last night."
Aria studied the cup, then Seraphina's face.
"Mira used to bring this," she said.
Seraphina inclined her head. "Yes, my lady."
A pause.
"She never spilled," Aria added quietly.
The words landed like a blade wrapped in silk.
Seraphina's smile did not falter, but something tightened behind her eyes. "I'll be more careful."
Aria reached for the cup.
Time narrowed.
The magic stirred, ready.
Then the air changed.
Not dramatically — no sound, no warning — just the sudden, unmistakable pressure of something powerful stepping into the room.
"Aria."
Kael's voice came from the doorway.
Seraphina felt it immediately — the way the Alpha's presence distorted the space, pressed against magic like a weight. Her spell shuddered, threads thinning, unraveling.
Aria turned. "Kael? Is something wrong?"
Kael's eyes flicked to the tray. To the cup. To the maid standing too still beside it.
"Drink that later," he said.
Not a suggestion.
Aria hesitated, then slowly set the cup down. "Alright."
Kael's gaze lingered on Seraphina for half a heartbeat too long.
"You may go," he said.
Seraphina curtsied and left without a word, heart steady, breath even. She did not rush. She did not look back.
The spell dissolved the moment she crossed the threshold, magic collapsing quietly, leaving nothing behind to trace.
Too close.
But not enough.
Morning came heavy with unease.
The dining chamber filled with the low murmur of servants and the clink of cutlery. Sunlight filtered through tall windows, casting pale gold across the long table where the Moonborn family gathered.
Kael sat at the head, unreadable as ever.
Aria took her place beside him, posture straight, though the shadows beneath her eyes hadn't faded.
Across from her sat Lysandra.
Kael's sister watched Aria openly, silver eyes sharp, assessing. There was no warmth in her gaze. No effort to hide it either.
"So," Lysandra said lightly, breaking bread. "You didn't sleep well."
Aria stiffened slightly. "No."
Lysandra smiled thinly. "Human castles must be quieter than ours."
"Enough," Kael said calmly.
Lysandra lifted a brow but said nothing more, though her gaze never left Aria.
A servant approached to pour tea.
Seraphina.
She moved smoothly, head bowed, hands steady. She did not look at Aria — not directly. But she felt the princess's eyes on her, cautious now. Searching.
The cup was placed carefully. Perfectly.
No spill.
Aria did not drink.
Kael noticed.
Seraphina stepped away, blending back into the line of servants as easily as she had arrived.
The attempt had failed.
The alliance still stood.
But suspicion had been planted.
And sometimes, Seraphina knew, seeds were more dangerous than blades.