ALPHA DARIO POV

A knock on the door startled me awake. "Come in," I called out, trying to sit up and prepare myself for whoever was entering. Over the past few days, Aria had replaced all the guards loyal to Alpha Emrys, sending them to distant towns and villages. The most loyal ones were posted to the border town, far from the city. It would take a week on a fast horse to reach the capital.

Aria had also demanded that the guards and the council retake their oaths, but this time the oaths were to the crown and Lunaria, not to Alpha Emrys. "I'm sorry for disturbing you," she...