Chapter 78: Blood Moon Rising
ARIA POV
The table cracked under my hand as I slammed it down.
"No!" I shouted. "We are not sacrificing an entire village just to draw them out!"
Six Alpha dogs from different packs stared back at me. Some looked angry. Others looked scared. None of them looked happy.
We’d been arguing for hours in this emergency war meeting. My head hurt. My back hurt. And the twins inside me kicked like they were having their own fight.
"Luna Aria," said Alpha Maddox from the Stone Ridge Pack. He talked slowly like I was a child who couldn’t understand. "Sometimes in war, hard choices must be made. River Creek Pack will strike that human village next. If we’re waiting there—"
"Then the humans will still die," I cut him off. "They’ll just die in the crossfire instead of by River Creek’s hands alone."
Kael put his hand on my shoulder. I could feel his worry through our link. He didn’t like how upset I was getting, especially not while pregnant.
"Perhaps we should take a break," Lucien offered. Always the healer.
I shook my head. "We don’t have time for breaks. Queen Lysandra’s message was clear. The seventh queen is coming, and she’ll destroy everything in her way."
The room went quiet at the name of the ancient queen. Only three days had passed since the runner from Timber Ridge brought news of the attack by someone who looked just like me.