“Aria disguised herself to win the alpha title. But when Cassian discovers her secret, their rivalry turns into a fairy tale love story. "Will the ambition for the Alpha title or her first love win?”
View MoreAria’s POV
Being the daughter of Alpha Lysander of the Silver Moon Pack should’ve been an honor. Should’ve. Instead, it’s a never-ending cycle of punishment, lectures, and my mother sighing like she regrets ever giving birth to me.
And to be honest? I get it.
I’m reckless, stubborn, and apparently ‘unfit for a lady of noble blood.’ At least, that’s what my father says every time I get into trouble, which, to be fair, is often.
Like today, for example.
“Aria!” My mother’s voice echoes through the halls. “What did you do this time?”
I groan and roll over in bed, stuffing a pillow over my head. “Mother, why do you always assume I did something?”
There’s a pause. Then, in a very dry tone, she says, “Experience.”
Okay, fair point.
Before I can defend myself, my bedroom door swings open. My mother, the Luna, walks in, her long hair pulled into a regal braid, her piercing eyes scanning me like a disappointed queen.
She crosses her arms. “Well?”
I sit up and blink at her. “Could you be more specific? Because, honestly, there’s a long list of things I could be in trouble for.”
She sighs. “Your father is furious.”
“What else is new?” I mutter under my breath.
She ignores that and continues, “You nearly got yourself killed last night.”
I perk up. “Ohhh, so it’s about that.”
Her eyebrow twitches.
Look, in my defense, I did technically do something heroic. Last night, an intruder breached our territory, a rogue, wild and foaming at the mouth, clearly out of his mind. He attacked one of our border guards, and before I even thought about it, I blasted him with my power.
It was…well, kind of awesome.
The guy was thrown ten feet back, unconscious. I mean, he was going to kill someone, so I had no choice. But instead of being impressed, my father nearly had a heart attack.
“What were you thinking?” he had roared last night.
And honestly? I had no answer.
I wasn’t thinking. I just…reacted.
Mother sits on the edge of my bed, rubbing her temples. “Your father is convinced you’re going to get yourself killed before your hundred birthday.”
I shrug. “I mean, he’s not wrong.”
She glares.
I cough. “I mean, he’s totally wrong! I was fine. Barely even got a scratch.”
Her expression softens slightly. “I was proud of you, you know.”
I blink. “Wait. What?”
She gives me a small, secret smile. “You protected your pack, Aria. You were brave. But…” She sighs. “You know I can’t say that in front of your father.”
I groan. “Of course not. That would ruin his whole ‘Aria is a disaster’ narrative.”
Mother chuckles but quickly schools her face back to neutrality. “Just…try not to make it worse today, alright?”
I grin. “Define ‘worse.’”
She narrows her eyes.
I hop off my bed, stretching. “Relax, Mother. I’m just going to go see Father.”
She freezes. “For what?”
“To tell him I want to be the next Alpha.”
Everywhere went silence, that you can hear a pin if it drops on the floor.
Mother stares at me like I just declared I was running away to become a rogue.
“…Aria.” Her voice is seductively calm. “Have you lost your mind?”
I grin. “Nope! Just finally using it.”
And with that, I skip out of my room, leaving my poor mother behind to mentally prepare for the chaos that’s about to unfold.
Walking into my father’s office always feels like walking into enemy territory. The air is thick with authority, the walls lined with ancient books, war maps, and weapons that have seen way too much blood.
Alpha Lysander sits behind his massive wooden desk, his glassy eyes narrowing the second he sees me.
“What now?” he grumbles.
I plop down in the chair across from him, propping my feet up on his desk. “So. I’ve decided I’m going to be the next Alpha.”
He was silent for few seconds.
He grips his pen so hard it snaps in half.
I blink. “Wow. Didn’t even take you a full ten seconds to break something. Impressive.”
His eye twitches.
“Aria.” His voice is dangerously low. “Do you have a death wish?”
“Not today, no.” I grin. “But thanks for asking.”
He rubs his temples, muttering something about his blood pressure.
“I’m serious, Father,” I say, leaning forward. “I don’t want to be some Alpha’s Luna. I want to be the Alpha.”
He finally looks at me, his gaze sharp as a blade. “You know that’s not how it works.”
“Yeah, yeah, tradition and all that crap,” I wave my hand. “But who says I can’t be the first female Alpha of Silver Moon?”
He glares. “Our pack has never…”
“Well, maybe it’s time we change that.”
His jaw clenches. “You have no idea what it takes to lead, Aria.”
I smirk. “Neither do half the power-hungry idiots you force me to train with, but you’re fine letting them have a shot.”
A vein pops in his forehead. “Aria.”
“Yes, dearest Father?”
His eye twitches harder. “Get. Out.”
I salute. “Aye, aye, Alpha.”
As I stand to leave, I catch a glimpse of Mother peeking from the doorway, covering her mouth to hide a laugh.
Well. At least someone is entertained.
Caspian’s POVThe afternoon sun slanted through the Academy’s tall windows, sharp and almost accusatory, as if it knew exactly how terrible my life choices had been up to this point. I should’ve been enjoying the calm after the chaos of last night’s trial, basking in the sweet relief of wards stabilized and students alive. Instead, my thoughts had latched onto one thing and one thing only: the hairpin.That blasted hairpin.I remembered clearly giving it to Riven as a gift last month, a token of appreciation for being competent, loyal, and not completely insufferable. Stormborne House prized loyalty above all else, and I had thought, in my infinite wisdom, that Riven deserved a little recognition. I never imagined that this tiny piece of metal could end up causing chaos for Ari—or worse, raising suspicions about me.Now, every time I thought about it, my stomach twisted. I had to confront Riven before this snowballed into something catastrophic. Ari already had suspicions. Ari’s suspi
Ari’s POVMorning came with all the subtlety of a trebuchet to the forehead. My head throbbed in a way that made me question every life choice that had ever led me to this cursed Academy. The sky was pale and yawning, streaked with orange, but I couldn’t summon the energy to appreciate it. Caspian’s bed was empty, which immediately set off a series of catastrophic scenarios in my mind.Did he run off with the intruders while I was sleeping? Probably not, that would be insane. Did he just leave me here like a common dorm plebe to get breakfast? Very likely. Either way, rude.I reached over and checked under my pillow where the Stormborne hairpin had been hiding. Still there. Secure. My lifeline, my only evidence that something bigger was going on. I carefully tucked it deeper into the folds of my sleeve, just in case the notorious Stormborne charm police decided to inspect dorms at random.Dragging myself out of bed was a slow-motion affair. My legs protested like they had been forged
Ari’s POVThe trial ended just as the sky outside was bleeding from black into gray. Nobody said a word when the headmaster dismissed us; we just scattered like survivors of a shipwreck. My legs carried me back to the dorm with Caspian at my side, though neither of us spoke. The silence wasn’t comfortable, and it wasn’t angry either—it was that weird middle ground where your brain is still replaying everything at high speed and your mouth hasn’t caught up.I was busy telling myself not to think about the kiss. Which, of course, meant that’s all I could think about. His mouth, the way my stupid body reacted before my brain could scream “bad idea,” and the fact that Caspian Stormborne of all people was now imprinted on my nervous system.But no. Absolutely not. If my life depended on it, I was never going to replay that scene in my head again. Ever.We’d barely gotten into the room when Caspian finally opened his mouth. His voice was so abrupt, I almost dropped my boots.“In case you s
Caspian’s POVI regretted it the second I blinked back into my room. Teleporting was supposed to be my great escape move, my way of staying untouchable. But this time? Stupid. Absolutely stupid. I should’ve stayed just a second longer, long enough for Ari to catch sight of me. Then at least he’d know I wasn’t sneaking around like some shady intruder in the middle of the night. Now, instead, I’d left the impression of a guilty man bolting from the crime scene. Genius, Caspian. Real genius.And the worst part? I couldn’t stop replaying it in my head. Ari out there, sharp-eyed and suspicious, probably putting two and two together. I’d just gifted him every reason to think I was hiding something. Me, the great Caspian Duskbane, reduced to looking like a thief tiptoeing through his own Academy.I was still pacing the floor, chewing on that mistake, when the dorm door creaked. Ari walked in.I froze.For half a second, my brain blanked out. I wanted to casually ask, “Hey, so, uh… what happe
Aria’s POVThe morning started the way mornings always did in this cursed Academy—loud, annoying, and way too bright for my taste. I sat up on my bed, hair sticking out in every possible direction, and saw Caspian already dressed, boots polished like he was ready for battle. The guy was born ready, I swear.“You’re up late,” he said, like he hadn’t woken me up at least three times already just by existing too loudly.“Yeah, well, not all of us patrol the halls at night like paranoid guardsmen,” I muttered, rubbing my eyes.He didn’t reply, just gave me this look. That quiet, suspicious one that had been showing up more and more lately. He thought I didn’t notice, but please… I noticed. Caspian’s eyes always said more than his mouth, and right now, they said, I think you’re hiding something, Ari.Which, of course, I was. Just… not what he thought.We trudged down to breakfast, where the tables buzzed with whispers about last night’s “strange sounds.” Apparently, half the Academy though
Caspian’s POVIf there’s one thing Ari is annoyingly good at, it’s getting under my skin before meals. That morning he managed to argue with me over the dumbest thing—who walked faster down the hallway. He swore I had shorter legs. Me. The nerve.So, naturally, I spent ten minutes reminding him that I could cross the hall in three strides while he needed five. He didn’t take it well, which only made me push harder, because watching his face twist like a tomato about to explode? Priceless.Of course, before I could fully win the argument, the Headmaster’s booming voice interrupted. “Everyone, to the hall.”Perfect timing.By the time he finished whatever sacred announcement he thought was worth skipping breakfast over, the day had practically limped into lunch. Ari and I dragged ourselves there like prisoners on the way to execution.The dining hall was silent, and it wasn’t the comfortable kind. No chatter, no clinking of cutlery, just the heavy presence of Lager. If you’ve never had
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