Chapter 12 — Aria of the Red Kingdom
Morning light spilled across Aria's chambers, soft and golden, but it only made the tightness in her chest feel sharper. She stood at the balcony, staring at the endless stretch of pine forests that surrounded the Wolf Kingdom. The wind was crisp, wild—so different from the gentle warmth of her home.
Home.
She swallowed.
She wasn't supposed to miss a place that never treated her right.
A soft knock sounded.
"Princess?" It was Mira, her assigned maid—quiet, gentle, and surprisingly fiercely protective. "The council of elders has requested your presence."
Aria stiffened. "Again?"
"They say it is customary." Mira's voice dipped respectfully, but her eyes held pity. "They'll want to assess your compatibility with the Alpha King."
Aria's stomach twisted. As if she were nothing but a mare they were inspecting.
She smoothed the front of her dress—deep forest green, the color of her new kingdom—before following Mira down the long stone corridor. Wolves—guards and attendants—watched her with unreadable eyes. Not hatred. Not kindness. Just… interest. Curiosity.
She didn't know which was worse.
They led her to a high hall painted with murals of wolves shifting beneath the moon. The elders sat at a long curved table, their expressions varying from polite disinterest to quiet suspicion.
At the center of the hall, standing with his hands clasped behind him, was the Beta, Rowan. Brown hair tied back, tall, calm, unreadable. He dipped his head.
"Princess Aria."
"Beta Rowan."
"The Alpha is away at the border," one of the elders said. "But your training must not be delayed."
"Training?" Aria blinked.
Another elder, older than the moon itself with silver hair falling to his waist, nodded. "A future Luna must understand our customs, our expectations, and the laws that govern the pack."
The word Luna felt heavy on her shoulders.
Rowan stepped closer, voice softer. "You are not being forced. But you must be prepared. The Alpha will meet you soon."
Aria's heart lurched.
She hadn't spoken to him.Hadn't even seen him clearly.Just a shadow at the edge of a corridor the night she arrived—tall, broad, radiating danger and authority.
That alone was enough to scare her.
But she nodded.
"I understand."
The training began immediately—a blur of etiquette, laws, pack structures, the rituals of the Luna, the expectations of a queen among wolves. Aria did her best, even as her hands trembled slightly every time someone mentioned the Alpha.
Hours later, Rowan dismissed the session.
As Aria stepped out into the courtyard for air, she nearly collided with someone.
A man towered in front of her—broad shoulders, raven-black hair, eyes the color of amber fire. His presence swallowed the space around him like a storm swallowing a quiet field.
Her breath caught.
He stared down at her, expression unreadable.
So tall.So powerful.So… something she could not explain.
She opened her mouth to speak—
But he walked past her without a word.
Just a cold, sweeping presence that left her heart thudding painfully.
Mira rushed to her side. "Princess—are you alright?"
Aria nodded numbly… though she wasn't sure she was.
Because she knew, without needing to be told…
That was him.That was the Alpha King.
And if he looked at her that way—distant, unreadable, maybe even annoyed—then her new life was going to be far harder than she had feared.