The Hidden Luna Queen

XADEN POV

Maeve's eyes widened. "What does that mean?" she asked, leaning closer and squeezing my hand. I could feel tremors shake her body. "You'll be going off to war...?"

Truthfully, that was a question I was not able to answer at that time.

I wanted more than anything to reassure her, to dissuade her worries with confidence and say that would never happen, but I found myself unable to. Especially after that sudden meeting I had just left with my father and brothers. The things we were learning... the harsh chaos of the battle...

It all seemed too real to deny.

A few hours earlier...

I was running.

I wasn't sure what exactly was happening or why I had been summoned to Father's office so suddenly, but still, I was running,

The urgency in Royal Beta Samson's voice was impossible for me to just ignore. Having served alongside my father for as long as I could remember, he was normally a very stoic man, speaking only when addressed and always lurking in the very prominent shadow of his superior. He never broke his composure unless something was wrong.

The moment I burst into Father's office, I immediately noticed he was already flanked on either side by Henry and Lucas, all wearing varying looks of worry and anger as they hovered impatiently over his buzzing radio.

They did not pay attention to my entry, enthralled by the chaotic sounds of a heated battle that emerged from the other side of the line. The loud howls of our troops as they clashed against the deep roars of their opposing bear forces. Within seconds, I found myself listening in, as well, planting myself opposite them as we lost ourselves for what felt like hours, just listening to our men fight and defend our land.

It was some time before we heard a long howl. A howl of triumph.

"We did it, Your Majesty," the exhausted voice of the commanding alpha bellowed, a slight tinge of pain detected within. "We- We pushed the enemy back... all despite their unending stamina. I'll have to summon for a healer... we need the help,"

And with that, the line cut dead. The battle was over for now.

"It's getting worse," Lucas muttered, glancing worriedly between everyone. "Far faster than we're ready for."

I met his gaze. "They're going to lead us into an outright war."

"Then we should call their bluff," Henry suddenly said, taking on a dangerously eager tone, forcing all of us to look at him. "If those pathetic cubs are that antsy to fight, then let's take the fight to them. Show them what happens to intruders who dare to try to play around in the wolves' lair."

"Are you insane?" I snapped. "We have no clue about what rests beyond their borders. For all we know, they might be expecting us to push in retaliation, and we could lead our men into a trap"

"We cannot just allow them to attack us like this, either!" Lucas pushed with fervor, a fire burning bright within his normally kind hazel eyes. "That's our men on the line-their lives at stake, while we're all nice and cozy in the safety of our palace walls! We owe it to them to take a stand!"

It was always a surprise to see the effect that battle had on my younger brother. He was practically known for being one of the more gentle of us alpha princes, and for good reason. While we had all fought in battle at some point during our tenures as alpha princes, he was the only one to readily help with volunteer or charity work around the kingdom at any chance he could find, always insisting on doing whatever he could to better the lives of our subjects.

Lucas took his privilege very seriously, more so than the rest of us. One might never expect him to be so impulsive when it came to war and justice.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

"Don't underestimate our forces," Henry insisted, joining forces with Lucas against me. "Not only do we have the strength in numbers, but we also outweigh them in nearly everything else. Speed, dexterity, courage, and most importantly, spirit. We can take them on-we just have to stand strong!"

They both made excellent points.