<h4>Chapter 173: Luna’s Leadership</h4>


    <strong>LUNA POV</strong>


    The radio crackled to life in my hands just as I was running toward the Alpha house.


    "Luna Morrison, this is Captain Reed of the Human Defense Corps. We need to talk."


    I stopped so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet. A person was calling me by name on our pack’s emergency radio. That was impossible. Humans weren’t supposed to know we existed, let alone have our contact codes.


    "How did you get this frequency?" I demanded, putting the radio close to my mouth.


    "We’ve been watching your pack for months," came the cold remark. "We know about the Triple Moon bearer. We know about the changes in your area. And we know you’re the one who speaks for Silver Peak in talks."


    My heart hammered against my ribs. How did they know so much about us? I looked around the area, wondering if we were being watched right now.


    "What do you want?" I asked.


    "A meeting. One hour. The old oak tree at your southern line. Come alone, or we start shooting."


    The radio went dead.


    I stood there for a moment, my mind racing. This was bad. Really, really bad. Humans knowing about werewolves had always been our worst horror. But them knowing exact details about our pack? That was scary.


    I ran the rest of the way to find Aiden, Brock, and Lily crowded together near the Alpha house. They all looked up when I approached, their faces tight with worry.


    "The patrol said strange wolves areing from the north," Aiden said quickly. "We’re preparing defenses."


    "Forget the north," I interrupted. "We have bigger problems. Humans are at our southern border, and they want to meet with me."


    The color drained from Lily’s face. "Humans? But how do they—"


    "Know about us?" I finished. "I have no idea. But they do, and they’re asking Ie to them alone in one hour."


    Brock growled low in his throat. "It’s obviously a trap."


    "Of course it’s a trap," I snapped. "But what choice do we have? They said they’ll start shooting if I don’t show up."


    For the first time in my life, I was the one everyone was looking to for answers. Not Aiden, even though he was Alpha. Not Lily, even though she was the Triple Moon carrier. Me. Because I was Silver Peak’s diplomat, and this was a diplomatic problem.


    The weight of that duty hit me like a physical blow. Three months ago, I would have panicked or tried to push the choice onto someone else. But something had changed in me during the winter. All those times I’d had to swallow my pride and work with Lily instead of against her. All those negotiations with nearby packs where I’d learned to think before I spoke.


    I’d grown up. And now my pack needed me to prove it.


    "I’m going," I decided.


    "Luna, no," Lily said instantly. "It’s too dangerous."


    "Everything is dangerous right now," I answered. "But I’m the only one they asked for. Maybe I can find out what they really want."


    Aiden shook his head. "As Alpha, I can’t let you—"


    "As Alpha, you need to trust your diplomat to do her job," I stopped. It felt strange to talk to Aiden that way, but it also felt right. "This is what I trained for."


    Well, not exactly this. I’d trained to deal with other werewolf packs, not armed humans. But the main principles were the same: stay calm, listen more than you talk, and always look for what the other side really wanted.


    "At least take backup," Brock offered. "Hidden in the trees."


    I considered it, then shook my head. "They’ll be watching for that. If they see other wolves, they might fear and start shooting before I can talk to them."


    "Then what’s your n?" Lily asked.


    I took a deep breath. "I’m going to do what I do best. I’m going to talk."


    The truth was, I was scared. My hands were shaking, and my stomach felt like it was full of angry bees. But I couldn’t let my pack see that fear. They needed me to be strong.


    "Give me fifteen minutes to prepare," I said. "Then I’ll head out."


    As the others separated to get ready for whatever might happen, I went to my cabin to think. How had people found out about us? And why did they want to talk to me specifically?


    Unless...


    My blood turned cold as a horrible thought came to me. What if this wasn’t about our pack at all? What if this was about Lily’s transformation? About whatever she’d be when she made that sacrifice?


    I grabbed my emergency kit - first aid supplies, a backup radio, and a silver knife that had belonged to my grandma. Not much against human guns, but it made me feel better.


    As I walked toward the southern border, I tried to channel all the confidence I’d learned during months of pack talks. I was Luna Morrison, Silver Peak’s chief negotiator. I could handle this.


    But when I reached the old oak tree, what I saw made my faith crumble.


    There weren’t just a few people waiting for me. There were dozens. Military vehicles circled the area, and soldiers in strange ck uniforms pointed weapons I didn’t recognize in my direction.


    In the middle of it all stood a tall woman with steel-gray hair and cold blue eyes. She wore the same ck outfit as the others, but with more silver decorations.


    "Miss Morrison," she said as I neared. "Thank you foring. I’m Colonel Hayes, and we have a lot to talk."


    "What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.


    The Colonel smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly look. "We want the Triple Moon carrier. And you’re going to help us get her."


    "Never," I said instantly.


    "Oh, I think you will," Colonel Hayes responded. She gestured, and two soldiers stepped aside to show a cage in the back of one of their vehicles.


    Inside the cage was a werewolf I recognized - Daniel, one of our youngest patrol members. But he looked wrong. His eyes were boring and empty, and when he moved, it was like he was sleepwalking.


    "We’ve developed some interesting new technology," the Colonel exined. "Mind control, you might call it. Very effective on your kind. Daniel here has been our friend for three weeks, and he’s told us everything we wanted to know about Silver Peak."


    My heart stopped. Daniel was the spy. That’s how they knew so much about us.


    "The choice is simple," Colonel Hayes continued. "Bring us Lily Carter, and we’ll give you Daniel back and leave your pack alone. Refuse, and we’ll use our new technology to turn every wolf in Silver Peak into our obedient ves."


    She leaned closer, her cold eyes boring into mine. "You have until dawn to decide. And Luna? If you try to run or fight, we’ll start with the children."


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