The palace dining hall was quiet that evening, the only sounds the soft clinking of cutlery and the faint crackle of fire from the hearth.The long dining hall flickered with golden light from chandeliers, the clinking of silverware echoing faintly against stone walls. Leora sat opposite Aunt Zaria, idly pushing food around her plate. The day had been exhausting — the stares, the whispers, the endless letters and gifts left on her desk.
The silence stretched until Aunt Zaria's lips curved into a knowing smirk. She tilted her head, her fork stabbing into a piece of roasted meat before she spoke casually, "So… I saw you earlier, Leora. Returning with a box of chocolates and flowers in your hands." Her tone was teasing, but her eyes gleamed with curiosity. "Care to explain?I know you didn't buy them yourself."
Leora froze mid-bite, her spoon hovering close to her mouth. Heat crept into her cheeks. She swallowed hard and straightened in her seat, set the spoon down with a soft clink and looked away. "I… I didn't buy them."
Aunt Zaria leaned forward, smirk widening. "Didn't buy them? Then someone gave them to you." Her voice dropped to a playful whisper. "And who, pray tell, gave them to you? Don't tell me you've started receiving gifts already, you've only been at Wolf College for a few weeks."
Leora let out a soft sigh and dropped her spoon back into her plate. "It wasn't just one person, Aunt. It was… a lot of them. Wolves from the school. Males, mostly."
Aunt Zaria's smirk widened, teasing now. "Males? My, my. What's this? Our Luna already has admirers?"
Leora groaned. "It's not like that. There's a rumor going around."
Aunt Zaria's expression shifted, the humor draining from her face. "A rumor?"
"Yes." Leora's voice lowered. "That I'm searching for a mate. Everyone seems to think I'm… looking. They've been sending me flowers, chocolates, letters—trying to impress me."
Aunt Zaria's spoon clattered against the table as she dropped it, eyes wide. "What?" she demanded, leaning forward. "Leora, how? How could something like that start?"
"I don't know."
"You didn't say anything to anyone?"
"No," Leora replied firmly.
"Nyra?" her aunt asked
"Not even Nyra."
Aunt Zaria's sharp gaze narrowed. "And you're sure you can trust this friend of yours?"
Leora's head snapped up, surprised by the question. "Nyra? Of course I trust her. And even if I didn't, I never told her anything about… about looking for a mate. She wouldn't have known."
"Then how did the rumor spread?" Aunt Zaria muttered, more to herself than to Leora. She began tapping her fingers against the table, brow furrowing as her mind worked.
Leora watched her aunt, a knot tightening in her chest. "Aunt Zaria… do you think someone is watching me?"
Aunt Zaria's eyes lifted to hers, dark and serious now. "It's possible," she said quietly. "Someone could be tracking you. Testing you. Or trying to unsettle you."
Leora swallowed, her appetite gone. "But why?"
"Because, my dear," her aunt said softly, "you're the Luna. That makes you a target. Some will want to use you, others to test your limits. And some will simply want to see you fail."
Leora stared at her plate, the weight of her aunt's words pressing down on her shoulders.
Zaria reached out, briefly squeezing her hand. "Be careful. Don't slip up. And watch everyone — even the ones you trust."
Leora nodded slowly, the warmth of her aunt's touch doing little to nothing to ease the chill creeping down her spine.
Leora's stomach knotted. She looked toward the window where night pressed against the glass, the moonlight faintly visible. For the first time that evening, she felt the weight of unseen eyes, a shiver crawling up her spine.
Aunt Zaria reached across the table, squeezing her hand again ."Don't worry," she said softly. "We'll figure it out."
Leora couldn't shake Aunt Zaria's words. Someone might be in the shadows, keeping track of her every move. Leora wondered—was it only gossip, or was someone already plotting something far more dangerous?.
And truly there was someone in the shadows, concealed by the dark spots of the palace surroundings, watching her every move.