Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 162: Shadowclaw Pack

**Tiana's POV**

I looked away, my mind racing. “And if Corvin finds out?”

“Then you will wish he hadn’t,” she said, her smile fading.

I shuddered. “You’re really not making this easier.”

“It was never supposed to be easy,” Cecilia said gently. “But it is necessary.”

“Okay. I go back. I get inside. I listen, I learn, I find out what I missed.” I responded, exhaling shakily.

Cecilia nodded. “Yes.”

I met her gaze. “And then?”

Her expression turned serious. “Then, Tiana, you decide how Shadowclaw will fall.”

I took a deep breath, knowing that I was going back to my past. To the people who had betrayed me. I was walking straight back into it.

And this time, I wouldn’t leave empty-handed.

The fire had died out but the splinters of wood were glowing softly. I stretched my legs out, my mind still buzzing with everything Cecilia had just told me.

Returning to Shadowclaw, trying to slip in unnoticed. Listening and watching everything to try to pick out what was suspicious.

And then... Investigating my death.

It sounded simple when she said it. But the reality… the reality was a thousand tangled threads, where the strands could break or something went wrong.

I exhaled slowly. “I don’t even know what to pack.”

Cecilia chuckled, tossing another log into the fire. “You’re not preparing for a festival, Tiana.”

“I know that. But if I’m supposed to blend in, I need to at least look the part," I said, rolling my eyes.

She gave me a knowing look. “Then what does a Shadowclaw wolf look like?”

I hesitated. Shadowclaw wolves weren’t like Moonstone wolves. They carried themselves differently—sharper, more rigid. Moonstone wolves had a sense of unity, but Shadowclaw? They were a hierarchy and cared about class too much.

“They’re colder,” I admitted. “More disciplined. Less… casual.”

“Then you must be colder,” Cecilia said simply.

I pursed my lips. “Great. Just what I need. More things to pretend to be.”

She smirked. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

I threw my hands up. “It is! I don’t even know who I am anymore. Tiana, Erika, some spy sneaking into her own murder scene—how many people am I supposed to be?”

Cecilia leaned back, watching me with an unreadable expression. “As many as it takes.”

I groaned, rubbing my temples. “So I need a name, then. I can’t go around introducing myself as Erika or Tiana.”

Cecilia nodded. “A new identity. A new story. Something believable.”

I thought for a moment, then sighed. “I hate lying.”

“Then don’t lie,” she said simply.

I shot her a look. “Oh, right. Let me just tell them, ‘Hey, I’m actually the reincarnation of the girl you all let die, and I’m here to snoop around and figure out why.’ That’ll go over well.”

She chuckled. “You don’t have to lie, Tiana. You just have to tell the truth differently.”

I frowned. “That’s the same thing.”

She shook her head. “No, it isn’t. You don’t need to create a fake story. You just need to tell a version of your own.”

I stared at her. “So… I’m just supposed to take pieces of myself and rearrange them?”

She nodded. “Exactly. Use the truth. Twist it into something they’ll believe.”

I exhaled, tilting my head back. “This is exhausting already.”

Cecilia smirked. “You haven’t even started.”

"Okay, fine. New name, new story. What else?” I asked, groaning while rolling my eyes.

She tapped a finger against her chin. “Your behaviour. Shadowclaw wolves are not soft. If you walk in with too much caution, they’ll see it as a weakness. If you walk in with too much arrogance, they’ll see it as a challenge.”

“So I have to be in between,” I murmured. "But when I came in as Tiana... I was weak."

"You were rescued. You did not sneak in."

"That's true," I mumbled. "So... In-between?"

“Yes. Confident, but not reckless. Strong, but not threatening. You must make them see you as useful, but not dangerous enough to be watched too closely.”

I let out a sharp laugh. “Sounds easy enough.”

She ignored my sarcasm. “And your scent.”

I blinked. “What about it?”

“You smell like Beaumont City. Like Silverfang."

I stiffened. “Oh.”

I hadn’t even thought about that. Wolves recognized each other by scent as much as by face. If I smelled like a foreign pack, it would raise immediate suspicion.

Cecilia reached for a small, worn pouch by her side and tossed it to me. I caught it instinctively, frowning as I opened it. Inside was a mixture of dried herbs and something faintly metallic.

“What is this?” I asked, sniffing it.

“Bloodroot, ash bark, and wolfsbane extract,” she answered.

I nearly dropped it. “Wolfsbane?! Are you trying to kill me?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s diluted. Just enough to suppress the traces of your old scent.”

I eyed it warily. “And how do I use it?”

“A few drops in water. Or rub it into your skin.” She smirked. “Though I’d recommend the water. Unless you want to smell like burnt wood for days.”

I wrinkled my nose. “That’s disgusting.”

“It’s necessary.”

I sighed, tying the pouch shut. “Fine. So I have a fake story, a fake attitude, and now a fake scent. Anything else?”

Cecilia studied me for a moment. “Your connections.”

I tensed up immediately. “What about them?”

“You may have been gone, but people still remember you,” she said. “You need to be careful about who you approach and who you avoid.”

I swallowed. “Like who?”

“Friends. Enemies. Those who benefited from your death, and those who regretted it.”

A chill ran down my spine. “You think someone regretted it?”

Cecilia’s gaze darkened. “There always is.”

I bit my lip. “And what if I don’t recognize them?”

She smirked. “They’ll recognize you.”

I shifted uncomfortably. “That doesn’t help.”

“You’ll know,” she said simply. “You’ve been there before, Tiana. You understand the way they move, the way they speak. Trust your instincts.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Alright. So I just go in, pretend to be someone else, listen, and try not to die. Sounds great.”

Cecilia chuckled. “That’s the spirit.”