Rebirth Of The Rejected Luna Chapter 196: The King's Inner Circle

Tiana’s POV

As I stood there, lost and drowning in a sea of thoughts, the door creaked open suddenly without a knock. I gasped, my heart jumping in shock as I spun around, my body tensed for a threat. I already took on a stance ready to attack whoever it was in case he or she was a threat. Considering the fact that I was in the warrior quarters as one of the few females, I sure as hell needed to be extremely careful. Especially since the men here hated me after I had bested them in a fight.

A figure stood in the doorway, shadowed by the dim candlelight flickering in my room, I squinted my eyes, cocking my head to try to make out who it was. The person seemed to be here with no intentions of looking for a fight. I took a slow and steady step forward, and then the light caught his face, sharp and familiar but from where?

Then it clicked.

This was the man from the bridge.

The one who had cleared my name when I was accused of murder. Someone who let another man take the fall. He was going to help orchestrate my entry into this place. The one I made a deal with not to expose my identity as someone who did not belong in Shadowclaw. If only he knew.

My heart didn’t slow. It only beat harder.

I swallowed, forcing my features into something neutral. “What are you doing here?” My voice was low, even. But beneath it, I felt the coil of something dangerous tightening in my chest. He had done so much for me, so being here meant he was only here to collect the debt that I owed him. How could I have forgotten so soon about him? How had I let myself feel too comfortable and relaxed in this place?

He stepped inside, closing the door with a soft click, sealing us in. The air felt different now—heavier, charged with something I couldn’t name. My breathing began to become uneven. I was scared, but for reasons that remained unknown and illogical to me.

It was just a man.

A man who could ruin everything you've worked so hard to get here, my wolf reminded me.

“I promised you’d get in, didn’t I?” he said, his voice edged with amusement as if he found this all mildly entertaining. He leaned against the closed doors his eyes twinkling with even more amusement and mischief.

I scoffed. “You did nothing.” My arms crossed over my chest, my fingers gripping my sleeves. “I was almost named a spy. You weren't even present at the selection."

“But you weren’t named a spy.” He took another step closer. "You are the one who did too much to be named a spy. You were supposed to be only perfect for either of two things. The king would have chosen you among maids, or you would have become a personal maid to him or his son. Or perhaps his son's bride. Even Peter would have been enough for me."

The flickering candlelight cast shadows across his face, highlighting the sharp angles of his features, the curve of a smirk barely hidden..My stomach twisted. He was too calm. Too sure of himself.

“I don’t suppose you realize how much effort that took? For you to be cleared of the accusations of being s spy,” he continued, tilting his head slightly. “I bribed some of the council members—indirectly, of course. Whispers here, subtle nudges there.” He spread his hands. “They voted in your favour because I convinced them to.”

My jaw clenched. I knew that he was right and that he was capable of it. After all, this man had cleared my murder charges in only a matter of minutes after I had made a deal with him.

“I told them I knew you when you were a child,” he said, voice smooth. “That you grew up in the same neighbourhood as my niece. That after your aunt abandoned you, you vanished for a while before resurfacing here.”

I nodded stiffly. So that was my story now.

“Is that all?” I asked, keeping my tone flat.

He studied me, his expression unreadable. “I like you.”

I didn’t respond.

“But I don’t know how dangerous what you’re up to is,” he admitted. His gaze swept over me, calculating. “That’s what intrigues me.”

I met his eyes, refusing to shift under his scrutiny.

“What I don’t understand,” he went on, “is why you weren’t content with becoming a maid. Why did you push to be a warrior?”

His voice held genuine curiosity, but beneath it was something else—something sharp. A test. A trap.

I didn’t hesitate. “How else would I explain knowing how to fight?”

A flicker of something crossed his face—approval, maybe. “Smart move.” He exhaled slowly. “But there’s something deeper to it, isn’t there? There's something you're looking for. It could be to put packs detriment and I don't want that."

I held his gaze, my fingers tightening at my sides. “Believe what you want.”

His lips quirked, not quite a smile. “Remember,” he said, voice dropping slightly, “I can still expose your identity.”

A cold pulse of something travelled through me, but I masked it well. My voice was steady when I spoke.

“What do you want me to do?” His smirk faded.

“Get into the King’s inner circle of warriors.”

The air seemed to shift.

I stared at him, waiting, the silence stretching like a blade between us.

“The King is planning something,” he continued, his tone serious now. “Something dangerous. Something that needs to be stopped or we would be destroyed by the gods." His eyes darkened. “I don’t know what it is yet, but I need to find out. Any war or invasion plan you hear—bring it to me.”

The weight of his words settled heavily between us. I should have expected this. A deal with a man like him was never simple.

But as I stood there, my mind churned with the implications.

I had come here for my own reasons. To uncover my own truth.

And now, it seemed, I was playing more than just one game.