Scarred Wolf Queen Chapter 130

**Briony's POV**

Between missions and training, I dragged Aria to local shops, hunting for birthday gifts for the boys. At a small store, some minimalist necklace designs caught my eye, reminding me of the gemstone necklace they'd given me.

"What about this?" Aria held up something gaudy with too many dangling parts.

"God no. Way too flashy," I said. "They'd never wear that."

I settled on simple silver chains with small beads - understated compared to the one they gave me, but similar enough to create a connection only we'd understand.

On our way to the castle for a strategy meeting, I brought the wrapped gifts with me. Derek promised to deliver them next time he visited Polaris.

"How are they doing?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

Derek smirked. "Missing them?"

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't deny it to myself. I wondered if things had gone back to normal without me there.

"Maxwell's working on his leadership skills, Chris is handling pack coordination, and Ben's focusing on combat training," Derek said. "Noah and Ethan are taking turns with the cubs' training now."

"They're officially 18 and stepping into their roles. Their birthday celebrations got pushed back - guess they didn't see the point without you there."

The advisors were going in circles with our intelligence reports, questioning details from every angle without making real progress. We also planned a network of safe houses, with Alpha King Nathan and Luna Selena both seeming pleased with my input. Seeing my napkin sketches turn into actual plans felt pretty good.

"Luna Isabella and Alpha Adam visited last week," Luna Selena mentioned. "Shame you missed them."

I nodded, swallowing my disappointment. The boys were now responsible for Polaris while Alpha Adam was away - they were really becoming leaders now.

I hoped Ethan hadn't told everyone about my dangerous mission. Knowing him, he'd probably already called everyone, exaggerating everything. Those boys never kept secrets from each other, so they'd learn about my mission and Sentinel mark eventually, but I didn't want them worrying needlessly.

Thankfully, I didn't run into any elders at the castle. I couldn't hide my suspicions about their connection to Robert's pack, and I wasn't in the mood to fake politeness.

"By the way," Derek leaned in during a break, "word is you and Aria made it onto the elders' 'potential mates' list they were 'accidentally' discussing."

Aria and I locked eyes and burst out laughing. Those elders seriously had nothing better to do.

Spring settled into a rhythm of classes, werewolf surveillance, and occasional castle meetings. Both Taric and Conrad stressed that reconnaissance was a long game - building trust took time.

Before I knew it, my 17th birthday arrived. I had mixed feelings about it. Aria wouldn't let me ignore it, even roping Robert into planning something. That morning, I sat by the window with tea, my thoughts drifting to Polaris, wondering if the boys remembered. I'd been wearing their gemstone necklace constantly since buying their gifts, like some invisible connection I desperately needed.

*Focus on the present,* my wolf nudged.

"Happy birthday," Aria appeared with a small cake and single candle. "Make a wish."

That evening, Aria, Robert and Brandon took me to a local bar. The atmosphere was nice, but nothing like the barbecues at the Polaris pack house. Something was missing, even with the conversation and laughter. I even ordered a burger instead of my usual salad, but that nagging emptiness lingered.

As we were leaving, Aria pulled out an elegant box. "Here, this is for you."

I eyed the deep blue velvet box suspiciously. Not Aria's style at all - she loved bright colors.

"What is this?" I asked warily.

Robert and Brandon looked confused by my hesitation.

*Someone asked me to give this to you after dinner, and insisted your suitor be present,* Aria's voice filled my head.

"Are you kidding? Now is not the time!" I blurted, forgetting to respond mentally.

"Either you open it or I will," she shrugged. "Alpha King's orders."

I narrowed my eyes. So Alpha King Nathan was behind this. Derek too, probably. This was definitely a setup.

"What orders?" Robert frowned. "Why are you freaking out over a gift?"

"Hierarchy protocols," I explained, still staring at the box. "When Alpha King says jump, we ask how high." I took a deep breath and slowly opened it.

Inside lay a silver bracelet on deep blue satin. Near the clasp was a crescent-shaped sapphire surrounded by six small star gemstones. At the other end were six capital letters engraved, each representing one of my boys. My eyes instantly welled up. I looked up to see Aria filming my reaction.

"This means something to you," Robert said flatly, bitterness creeping into his voice.

I nodded slightly. He reached over and fastened it around my wrist. It fit perfectly, the moon and stars catching the light.

"Friends don't give gifts like this," he said quietly. "And you don't react like that to a normal friendship present."

"You've got it all wrong," I tried explaining, but couldn't find the words. "This is important to me, but not how you think. I can't explain everything."

"I should go," he stood abruptly. "See you tomorrow."

Brandon followed, clearly wanting no part in our drama.

I chased after them, grabbing Brandon's arm. "Give us a minute, okay? We'll be right back."

He nodded and rejoined Aria. I caught up with Robert outside.

"That's it? You're just walking away?" I demanded.

"What am I supposed to do?" he turned, voice rising. "You act interested in me, but behind my back, you've got these special 'friends'?" He pointed at my bracelet. "Nobody gives jewelry like that to 'just friends.'"

"I told you before, I've known Ethan forever. We practically grew up together. I introduced him to Layla," I said. "There's never been anything beyond friendship. This bracelet represents important people in my life, not romance."

"Those guys send you expensive jewelry," he said with a bitter laugh, "and you expect me to believe there's nothing there?"

"You don't want to know the real me," I felt anger bubbling up. "This is just your jealousy talking." I hated being distrusted, even if our relationship was mostly for the mission.

"Ethan has a funny way of showing 'friendship,'" he said through clenched teeth. "Does he give fancy jewelry to all his female friends?"

That did it. I balled my fist and punched him square in the face. His head snapped to the side as he stumbled back.

"Listen, jackass," I growled, "don't make assumptions about relationships you know nothing about."