Maya stood in the center, glittering like the goddess everyone thought she was. Her hand rested against her swollen stomach, proof of her power, her claim, her weapon.
Then the whisper cut through the crowd like a blade.
“Who’s this intruder?” a man snarled, his voice dripping contempt.
“How dare she talk about our Luna Maya so rudely?” another spat, his face twisted with blind loyalty.
Their words lashed out at Gaia before she even opened her mouth. Wolves snarled low, shoulders squared, their eyes flickering with rage at the audacity of her presence.
But Gaia only smiled, her lips curling with poison, her voice soft but sharp enough to bleed.
“You managed to gain power so fast?” she purred, her eyes locking on Maya, unblinking, daring her.
The guards stiffened, instinct tightening
