As the first light of dawn crept through the trees, the air was still thick with the remnants of the chaos that had unfolded the night before. The forest was eerily silent, a stark contrast to the explosive events that had shattered the peace. Aiden and I stood at the edge of the clearing, just staring out over the grounds around us. The once-intact moonstone, now a scattered collection of fragments, had set us on a path we never anticipated.

"We need to gather everyone," Aiden said, his voice low. "The pieces of the moonstone could be anywhere, and we can't do this alone."

I nodded, my thoughts racing. "But how do we even begin? How do we find tiny shards of a small gemstone? It's a nearly impossible task."

Aiden turned to me, his eyes reflecting a mixture of determination and concern. "We can't think like that. We have to believe that there is a way. There has to be."

As we made our way back to the remains of the vault, the scene was one of organized chaos. Guards and builders were already working tirelessly to clear debris and assess the damage.

"Alpha, good morning," an older, white-haired man said. "I'm not going to ask what happened, but it should be an easy enough fix. I have an order to Moon Shadow already for a new vault door, and my journeymen are picking up stone and concrete to patch up this hole."

"Thank you for the speediness of all of this. And we appreciate the no questions."

Aiden and I left the man to his devices as we went to his office.

"Are the other Alpha's still here?" I asked.

"Yeah. They're due to leave tonight with their families."

"Maybe we should meet with them one more time?" I suggested.

Aiden nodded his head. "That's probably a good idea."

"Morning, sis. Alpha Aiden." Harry walked into the room with us and sat opposite Aiden's desk.

"Morning," I mumbled.

"What's the plan now? What do we do? No moonstone. Morgan ran off with some random guy last night," he said.

I put the shard I'd found on Aiden's desk. "Well, the moonstone might not be completely gone."

"Is that piece of it?" Harry asked.

I nodded my head. "Yeah, it was in the middle of the training ground."

"Where is the rest of it?" he questioned.

"No idea. I'm guessing somewhere in the world."

"That's better than it just disappearing." Harry picked up the shard and looked at it.

"Maybe. Hopefully the other pieces are easy to find."

"How do we find it?" he asked.

"We're not really sure. That piece was glowing so maybe so are the rest," Aiden answered.

"Good morning, Alpha Aiden," Alpha Graham said, entering the room.

"Morning. I was hoping that you would make your way in here."

"We all need to discuss what's happened. There are a lot of implications on what this means for the rest of the packs," Alpha Graham said, sitting next to Harry. "Morning."

"Morning," Harry said back, examining the shard still.

"Is that the moonstone?" he asked.

Harry nodded his head. "Part of it."

Alphas Bryce and Xavier found us not long after, and even Dad made his way in, looking worse for the wear.

"Good. Everybody is here."

"What do we call you two now?" Alpha Xavier asked. "Obviously not Alpha, right?"

"Um, I guess that's up to you guys."

"You are the King now," Alpha Bryce said. "I would think your majesty's?"

"King Aiden and Queen Elara?" Alpha Xavier suggested.

"All of the above is fine," Aiden mumbled as his cheeks flushed.

"It's so weird," I said quietly.

A tense silence followed as everyone processed the new titles. The air seemed to hum with the weight of the moment. Finally, Alpha Graham broke the silence.

"King Aiden, Queen Elara," he said, the titles rolling off his tongue awkwardly. "We need a plan. The moonstone shards are scattered, and we need to act swiftly. This is a matter of great importance to all our packs."

Aiden leaned forward, his expression grave. "We need to start by determining where the shards could have gone. We can't afford to leave any stone unturned. Each shard contains immense power, and in the wrong hands, it could spell disaster."

Alpha Bryce nodded in agreement. "We also need to worry about whoever that was last night."

"Did anyone know about a rogue pack?" Harry asked.

All of the Alphas, plus Aiden, shook their heads.

"Everything has been relatively peaceful for all of us for decades," Aiden replied.

Alpha Graham sighed heavily. "That's what's troubling. If there's a rogue pack out there, it means someone has been operating under our radar for a long time. We need to find out who they are and what their intentions are."

Dad cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "We should start by tracking down any rumors or sightings of unusual activity in the surrounding territories. Our scouts can gather intelligence while we focus on the moonstone shards."

I pursed my lips together and glanced at Aiden. "We know who the rogue is. He said his name is Roderick and unfortunately he seems to be my sister's mate. And he's Prince Lucien's last direct descendant."

"I'm sorry, what?" Alpha Xavier asked.

"That's a lot to process," Alpha Graham added.

"So, why wouldn't he be King then?" Alpha Bryce asked. "If it's a direct descendent thing."

"Because King Fenrir disinherited him when he split up the kingdom."

"Okay, that makes sense," Alpha Bryce said. "He was the bad one, right?"

Harry nodded his head. "Indeed. I'm going to try to find more information on him to hopefully get a psychological look into this Roderick guy."

Aiden stood up, his eyes scanning the room. "Alright, let's divide the tasks. Alpha Bryce, you and your pack will assist in the search for the moonstone shards. Alpha Xavier, I want you to coordinate with our scouts and gather any information about rogue activity. Alpha Graham, help fortify our defenses and prepare for any possible attacks. Harry, keep doing whatever it is you're doing because you seem to be finding all of the answers."

Each Alpha nodded, their resolve clear. Harry placed the shard back on Aiden's desk and stood up as well. "I'll be in the library if anyone needs me."

Aiden turned to me, his expression softening. "Elara, you'll be my right hand. Together, we'll oversee everything and ensure that our pack remains strong."

"Of course, Aiden." I picked up the shard and just held it.

As everyone dispersed to carry out their tasks, Aiden and I shared a moment of quiet. Aiden reached out and gently took my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.

"Elara," he murmured, his voice soft and tender, "we're going to get through this. Together."

I looked up at him, our eyes locking. "I know," I replied, squeezing his hand. "As long as we have each other, we can face anything."

He smiled, a rare, genuine smile that lit up his face and warmed my heart. "Come with me," he said, leading me out of the office and toward a secluded spot in the garden. I tucked the shard into my pocket and followed. The early morning light bathed the flowers in a golden glow, and the air was filled with the sweet scent of blooming roses.

We sat down on a stone bench, the world around us momentarily forgotten. Aiden wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. I rested my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. The rhythmic sound was calming, grounding me in the present moment.

"Aiden, what do you think will happen if we don't find all the shards?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

He sighed, his breath warm against my hair. "I don't want to think about that. We have to believe that we will find them. We have to stay positive."

"But what if we can't?" I pressed, needing to voice my fears.

"Then we'll deal with it as it comes," he said firmly. "But I believe we will find them. I believe in us."

His words, though simple, filled me with a renewed sense of hope. We sat in silence for a while longer, just enjoying the peace and each other's company.

Eventually, I felt a warmth in my pocket that got hotter and hotter. I pulled out the shard and watched as the glow got brighter.

"What the hell," Aiden said softly.

"Why is it glowing like that?" I asked.

He took the shard out of my hand and the light disappeared. "Weird."

He handed it back and the light started again.

"Look!" I said, pointing under us.

On the ground beneath the bench was another, similar glow.

"Let me see the piece again." Aiden took the piece of moonstone from me and the glow from both pieces vanished.

"Elara, I think you're a beacon for the shards."

"I'm sorry, but what?"

"The shards are glowing when you hold them and they're nearby," Aiden said, picking up the piece from the ground.

He held it close to the shard I held. The two pieces rose into the air and combined into one.

"Oh my Goddess," I gasped.

"It fixes itself?" he pondered to himself. "It fixes itself!"

Aiden's eyes lit up with excitement. "This changes everything, Elara. If you can sense the shards, we have a way to track them down."

I nodded, still confused about how that is even possible. "We need to let the others know."

We quickly made our way back to the main building, where the Alphas and Dad were still discussing strategies. The room fell silent as we entered, all eyes turning to us.

"We have news," Aiden announced. "Elara can sense the shards. When she's near them, they glow."

A murmur of surprise and excitement rippled through the room.

"What do you mean?" Alpha Xavier asked.

"We were sitting in the gardens and I had the shard I found last night in my pocket. It started to get really hot and when we looked around there was another shard under the bench. It was glowing too. Aiden put them close to one another and it just fixed itself." I held up the now slightly bigger piece of shard.

"That's incredible," Alpha Graham said. "This will give us a significant advantage over the rogue."

"Over the rogue?" I asked.

"That's what he was here for last night, right? The moonstone? And he didn't get it. It's easy to assume he'll figure out that there are shards of it and will try to collect them all as well."

"We need to organize search parties immediately," Alpha Bryce added. "With Elara's ability, we can cover more ground and find the shards faster."

Dad nodded, his expression serious. "We'll have to have added guards and security with her team."

"What?" Alpha Graham asked.

"If she's the Queen of all wolf kind now, we can't send her out with minimal security," Dad said.

"Nobody knows yet, Dad. I'll be fine."

"Not yet, but what if word gets out fast and she's out there without extra security and something happens?"

Everyone just looked at one another.

"I'll send Marshall," Aiden said. "He is my personal bodyguard and the best man that I know."

"You're not going?" I questioned.

"I will, but initially no. I'll stay here and help with some things here. You'll be alright with Marshall."

I looked at the shard that now sat on a table and sighed heavily. "I don't like being away from you."

He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "I know, but it's not for long. I'm not going to let you do overnight searches without me. Don't worry."

"Okay. That's a little better."

"Alpha Bryce, I'm ultimately holding you accountable for my Queen."

"Of course, your majesty."

"Have you figured out where you're going first?"

"We're going to start here. In Silver Moon," he answered.

"Hopefully most of them are here," I mumbled.