Hades' Cursed Luna novel Chapter 430

Chapter 430: The Game Plan

Victoriana’s gaze returned to me, sharp but open, waiting.

I leaned forward, sliding a folder across the board. Letters, pictures—everything that had arrived from Silverpine in the last few weeks. The ink of their threats still felt heavy in my hands.

"You’ve seen these," I said, steady but firm. "The threats. The letters. The photographs. They were not simply intimidation—they were a map of intent. A test. And they were sent here deliberately to unsettle us."

Victoriana inclined her head once. "I read them," she confirmed, her voice clipped. "And your dissection of them as well. Every annotation. Every mark."

I nodded, breathing easier at that acknowledgment. "Then you know what I see. They are pacing. Waiting. Something has gone wrong on their side of the line, and they are stalling for time. While they wait, they want to reap chaos here. Fracture us before they strike. And when that fails—as it will—they will turn their claws toward the citizens. Fear spreads fastest among those with no shield."

The chamber was still, the Ambassadors and Governors listening intently, the lesser Alphas watching like wolves scenting blood.

"They will use that fear," I continued. "They will make make impossible not want the Alpha’s. By any means necessary. They will press obedience into our throats."

My fingers pressed lightly to the board. "So we must move first. We ensure the civilians are protected. We call for lockdown. Give them the chance to restock, prepare—but then no one leaves their homes. Not until we have the upper hand. We contain the panic before it can be weaponized against us."

The weight of my words hung over the chamber, met by silence thick as stone.

Victoriana’s gaze did not falter. Her eyes swept the others once, then settled back on me. "A harsh measure," she said at last, her voice low, deliberate. "But perhaps the only one that makes sense."

Her approval was not spoken outright, but the shift in the air—subtle, heavy—told me I had her ear.

I drew in a breath, steadying myself before continuing.

"But we cannot be blind to the repercussions. The citizens were already made aware of classified information—Governor Morrison saw to that. His defection cracked something vital, and though we attempted to mend it by revealing the full truth, the bombs at the press conference undid everything. Whatever fragile trust we had clawed back... it collapsed in fire and blood."

A ripple went through the chamber, small but sharp—everyone knew it was true.

"Now," I pressed, voice firmer, "to add a lockdown on top of that? It will not be seen as protection. It will be seen as a leash. And in the shadow of the Bloodmoon, with doubts already festering about the Alpha’s leadership, it could turn dangerous. Instead of forging unity, it could split us further. And if that happens, we will not have a united front when Darius brings the war we all know he intends to wage."

Victoriana’s gaze deepened, unreadable.

I let my words settle, then added quietly, "So we give the people what they fear losing most—sight. We allow the media to continue its work."

The silence that followed was not the silence of dismissal but of shock. Heads turned, whispers hissed like sparks catching dry tinder.

The Governors stiffened, the Ambassadors exchanged quick looks, the lesser Alphas leaned forward in disbelief. Everyone here knew the truth: the press would twist whatever they were given. They always had.

Still, I held my ground, my tone calm but unwavering. "Yes, they will twist it. But if we silence them, the people will decide their own truth—and that will be worse than anything the press could conjure."

The chamber erupted in low murmurs. Voices overlapped—sharp, skeptical, some outright hostile.

A Governor rose first, her jeweled cuff clinking as she set her hand on the board. "Luna Eve, with all due respect, the press thrives on blood. They will not soothe panic. They will sharpen it. They will twist every measure we take into proof of weakness."

Another voice, a Lesser Alpha this time, barked from the tiers. "And what happens when the citizens start rioting, hm? When every whisper becomes a headline? You think soldiers will waste their blades keeping them calm instead of preparing for Darius’s war?"

An Ambassador leaned forward, his tone measured but biting. "We cannot afford another blow to public confidence. The press feeds chaos. That chaos will be laid at the Alpha’s feet, and if he cannot answer it—" he cut himself off, but the implication was clear.

The Alpha was not around, which only made it worse.

The voices swelled, each pouring their concerns into the air, until the chamber pulsed with restless tension. Fear, frustration, doubt—all of it given words.

I raised a hand. Slowly, deliberately.

The sound dulled. Not gone, but muted enough that when I spoke, my voice carried.

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