The night bled into morning, yet the ache in my body refused to let me rest. My side throbbed where the rogue's claws had cut deep, and every movement sent a sharp reminder of my vulnerability. But pain wasn't what jolted me upright—it was voices. Low, urgent whispers filtering in from beyond the door.
"…she's not ready," Elder Mira's tone sliced through the silence, sharp as a blade.
"She's the Alpha's mate," another replied.
"Her readiness is irrelevant."
"She's dangerous," Mira hissed. "Her wolf fights him at every turn. If she rejects him, the bond will weaken the pack instead of strengthen it."
My chest tightened. Rejection. Weakness.
That was how they saw me—not as a warrior, not as someone who had bled for their safety, but as a liability.
The door creaked open, and Ronan stood framed in the light, tall, broad, and impossibly steady. His silver eyes scanned me before shifting to the stained bed where blood still clung to the sheets. His jaw clenched.
"You shouldn't be moving," he said.
I shot him a bitter look. "I'm not the one they're whispering about. Or am I?"
For the briefest moment, something flickered in his gaze—something dangerously close to regret—but then it hardened. "Get dressed. The council has gathered."
I wanted to argue, to lash out and accuse him of dragging me into this mess, but curiosity burned hotter than my anger. If the council was already debating my fate, then I needed to be there to hear it.
The council chamber was suffocating.
Torches lined the stone walls, their flames flickering shadows over the elders seated in a semi-circle. Their eyes followed me as I entered—some calculating, some disapproving, a few pitying. Mira's, of course, gleamed with thinly veiled triumph, as though she had already sealed my doom.
"Raven Blackthorn," one elder began, his voice carrying false courtesy. "Your bravery during the rogue attack has been… noted."
"Bravery?" I folded my arms, ignoring the stab of pain in my ribs. "That's one word for it."
"Recklessness is another," Mira cut in, leaning forward like a predator ready to strike. "You could have endangered the entire pack with your rash actions."
My wolf stirred, snarling inside me. "The rogues breached your borders because someone let them in. That wasn't my doing."
Gasps rippled through the room. Mira's lips pressed into a thin line. "Careful, girl."
"She speaks truth," Ronan said, his voice a deep rumble that silenced the chamber.
"The rogues were not acting alone. There are traitors among us."
The elders exchanged uneasy glances. A few shifted in their seats, but none dared to challenge him. His Alpha aura rolled through the chamber like a storm about to break.
Mira, however, was unyielding. "And you think this girl will help you uncover traitors?
She's untamed. Half-wild. She cannot be controlled."
"She doesn't need to be controlled."
Ronan's eyes burned as they fixed on mine.
Then he turned back to the council, his words dropping like thunder.
"She is mine."
The chamber froze. Even the flames seemed to flicker in stunned silence.
"You dare—" Mira started, but Ronan's power surged, his command shaking the very air.
"Enough. She is my mate. The bond is sealed. Whether you approve or not, she will stand at my side. She will share my throne."
The room erupted. Shouts, protests, disbelief. Half the elders demanded caution, others accused him of weakness. Mira looked ready to strike me down where I stood. My heart raced, heat rushing to my cheeks. My wolf howled inside me, clawing at the bond pulsing between us—hot, alive, undeniable.
"You had no right," I whispered, fury and confusion crashing together.
Ronan turned, his gaze locking on mine. His expression was unflinching. "I have every right. You feel it, Raven. Stop lying to yourself."
The words rattled through me like lightning.
And the worst part? He was right. The bond hummed, undeniable, pulling me closer even as every instinct screamed to resist.
But the council was watching. If I denied him now, I'd look weak—or worse, like a threat.
So I forced my shoulders back, lifted my chin, and faced them.
"If he claims me," I said, my voice steady though my pulse thundered, "then know this: I am no ornament. No shadow to his throne. If I stand beside him, I stand as his equal."
Gasps swept through the chamber. A few elders exchanged startled looks. Mira's mouth twisted in fury.
For a long, tense moment, silence hung heavy. Then Ronan's lips curved into something dangerous, something that sent shivers down my spine. Approval.
"Then so be it," he declared.
Mira slammed her hand on the table. "This is a mistake. She will destroy us all."
"Or she will save you," Ronan countered, his power rolling over the chamber like an unbreakable tide. "Either way, it is done."
And just like that, the council knew. The pack knew. My fate was sealed.
But deep inside, one thought burned hotter than the rest—if Ronan thought claiming me would tame me, he was about to learn how wrong he was.