The council chamber smelled of old stone, smoke, and power. The walls were carved with symbols of the moon, ancient runes etched deep by claws long before Aria was born. Torches burned low, casting the faces of the elders into shadows so sharp they looked more like spirits than living wolves.
Aria sat stiffly at Damien's side, her heart hammering loud enough she was sure they all could hear. She could feel the weight of their gazes the scrutiny of beings who had seen centuries, who judged not only her worth but her right to exist in their world.
Damien's hand brushed against hers beneath the table. A silent reassurance. But it did little to quiet the storm rising inside her.
An elder cleared his throat. His voice was gravel, heavy with authority.
"Alpha Damien. You bring before us a human. A human who now carries the mark of your pack's interest. Do you deny it?"
Damien's golden eyes burned steady. "I do not deny it. She is under my protection."
Murmurs rippled through the chamber, sharp and disapproving. One of the elders, a woman with long silver hair and scars across her cheek, leaned forward. Her lips curled.
"You mean she is under your claim. That you intend to bind yourself to her."
The words hung in the air like a blade.
Aria felt her pulse spike. Every part of her screamed to speak, to deny, to defend, but her throat tightened. The weight of their authority was suffocating.
Damien didn't flinch. His voice cut clean through the tension. "Yes."
A chorus of growls broke out among the council.
Another elder slammed his clawed hand on the table. The wood cracked.
"Blasphemy! A human cannot be Luna. The bond between wolf and wolf is sacred, forged by blood and the moon. To mix it with human frailty"
"She is not frail." Damien's growl shook the chamber. His aura flared, brushing against Aria like fire and storm. "She has survived attacks that would have killed half this pack. She has walked through blood and fear without breaking. If that is not strength, then perhaps the council has forgotten what strength means."
Silence followed. But it wasn't agreement it was calculation.
The scarred woman tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "And what of the prophecy? The bloodline cursed, the child who walks between two worlds. Do you think your choice does not put us all at risk?"
Aria's breath caught. Prophecy. The word tangled in her chest. She wanted to demand answers, to understand what they meant, but Damien's hand tightened over hers. A warning.
Another elder, this one old enough that his skin sagged like parchment, leaned forward, voice barely more than a whisper. "The hunters grow bolder. Viktor stirs war. And you would tie the fate of this pack to her? To a human whose blood could betray us all?"
Aria finally found her voice. It cracked, but she forced the words out.
"I am not your enemy."
The chamber stilled. All eyes turned to her.
Her fingers trembled in Damien's grip, but she pressed on, staring into the shadows of the elders' faces. "I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for my life to be torn apart, for wolves and hunters and blood. But it came to me. And I've fought. I've bled. I've endured. If that doesn't mean anything to you, then maybe your laws care more about tradition than survival."
Gasps whispered across the room. For a heartbeat, the firelight seemed to flare brighter.
Damien's chest swelled with pride, though his face remained stern.
The scarred woman's lip curled. "Bravery in words does not make her Luna. And neither does your defiance, Damien."
The old man raised his hand, silencing the chamber. "Enough. The council will speak its judgment."
A heavy pause followed, broken only by the crackle of torches.
When the elder finally spoke again, his voice was iron.
"We issue this ultimatum: Reject her, or face exile."
The words slammed into Aria like a physical blow.
Exile.
Her throat tightened. If Damien refused, he would lose everything his pack, his territory, his legacy. He would be Alpha of nothing, stripped of power, hunted by rivals like Viktor.
Damien rose to his feet, his chair scraping the stone floor. His voice was low, dangerous.
"You would weaken us when war is already at our door?"
"You would weaken us by letting love blind you!" the scarred woman shot back. "An Alpha must put the pack above all else."
Aria's vision blurred. Love. The word struck deep. Was that what this was? Or was she just a danger he couldn't turn from?
Damien's growl silenced the chamber. His eyes glowed, wolf pressing at the edges of his control.
"Do not mistake my choice for weakness. I will not reject her. Not for you, not for Viktor, not for the moon itself."
The council erupted growls, shouts, demands clashing like storm winds.
Aria stood, her legs shaky but her resolve steel. "Then you'll have to decide if you want to fight Damien or fight the real enemy. Because while you sit here arguing about me, Viktor is already gathering his forces."
The words echoed, cutting through the chaos.
For a moment, silence. Then the old man's voice, cold and final:
"Then the council stands divided. But the ultimatum remains. You have until the next full moon. Reject her or face exile."
The chamber doors slammed open behind them, the sound booming like thunder. The meeting was over.
Damien placed his arm around Aria, guiding her out as the elders' whispers rose behind them. The torches hissed in their wake, casting long shadows down the stone corridor.
Aria's chest ached, her mind racing. She wanted to ask about the prophecy, about what it all meant. But one look at Damien's clenched jaw and burning eyes told her now wasn't the time.
For the first time since this began, she realized the truth: their love wasn't just dangerous it was forbidden. And now, it wasn't just hunters or Viktor who threatened them. It was the very wolves Damien was sworn to lead.