The council chamber was carved from black stone, ancient and unyielding. Torches burned in sconces along the walls, their light licking across the snarling wolf sigils etched into the rock. This was the heart of the Blackwood Pack's law, where Alphas were crowned and traitors condemned. Tonight, it would decide Aria's fate.
Aria's footsteps faltered as the heavy wooden doors groaned open. The scent of burning resin stung her nose, sharp enough to bring tears. Inside, wolves gathered in semi-circular rows, their gazes trained on her with cold disdain. Elders in crimson cloaks sat at the forefront, their expressions carved from granite.
Damian walked beside her, a storm contained within a man's body. His jaw was clenched, his golden eyes burning like wildfire, yet his steps were steady, unyielding. When his hand brushed her arm—whether by accident or instinct—Aria's breath hitched. The bond thrummed between them, fierce and undeniable.
"Bring her forward," Elder Kaelen commanded. His voice was dry as parchment, but it carried weight enough to silence the chamber.
Aria forced her legs to move, though each step felt like sinking deeper into quicksand. She stood at the center of the circle, exposed under the flickering torchlight. Whispers darted like knives through the air.
"She's the reason the rogues attacked."
"She'll lead to our ruin."
"A human cannot be Luna."
The words scraped against her skin, leaving invisible wounds. She kept her chin high, but her heart raced as if trying to claw its way out of her chest.
Elder Marwen leaned forward, his silver eyes sharp as steel. "Alpha Damian, we summon you here not as our leader, but as one who has broken sacred balance. You harbor a human in our midst. Worse—you claim her as mate."
"I have not claimed her," Damian said, his voice a low growl. It reverberated through the chamber, demanding silence. "The bond is forced upon us by the Moon Goddess. I never sought it."
"Yet you protect her," Kaelen snapped. "You shield her from judgment, from punishment. Wolves bled under the blood moon while you bent your power to keep her alive. Is that not proof enough that she weakens you?"
Damian's fists curled at his sides. His restraint was visible, taut as a bowstring. Aria could feel the fury in him, an inferno he fought to keep caged.
Elder Marwen's gaze shifted to Aria. "Speak, girl. Tell us—what do you offer a pack of wolves who have bled for centuries to protect lands you cannot even claim?"
Aria's throat went dry. Dozens of eyes pierced her, demanding an answer. She wanted to shrink into herself, to disappear, but Damian's presence steadied her. She could almost feel his heartbeat through the bond, strong and unwavering, urging her to stand.
"I never asked for this bond," she said, her voice trembling but clear. "I never asked to be dragged here, to be hated, to be seen as a curse. But I will not apologize for being alive. I may be human, but that does not make me weak."
A ripple of scoffs and growls broke out, echoing through the chamber. Elder Kaelen raised his hand for silence, his lip curling. "Bold words. Yet empty."
Aria lifted her chin higher, though her knees trembled. "You think my existence will destroy you? Then let me prove otherwise. Test me. Give me the chance to earn my place instead of condemning me for what I was born."
For the first time, murmurs shifted in tone—not just scorn, but curiosity.
Kaelen's eyes narrowed, calculating. "Very well. If you would prove yourself, you shall face the Trial."
A chill swept through the chamber. Wolves exchanged uneasy glances, some smirking with cruel delight.
"The Trial?" Aria whispered.
Damian stepped forward sharply, his voice like thunder. "No. She will not face it."
"She has challenged our judgment," Marwen said smoothly. "To stand as mate to an Alpha, she must be tested. Or do you admit she is too fragile for our ways?"
The words were bait, and Damian knew it. His glare could have melted stone, but the elders held their ground, centuries of authority braced against his fury.
Aria's pulse pounded in her ears. "What… what is the Trial?"
Kaelen's smile was thin, cruel. "Three nights in the Shadow Woods. Alone. If you survive, perhaps you are worthy of our Alpha. If not…" He let the silence finish the sentence.
Aria's stomach twisted. She had heard whispers of the Shadow Woods: a stretch of cursed forest where even wolves feared to tread. Survival there was no simple feat—it was a death sentence for most.
"Enough!" Damian roared, his voice shaking the chamber. "I am Alpha. I decide who belongs in my pack."
"Then prove it," Marwen said softly, yet with venom. "If your bond is worth so much, let her prove it with blood and bone. Or step aside and let another Alpha take your place."
The chamber erupted in growls and murmurs. The threat hung heavy: his authority, his throne, his very role as Alpha teetered on the edge.
Aria's heart ached at the sight of Damian's torment, the impossible weight pressing on him. For all his strength, even he could not fight his pack and the bond at once.
She stepped forward before she could stop herself. Her voice rang out, steadier than she felt.
"I'll do it."
The chamber stilled. Every eye turned to her in disbelief.
Damian whipped toward her, fury blazing in his eyes. "No. You will not."
She met his gaze, her voice quiet but unbreakable. "If the only way they'll accept me is to survive their Trial, then I'll face it. I won't let them take you down because of me."
The bond flared between them, fierce and painful, a storm of defiance and fear and something deeper neither dared to name.
Damian's chest heaved as though he could barely contain himself. For the first time, Aria saw not just the Alpha, but the man beneath—the one who feared not death, but losing her.
"You don't understand," he growled, his voice breaking. "The woods will kill you."
"Then let them try," she whispered.
The silence that followed was heavier than stone. The elders exchanged satisfied looks, the wolves muttered darkly among themselves, and Damian stood caught between duty and desperation.
The decision had been made. The Trial awaited.
And as the torches flickered against the ancient stone walls, Aria knew the cost of survival had just become her destiny.
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