POV: Rae.
The sacred land of the Shadow Pack was very quiet, a bit too quiet
Even the wind, which was always blowing hard around the mountain tops of Elders' Hollow, seemed to stop, as if it was also holding its breath.
Rae was in the middle of the stone circle, her boots were firm on the ground, and her hand was holding Nyra's hand very tightly.
The bright moon covered the marble altar in a silver light, making long shadows around the group of people gathered, council members, older leaders, fighters, and almost every pack member from within fifty miles,
They were all there to see a special custom,
A connection between partners that was recognized, made official, and celebrated.
They thought they knew how this would end,
But they were wrong.
Whispers had already started to spread through the crowd, quietly at first, but the feeling of confusion was strong in the air.
The Alpha's partner ceremony was meant to bring togetherness, purpose and pride, But what they were seeing now was nothing like they expected.
The Alpha himself was standing a few steps away, wearing black clothes for the ceremony, with gold designs across his chest, Alpha Kade Drew, noble, calm, and born to be in charge.
Until tonight,
Rae felt Nyra's fingers squeeze hers harder, trying to keep her steady,
She didn't move or shake
Her wolf nature moved around inside her like a storm just below the surface, but she was calm,
She'd practiced her whole life for fighting, She didn't think she'd be fighting at a partner ceremony,
And yet, here she was
The High Priest walked forward, his robes dragging behind him like a shadow, His voice, which was always so strong, now shook a little as he lifted the ceremonial staff
"Rae Kren," he said, with his voice loud in the stone area, "do you accept the bond chosen for you by the Moon Goddess herself, do you accept Alpha Kade Drew as the partner you are meant to be with?"
People gasped all around the circle even before she answered,
They could already feel the change, They already knew this wasn't going the way it should,
She looked quickly at Kade, tall and proud, with his wolf's nature raging just under his skin
But behind all that Alpha strength, Rae saw the weaknesses.
He wasn't mad yet, He was just waiting,
He thought she'd say yes,
Because who would dare go against the Goddess?
Rae took one step forward, with her voice sharp like a knife,
"I reject Alpha Kade Drew"
The quiet fell apart and the Gasps turned into shouts, The ceremonial knife fell from the priest's hand and made a loud noise on the ground.
Older leaders leaned forward in shock, while some younger pack members moved back as if the air had become bad.
A councilwoman to Rae's left stood up quickly, "You reject the partner you're meant to be with? This is not a choice for you to make!"
Rae didn't listen to her,
Her eyes moved from Kade, to Nyra
She was Still standing next to her and she was Still holding her hand, And for the first time that night, Rae let her guard down, just enough to show the truth in her eyes.
She turned her whole body to face Nyra, her voice was steady and sure,
"I announce that Nyra Drew is my chosen partner."
The whole group of people broke out into complete disorder.
Loud cries went up like a blazing fire, And Angry growls echoed from the group of fighters,
A young child started to cry loudly.
And cutting through all the noise like a curse repeated by everyone,
"Abomination"
"Abomination"
"Abomination"
"Abomination"
The word was like poison,
But Rae stood up straight.
She didn't move a bit,
She Didn't shrink back,
She Didn't even blink her eyes.
She just squeezed Nyra's hand even harder.
Two guards came forward, with their swords at their sides,
One of the older members of the council told Rae to stop what she was doing,
"This goes against what the Goddess wants! You are going against nature itself!"
But Rae turned to look at them, holding her head up high,
"My wolf has already made its choice," she said, her voice was calm, dangerously calm, "You are just late in understanding that."
They stopped moving, not because they believed her, but because of the certainty in her voice.
Nyra stood quietly next to Rae, breathing evenly, her fingers intertwined with Rae's, When Rae turned to look at her, asking a silent question, Nyra just nodded her head.
She never once moved away,
She never once hesitated.
She just nodded, and chose Rae in return.
It wasn't just Rae standing up against the whole group now,
It was both of them together.
A pair together,
A connection,
Behind them, Kade hadn't made a move,
He stood still as if he were stuck to the ground, his body frozen in disbelief.
His hands were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, and His chest moved up and down in quick, uneven breaths.
His eyes no longer shone with Alpha power, they burned with something completely different,
His pride was shattered, and he felt betrayed,
And yet, he still didn't say a word,
Because deep down, he felt it too,
She was no longer his.
"Tell us why!"
Kade's voice ripped through the sacred place like a sharp strike,
Rae didn't even flinch,
The talking stopped right away as if the whole group was holding their breath, waiting for his rage.
He stepped forward, tall, stiff, and his energy hitting the ground with every step he took.
His eyes, were still glowing gold, locked onto Rae with confusion, anger and something else hidden deep inside.
"You think this is a game?" he demanded
His voice was tense, filled with more than just anger, it was filled with betrayal, heartbreak, and disbelief.
Rae didn't say anything,
Kade pointed a shaky hand between them, his chest rising with short breaths,
"We were meant to be, The Moon Goddess decided it, You have my mark!"
"I did," Rae answered, her voice was quiet but strong, "but the mark wasn't what connected me."
That caused him to stop,
Whispers started up again among the council, spreading like leaves moving in the wind.
"She's crazy," one older member muttered,
"No one goes against the mate bond and lives," said another,
Kade moved closer, now just a few feet from Rae, his wolf barely under control,
"You're turning away from your Alpha, the bond you were meant to have, and everything the Goddess planned, for her?"
His eyes quickly looked at Nyra, who hadn't let go of Rae's hand at all,
Nyra looked back at him without even blinking,
Not a challenge,
Not a taunt,
Just quiet, steady strength.
Rae stood between them,not as a fighter anymore, not as someone under her Alpha's power,but as something different completely.
"I didn't pick this," Rae said steady like a rock, "My wolf did."
Kade laughed in a bitter way, "Then your wolf is broken."
"No," Rae said simply, "My wolf is tied to Nyra."
A shocked silence spread through the holy area,
Kade's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
He looked like someone had just knocked all the air out of him,
"You're lying," one of the older members growled, stepping forward, with his face red, "There's no such bond, This is against our beliefs!"
Rae didn't turn her head,
"Then ask the Moon Goddess why she put two souls together that you refuse to understand," she said,
The council members looked at each other, shifting, not sure how to handle something that went against every rule they'd followed for centuries.
One of them shouted, "The warrior must be punished, This isn't just disobeying,it's going against the natural order!"
Rae felt Nyra squeeze her hand,
She looked at her eyes warmly, her voice was quiet enough for only her to hear,
"You can leave now if you need to," Rae whispered,
"I'm not going anywhere," Nyra replied,
The council elder raised his voice again, this time with strong authority,
"Rae Kren, you are now being..."
"Enough," Rae snapped, turning to face him fully,
The elder became stiff, surprised by her cutting him off.
"I won't be punished for doing what the Goddess put into my soul," she said, louder now, so everyone could hear, "I won't apologize for loving who I was meant to find, You want to take away my title, my position, my name? Do it."
Rae's voice got sharper,
"But I won't say sorry for this bond."
Nyra stepped up beside her, no longer hidden behind Rae, but right next to her now,
"If you come for her," Nyra said, her voice calm but sharp, "you come for me too."
Gasps broke out again,
An elder yelled, "Would you go against your own family?"
Nyra glanced quickly at Kade,
She felt a sudden pain in her eyes, but it didn't change what she said.
"I would always support what is good," she said,
Kade looked back and forth between them,
Two women standing close, holding hands, going up against a lot of old customs, strong power, and history.
And he was against them,
His face tightened.
"You don't know what you've done," he said softly, speaking more to Rae than anyone else, "You've ruined something important."
Rae looked at him closely, and she understood now,
He wasn't just very angry,
He was completely broken,
But she didn't feel bad about it.
"I didn't ruin anything," she said, "I just didn't want to be trapped."
The priest took a step forward again, feeling unsure,
"The ceremony needs to be finished."
The leaders looked at each other, feeling lost and upset, not wanting to be the first to do anything,
But Rae didn't need them to say it was okay,
She got down on one knee next to Nyra and put her hand on Nyra's chest,
"My connection is here," she said quietly, "Not because I wanted it, Because the moon picked her for me, and I finally had the strength to listen."
Nyra also knelt, their heads almost touching, the special circle glowing softly under them.
It wasn't the same glow that Rae had seen when she connected with Kade a few weeks ago,
It was cleaner,
More powerful,
Not the same,
Around them, everyone stood still,
Even the wolves in the back, some still partly changed, lowered their heads without thinking,
The leaders did not finish the ceremony,
They did not say what the punishment would be,
They didn't say anything,
Because whatever this was, it was too big for them to understand now,
The ceremony was done,
Not because of old rules,
But because they chose to end it.