POV: Seraphina
Run.
The word screams through my head, but my feet won't move. Damien stands between us and the only exit. His two wolves are massive bigger than any I've seen.
Kael shifts his weight, putting himself completely in front of me. Protective. Ready to fight.
You won't leave here with her, Kael growls.
I don't need to. Damien's smile is cruel. My men will handle you. Then the Moonborn comes with me willingly or I start killing pack members one by one until she does.
Ice floods my veins. He'd do it. Kill innocent people to force my hand.
Touch her and I'll rip your throat out, Kael snarls.
You're welcome to try. Damien nods to his wolves. Take him.
Everything happens at once. The two wolves shift mid-leap, massive and snarling. Kael shifts too his black wolf even bigger, all muscle and fury.
The cabin explodes into violence. Teeth snapping. Claws tearing. Blood spraying.
Damien walks toward me slowly. Come quietly, and I'll let him live.
You're lying. The words come out certain. And I know I can feel his lie like oil on my skin.
His eyes widen slightly. Already learning to use your gifts. Fascinating.
Behind him, Kael is fighting both wolves at once. He's strong, but they're wearing him down. He's bleeding.
I feel his pain through the bond. Feel his desperation to protect me.
Stop this, I plead. Just tell me what you want.
Your power. Damien reaches for me. Moonborn abilities can control entire packs. Imagine an army of wolves bound to my will. I'd be unstoppable.
I don't know how to do that!
You'll learn. Or people you care about will die. His hand closes around my wrist.
The moment he touches me, something inside me breaks open.
Power floods through my body hot, white, overwhelming. It pours out of me like water breaking through a dam.
Damien screams and flies backward, hitting the wall hard enough to crack the wood.
White light explodes from my hands. The two wolves fighting Kael freeze mid-attack, whimpering and dropping to the floor.
I can feel them their pack bonds, their loyalty, their fear. I can feel everything.
Seraphina! Kael's voice cuts through the chaos. He's shifted back to human, bleeding from a dozen wounds.
The power is too much. I don't know how to control it. It's burning through me, threatening to tear me apart from the inside.
Make it stop! I scream.
Kael is suddenly there, grabbing my shoulders. Look at me. Focus on me.
I meet his gray eyes. Through the mate bond, I feel his calm. His certainty. His absolute faith in me.
Breathe, he says. Pull it back. You control it doesn't control you.
I breathe. The power slowly, slowly pulls back inside me. The white light fades.
The two wolves are unconscious on the floor. Damien is slumped against the wall, blood trickling from his nose.
We need to go, Kael says urgently. Now. Before he recovers.
He grabs the laptop from the table, then my hand, pulling me toward the door.
Wait. I look back at Damien. We should
He's Council. We can't kill him without proof and a trial. Kael's jaw is tight. But we have the laptop. That's evidence.
We run to the truck. Kael drives fast, checking the mirrors constantly.
My hands won't stop shaking. What did I just do?
You defended yourself. He glances at me. Your Moonborn power activated fully. You felt their pack bonds and used them against them.
I could have killed them.
But you didn't. You controlled it. His voice is filled with something that sounds like pride. You're stronger than Damien realized.
He'll come after me again.
Yes. And now he knows how powerful you really are. Kael's hands tighten on the wheel. We need to act fast. Call an emergency Council meeting. Present the evidence. Get him removed before he makes another move.
Will they believe us?
They'll have to. We have his laptop. His plan in writing.
We're almost back to pack territory when Kael's phone rings. He answers on speaker.
Kael. Finn's voice is tight with panic. We've got a problem.
What happened?
Damien called an emergency Council meeting ten minutes ago. He's accusing you of attacking him. Says you and Seraphina are working together to stage a coup.
My stomach drops. What?
He beat us back here, Kael growls. He's spinning the story his way.
It gets worse, Finn says. The Council just voted. Four to two. They've ordered your arrest, Kael. And they're exiling Seraphina effective immediately.
They can't do that! I cry. The seventy-two hours isn't up yet!
They just did, Finn says grimly. Damien convinced them you're a threat. Too dangerous to keep in the pack. Guards are heading to Kael's wing now to take you both into custody.
Kael's face goes hard. How long do we have?
Maybe twenty minutes if you're lucky.
Enough time to get what we need and run. Kael looks at me. We're not staying to fight a rigged system. We leave pack territory. Now.
If we run, we're rogues, I whisper. We'll have no pack. No protection.
If we stay, Damien will kill you and lock me up. His eyes are fierce. I choose exile over losing you.
My heart pounds. Running means giving up everything. But staying means death.
There's one other option, Finn says carefully through the phone. Complete the mating bond. Tonight. Before the exile takes effect. Once you're fully mated, the Council can't separate you. Pack law protects bonded pairs.
The ceremony takes hours, Kael says. We don't have that kind of time.
Then do the emergency version. Blood oath and claiming bite. It's binding enough.
Kael looks at me. Seraphina. This has to be your choice. If we do this now, we're mated for life. No going back.
I think about Marcus. About Natasha. About everyone who took my choices away.
Then I think about Kael. Four years of silent sacrifice. The way he defended me. Protected me. Saw me.
The mate bond hums between us warm, certain, real.
Do it, I say. Mate me now. Before they can take this choice away too.