Kael Pov:
The great hall erupted in arguments before Kael even sat down.
He moved toward the throne, his power radiating outward, and the noise immediately stopped. That was the thing about being Alpha King. People feared you enough to obey even when they wanted to fight. Fear was easier than respect. It was also lonelier.
"We need to discuss the Luna," Elder Morrigan began before he'd even settled onto the throne. "We're running out of time."
"We have three days," Kael said calmly. "She agreed to research alternatives."
"Three days while our people die," Morrigan shot back. "I've been the spiritual leader of this kingdom for longer than anyone in this room has been alive. I read the prophecy myself. It is absolute. There is no alternative. The human must accept the Luna bond now."
"And if forcing her makes the bond weaker?" Kael asked, though he already knew the answer. "If her resistance creates complications?"
"Then she'll have to suffer through it," Astrid Silvermane said from her seat near his throne. She moved with calculated grace, placing her hand on his arm. "Better to break her now than let her slow the process with denial."
Kael didn't move his arm. He didn't acknowledge her touch. But he also didn't pull away. That would show weakness to the council.
Astrid was stunning. Platinum blonde hair, amber eyes, the bearing of a woman who'd been trained since birth to be royalty. She'd positioned herself perfectly for years, warming his bed, offering counsel, waiting for him to choose her as Luna. She'd done everything right.
And he'd chosen someone else.
He could feel her resentment radiating from her like heat.
"The human is resistant," Morrigan continued. "She asked about alternatives. She's trying to find loopholes. This is manipulation, Alpha. She's stalling for time."
"Or she's trying to understand her own death," Kael said quietly.
The hall went silent.
"Thousands are dying," Morrigan said. "Thousands. Not her. Not one insignificant human. Your people. Our people. She should be honored to save us."
"She doesn't even know us," another noble said. Lord Garrett, one of the older families. "Why should she sacrifice herself for strangers?"
"Because she has to," Astrid said smoothly. "Because the prophecy chose her. Because that's her purpose."
She was still touching his arm, her fingers moving slightly in what was meant to be a seductive gesture. Kael finally pulled away, under the guise of adjusting his position on the throne.
"We have three days," he repeated.
"We don't have three days," Morrigan said flatly. "I checked the burial records. Seventeen wolves died in the last twenty-four hours. Most of them children. At this rate, we'll lose another hundred before the full moon. The Luna bond is the only thing that can stop it."
Kael felt the weight of those deaths. He carried every name, every family destroyed, every child lost. He'd been Alpha King for five years. Five years of watching his kingdom crumble. Five years of knowing the answer was out there but not finding it.
And now that he'd found her, now that Sage was here, everyone wanted him to destroy her immediately.
"The human needs time to accept," he said, though his own patience was wearing thin. If she refused, he would force the bond anyway. He'd already made that decision. But he wanted her willing. He wanted her to choose this, not just have it ripped from her.
"She doesn't deserve time," Astrid said. "She deserves to be forced. Locked in the ceremonial chamber until she cooperates."
"That's not how mates are claimed," Kael said coldly. "Even forced bonds require some measure of... cooperation."
"Then manipulate her," Astrid suggested. "Show her more dying children. Show her the suffering. Make her understand that her comfort means nothing compared to survival. Break her will and she'll accept."
Kael wanted to snarl at her. Wanted to show her fangs and make her understand that suggesting he manipulate his mate was crossing a line. But that would give away how much Sage meant to him, and that was information Astrid would weaponize immediately.
"I've already shown her the villages," he said instead. "Rhys took her today."
"And did she accept?" Morrigan asked.
"Not yet."
"Then take more drastic measures," the Elder said. "Lock her in the ceremony chamber now. Perform the ritual at sunset tomorrow. Get it done."
The other nobles murmured agreement. Kael could feel the pressure building. His people were desperate. They were dying. They didn't care about Sage's comfort or her choice or whether she went to her own destruction willingly or kicking and screaming.
They just wanted to survive.
He understood that. He lived with that reality every single day.
Kael stood.
The entire council went silent.
"The bonding ceremony," he said, his voice carrying absolute authority, "will happen tomorrow night at midnight. Full moon. The ritual will be strongest then. We will not wait longer. We will not negotiate further."
He could feel Astrid's satisfaction radiating from her like victory. Morrigan nodded, accepting his command. The other nobles settled back, their pressure finally released because they'd gotten what they wanted.
Tomorrow night. Twenty-four hours. That was all Sage had left before the ritual began.
"This council is dismissed," Kael said.
The nobles filed out slowly, speaking in low voices about preparations and rituals and the healing that would come with the Luna bond. They were already celebrating, already believing that tomorrow would save their kingdom.
Kael knew better. He knew that tomorrow he would become the monster he'd always feared. He would complete the ritual that would erase the woman he was bonded to. He would watch her lose herself piece by piece and he would accept it because his people needed him to.
He was moving toward his private chambers when he caught her scent.
Cinnamon and rain. Faint but present, coming from the upper balcony that overlooked the great hall.
Sage had been watching the entire council meeting.
Kael looked up toward the hidden balcony and caught a glimpse of auburn hair disappearing around a corner. She'd heard everything. She'd heard him declare that the ceremony would happen tomorrow night. She'd heard the council demand he force the bond immediately. She'd heard him choose his people over her.
And she was running.
Kael wanted to go after her. Wanted to explain that he'd been fighting for more time, that he'd given her three days instead of forcing it immediately, that he was doing everything he could to make this kinder.
But he couldn't. Because none of those things mattered. Tomorrow night at midnight, she would lose herself anyway.
And now she knew.