Mara's POV
Mara's legs were shaking as she walked back to the clinic.
The meeting with Thane had gone exactly as badly as she feared. He had given her his new terms. Break Kael's alliance with the Eastern Pack using bond magic. Do it within forty-eight hours or he would expose everything to the council.
She had forty-eight hours to destroy the man she was now bound to for eternity.
She was so focused on trying not to fall apart that she almost missed the warriors standing outside her clinic door.
Silver and black uniforms. Shadowfang colors.
Mara's blood turned to ice.
She took a step back but it was too late. The warriors saw her and parted to let her pass. Inside the clinic, she could hear voices. Kael's voice. Deep and angry. And another voice she recognized too well.
Thane.
Mara pushed through the door and found them facing off in her treatment room.
Kael was standing despite the fact that he should still be in bed. His body was tense, ready for violence. His amber eyes were hard and suspicious and furious all at once. Thane stood across from him, completely relaxed, smiling like he had just told a joke.
When Thane saw Mara, his smile widened into something predatory.
"Ah, there she is," he said smoothly. "Your healer has returned. Perfect timing."
Mara tried to back out but Thane stepped forward, cutting off her escape. His warriors remained by the door, blocking any path out.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Failing.
"I came to see how our friend the Alpha was recovering." Thane's eyes moved between her and Kael, taking in every detail. "And to discuss some outstanding business matters with you. In private."
Kael stepped forward, positioning himself between Mara and Thane. "My mate does not speak to anyone privately except me."
The word mate hung in the air like a weapon.
Thane's eyebrows rose with genuine surprise. "Mate? How unexpected. Mara, you did not mention this development when we spoke earlier."
Mara felt her entire body go numb. He was playing with them. Enjoying this. The fact that she had not told him about Kael claiming her was all the confirmation he needed that she had not told Kael about Thane either.
"What did you speak about earlier?" Kael's voice was deadly quiet.
"Nothing important," Mara said quickly. "Just clinic business."
"She is being modest," Thane interjected. "We have a very long-standing arrangement, your mate and I. Services rendered. Favors exchanged. Very mutually beneficial."
Kael's hand moved to his side where he would normally wear a weapon. He did not have one because he was supposed to be resting in the recovery room. The frustration on his face was almost visible.
"You need to leave," Kael said to Thane.
"I am sure I do." Thane was enjoying himself too much to move. "But first, Mara and I have some business to settle. I need to speak with her about her future commitments. About the work she will be doing for Shadowfang Pack in the coming days."
"She will not be working for you," Kael said flatly.
"Will she not?" Thane tilted his head, studying Mara. "Tell him. Tell your Alpha about our arrangement. Tell him about the bond magic you have been using. Tell him about the video footage I have."
Mara's heart stopped.
Video. He had video.
Kael's eyes went to Mara. His expression shifted. The anger was still there but now it was mixed with something else. Confusion. Betrayal. The dawning realization that she had been lying to him.
"Mara?" His voice held a question that she could not answer.
"There is nothing to tell," she said, but the words were hollow.
"There is everything to tell," Thane corrected. "This beautiful woman used forbidden bond magic. On you, actually. Quite impressive magic too. I have it all on video. The silver light. The mate bond igniting. Everything."
Kael looked back at Thane then at Mara. She could see him putting the pieces together. Could see the exact moment he understood that she had not just healed him. She had created their bond on purpose.
"You used forbidden magic on me," Kael said slowly.
"I saved your life," Mara said desperately. "The poison would have killed you."
"By using magic that is forbidden. That is punishable by death." Kael's voice was flat. "Why would you risk that?"
"Because I could not let you die," she whispered.
Thane stepped closer to Mara, his hand coming up to touch her shoulder. It was meant to look casual but it was a claim. A reminder that he owned her.
Kael moved so fast that even Mara barely saw it happen. He grabbed Thane's wrist and twisted it away from Mara's body. The two Alphas stood locked together for a moment, each one radiating dangerous power.
"Do not touch her again," Kael said quietly.
"Or what?" Thane did not sound worried. "You will what, Alpha Davros? Attack me in neutral territory and violate every pact between the packs? You will prove that you care more about your mate than you care about your responsibilities as an Alpha?"
Kael released him, stepping back.
Thane smiled and rubbed his wrist like it hurt, though Mara could tell the Alpha was not actually injured. He was just making a show of it.
"Here is what is going to happen," Thane said, addressing both of them but looking only at Mara. "Your healer is going to do exactly what I ask her to do. She is going to use her magic to weaken your alliances, Alpha. She is going to make rival packs doubt your leadership. She is going to help me take over Ironwood territory from the inside."
"I will not," Mara said.
"You will." Thane pulled out his phone. "Because if you refuse, I release this video to the council. I tell them about the forbidden bond magic. I show them the proof. And you burn. No trial. No mercy. Just flames and screaming and the smell of burning flesh."
Mara felt the blood drain from her face.
Kael stepped toward Thane. "I will protect her. I will claim her as my mate and no Alpha can challenge my right to do so. The council will have to accept her."
"Will they?" Thane's smile was cruel. "You are the Alpha who has executed magic users without trial for years. You are the Alpha who lost his sister to corrupted bond magic. You are the Alpha who built his entire reputation on destroying anyone who practices forbidden magic. Do you really think the council will let you keep her? Do you think your own pack will accept you breaking the very laws you created?"
Kael opened his mouth to respond but he had no answer. Because Thane was right and they all knew it.
"I thought so," Thane said, satisfaction dripping from every word. "So here is the deal. Mara does what I say. You stay quiet about it. And maybe your precious council does not find out that your healer is a bond witch. Maybe you both get to live."
Kael's fists clenched. "How long?"
"How long what?" Thane asked.
"How long does she have to do this for you?"
"Until I no longer need her." Thane was already turning toward the door, his warriors making room for him. "I will be in touch with instructions very soon, Mara. Do not disappoint me."
He had made it to the doorway when his phone buzzed.
Thane pulled it out and read the message. His expression shifted. His smile widened even further, like he had just discovered something even better than he expected.
"What is it?" Kael demanded.
Thane turned back to face them both, his phone held up like a trophy.
"The council wants to see you both," he said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. "Immediately. There have been reports of forbidden magic in the northern territories. All healers must submit to testing. Today."
He looked directly at Mara.
"You have three hours before the council summons you for magical evaluation. I wonder what they will find when they test you. I wonder if that forbidden bond magic is still detectable in your system. I wonder if you will be burning in the town square by sunset."
Then Thane walked out, his warriors following behind him, leaving silence and terror in their wake.
Mara stood frozen, unable to move. Unable to breathe. Unable to process that her entire world had just collapsed in the space of a single afternoon.
Three hours.
She had three hours to come up with a plan to pass a magical test that would detect every forbidden spell she had ever cast. Three hours before the council discovered what she was. Three hours before they decided whether she lived or burned.
And Kael was staring at her with eyes full of questions she could not answer and accusations she could not deny.
The mate bond pulsed between them, but it felt like a chain now instead of a connection.