The pack stayed on their knees.
Silence stretched through the clearing thick and heavy. No one moved. No one breathed.
Rourke was the first to break it.
This is a trick he shouted. She is controlling him with her witchcraft.
The bond flared hot between me and Darian. I felt his anger his protectiveness his certainty. It poured into me and steadied my shaking hands.
Look at me I said.
My voice was quiet but it carried. Every wolf lifted their eyes.
I am not controlling him I said. I am bonded to him. The bond does not lie. If you feel it then you know it is true.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some eyes widened. Some dropped back to the ground.
Lies Rourke said again but his voice shook now. He stepped back toward the house.
Darian stepped forward. His hand never left mine.
R
