Terms of Surrender

The Concession of Truth: Darian

The tension of the corporate facade had been a headache all day, but the real strain was the pull of the Mate Bond. Every moment away from the penthouse felt like a distraction. I became irritable and short throughout the meeting. I had to continuously remind myself this was necessary for the pack’s financial stability.

I checked my messages frequently, waiting for the confirmation that Leon had delivered the requested groceries. I worried that perhaps it was a task I should’ve handled myself. Leon’s loyalty was absolute, but I worried about Tess cornering and questioning him. She was a human lie detector, and he would break easily under her cool, analyzing stare.

Eventually, the elevator deposited me back into the penthouse. I sighed in relief as I started towards the east wing, the faint hum of the mate bond was easing up on me now that I was back in Tess’s presence. It was quickly overpowered by a sharp, strong scent of concentration.

I stepped into the corridor and instantly knew from the open door that she wasn’t in her room. I could see the light from the study further down. I froze in the doorway, seeing her in the high-backed leather chair behind the mahogany desk. She was framed by stacks of mythology books she shouldn’t understand, her head bowed in concentration as her pen dragged quickly along the lines in her notebook. Clans of the Western Frontier lay open next to it.

She wasn’t just looking for answers, she was claiming the intellectual space. She was already wearing the mantle of Luna.

I felt a physical jolt. A shock of realization that the prey was armed. She finally looked up, her expression perfectly composed, and opened fire.

“You told me to eat. I ate,” she stated, dismissing my accusation of non-compliance with perfect calm. Then came the real attack. “I met your assistant, Leon Starling, today. Your Beta, I assume? Is he aware of the full moon acquisitions, or is he merely responsible for ensuring the Luna is properly nourished?”

The wolf inside me roared. She had identified the chain of command, and was using my own terminology against me through a single, twenty-second interaction with my second-in-command. I had been foolish to think she would stay in her room, guarded, while Leon delivered groceries.

I crossed the room with heavy, deliberate steps, stopping in front of the desk. I leaned down, hands splayed across the mahogany as I loomed over her. I used my physical size and my Alpha scent to counter her intellectual attack. I was trying to induce some necessary fear. “Leon is loyal to the pack, and to me,” I confirmed, my voice dangerously low while the wolfs growl rumbled beneath the human sound. “His duties include maintaining the stability of the Alpha’s immediate territory.”

I straightened slightly, letting the full force of the warning hit her. She didn’t even flinch. She just stared up at me with those bourbon-colored eyes.

“Your duty is currently to the Alpha’s stability, as well,” I continued. “Do not attempt to confuse the chain of command by attempting to solicit information from Pack members. Pack hierarchy is not for your leverage.”

I watched her for a single, long moment. Her eye contact never wavered, there was no fear anywhere in her expression. If anything, a slight, cold smirk touched her lips. This was a challenge that infuriated me more than any scream could have. “I’ve done my research, Mr. Whitmore, nothing was solicited from Mr. Starling. Though I’m flattered you think I could’ve,” she spoke coolly, proving her victory in this battle of wits. “Now, we can discuss the power of the Luna, and my leverage.”

I conceded, stepping away from the desk and circling the furniture. She tracked me with her eyes, her composure still unwavering as she remained in the chair. “I suppose you’ve earned this conversation, Tess. And it’s Darian.”

I took a seat in the armchair, resting an ankle over the opposite knee in an attempt to regain any control over the conversation. “The Luna is the pack’s anchor,” I started, trying to define the title in terms of biological necessity rather than mythology. “For an Alpha, the bond is a biological necessity that prevents the inherent madness of absolute power. Without a Mate, an Alpha’s control becomes volatile. Without a Luna, the Silvercrest Pack will fracture and bleed onto the human streets.” Her lips parted, eyes narrowing slightly, and for the first time since I brought her to the penthouse, I sensed an inkling of fear in her again. I had just placed the burden of my sanity and the Pack’s safety on her shoulders.

I didn’t give her a chance to question. I laid it out for her. “The Silvercrest Pack is two hundred years old. We are the governing force of this city.” I remembered the words scrawled across the top of her notebook last night, and softly added, “We are not a cult, Tess. The Mate Bond physically links us. It calms the wolf. It allows me to function as a CEO, not just as a brute. Your safety is my priority because my sanity depends on it. That is your leverage.”

“Why me though?” she challenged. “Why was there no choice? Why kidnap me?”

I ran a hand through my dark hair, sighing. The way she posed the questions caused a pang of guilt. Shame. “There is no choice with the Mate Bond. It’s not chosen, it’s found. The scent…the primal claim…it’s immutable. Once it presents, there is no other option. My only choice was how to secure you.”

I watched her throat work. She swallowed as she realized the permanency of her captivity. She couldn’t just be replaced. “And you thought kidnapping was a good choice?”

“It was not,” I agreed. “It was so sudden though. My only thought became keeping you here, and I needed to stop you before you walked out the door.” Something flashed in her eyes, and I wasn’t quite sure what it was. I swallowed, choosing to be vulnerable, attempting to gain her trust, “During the full moon - the Change - the Pack needs the Luna’s calm. You are the eye of the storm. That is your true power, Tess. It is absolute.”

There was a moment of cold determination, and I could feel her considering my words. Her reluctance to accept the role.

“Your value is stability,” I continued, trying to shift back into terms her analytical mind would accept. “Your reward is freedom within my territory. What is the first clause of your contract, Tess?”

She leaned forward in the chair, meeting me eye-to-eye, even from across the room. “My first clause is full disclosure of the Pack’s primary geopolitical rival. If I am the key to stability, I need to know the source of instability.”

I was shocked and impressed by her, once again. She didn’t ask for money or freedom. Instead, she wanted to fight my enemies. She truly was my Luna.

I let out a slow, deliberate breath, having expected anything else. The demand for a phone, an escape route. Not the name of my greatest enemy. She skipped past personal safety and straight into threat analysis. She understood power better than any Beta I’ve ever seen. I felt an immense pride growing in my chest.

“That information is kept secret for a reason,” I told her, my voice softer than it had been throughout any of our previous conversations. “Revealing it makes you an even bigger target. Knowledge of a rival is a threat to the Luna.”

She dismissed the danger with a wave of her hand, “If I am the anchor, Darian, I cannot anchor what I cannot see. I need the name. Now.” She leaned further, her gaze piercing and sharp.

I was incapable of denying her. Her request was logical, and her understanding and commitment to the role of “Pack Anchor” seemed absolute. I leaned forward, my tone dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper, despite the safety and privacy of the penthouse. “The rival is the Steelclaw Pack. They are newer, stronger in certain territories, and they want this city. They will use any weakness they find. Especially the lack of a legitimate Luna.”

Tess didn’t flinch. I watched as she scrawled the name across the top of her notebook page. The scratch of the pen suddenly felt too loud in the study.

“This is the price of your request, Luna. Study. Use the books. Research inter-pack conflicts, rival claims, and historical alliances.”

She stood, a smooth, deliberate motion that embodied confidence and certainty. Authority. Tess walked past me, and pulled a specific, thick-volume on Pack warfare off the shelf. The contract had begun.