Moonlight Sanctuary

Chapter # 7

The Council representatives arrive at noon. There are three of them, two males and one female, all older wolves with the bearing of authority. They set up in Duke's office, a large room on the third floor of the main pack house.

I'm dressed in the clothes Luna picked out dark jeans, a simple blue blouse, my hair pulled back. I look professional, composed. Inside, I'm terrified.

Duke meets me outside the office, looking imposing in dark slacks and a button down shirt. "Remember, just tell the truth. I'll be right there with you."

"Will Asher be there?"

"Yes. He has the right to face his accuser." Duke's expression hardens. "But if he tries anything, if he so much as looks at you wrong, I'll remove him myself."

We enter the office together. The Council representatives sit behind Duke's desk, their expressions neutral. Asher stands on the other side of the room with his father, Alpha Marcus of Blackwater. Seeing them both makes my wolf cower, and I have to fight the urge to submit.

Duke's hand finds the small of my back, a gentle pressure that grounds me. The touch sends warmth through the second chance bond, and I feel my wolf settle slightly. She recognizes Duke as safety, as home, even if I'm not ready to fully acknowledge it yet.

The female Council representative stands. She's tall and elegant, with silver hair pulled back in a severe bun and eyes the color of steel. "I am Councilor Elena Frost. These are my colleagues, Councilor James Blackthorn and Councilor Robert Chen." She gestures to the two males flanking her, one with dark hair streaked with gray, the other appearing to be in his sixties with kind eyes that remind me of my grandmother.

"This hearing has been called to address the complaint filed by Alpha Marcus Thorne of Blackwater Pack, claiming that Alpha Duke Silvermoon has unlawfully detained his son's mate, Willow Thorne, against her will." Elena's voice is crisp, professional. "We are here to determine the facts of the situation and render judgment according to pack law."

She looks at me, and I feel exposed under her scrutiny. "Miss Thorne, you understand that you are under oath? That any false testimony given here will result in severe consequences?"

"I understand," I manage, my voice steadier than I feel.

"Good. Please, have a seat." Elena gestures to a chair positioned in the center of the room, facing the Council. It feels like being on trial, and I suppose in a way, I am.

Duke guides me to the chair, his presence a solid comfort behind me. He takes a position standing just to my right, close enough that I can feel him but not so close as to appear possessive. Victoria, the pack lawyer, stands on my left, a leather portfolio in her hands.

Asher's eyes bore into me from across the room. The mate bond pulls, demanding I go to him, apologize, submit. I grip the arms of the chair and force myself to meet his gaze. I will not cower. Not anymore.

"Miss Thorne," Elena begins, "please tell us, in your own words, why you left Blackwater Pack."

I take a deep breath. This is it. The moment I've been dreading and preparing for. "I left because my mate, Asher Thorne, was abusing me. Physically, emotionally, and psychologically. I left because I feared for my life."

"That's a lie!" Asher bursts out, taking a step forward. Duke moves instantly, placing himself between Asher and me, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

"Mr. Thorne, you will have your opportunity to speak," Councilor Blackthorn says sharply. "Interrupt again and you will be removed from this hearing."

Asher's father places a restraining hand on his son's shoulder, and Asher subsides, but the rage in his eyes doesn't diminish.

"Continue, Miss Thorne," Elena prompts.

"The abuse started almost immediately after the mate bond formed, six months ago. At first, it was small things controlling what I ate, when I could leave the house, who I could talk to. Then it escalated." My hands are shaking, so I clasp them together in my lap. "He would hit me when he was angry. Shove me. Once, he cracked my rib because I questioned why he smelled like another woman."

"You have evidence of these injuries?" Councilor Chen asks, his voice gentle.

"Dr. Sarah Winters, Silvermoon's pack physician, documented everything when I arrived. She has photographs and medical records." I glance at Victoria, who nods.

"We have those records here, Councilors," Victoria says, pulling out a folder. "They show extensive bruising in various stages of healing, indicating repeated trauma over an extended period. There's also evidence of a previously fractured rib that healed improperly, and multiple contusions consistent with being struck or thrown against hard surfaces."

Elena takes the folder, studying the contents with Blackthorn and Chen. I watch their expressions shift from neutral to troubled as they review the photographs. I remember Dr. Sarah taking those pictures, how humiliated I felt seeing my own damaged body documented like evidence at a crime scene.

"These injuries are consistent with significant physical abuse," Chen says quietly.

"They're consistent with normal pack discipline," Alpha Marcus interjects. "My son was teaching his mate her place, as is his right and duty as an alpha male."

The words make my stomach turn. This is what I grew up with, this toxic belief that abuse is somehow natural, necessary, right.

"Normal pack discipline?" Duke's voice is dangerously soft. "Is that what you call breaking your mate's ribs? Leaving bruises so severe she could barely move?"

"Alpha Silvermoon, please," Elena says, though her tone suggests she shares his disgust. "Let's maintain order." She turns to me. "Miss Thorne, was the abuse only physical?"

"No." I force myself to continue, to lay it all bare. "Asher was emotionally abusive as well. He would belittle me constantly, tell me I was worthless, that I should be grateful he chose me as a mate. He had multiple affairs and would flaunt them in front of me, bringing other women to pack events while I was expected to smile and accept it."

"Multiple partners are traditional for alpha males," Alpha Marcus argues. "My father had five mates. I have three. It's how we spread our strength, ensure strong bloodlines."

"It's also a violation of the mate bond's sacred nature," Councilor Chen counters. "The bond is meant to be between two wolves, a partnership of equals. Using it as a tool of control and humiliation goes against everything the Moon Goddess intended."

"The Moon Goddess gave alphas their strength for a reason," Alpha Marcus retorts. "To lead, to dominate, to ensure the pack's survival. Females are meant to submit, to serve. That's the natural order."

"The natural order is changing," Elena says coolly. "And pack law is clear abuse of a mate, regardless of gender or rank, is grounds for sanctuary. Miss Thorne, you mentioned fearing for your life. Can you elaborate?"

This is the hardest part. I glance at Duke, and he gives me an encouraging nod. "Three days before I ran, my friend Sage overheard Asher talking to his father. They were planning to complete the full mate bond at the next full moon ceremony. Asher told his father that once the bond was complete, he was going to 'break me' until I was too afraid to ever think about leaving."

The room goes silent. Even Asher has the grace to look uncomfortable, though his father's expression remains defiant.

"The full mate bond is irreversible," Councilor Blackthorn says. "Once completed, it cannot be broken without killing both parties. If Mr. Thorne intended to use that bond to trap Miss Thorne in an abusive situation..." He shakes his head. "That's not just abuse. That's imprisonment."

"My son was trying to secure his mate," Alpha Marcus insists. "To ensure she understood her place in the pack hierarchy. There's nothing wrong with that."

"There's everything wrong with that," Duke says, his voice hard. "A mate bond should be a source of joy, of strength, of partnership. What you're describing is slavery."

"You're young, Alpha Silvermoon," Alpha Marcus sneers. "You don't understand the old ways, the traditions that have kept our kind strong for centuries. Your progressive ideas are weakening the wolf community, making us soft."

"My 'progressive ideas' have built one of the strongest, most stable packs in the northern territories," Duke counters. "Silvermoon has the lowest rate of internal conflict, the highest rate of successful matings, and we're thriving. Your 'old ways' create broken wolves and fractured packs."

"Gentlemen, please," Elena interrupts. "This is not a debate about pack philosophy. We're here to determine whether Miss Thorne's sanctuary claim is valid." She looks at me. "Miss Thorne, when you left Blackwater, did you go willingly? Did Alpha Silvermoon coerce you in any way?"

"No," I say firmly. "I ran on my own. I crossed multiple territories before I even reached Silvermoon land. When I arrived, I was exhausted, injured, and terrified. Duke Alpha Silvermoon offered me sanctuary. He didn't force me to stay. He gave me a choice."

"And you chose to accept his protection?"