Moonlight Sanctuary

Chapter # 8

"Yes. Because I knew if I went back to Asher, I would die. Maybe not immediately, but eventually. He would have destroyed everything I am until there was nothing left."

Asher makes a sound of disgust. "You're being dramatic. I never would have killed you."

"No?" I turn to face him directly, and the mate bond flares between us, painful and wrong. "What about the time you choked me until I passed out because dinner was late? Or when you threw me down the stairs because I spoke to another male at a pack meeting? Or the night before I left, when you hit me so hard I couldn't breathe properly for two days?"

"You're exaggerating," Asher says, but there's something in his eyes, a flicker of uncertainty, maybe even shame.

"Am I? Dr. Winters documented all of it. The bruises, the fractures, the evidence of strangulation." I stand up, my legs shaking but holding. "You hurt me, Asher. Over and over again. And you made me believe I deserved it, that it was normal, that I should be grateful you wanted me at all."

"I was teaching you.."

"You were breaking me!" The words burst out of me, months of suppressed rage and pain finally finding voice. "You were systematically destroying my sense of self worth, my autonomy, my spirit. That's not teaching. That's torture."

The room is silent. Asher stares at me, and for the first time, I see something other than anger in his face. Confusion, maybe. As if he genuinely doesn't understand why what he did was wrong.

That's almost worse than the abuse itself, the realization that he truly believes his actions were justified.

"Miss Thorne, please sit," Elena says gently. I sink back into the chair, suddenly exhausted. "I think we have enough testimony from you. Dr. Winters, would you please present your medical findings?"

Dr. Sarah steps forward, and I'm grateful for the reprieve. She's professional and thorough, walking the Council through each documented injury, explaining the timeline and severity. She doesn't sensationalize or dramatize, she simply presents the facts, and the facts are damning enough.

"In my professional opinion," Dr. Sarah concludes, "Miss Thorne was in immediate danger when she arrived at Silvermoon. The pattern of injuries suggests escalating violence. If she had remained with Mr. Thorne, I believe she would have sustained life threatening injuries within weeks, if not days."

"This is ridiculous," Alpha Marcus says. "You're all acting like my son is some kind of monster. He's an alpha male doing what alpha males do maintaining order, ensuring his mate's obedience."

"With respect, Alpha Marcus," Councilor Chen says, "what you're describing is not leadership. It's tyranny. And pack law is clear on this matter. Section 47, subsection 3 states: 'Any wolf fleeing abuse has the right to seek sanctuary with another pack. The receiving Alpha has the authority to grant such sanctuary, and this decision supersedes mate bonds, pack allegiances, and territorial agreements.'"

"That law was written for extreme cases," Alpha Marcus argues. "Not for a disobedient mate who doesn't want to accept her proper role."

"The medical evidence suggests this is an extreme case," Elena says. "However, we should hear from Mr. Thorne himself. Mr. Thorne, do you deny causing these injuries to your mate?"

Asher shifts uncomfortably. "I... I disciplined her when necessary. That's my right as her mate and her alpha."

"Did you strike her?"

"Sometimes. When she was disrespectful or disobedient."

"Did you fracture her rib?"

Asher's jaw tightens. "She was questioning my authority. She needed to learn."

"Did you fracture her rib?" Elena repeats, her voice sharp.

"Yes."

"Did you choke her until she lost consciousness?"

A pause. "Once. Maybe twice."

"Did you threaten to 'break her' after completing the full mate bond?"

Asher glances at his father, who gives him a subtle nod. "I said I would ensure she understood her place. That's not a threat. That's a promise to properly train my mate."

"Training," Duke says, his voice dripping with contempt. "You keep using that word like it justifies what you did. Like Willow is some kind of animal that needs to be beaten into submission."

"She's my mate," Asher snarls. "Mine. The bond gives me the right.."

"The bond gives you nothing but a connection," Duke interrupts. "What you do with that connection is your choice. You chose violence. You chose cruelty. You chose to use something sacred as a weapon."

"And you chose to steal another male's mate," Asher shoots back. "Don't pretend you're some kind of hero, Silvermoon. You saw a pretty female and decided you wanted her for yourself."

The accusation hangs in the air. I feel Duke tense beside me, and I know he's thinking about the second chance bond, about the pull between us that neither of us asked for.

"I offered Willow sanctuary because she needed it," Duke says evenly. "Because she came to my territory broken and terrified, and I have a responsibility to protect those who seek my help. Her gender, her appearance, none of that matters. What matters is that she was in danger, and I had the power to help her."

"How noble," Alpha Marcus sneers. "Tell me, Alpha Silvermoon, have you felt the pull? The second chance bond?"

The question catches everyone off guard. Duke's expression doesn't change, but I feel the tension radiating from him.

"That's irrelevant to these proceedings," Victoria interjects quickly.

"Is it?" Alpha Marcus presses. "Because if Alpha Silvermoon has formed a second chance bond with my son's mate, that changes everything. It means he has a personal stake in keeping her here, in breaking her bond with Asher. It means his motives aren't as pure as he claims."

"The existence or non existence of a second-chance bond doesn't change the facts of the abuse," Councilor Chen says firmly. "Miss Thorne has the right to sanctuary regardless of Alpha Silvermoon's personal feelings."

"But it speaks to his credibility," Alpha Marcus argues. "If he's bonded to her, he's not an objective party. He's a rival male trying to steal another's mate."

"I'm not stealing anyone," Duke says, his voice tight with controlled anger. "Willow is a person, not property. She has agency, choice, autonomy. Whether or not I've felt a bond pull is irrelevant because I'm not forcing her to do anything. I'm simply offering her a safe place to heal and decide her own future."