Moonlight Sanctuary

Chapter # 9

"Have you felt it?" Asher demands, stepping forward. "The bond? Answer the question, Silvermoon."

Duke looks at me, and in his eyes, I see the question: Do you want me to tell them?

I nod slightly. We can't hide this forever, and I'm tired of secrets.

"Yes," Duke says, turning back to face Asher and the Council. "I've felt the pull of a second-chance bond with Willow. The Moon Goddess, in her wisdom, has offered her another path, another chance at a healthy mate bond. But I have not acted on that bond. I have not pressured Willow to accept it. I have simply offered her protection and the freedom to choose her own future."

The room erupts. Asher lunges forward with a roar, and it takes both his father and Marcus to hold him back. "You bastard! You're trying to steal her! She's mine!"

"She's not yours!" Duke's voice cuts through the chaos like a blade. "She's not anyone's! She's a person with her own will, her own desires, her own right to choose who she wants to be with!"

"Enough!" Elena's voice carries the weight of absolute authority, and everyone falls silent. "Everyone sit down. Now."

Slowly, reluctantly, Asher and his father return to their positions. Duke remains standing beside me, a solid wall of protection.

"The existence of a second-chance bond is significant," Elena says, "but Councilor Chen is correct, it doesn't change the fundamental facts of this case. Miss Thorne was being abused. She fled to seek safety. Alpha Silvermoon offered sanctuary. These are the relevant facts."

She confers quietly with Blackthorn and Chen for several minutes. I watch their faces, trying to read their expressions, but they're carefully neutral. My heart pounds so hard I'm sure everyone can hear it.

Finally, Elena looks up. "We have reached a decision. Based on the medical evidence, Miss Thorne's testimony, and Mr. Thorne's own admission of violence against his mate, we find that Miss Thorne's sanctuary claim is valid. She has the legal right to remain under Alpha Silvermoon's protection."

Relief floods through me so intensely I feel dizzy. Duke's hand finds my shoulder, squeezing gently.

"However," Elena continues, "the matter of the mate bond is more complex. Mr. Thorne, you and Miss Thorne are still bonded. That bond, while not giving you ownership of her, does create certain legal complications."

"What kind of complications?" Duke asks, his voice wary.

"The bond can only be fully severed in one of three ways," Councilor Blackthorn explains. "Mutual agreement to reject it, which requires both parties' consent. Death of one party. Or the formation and acceptance of a second-chance bond, which would override the first."

"Willow will never agree to reject the bond," Asher says with certainty. "The bond won't let her. She'll come back to me eventually. She has to."

"That's not how it works," Chen says gently. "The bond creates a pull, yes, but it doesn't remove free will. Miss Thorne can choose to resist that pull, especially given the circumstances of abuse."

"What about the second chance bond?" Alpha Marcus asks. "If she accepts it, what happens to my son?"

"The original bond would be severed," Elena explains. "Mr. Thorne would experience significant pain during the severance, but he would survive. He would be free to potentially find another mate, though second chances are rare."

"You can't let her do this," Asher says, and there's desperation in his voice now. "She's my mate. The Moon Goddess chose us for each other."

"The Moon Goddess also offered her a second chance," Duke points out. "Which suggests the first bond was a mistake, or at least not meant to last."

"We're not here to debate theology," Elena says. "The facts are these: Miss Thorne has been granted sanctuary. She has the legal right to remain with Silvermoon Pack. The mate bond with Mr. Thorne remains in place unless she chooses to accept the second chance bond with Alpha Silvermoon, or unless both parties agree to a mutual rejection."

She looks at me. "Miss Thorne, you don't have to make any decisions about the bond today. You have time to heal, to think, to decide what you want for your future. But you should know that as long as the bond with Mr. Thorne exists, you will feel its pull. It will be painful, especially at first. There are herbs and treatments that can help manage the discomfort, but the only permanent solutions are the ones I've outlined."

"I understand," I say quietly.

"Mr. Thorne, Alpha Marcus," Elena continues, turning to Asher and his father, "you are hereby ordered to respect Miss Thorne's sanctuary. You are not to enter Silvermoon territory without Alpha Silvermoon's explicit permission. You are not to attempt to contact Miss Thorne directly. You are not to send others to contact her on your behalf. Any violation of these terms will result in severe sanctions, up to and including the dissolution of Blackwater Pack's Council recognition."

"You can't do this," Alpha Marcus says, his face red with rage. "You're letting this upstart alpha steal my son's mate!"

"We're protecting an abuse victim," Blackthorn corrects. "There's a difference. And if you continue to view your son's mate as property to be stolen rather than a person with rights, then perhaps Blackwater Pack needs a new Alpha."

The threat is clear, and Alpha Marcus falls silent, though the fury in his eyes doesn't diminish.

"This hearing is concluded," Elena says. "Miss Thorne, you are free to remain with Silvermoon Pack under Alpha Silvermoon's protection. Mr. Thorne, you have our sympathies for the loss of your mate bond, but you brought this situation upon yourself through your actions. We strongly suggest you seek counseling and education about healthy mate relationships before attempting to bond with anyone else."

She stands, and Blackthorn and Chen follow suit. "Our written decision will be filed with the Regional Council within three days. All parties will receive copies. If there are any violations of the sanctuary order, contact us immediately."

The three Council members file out, leaving the rest of us in tense silence. Asher stares at me, and the bond between us pulses with his anguish and rage.

"This isn't over," he says quietly. "You're still mine, Willow. The bond won't let you forget that. You'll come back to me. You'll have to."

"No," I say, and my voice is steady, strong. "I won't. I'd rather live with the pain of the bond than go back to living with you."

"You don't mean that. You're confused, traumatized. Once you've had time to think clearly.."

"I am thinking clearly. For the first time in six months, I'm thinking clearly. And what I see clearly is that you hurt me, Asher. You broke me down piece by piece, and you enjoyed it. You called it training, discipline, teaching me my place. But it was just cruelty. And I will never, ever go back to that."

Asher's face contorts with emotion.. anger, pain, confusion, maybe even a hint of genuine remorse. "I love you," he says, and it sounds almost like a plea. "In my own way, I love you."

"That's not love," Duke says quietly. "Love doesn't leave bruises. Love doesn't break ribs. Love doesn't make someone afraid to speak, to breathe, to exist. What you felt for Willow might have been possession, obsession, desire for control. But it wasn't love."