Moonbound Mates

Chapter Eleven

The Council returned twenty-three minutes later.

Not that Rowan had been counting.

Much.

The chamber fell silent as the elders reclaimed their seats.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

The tension in the room had become something physical.

A living thing.

Waiting.

Watching.

Beside Rowan, Kael stood perfectly still.

Across the room, Evelyn's hands were clasped tightly together.

Hope shone openly in her eyes.

Nyra remained silent.

The absence hurt.

Cyrus settled into his chair at the center of the table.

For a moment, he simply looked at them.

Then—

"The request is denied."

The words struck the room like a physical blow.

Rowan stared.

Beside her, Kael went completely still.

Across the chamber, all the hope drained from Evelyn's face.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody seemed capable of speaking.

Finally Kael found his voice.

"Denied?"

Cyrus nodded.

"For now."

The addition changed nothing.

Not immediately.

Rowan's pulse was roaring in her ears.

"Why?"

The question escaped before she could stop it.

Cyrus's gaze shifted toward her.

"Because neither of you have given us sufficient cause."

Silence.

Rowan frowned.

"I don't understand."

"No," Cyrus agreed calmly.

"We believe that's part of the problem."

The elder folded his hands atop the table.

"You claim you wish to sever the bond."

His gaze shifted between her and Kael.

"Yet neither of you cited the bond itself as the issue."

Neither answered.

Because he was right.

Cyrus continued.

"Head Warrior Rowan wishes to return home."

The elder nodded once.

"A reasonable desire."

His gaze shifted.

"Alpha Kael wishes to honor the commitments he has already made."

Another nod.

"Also reasonable."

The room remained silent.

Then Cyrus leaned forward slightly.

"But those are not the same thing as rejecting a mate bond."

And suddenly nobody seemed able to look away.

Rowan frowned.

"With all due respect, Elder Cyrus, I do know what I want."

A murmur passed through several of the elders.

Cyrus remained unmoved.

"Do you?"

The question irritated her immediately.

"Yes."

"You have known Alpha Kael for five days."

Rowan opened her mouth.

Closed it again.

Cyrus continued.

"You have never lived among his people."

His gaze shifted toward Kael.

"And he has never lived among yours."

Silence.

"Neither of you have made any meaningful attempt to understand the life the other is being asked to leave behind."

Kael's jaw tightened.

"We understand enough."

"No."

The word cracked through the chamber.

For the first time, Cyrus sounded annoyed.

"You understand inconvenience."

The elder rose slowly to his feet.

"You understand discomfort."

His gaze swept across the room.

"You understand fear."

Then he looked directly at Rowan.

"But you do not understand him."

The words landed heavily.

Cyrus turned toward Kael.

"And you do not understand her."

Neither spoke.

Because neither could honestly disagree.

The elder nodded once.

As though their silence answered the question for him.

"Therefore, the Council has reached a decision."

The chamber fell completely silent.

Cyrus folded his hands behind his back.

"You will enter a formal evaluation trial."

Rowan felt dread settle in her stomach.

Beside her, Kael had gone very still.

"A period of ninety days."

Evelyn inhaled sharply.

Rowan's pulse immediately accelerated.

Ninety days.

"Ninety days?" Kael repeated.

Cyrus nodded.

"For ninety days, you will make a genuine effort to know one another."

The elder's gaze settled on Rowan.

"You will not merely coexist."

Then Kael.

"You will participate."

That sounded ominous.

It became worse almost immediately.

"You will spend time together intentionally."

Rowan did not like where this was going.

"You will share meals."

Worse.

"You will court."

Absolutely not.

Lyra made a suspicious choking sound from somewhere behind them.

Jace looked resigned.

As though he'd expected this.

"You will go on dates."

Rowan closed her eyes.

Briefly.

Painfully.

When she opened them again, Cyrus was still talking.

Unfortunately.

"You will learn one another's interests."

One elder nodded.

"You will learn one another's values."

Another nodded.

"You will learn one another's lives."

Cyrus looked directly at Kael.

"At various points throughout the trial, you will cease acting as Alpha King."

The entire room blinked.

Even Kael.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me."

A few of the elders looked amused.

Apparently this was the part they had been waiting for.

Cyrus continued mercilessly.

"You will travel to Cedar Ridge."

Rowan froze.

The elder pointed toward her.

"You will stay there."

Her heart skipped.

"You will meet the people she loves."

Another beat.

"You will learn why she considers it home."

Another.

"And you will discover why she is willing to surrender a fated mate in order to return to it."

The chamber fell silent.

For the first time since entering, Rowan couldn't think of a single argument.

Because somehow...

That felt fair.

Then Cyrus looked toward Evelyn.

And everything changed.

The panic on her face was impossible to miss now.

The fear.

The hurt.

The uncertainty.

For the first time, Rowan felt something unexpected.

Not resentment.

Sympathy.

Cyrus's expression softened slightly.

Not much.

Just enough.

"Evelyn."

She looked up immediately.

"This trial is not a scheme to force acceptance of the bond."

The room remained silent.

Cyrus continued.

"Quite the opposite."

His gaze shifted toward Kael.

"During these ninety days, Alpha Kael is expected to evaluate all paths before him."

Hope flickered uncertainly across Evelyn's face.

The elder nodded.

"He will continue spending time with you."

The tension in her shoulders eased slightly.

"He will continue examining the life you have built together."

Another pause.

"He will determine whether he is willing to surrender a fated mate for the future you have planned."

Nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Because suddenly the trial wasn't only about Rowan and Kael.

It was about all three of them.

Cyrus returned to his seat.

"At the conclusion of ninety days, you will return to this chamber."

His gaze settled on Rowan.

Then Kael.

Then Evelyn.

"And at that time, a final decision will be made."

Silence followed.

Heavy.

Unavoidable.

Ninety days.

Rowan had entered the chamber expecting freedom.

Instead, she had been sentenced to three more months.

____

The ride back to the packhouse was painfully quiet.

No one seemed to know what to say.

Or perhaps everyone knew exactly what to say and understood it wouldn't help.

Either way, silence won.

Rowan rode near the back of the group.

Lyra and Jace had abandoned all attempts at conversation.

Even Evelyn seemed lost in thought.

The weight of the Council's decision lingered over all of them.

Ninety days.

The words echoed endlessly through Rowan's mind.

Ninety days.

Inside her head, Nyra had finally returned.

The wolf sounded entirely too pleased with herself.

"I told you."

Rowan groaned internally.

"Do not start."

"I told you."

"You've made your point."

"I haven't even begun making my point."

Unfortunately, Rowan believed her.

───

Ahead of them, Kael remained silent.

At least outwardly.

Inside his mind was a different story.

"You shouldn't have asked."

Kael's grip tightened slightly on the reins.

Orion's voice was calm.

Steady.

Certain.

"I didnt have a choice."

The wolf growled softly.

"Didn't you?"

Silence.

Kael exhaled slowly.

"We love Evelyn."

"Yes."

The answer came immediately.

Without hesitation.

Without doubt.

"We do."

More Silence followed.

Then—

"But Rowan is our mate."

Kael's jaw tightened.

The wolf continued anyway.

Relentless.

Patient.

"You keep speaking as though those two things cannot exist together."

Kael didn't answer.

Because he wasn't entirely sure they could.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Kael shook his head slightly.

"That's not fair."

Orion waited.

Kael continued.

"There was a time when you accepted Evelyn too."

The memory surfaced immediately.

Years of friendship.

Years of trust.

Years of building a future.

The wolf fell silent.

Briefly.

Then—

"I did."

Kael frowned.

The easy agreement surprised him.

Orion's voice softened.

"I care for her."

Another pause.

"I always will."

The wolf's presence stirred uneasily.

"But caring for someone and recognizing your mate are not the same thing."

The words settled heavily between them.

Kael looked ahead.

Toward Silver Moon.

Toward Evelyn.

Toward a future that suddenly seemed far more complicated than it had yesterday.

Orion sighed.

A deeply put-upon sound.

"You are making this difficult."

Kael almost laughed.

"Me?"

"Yes."

The wolf sounded offended by the question.

"You've known her five days."

Kael groaned.

"Not you too."

"Especially me."

For the first time since leaving the Council chamber, a reluctant smile threatened.

Small.

Brief.

Gone almost immediately.

But it had been there.

And somewhere deep inside him, Orion sounded suspiciously satisfied.