Chapter Ten
1307 Words
Rowan woke before sunrise.
For a few seconds, she didn't know where she was.
The unfamiliar ceiling.
The enormous bed.
The silence.
Then it all came rushing back.
Silver Moon.
The Council.
Kael.
The bond.
Rowan groaned and buried her face in a pillow.
Today.
The word sat heavily in her chest.
Today they would stand before the Council of Elders.
Today they would ask to sever the bond.
Today she could finally go back to the life she wanted.
"Can we talk about that?"
Rowan closed her eyes.
Immediately annoyed.
"No."
Nyra ignored her.
As usual.
"Do you actually intend to do it?"
Rowan sat up slowly.
The question lingered in the quiet room.
"Yes."
The answer came easily.
Too easily.
"I don't belong here."
Nyra was silent.
Waiting.
Rowan continued anyway.
"I want to go home."
The words hurt.
Because they were true.
"I want Cedar Ridge."
A pause.
"My father."
Another pause.
"My life."
Nyra's presence stirred uneasily.
"And Kael?"
Rowan's jaw tightened.
"What about him?"
The wolf growled softly.
Not angry.
Frustrated.
"You can't fool me."
Something defensive immediately rose inside Rowan.
"I'm not trying to."
"You are."
The words landed harder than they should have.
Nyra pushed forward slightly.
Enough for Rowan to feel her.
Enough to feel the bond too.
That constant thread connecting them to another soul.
Another heartbeat.
Another wolf.
"I feel it."
Rowan looked away.
"That doesn't matter."
"It does."
"No."
Nyra's frustration sharpened.
"He is our mate."
Rowan stood abruptly.
The movement sent blankets tumbling to the floor.
"He is Evelyn's."
The words echoed through the room.
Silence followed.
Then—
"No."
Nyra's response was immediate.
Certain.
"He was chosen for us."
Rowan laughed once.
The sound held no humor.
"Well, the Moon Goddess made a mistake."
The wolf recoiled.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
As though the words themselves hurt.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Nyra's voice returned.
Quieter this time.
"He was chosen for a reason."
Rowan swallowed hard.
"I don't care."
The lie sat heavily between them.
Nyra heard it.
So did Rowan.
Neither acknowledged it.
"He is ours."
The certainty in the wolf's voice made something twist painfully in Rowan's chest.
She looked toward the window.
Toward the distant forest beyond Silver Moon.
Toward home.
"No."
The answer came out softer than before.
Tired.
"I want my old life back."
Silence.
Nyra didn't argue.
Didn't push.
Didn't growl.
The wolf simply withdrew.
Leaving Rowan alone with the quiet.
For some reason, that felt worse than the fight.
Outside her window, the first hints of dawn painted the sky.
The day had begun.
Whether she was ready for it or not.
____
By some miracle, Rowan managed to find the dining room.
She wasn't entirely sure how.
At one point she was fairly certain she'd taken a wrong turn.
At another point she had somehow found the nursery again.
She still wasn't sure how that had happened.
Eventually, however, the smell of breakfast had guided her in the correct direction.
Or at least a direction.
Which was close enough.
───
When Rowan stepped inside, everyone was already there.
Of course they were.
Kael sat near the head of the table.
Evelyn beside him.
Lyra was sprawled across her chair like proper posture had personally offended her.
Jace sat next to her looking tired.
Then again, Lyra was awake.
Maybe that explained it.
The room went quiet for a moment.
Not awkward.
Just aware.
Then Lyra pointed triumphantly.
"Look."
Jace sighed.
"She found it."
"I told you she would."
"You said she'd end up in the kitchens."
"That was Plan B."
"There was a Plan B?"
"There are several plans."
Jace looked genuinely concerned by that.
Rowan found herself smiling despite everything.
"Good morning," Lyra announced.
"That's debatable."
"See?"
Lyra pointed at her.
"She's nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
"You absolutely are."
"I'm not."
"You look like you're about to punch a council member."
Rowan pulled out a chair.
"I haven't ruled it out."
"That's my girl."
"She is not your girl."
"Not with that attitude."
Jace closed his eyes.
Across the table, Kael's mouth twitched.
Almost a smile.
Almost.
And for one brief moment, Rowan forgot about the Council.
Then she noticed Evelyn.
For the first time since she'd arrived at Silver Moon, Evelyn looked relaxed.
Hopeful.
Like someone who finally saw the finish line.
The realization settled heavily in Rowan's chest.
Because she knew exactly why.
Today was the Council meeting.
And Evelyn believed she already knew how it would end.
____
The chamber remained silent as Rowan and Kael stepped forward.
Nine elders watched them.
Waiting.
Evaluating.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then the elder seated at the center of the table folded his hands.
His hair was entirely silver.
His eyes were sharp despite his age.
Power radiated from him quietly.
Effortlessly.
"Alpha Kael."
The elder's voice carried easily through the chamber.
"You requested this hearing."
Kael inclined his head.
"I did."
The elder nodded once.
"Then speak."
The room seemed to grow even quieter.
Beside Rowan, Kael stood tall.
Controlled.
Certain.
"We are requesting permission to sever the mate bond."
No gasps followed.
No surprise.
The Council had clearly expected this.
Still, the words felt heavier spoken aloud.
The elder remained silent for several seconds.
Then—
"Why?"
The question was simple.
The answer wasn't.
Kael glanced briefly toward Evelyn.
Then back to the Council.
"I already have a chosen mate."
Evelyn straightened slightly.
Hope flickered across her face.
Kael continued.
"We have built a life together."
His voice remained steady.
"I intend for Evelyn to become my Luna."
The elder listened without interruption.
When Kael finished, he turned his attention toward Rowan.
The weight of that gaze was immediate.
"Head Warrior Rowan."
Rowan resisted the urge to shift beneath it.
"Yes."
"Is this what you want as well?"
The question should have been easy.
It wasn't.
Somewhere deep inside her mind—
"No."
Nyra's voice cracked.
"Please."
Rowan swallowed.
Ignored her.
"Yes."
The word felt heavier than she expected.
"I have a life in Cedar Ridge."
Nyra growled.
Rowan pushed forward anyway.
"My father is there."
"Rowan."
"My home is there."
The wolf sounded desperate now.
"I want to return."
Silence followed.
The elder studied her carefully.
Long enough that Rowan wondered what he saw.
Then he asked—
"Do you understand the consequences?"
Rowan frowned.
"What consequences?"
The elder leaned back slightly.
"If the Council grants your request, the Moon Goddess may never grant you another fated mate."
The words settled heavily in the room.
Nyra whimpered.
Actually whimpered.
Rowan felt it like a knife.
Still—
"Yes."
The answer came quietly.
But it came.
The elder's gaze shifted toward Kael.
"And you?"
Kael didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
The elder nodded slowly.
Then continued.
"You also understand that should either of you take a chosen mate in the future, there remains a possibility that another fated bond could occur."
Evelyn stiffened.
Almost imperceptibly.
The elder didn't acknowledge it.
"A severed bond does not prevent the Moon Goddess from acting again."
Kael's expression remained unreadable.
"I understand."
The elder looked at Rowan.
"And you?"
Nyra sounded frantic.
"Please."
Rowan closed her eyes briefly.
Just once.
Then opened them again.
"Yes."
The elder sat quietly for several moments.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Finally he looked toward the rest of the Council.
The elders exchanged glances.
Silent communication.
Years of familiarity.
Years of wisdom.
Years of judging the fate of others.
Then the elder rose to his feet.
"We require a recess."
His gaze moved between Rowan and Kael.
"Remain here."
The statement wasn't a request.
The elders stood one by one.
Robes shifting softly.
Chairs scraping against stone.
And then they were gone.
Leaving Rowan alone with Kael.
Evelyn.
The bond.
And a wolf who refused to speak anymore.
- Writer
