11
1323 Words
KADE
The night I announced Isla as my mate, the pack didn’t sleep.
I could feel the tension in the air. The shock, the fear. The questions no one dared to ask out loud. My pack members whispered in corners, their eyes followed me wherever I went. Some looked confused, some angry at my choice. A few looked afraid.
By morning, the summons came from the council. They wanted to see me.
I wasn’t surprised. I expected it.
I walked into the council hall alone, my steps were steady. The hall was a large one and cold too. It was built of stone and old wood. Inside the hall, six elders sat in a half circle, their faces hard as rock, their eyes sharp. These elders had lived longer than I, they’ve seen wars, buried mates and protected this pack before I was even born.
They didn’t smile.
“Kade Valeris,” Elder Rowan said. “You were summoned to explain your actions.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I know why I’m here.”
“You brought a human into our pack,” another elder said in a sharp tone. “And declared her your mate. In public.”
“A human,” Elder Mara added, her tone filled with disbelief. “Do you understand what that means?”
“I do,” I said calmly.
Murmurs erupted among them.
“You just risked everything,” Rowan said. “The safety of the pack. The secrecy. The treaties.”
“I just protected my mate,” I replied. “That is my duty as Alpha.”
“She is not a wolf. She cannot be your mate,” Mara snapped. “She cannot be Luna.”
I felt my wolf stir at her words, growling low in my chest, but I kept my face calm.
“You speak as though the Moon Goddess made a mistake,” I said. “She did not.”
The room fell silent.
“So you claim the Moon Goddess chose a human for you?” Elder Tomas asked slowly.
“Yes, you heard me.”
Their eyes hardened.
“This has never happened,” Rowan said. “Not in our history.”
“History doesn’t decide fate,” I answered. “The bond does.”
“You cannot feel a bond with a human,” Mara said. “It is not possible.”
I met her eyes without flinching. “Then explain to me why I felt her from miles away. Why her scent reached my pack lands, why my wolf recognised her instantly.”
There was no response.
“She is a weakness,” Tomas said finally. “Our enemies will know that and use that against this pack.”
“They already have,” I replied. “And I will deal with them accordingly.”
Rowan leaned forward. “You speak with so much confidence, but it seems that you’re hiding something from us.”
I said nothing.
“You know more than you’re saying,” he continued. “About the girl.”
My jaw tightened. They were right. I did know more. Much more. But I couldn’t share it with them, not yet.
“Isla is under my protection,” I said in a firm tone. “And under the pack law, my mate stands above council opinion.”
Mara’s eyes narrowed. “And if she dies because of this?’
My wolf growled at the thought of it, rage burning hot and dangerous.
“She won’t,” I said.
“This confidence of yours is too reckless,” Rowan said. “But you are the Alpha, we cannot overrule you.”
I felt a sense of relief, brief but real.
“However,” he added, “the council will keep a close watch on her.”
“I expected nothing less,” I said in a low tone.
The meeting ended shortly after. I left the hall with my mind heavy and shoulders tight.
They didn’t trust her. They didn’t trust me either. But that didn’t matter to me.
All that mattered was Isla.
As I walked back through the pack grounds, my thoughts drifted to the night I brought her here.
She had been unconscious in my arms, her body was light, fragile. Blood had been dripping down the side of her head, warm and red against my skin. My wolf had panicked. I had panicked.
I remember shouting for the pack doctor, my voice echoing through the trees.
But before anyone would arrive, I noticed something strange happen.
The bleeding stopped. Right there in my arms.
Her skin knitted itself together slowly, like it had never been hurt at all. There was no scar, no bruise, nothing.
I had stared at her in shock. That was not human healing, not even close.
I had checked again and again, my hands gentle on her skin, afraid I was imagining it. But it was real.
Isla wasn’t just human.
And the Moon Goddess did not choose blindly.
I reached her room, where she was staying, and paused outside the door. I could feel her presence inside the room. Her presence settled my wolf, it eased the tension in my chest.
She was confused. Afraid.
But alive.
I rested my forehead briefly against the door, breathing her in.
“I’ll protect you,” I murmured under my breath. “I’ll protect you from them.”
Whatever she was becoming. Whatever destiny had in store for us, I would stand against it all for her.
I was still standing at the door when it suddenly opened. She almost walked straight into me.
She froze, her eyes widening in shock. For a moment, we just stood there, staring at each other. The air between us felt tight and a bit awkward, like we didn’t know what to say.
“Were you…eavesdropping?” she asked, her voice unsure.
“No,’ I said quickly. “I was just passing by.”
That was a lie but she didn’t need to know all that.
She stepped back into the room, then glanced over her shoulder like she was deciding on something. “I was about to go out,” she said.
“Out where?” I asked, my tone sharper than I meant it to be.
She sighed, “Out for a walk. I’m bored, Kade. I can’t stay locked up in here all day.”
“You’re safer inside,” I said. “You don’t know this place yet.”
Her eyes flashed in sudden rage. “And staying trapped in this room makes me feel safe?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I said in a gentle tone, hoping to convince her.
“Besides you placed one of your minions to keep a close watch of me, isn’t his duty to keep me safe?” she continued.
“I know, but….”
She crossed her arms, interrupting. “If you don’t let me go out, I’ll sneak away again.”
My wolf growled at the threat. “You won’t.”
She lifted her chin. “Try me and see.”
I studied her for a while. She was scared, clearly, but there was this fire in her too. She was stubborn, courageous. It was probably why the mate bond had chosen her.”
“You already told everyone I’m your ‘Mate’,” she continued. “Who would dare hurt me in your own territory?”
That hit harder than I expected.
She was right.
They mightn't accept her as their future Luna but no one would dare hurt her,
I exhaled slowly and stepped aside. “Fine. But promise me you’ll stay where the guards can see you.”
She nodded. “Deal.”
As she walked past me, I felt something curve my lips into a smile.
I watched her go, feeling impressed.
My mate was stronger than she knew.
- Writer
