CHAPTER FIVE
1921 Words
The tribunal began at dawn. But I was awake long before they came for me.
I'd spent the night pacing Kade's quarters like a caged animal. The mate bond pulled at me constantly, showing me glimpses of him in his office. Awake. Working. Preparing. He was planning something, but I couldn't tell what through the incomplete bond.
My mark throbbed. His mark. Permanent. Scarring.
When the knock came, I was already dressed. They'd left clothes in the closet. Simple pants and a shirt. Nothing fancy. Nothing that said Luna.
Maybe they knew I wouldn't be Luna much longer.
Two enforcers I didn't recognize opened the door. Not Pike this time. These were younger. Harder. They looked at me like I was already dead.
"Time to go," the first one said.
I walked between them through halls that were too quiet. Dawn light filtered through windows, painting everything gold. It should have been beautiful. Instead, it felt like a countdown.
The great hall looked different in daylight. Harsher. The stone walls seemed to press inward. The vaulted ceiling felt like it might collapse.
Five elders sat at a long table where the platform had been yesterday. I recognized three. Margaret Silverpaw, ancient and sharp-eyed. Thomas Ironwood, who'd lost his son to rogues and hated anything impure. Victoria Blackmoon, who looked at me with something like pity.
The other two were younger. Uncomfortable. They kept glancing at the crowd like they wished they were anywhere else.
The pack filled the hall. Two hundred wolves. Maybe more. All of them staring at me.
Kade stood to the side in dark gray. Formal. Alpha. His eyes found mine as I entered. Through the bond, I felt his worry. His fear.
Not for himself. For me.
Asher sat in the front row, surrounded by wolves who kept shooting me hostile looks. His faction. The ones who wanted him as Alpha.
Pike stood in the back. Our eyes met for a second. I thought I saw apology there.
The enforcers brought me to stand before the council table. No chair. No courtesy. Just me, standing alone while they decided if I deserved to live.
Margaret spoke first. Her voice was thin but strong.
"Mira Castellanos. Yesterday you were claimed as Luna to Alpha Kade Wolfram. During the claiming ceremony, you revealed yourself to be a hybrid. Half Omega, half Alpha. This is not natural. This is not right." She paused. "We are here to determine if you are a threat to this pack."
"I'm not a threat." My voice was steady. "I've never hurt anyone."
"You're an abomination." Thomas leaned forward. His face was red. Angry. "Your very existence is a threat. Hybrids are unstable. Unpredictable. How long before you lose control? How long before your Alpha nature tries to challenge our true Alpha? How long before you infect others?"
"That's not how it works. I can't turn anyone. I'm not contagious."
"You don't know that." Victoria leaned forward. Her expression was almost kind. Almost. "Child, we understand this wasn't your choice. You were attacked. You survived when you shouldn't have. But that doesn't change what you are. That doesn't change the danger you pose to every wolf in this pack."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to defend myself. But what could I say? They'd already decided.
"The law is clear," Margaret continued. "Hybrids are forbidden. They upset the natural order. They create chaos." She folded her hands on the table. "The punishment for being a hybrid is death."
The words echoed in the silent hall.
Death.
They were going to kill me. On Christmas morning, in front of the entire pack, they were going to execute me for being something I never chose to be.
I looked at Kade. He was staring at the council, his jaw clenched tight. His hands were fisted at his sides. Through the bond, I felt his rage. But rage wasn't enough.
He was Alpha. But the council had power too. Ancient power. Traditional power.
If he went against them, the pack would fracture. Civil war. Blood.
I felt his calculation through the bond. Him weighing options. Measuring costs.
Choosing.
"However," Margaret said, and my heart stuttered, "the law also states that only the Alpha can authorize such execution. Alpha Kade." Her eyes shifted to him. "What say you? Should your mate die for her hybrid nature?"
Every eye in the hall turned to Kade.
This was his choice. His alone. He could save me and risk losing everything. Or he could let me die and secure his position.
The mate bond pulled tight between us. I felt his conflict. His desperation.
Then I felt something else.
Not love. Not affection.
Need.
He needed me. Not as a person. Not as a mate. As a tool. As a weapon. As something powerful he could control.
The realization hit me like ice water.
He was going to choose me. But not because he cared. Because I was useful.
Kade moved. Not toward me. Toward the council.
"No," he said. His voice carried through the hall. "My mate will not be executed."
Thomas shot to his feet. "Alpha, you can't be serious. She's dangerous!"
"She's my mate." Kade's voice was steel. "She's your Luna. And I will not allow her execution."
"The law demands it," Margaret said calmly.
"Then the law is wrong." Kade looked at each council member. "Mira didn't choose to be a hybrid. She was attacked. She survived. She's lived peacefully among humans for three years without incident. She's shown no aggression. No instability. The only threat here is our own fear."
"She could challenge you," one of the younger elders said nervously. "Her Alpha nature could try to take your position."
"Let it try." Kade's eyes flashed. "I'm not afraid of my mate. And any wolf who is afraid of a strong Luna doesn't belong in my pack."
The hall erupted. Wolves shouting. Some supporting Kade. Others calling for my death. The careful order shattered into chaos.
Asher stood. His voice cut through the noise.
"Brother." He moved forward. "I understand your attachment. The mate bond is powerful. But you're thinking with the bond, not your head. The pack's safety must come first."
"The pack's safety is exactly what I'm thinking of." Kade turned to face Asher. "You want to execute her because she's different. Because she's powerful. Because she threatens your plans to take my position."
"That's not true."
"Isn't it?" Kade moved closer to his brother. "You've been undermining me for months. Gathering supporters. Spreading doubt. You saw your chance yesterday when Mira's nature was revealed. You thought I'd choose the pack over my mate." He smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "You thought wrong."
Asher's face darkened. "You're making a mistake."
"Maybe. But it's my mistake to make."
The brothers stared at each other. The tension was thick enough to choke on. Through the bond, I felt Kade's rage. His hatred for Asher ran deep. Older than this moment. Older than me.
This wasn't about me at all. This was about power. Control. Two brothers fighting over a throne.
And I was just the excuse.
Margaret stood. Somehow her presence commanded silence.
"Enough," she said. "Alpha Kade, if you refuse to execute your mate, the council must make a different ruling." She looked at me. Her expression was unreadable. "Mira Castellanos, you will be confined to pack lands. You will not leave Alpha territory. You will be watched at all times. And if you show any sign of aggression, any hint that your hybrid nature is a threat, the execution order will be carried out immediately." Her eyes bore into mine. "Do you understand?"
It wasn't freedom. But it wasn't death.
"I understand," I said.
"And Alpha Kade." Margaret's gaze shifted. "Your defense of your mate has been noted. Some will see it as strength. Others will see it as weakness. You've made a powerful enemy today." Her eyes flicked to Asher. "Be careful."
Kade didn't respond. He just stood there, radiating controlled violence.
The tribunal ended. The council dismissed the pack.
But as wolves filed out, I heard the whispers. Saw the hostile looks. Felt the division Kade had just created.
He'd saved my life.
But at what cost?
Asher approached as the hall emptied. He stopped in front of me. Close enough that I could smell his rage.
"You've doomed him," he said quietly. Only Kade and I could hear. "The pack will never accept a hybrid Luna. They'll revolt. And when they do, I'll be ready to pick up the pieces."
"Threaten her again and I'll rip your throat out," Kade said. His voice was calm. Matter-of-fact.
"You can't kill me, brother. I'm protected by pack law as your heir." Asher smiled. "But don't worry. I won't have to touch her. Your precious mate will destroy herself. That's what hybrids do. They lose control. They go feral." He leaned closer to me. "How long until your Alpha nature decides it wants to be in charge? How long until you challenge him? How long until you hurt someone?"
"Get out," Kade growled.
Asher laughed. Then he walked away, leaving us standing in the emptying hall.
I turned to Kade. Through the bond, I felt his determination. His protectiveness.
His possession.
"Thank you," I said. The words felt hollow. "For defending me."
"I protect what's mine." His hand moved to my face. Fingers brushing the mark on my neck. His mark. "You're my mate. No one threatens you."
Mine. The word echoed in my head.
Not I protect you because you matter.
Not I protect you because I care.
I protect what's mine.
Like I was property. A possession. Something he owned.
The mate bond flared between us. He pulled me closer. His other hand slid to the small of my back.
"We need to leave," he said. "The pack is unstable. Some of them will come for you. Try to finish what the council started."
"So what do we do?"
"We prepare." His eyes held mine. "Asher was right about one thing. The pack won't accept you easily. We need to prove you're not a threat. Show them you're strong enough to be Luna."
"And if I can't?"
His grip tightened. "Then we fight. Together."
Together. Like we were partners. Like we were allies.
But through the bond, I felt the truth.
He saw me as a weapon. Something powerful he could aim at his enemies.
He'd saved my life not because he loved me, but because he needed me.
And that realization hurt more than his mark ever could.
"Come on," he said. "We need to get you somewhere safe."
He led me out of the hall. His hand never left my back. Possessive. Controlling.
The mark on my neck throbbed with every heartbeat.
Through the bond, I felt his satisfaction. He'd won. Kept his powerful hybrid mate. Defied his brother.
But he hadn't won me.
He'd won my body. My bond. My presence.
He hadn't won my trust. My heart. My choice.
Those were still mine.
And as we walked through halls filled with hostile eyes and whispered threats, I made a decision.
I would survive this. Survive the tribunal. Survive the pack's hatred. Survive being mated to a man who saw me as a tool.
I would survive.
And then I would find a way to be free.
Because the mate bond might tie us together.
But it didn't make me his.
Not really.
And one day, he'd learn the difference.
- Writer
