The message arrived at dawn.
Selene woke to the sound of knuckles pounding against her apartment door. When she opened it, a man stood there—tall, broad-shouldered, his presence so heavy it made the air feel thicker. His eyes glowed faint silver, the mark of an elder wolf.
He handed her a sealed envelope without a word, then vanished down the hall before she could even ask who he was.
Her hands trembled as she broke the wax seal. The parchment inside was written in looping script, elegant yet sharp:
Alpha Damon Blackthorn, and his bonded mate, are hereby summoned to stand before the High Council of Wolves at the next full moon. Refusal to appear will be deemed an admission of guilt.
Her breath caught. "Council?"
Before she could think further, the shadows behind her shifted. Damon stepped out, golden eyes dark as molten metal. He must have arrived only moments after the messenger.
He didn't even glance at the letter in her hand. "I know what it says."
"You knew this was coming?" Selene whispered.
"I knew they wouldn't ignore us forever." His voice was grim, steady. "But I didn't expect it to be so soon."
Selene's throat tightened. "What do they want with us?"
His gaze finally met hers, fierce and unyielding. "Judgment."
The days leading up to the summons stretched like wire pulled too tight. The pack moved through the forest on edge, whispers following Selene wherever she went.
Some wolves looked at her with pity. Others, with open resentment.
Clara noticed too. "You're pale all the time," she murmured one evening, when they sat on Selene's bed. "You're distracted. Whatever this is, it's eating you alive."
Selene forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. How could she explain? That her heart was bound to a creature out of nightmare and legend, that his world had become hers whether she wanted it or not, and that a Council of ancient wolves might soon decide her fate?
"I'll be fine," she lied.
But the lie tasted bitter.
On the night before the full moon, Damon led her deep into the forest. The air was heavy with anticipation, the kind that prickled along Selene's skin.
When they reached their clearing, he turned to her. His face was a mask of control, but his eyes betrayed him—wild, stormy, desperate.
"Tomorrow, they'll try to separate us," he said flatly. "They'll call you weakness. They'll call you danger. They'll demand I reject you."
Selene's chest ached. "And if you don't?"
He stepped closer, his hand cupping her cheek with a tenderness that made her tremble. "Then I risk everything. My title. My pack. My life."
Her eyes stung with tears. "Damon—"
"No." His voice broke, just slightly. "Don't say you'd rather I let you go. Because I can't. I won't."
Her throat closed, words tangled in her chest. All she could do was press her forehead to his, her fingers curling into his shirt as though she could anchor him, anchor herself.
"Then we face them together," she whispered.
His golden eyes softened. "Together."
The Council chamber was nothing like Selene imagined.
Hidden in the mountains beyond the forest, it was carved into stone itself, an ancient place that seemed older than the world. Tall arches opened to the night sky, where the full moon poured its silver light onto a circular dais at the center.
Six figures stood around it—elders, their power so palpable it made Selene's skin crawl. Their eyes glowed in different shades, each a reminder of the bloodlines they represented.
When Damon and Selene stepped into the circle, whispers rose, sharp and cutting.
"A human?" one elder hissed.
"Unacceptable," another snapped.
"Blasphemy," a third muttered.
Selene wanted to shrink, to disappear, but Damon's hand squeezed hers tightly. His stance was unbowed, his voice steady as thunder.
"I stand before you, Alpha of the Blackthorn Pack, bound by the mate bond. Judge me, if you must—but judge us both."
The eldest of the six, a woman with hair silver as moonlight, stepped forward. Her gaze pierced Selene like a blade.
"You bring a human into our sacred circle," she said coldly. "Do you understand what you've done, Alpha?"
"Yes," Damon said. "I've chosen my mate."
The chamber erupted into growls and protests.
"Impossible!"
"Madness!"
"The bond is corruption—"
"Silence." The silver-haired elder's voice cut through the uproar. She turned her gaze fully on Selene now. "And you, human. Do you claim him as yours?"
Selene's knees shook. Every instinct screamed at her to run. But Damon's vow echoed in her heart. Together.
She lifted her chin, her voice trembling but clear. "Yes. I claim him."
Gasps rippled through the chamber.
For a moment, the world stood still. Then the elder's lips curved into something between a smile and a snarl.
"Then let the trial begin."
Author's Note:
🌕 Damon and Selene have been summoned before the High Council of Wolves. Their bond will now be judged—and the consequences could change everything. Do you think the Council will allow their union, or will they tear it apart? Vote with Power Stones if you believe love can defy the Council's laws! ❤️