The night after the fight hung heavy over the camp. The pack had bowed to Damon's dominance, but the air still carried the taste of blood and division. Wolves lingered in tense silence, their eyes flicking to Selene with something colder than resentment—fear.
Selene sat near the fire, her wrist throbbing faintly where the mark burned like living flame. She could still feel the echoes of Damon's fight pulsing through her veins. His pain. His fury. His strength.
Damon emerged from the shadows, his wounds already knitting but his body stiff with exhaustion. The firelight glinted off the crimson streaks staining his chest. Selene rose instantly, reaching for him.
"You shouldn't be walking—"
He caught her hand, golden eyes softening. "I've endured worse." But when her fingers brushed his ribs, he winced despite himself.
Selene frowned. "That's supposed to reassure me?"
A rare, fleeting smile touched his lips. "You're still here. That's enough."
Their moment was shattered by the sound of horns echoing through the forest. A deep, ominous sound that made every wolf stiffen.
Selene froze. "What is that?"
Damon's eyes darkened. "The Council."
Wolves gathered quickly, forming a circle as cloaked figures emerged from the treeline. Elders, their faces hidden beneath hoods, their presence carrying the weight of centuries. The silver-haired elder from the mountain stepped forward, her eyes glinting beneath the moonlight.
"You defied us, Alpha Blackthorn," she said, her voice cutting like steel. "And worse—you've tainted our laws with this bond." Her gaze flicked to Selene, sharp as a blade. "A human among wolves. An unholy union."
Murmurs rippled through the pack. Some dropped their eyes in shame. Others glared at Selene openly, as though her existence had summoned this wrath.
Damon stepped forward, his body radiating defiance. "She is mine. My mate. No Council decree will change that."
The elder's lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Bold words. But boldness will not save you from what comes next."
A second elder spoke, his voice low and resonant. "The bond is unbreakable. We felt it during the Trial. That power cannot be allowed to spread."
Another added sharply, "If wolves begin binding themselves to humans, our kind will fall into chaos."
The silver-haired elder raised her hand for silence. "We will give you one chance, Alpha. Sever the bond. Cast the girl out. Or face extermination."
Selene's chest constricted. She hadn't expected mercy, but hearing the words still felt like ice through her veins.
Damon growled, low and lethal. "You ask me to abandon my mate? You ask me to break what even your Trial declared unbreakable?"
The elder's gaze hardened. "We do not ask. We command."
The pack shifted uneasily. Whispers rose, some fearful, some hopeful.
"If he refuses, we'll all be punished."
"Maybe it's better if the human leaves."
"She's the reason for this."
Selene's throat tightened. For a moment, she wondered—if she walked away, would it save them? Could she take the burden from Damon's shoulders?
But Damon's hand tightened around hers, as if sensing the thought. His golden eyes seared into hers, fierce and unyielding.
"Don't even think it," he growled under his breath.
The elder's voice rose again. "Choose, Alpha. The girl—or your pack."
The silence stretched, thick with dread.
Selene felt Damon's rage thrum through the bond, but beneath it, she also felt his anguish. He had fought for them. Bled for them. And now they demanded the impossible.
Finally, Damon raised his head, his voice a thunderous roar. "I will not choose. She is my pack. My mate. My life. If you threaten her, you threaten me."
The clearing erupted in chaos. Wolves shouted, elders hissed, the air charged with violence.
The silver-haired elder's eyes flashed. "So be it."
She raised her hand to the sky. Silver fire flared across the clearing, searing the ground at Damon's feet. The wolves recoiled, snarling, as the air thickened with ancient power.
"The Council has spoken," she declared. "From this night forth, the Blackthorn Pack is marked for destruction. You and your human will burn beneath the moon."
Then, as quickly as they had come, the elders vanished into shadow, leaving silence in their wake.
Selene's legs nearly buckled, but Damon's arm steadied her.
"They'll kill us," she whispered.
Damon's jaw clenched, his golden eyes burning. "Let them try."
The pack looked at him with a mixture of awe and terror. But Selene saw what lay beneath his fury.
He was already calculating. Preparing. Because he knew what she now knew too.
The Council would not stop until one of two things happened: they were destroyed… or they found a way to defy destiny itself.
Author's Note:
🌑🔥 The Council has delivered its ultimatum—either Damon severs the bond or the Blackthorn Pack will be destroyed. But Damon refuses to yield. Do you think he made the right choice? Or has he doomed them all? Drop your thoughts below and remember to vote with Power Stones if you're standing with Damon and Selene! ❤️