MAVERICK POV
"She's challenging you?" Scarlett stares at the phone in disbelief. "But why now? What changed?"
I know exactly what changed. Celestia has spies everywhere. Someone probably saw Scarlett arrive tonight. Saw the way I looked at her. Felt the mate bond blazing through the territory like a signal fire.
My ex-mate is moving fast to destroy me before I can become stronger.
"Celestia wants everything I have left," I say bitterly. "She took half my territory three years ago. Now she wants the rest."
"But you're the Alpha! You built this pack from nothing!" Scarlett's eyes flash gold. Her wolf is angry on my behalf. It's adorable and heartbreaking at the same time.
"Pack law says an Alpha can be challenged if they're unfit to lead." I set my phone down carefully before I crush it. "Celestia will claim I'm unstable. Violent. Dangerous. The same lies she's been telling Juniper for years."
"That's insane! You're the most controlled person I've ever met!"
Controlled? Storm laughs bitterly inside my mind. We're barely holding on by a thread. And she's the reason why.
He's right. Since the moment Scarlett walked through my door, my carefully built walls have been crumbling. The mate bond is making me feel things I thought died with Celestia's betrayal. Hope. Desire. The possibility of happiness.
All things that make me vulnerable.
"You should go back to bed," I tell Scarlett. "This doesn't concern you."
"How can you say that?" She grabs my arm. The contact sends electricity shooting through the mate bond. "We're mates! Your problems are my problems now!"
"No." I pull away even though it physically hurts. "We're not doing this. The mate bond is a mistake."
Pain flashes across her beautiful face. "You don't mean that."
"I'm forty-two years old. You're eighteen. My daughter's best friend. My ex-mate is trying to destroy me and will use you as ammunition." I force my voice to stay cold. "This bond between us? It's inconvenient. Inappropriate. And it ends now."
"You can't just END a mate bond!" Scarlett's voice rises. "It doesn't work that way!"
"Then we ignore it. Pretend it doesn't exist." Even saying the words makes Storm howl in agony. "You'll stay here for the Solstice like planned. You'll be Juniper's friend. Nothing more."
"I can FEEL you in my chest!" Scarlett presses her hand over her heart. "Every time you're in pain, I feel it. Every time you're angry or sad or—" She stops, her eyes widening. "You're scared. Right now. You're terrified."
Damn the mate bond. She can read me like a book now.
"Of course I'm scared," I admit. "Celestia doesn't make empty threats. If she's calling a Council meeting, she has evidence. Proof that I'm unfit."
"What kind of proof?"
I pour myself another scotch. "Three years ago, after the betrayal, I lost control. Storm went feral for weeks. I nearly killed several pack members before Garrett managed to contain me." The memory still makes me sick. "Celestia will use that. She'll say I'm unstable. A danger to the pack."
"But that was THREE YEARS AGO! You've been fine since then!"
"Have I?" I laugh bitterly. "I drink myself to sleep every night. I can barely look at my own daughter without feeling like a failure. Half my pack is terrified of me." I meet Scarlett's eyes. "Your timing couldn't be worse. If Celestia finds out about our mate bond, she'll claim I'm grooming teenagers. That I'm a predator."
Scarlett flinches like I slapped her.
"Is that what you think?" she whispers. "That you're a predator? That I'm some stupid kid you're taking advantage of?"
"No! That's not—" I stop, frustrated. "You don't understand. In the werewolf world, optics matter. Age gaps like ours are... complicated."
"I don't care what people think!"
"Well, I do!" My voice comes out harsher than intended. "I care that my daughter will hate me even more. I care that Celestia will use you to destroy everything I have left. I care that you deserve better than a broken Alpha who can't even protect himself!"
Silence falls between us. The mate bond thrums with hurt and confusion and desperate longing.
Scarlett's eyes fill with tears, but she doesn't let them fall. "You're not broken. You're hurting. There's a difference."
"Scarlett—"
"And you don't get to decide what I deserve." She steps closer again, brave and stubborn and absolutely perfect. "The Moon Goddess chose us as mates. That means something."
"It means the universe has a cruel sense of humor." But I don't back away this time. Can't. The pull is too strong.
"Or it means you're supposed to have someone on your side for once." She takes my hand. "Let me help you fight Celestia. Let me—"
"No." I pull my hand away before I do something stupid like kiss her again. "You can't be involved. If the Council finds out about us, we both lose everything."
"Then we'll be careful. Secret mates until after the hearing." Her chin lifts stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere, Maverick. Whether you like it or not, we're in this together."
She's perfect, Storm purrs. Strong. Brave. OURS.
"This is a terrible idea," I mutter.
"Probably." Scarlett smiles slightly. "But I'm staying anyway."
Before I can argue more, footsteps sound in the hallway. We both freeze.
Juniper's voice calls out: "Dad? You still up? I heard voices."
Panic floods through me. If Juniper finds Scarlett in my study at 2 AM—
Scarlett acts fast. She grabs her phone off my desk and moves to the window, pretending to look outside. When Juniper opens the door, it looks like we're on opposite sides of the room having a normal conversation.
"Oh! Scarlett!" Juniper looks surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Couldn't sleep," Scarlett says smoothly. "Your dad was still awake, so I came down to ask about pack runs. Since I just shifted, I don't really know the rules."
Nice save. I force my voice to sound normal. "I was just explaining that new wolves should start with supervised runs until they have better control."
Juniper yawns. "That makes sense. Hey, Dad? I have a weird question."
My stomach drops. "What?"
"Have you noticed anything... strange? In the house tonight?" Juniper looks between us. "Like an energy or something? My wolf has been restless for hours. Like she senses something important but can't figure out what."
She's feeling the mate bond. Not consciously, but her wolf knows something major shifted in the pack dynamics tonight.
"Probably just excitement about the Solstice," I say carefully. "Big events make wolves restless."
"Yeah, probably." Juniper doesn't look convinced. She studies Scarlett with narrowed eyes. "You sure you're okay? You look flushed."
"Just tired from traveling." Scarlett yawns convincingly. "I should probably get to bed."
"Good idea. Me too." Juniper grabs Scarlett's hand. "Come on, bestie. Let's leave Dad to his brooding."
Scarlett glances back at me as Juniper pulls her toward the door. The mate bond stretches between us, golden and unbreakable.
Three days, I mouth silently. Until the hearing.
She nods, understanding. Three days to prepare. Three days to hide what we are.
Three days before Celestia tries to destroy me and discovers I now have something—someone—worth fighting for.
After they leave, I collapse into my chair. Storm is pacing inside my mind, agitated and protective.
She's ours, he growls. We need to claim her properly. Mark her. Make it official.
"We can't. Not until this is over."
What if it's never over? What if Celestia wins?
Then I lose everything. The pack. My territory. My daughter.
And Scarlett.
My phone buzzes again. Another text from Garrett: Just got intel. Celestia's evidence includes witness statements from pack members saying you've been "unstable and violent." She also has someone who claims you attacked them unprovoked last month.
My blood runs cold. That's impossible. I haven't lost control in three years.
Which means Celestia is fabricating evidence.
And if she's willing to lie about that, what else is she willing to do?
I text back: Who's the witness?
Garrett's response makes my heart stop: Ryo Tanaka. Scarlett's fake father.