Kael's POV
Kael was still weak but he would be damned if he went to a council meeting looking like an invalid.
He dressed slowly in the recovery room, his body protesting each movement. The healings were complete but his strength had not fully returned. His muscles felt hollow, like they had been carved out and refilled with something lighter than bone.
But council summons were never optional.
Mara stood in the doorway watching him with an expression he could not quite read. Fear. Regret. Desperation. All mixed together into something that made his wolf want to pull her close and never let go.
"You should rest more," she said quietly. "The healing takes time. Your body needs—"
"I know what my body needs." Kael buttoned his shirt, careful to move slowly so he would not pass out. "What I do not know is what you and Thane were discussing before he arrived at my clinic."
Mara's face went pale.
"I do not know what you mean," she said, but her hands were shaking.
Kael turned to face her fully. The mate bond pulsed between them, and his wolf growled possessively inside his chest. Mate. Protect. Mine. The animal part of him did not care about lies or secrets. It just wanted to keep her safe.
But Kael's human half had questions.
"You left the clinic this afternoon. You came back terrified. Then Thane appeared and made cryptic threats about video footage and forbidden magic." Kael stepped closer to her. "You are going to tell me what is happening."
"Not now," Mara whispered. "We have to go to the council building. We cannot be late."
She was right. The summons had arrived with a warrior just after Thane left. The council wanted to see them both immediately. It was unusual. Urgent. And Mara looked like she was about to shatter into pieces.
Kael grabbed his jacket and tried not to lean too heavily on the wall as they walked to the door. Finn was waiting outside with warriors ready to escort them.
The journey to the council building felt like walking through a dream. Kael kept catching Mara's scent, kept feeling the mate bond pulling him toward her, kept trying to understand why she was so terrified.
By the time they arrived at the gray stone building, his patience was running thin.
Council meetings happened in a large circular room with seats arranged in tiers. Five Alphas sat at the highest level. The head councilman, Morrison, was an older man with silver hair and eyes that missed nothing. Beside him sat the Eastern Pack Alpha. The Southern. The Western. And Kael himself, though his seat sat empty today because he was being called before the council, not sitting on it.
This was serious.
Morrison looked down at them with an expression that belonged on a man delivering executions.
"There have been disturbing reports from the northern territories," he began. "Multiple incidents of suspected forbidden magic. Bond magic specifically. The kind that damages and corrupts our people."
Mara went absolutely white.
She gripped the back of the chair so hard Kael could see her knuckles turning bone-white beneath her skin. Her breathing had changed. Shallow. Fast. Like she was drowning in air.
Kael suddenly understood.
Bond witches burn.
That was the law. Had always been the law. Ever since the Purge Wars fifty years ago when bond witches had nearly destroyed the entire werewolf population. The council had passed the Purge Laws. Anyone caught practicing bond magic died by fire. No trial. No mercy.
And Mara had used forbidden bond magic.
On Kael.
She had saved his life by breaking the most fundamental law of their society.
"All healers in the northern territories must submit to magical testing," Morrison continued. "The testing will happen in three days. We need to identify any rogue magic users before they can cause damage. This is mandatory. Anyone who refuses testing will be assumed guilty."
Three days.
Mara had three days before the council discovered what she was. Three days before they tested her magic and found the forbidden bond spell still resonating in her system.
Kael reached out and took her hand.
It was instinct. His wolf demanded it. His mate was in danger and his body was responding the only way it knew how. By claiming her. By showing the world that she was his.
But the moment his fingers closed around hers, Morrison's eyes locked onto their joined hands.
The councilman's expression shifted. Sharpened. He leaned forward slightly, studying them both with new intensity.
"I notice you are holding your healer's hand, Alpha Davros," Morrison said softly. "That is an interesting gesture. Almost possessive. Almost like you are claiming a mate bond."
The entire council chamber went silent.
Kael felt Mara try to pull her hand away but he held firm. His wolf was not letting go. Not now. Not when everyone was watching.
"She is my mate," Kael said clearly. "Fated match. The bond formed when she healed me from silver poisoning."
It was a lie and the truth at the same time. The bond had formed when she healed him. But it had not been fate. It had been magic.
Morrison's eyes moved between them carefully. "How recent is this bond?"
"Last night," Kael said.
"And the silver poisoning?" Morrison's voice was deceptively casual.
"Nearly fatal. She saved my life using her healing abilities."
"Healing abilities." Morrison repeated the words like he was tasting something bitter. "Interesting. Because we have reports that the forbidden magic detected in the territories involves healing magic. Bond healing magic specifically. The kind that can manipulate mate bonds themselves."
Mara made a small sound like a wounded animal.
"All healers will be tested," Morrison said, his eyes never leaving Mara's face. "Especially those who are connected to Alphas. We cannot risk infiltration from bond witches who might use their position to damage pack leadership from within."
He stood up, which meant the council meeting was over. But his final words hung in the air like a death sentence.
"Three days, Alpha Davros. Your healer will report for testing in three days. Pray that she passes."
Kael led Mara out of the council building into the fading light of evening. She was shaking so badly he thought she might collapse.
"We will find a way," he said quietly. "I will protect you."
But even as he said it, he knew it was not true. He could not protect her from the council. Could not protect her from his own laws. Could not protect her from the consequences of using magic that was supposed to burn out of existence.
Three days.
In three days, everything would change.