Chapter Twelve

I watch her walk out, the sound of her footsteps resounds through the hallway until it fades. She doesn't even look back as she walks out.

Her scent still lingers as she leaves, the door stays open. Every nerve in my body wants to run after her, bring her back here and make her listen.

I grit my teeth. Every muscle in me wants to chase after her, drag her back, make her listen. I don't. I sat still, barely breathing through the storm that’s brewing in my chest.

I don't like the fact that she can get to me like this. I also don't like the fact that my body still aches for the warmth of her skin.

I turn away and grab a pen from my table, gripping it tightly until the pen snapped into two. Still holding it, I slam my fist on the table. The papers stacked there tremble slightly. Mirelle’s voice cuts through the silence behind me. I pass her, walking to the hallway.

“You shouldn't be moving around,” she says calmly. “You should be resting!!”

I ignore her, not wanting to hear what she has to say.

“Rex,” she calls again, following. “Come back, don’t do something you'll regret."

I stop and glare at her. “There is nothing to regret. I will only regret it, if I don't do what I want to do now.” I groan.

Then I’m moving again. Down the hall. Past the guards who pretend not to notice my mood. My boots strike the marble floor with heavy, uneven steps. I can feel Mirelle’s presence behind me like a faint thread of calm, but I’m not in the mood for her peace.

The council chamber looms at the end of the corridor. Heavy doors carved with the sigils of old bloodlines. I shove them open without waiting for permission. The sound slams through the hall like thunder.

Five elders turn toward me, startled. Their faces twist into masks of control within seconds, but I catch the flicker of unease. They don’t expect me to come here angry. They expect obedience.

I give them neither.

“What is this madness?” I demand, stepping into the circle. “You think you can bind me without my consent?”

The eldest among them, Lord Serath, adjusts his silver robe. His voice is calm, infuriatingly calm. “Alpha Rex, you forget your place. The ritual has been decreed. The blood-seal has been done. It cannot be undone.”

“I didn’t ask for it,” I snap. “You dragged her into this. You forced…”

“Your emotions cloud your judgment,” Serath interrupts, eyes half-lidded like he’s already bored. “This is not about desire or choice. It’s about preservation. The lunar blood cannot be wasted.”

I take a step closer, my power slipping through my control. Shadows pulse at the edges of the room, responding to the anger that simmers in my chest.

“You’re using her,” I say. “You’re using both of us for your games.”

A younger councilwoman, pale and sharp, leans forward. “And yet your pack survives because of those games.”

Her words hit like a slap. The room starts to feel smaller. My pulse hammers.

“You talk about survival,” I hiss, “while you sit here playing gods.”

The shadows flare brighter, licking up the columns. A few guards flinch, hands going to their weapons. Mirelle moves quickly, stepping between me and the elders.

“Rex, stop,” she murmurs. Her voice is steady but her hands tremble. “They won’t listen if you lose control.”

“I’m done listening,” I growl.

Mirelle’s eyes search mine. “Then at least survive. For now.”

The elders start whispering among themselves, low and venomous. Serath raises his hand, cutting through the noise.

“The ceremony will continue. If you refuse, your pack will bear the consequence. The Red Moon will know no peace until the bond is complete.”

For a moment, all I hear is my own heartbeat. Slow. Heavy. Angry.

“You’re threatening me with my people,” I say.

“It is not a threat,” Serath replies. “It is the natural order.”

I laugh, but it’s the kind that sounds broken. “You think you can curse peace into obedience?”

No one answers. They don’t need to. I see it in their faces, they can. They will.

Mirelle steps closer, her hand brushing my sleeve like she’s grounding me. “Please, Rex,” she whispers. “Not here. Not now. Let’s go.”

I stand there a second longer, staring down the council. I want to burn the room, tear it apart until their smug composure cracks. But then I see Mirelle’s face, pale and pleading, and I know she’s right.

So I turn.

The air outside feels colder. Quieter. Mirelle keeps close, her footsteps quick to match mine.

“You can’t keep defying them,” she says, voice low.

“I can,” I reply. “And I will.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t understand what’s at stake. They’ll destroy everything you’ve built.”

I stop walking and look at her. “Maybe they already have.”

Mirelle sighs, glancing toward the courtyard where a few pack members are training, unaware of the storm gathering above them.

“You should think of your people, Rex. Not her.”

Hearing Mirelle bring her into this pulls something sharp out of me. “Don’t,” I say. “Don’t bring her into this.”

“You already did,” she says softly.

That silence between us stretches, heavy as iron. Then she steps closer, her tone gentler. “She’s your fate, Rex. You can fight it all you want, but it’s written now.”

I pull away from her touch. “I don’t care what’s written. I won’t have anything to do with her.”

Mirelle’s mouth opens, but I’m already walking away. The corridor feels longer now, darker. The curse inside me stirs, whispering like smoke in my blood. I can still feel her presence somewhere in the pack bright, infuriatingly alive.

When I round the corner, I see her.

She’s standing by the entrance to the hall, wrapped in that quiet defiance that always makes my chest tighten. Her eyes meet mine, and everything in me goes still for a heartbeat. Then the anger comes back, hard and fast.

I feel it boiling under my skin, pushing against my control.

All I can think is, she shouldn’t be here. Not in this place. Not after everything.

I clench my fists and force the words out through my teeth. “You.”

Her gaze doesn’t waver. “Me.”

The air between us hums with something dangerous. And just like that, all the restraint I had left threatens to crumble.