Rules and teeth

They didn’t drag me away.

That surprised me.

I’d expected hands on my arms, voices barking orders, something rough and humiliating to remind me that I didn’t belong here. Instead, two guards stepped forward calmly, like this was routine, like I was just another problem to be managed.

Lucian noticed.

His body went rigid beside me, his jaw clenched so tightly I could see the muscle jump.

“I’m not leaving her,” he said.

The silver-haired elder didn’t even look at him. “You already made your choice, Alpha Andrews. This is the consequence.”

I felt Lucian’s hand brush mine—just barely. Not enough to be comforting. Not enough to stop the ache spreading through my chest.

“Belle,” he said quietly. “I’ll fix this.”

I didn’t answer.

I didn’t trust myself to.

The guards gestured toward the side exit, and I followed them without resistance. I could feel eyes on my back as I walked out of the chamber. Some curious. Some wary. Some openly hostile.

And a few… calculating.

The corridor beyond the council room felt colder than before. The stone walls pressed in, and the hum beneath my feet hadn’t faded. If anything, it felt stronger now, like the place was reacting to me.

“You’re being relocated,” one of the guards said.

“Where?” I asked.

“A guest wing.”

I snorted softly. “That’s one word for it.”

He didn’t respond.

They led me to a room that looked almost normal—wide bed, stone walls softened by rugs, a small sitting area, even a bathroom with hot water. If I ignored the reinforced door and the lack of windows, it could almost pass for a hotel room.

Almost.

“You are not a prisoner,” the second guard said stiffly.

“But I’m not free,” I replied.

He hesitated, then nodded once. “Correct.”

The door closed behind them with a heavy click.

I stood there for a long moment, staring at the stone wall across from me.

Pack custody.

Unclaimed.

Watched.

I sank onto the edge of the bed and rubbed my face with both hands.

“Great,” I muttered. “This is going great.”

I hadn’t even had time to process the light, the way it had poured out of me like it had been waiting. I didn’t know what it meant. I didn’t know what I was.

All I knew was that the council was afraid.

And Lucian…

Lucian had chosen me.

The thought sent a confusing mix of warmth and anger through my chest.

He chose me now.

After rejecting me.

After letting them call me unclaimed.

After watching them debate whether I deserved to exist.

I stood abruptly and began pacing the room.

He didn’t get to decide when I mattered.

The door opened less than an hour later.

Lucian stepped inside.

The tension hit instantly.

He closed the door behind him, his movements controlled, deliberate. He looked… tired. Not physically. Something deeper.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I said flatly.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “They can’t stop me yet.”

“Yet,” I echoed. “That’s comforting.”

He took a step closer. “Belle—”

“No,” I said, holding up a hand. “We’re not doing that.”

His brows furrowed. “Doing what?”

“Pretending everything’s fine,” I snapped. “Pretending you didn’t reject me and then turn around and claim me in front of the entire pack when it suited you.”

His eyes darkened. “I didn’t claim you.”

“You stood there and said you chose me,” I shot back. “What do you think that sounded like?”

“I meant it,” he said immediately.

“That doesn’t erase what you did before.”

Silence stretched between us.

Lucian exhaled slowly. “You’re right.”

That caught me off guard.

“You humiliated me,” I continued, the words spilling out now that I’d started. “You told me to go home. You told me you rejected me. And then you looked shocked when I didn’t crumble quietly.”

His shoulders dropped slightly.

“I thought pushing you away would keep you safe,” he said.

“And how’s that working out?” I gestured around the room.

“Not well.”

“At least we agree on something.”

He took another step closer, then stopped, like he wasn’t sure if touching me would make things worse.

“There are rules now,” he said instead.

I crossed my arms. “Of course there are.”

“You don’t leave this wing without escort.”

“Expected.”

“You don’t speak to Lucas alone.”

That made me pause. “Why?”

Lucian’s eyes hardened. “Because he enjoys chaos.”

“Isn’t that rich, coming from you?”

He didn’t argue.

“And,” he added, his voice lower, “you don’t provoke the bond.”

I laughed. “I don’t even know how I did that the first time.”

“You challenged the pack,” he said. “You stood your ground.”

“So being myself is provoking it?”

“Yes.”

I stared at him. “That sounds like a pack problem.”

Something like amusement flickered across his face before disappearing.

“You’re not afraid of us,” he said.

“I’m not afraid of monsters,” I replied. “I’m afraid of being powerless.”

His gaze softened, just a little.

“That makes you dangerous,” he said.

“Good.”

The word slipped out before I could stop it.

Lucian studied me closely now. “You don’t understand what you’re stepping into.”

“Then explain it,” I said. “Because everyone keeps making decisions about my life without bothering to include me.”

He hesitated.

“The pack is old,” he said slowly. “They don’t like change. They don’t like unknown bloodlines. And they especially don’t like a human woman who can push wolves across a street without touching them.”

I swallowed. “You think they’ll try again.”

“I know they will.”

The room felt suddenly smaller.

“What kind of tests?” I asked.

Lucian didn’t answer immediately.

“Lucian.”

“They’ll call it tradition,” he said finally. “They’ll say it’s about safety. Control. Proof.”

“Proof of what?”

“That you’re worth keeping.”

Anger flared hot and sharp in my chest.

“I don’t need their approval.”

“No,” he agreed quietly. “But you need their restraint.”

I turned away, pacing again.

“Why do you stay?” I asked suddenly.

He frowned. “What?”

“With them,” I clarified. “With a pack that treats people like chess pieces.”

“Because if I don’t,” he said, “someone worse will take my place.”

I stopped and looked at him.

“And you think that makes you the lesser evil?”

His mouth curved into a humorless smile. “I know it does.”

We stood there, staring at each other, the bond humming between us like a live wire.

“I don’t hate you,” I said finally.

His breath hitched.

“But I don’t trust you,” I continued. “And you don’t get to touch me like you own me.”

“I never said I owned you.”

“You act like it.”

“Because every instinct I have is screaming to protect you.”

“And every instinct I have,” I shot back, “is screaming not to belong to anyone who didn’t choose me the first time.”

That one hurt.

He stepped back like I’d shoved him.

“Fair,” he said quietly.

The door opened again before either of us could say more.

Lucas leaned against the frame, smiling like he’d just walked into a show he was enjoying.

“Well,” he drawled, “this is cozy.”

Lucian’s posture shifted instantly. “Leave.”

Lucas chuckled. “Relax. I’m just checking on our guest.”

His eyes slid to me. “You look good for someone who just scared half the council.”

“I aim to impress,” I replied coolly.

His smile widened.

“I told them you’d be interesting.”

Lucian moved closer to me, not touching, but clearly positioning himself between us.

“Stay away from her,” he warned.

Lucas raised his hands. “I’m not the enemy here.”

“That’s exactly what worries me,” I said.

He laughed. “I like you.”

“I’m sure you do.”

Lucas’s gaze lingered on me a moment longer before he stepped back.

“Rest while you can,” he said lightly. “The pack doesn’t like unanswered questions.”

When he left, the door closed with a heavy thud.

Lucian swore under his breath.

“Let me guess,” I said. “That wasn’t a friendly visit.”

“No,” he replied. “That was curiosity.”

“And curiosity leads to tests,” I said.

“Yes.”

I met his gaze, my resolve settling.

“Then let them test me.”

Lucian stared at me, something fierce and conflicted in his eyes.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

I shrugged. “I didn’t ask for any of this either.”

The bond pulsed between us—sharp, alive, undeniable.

“This is going to get worse,” he said.

I nodded.

“I know,” I replied. “But at least this time, I’ll be standing when it happens.”

He looked at me like he wanted to argue.

Like he wanted to pull me into his arms and keep me there.

Instead, he turned toward the door.

“I’ll be nearby,” he said. “No matter what they try.”

I watched him leave, my emotions tangled and raw.

Love and anger.

Trust and resentment.

Fear and defiance.

I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The pack thought they were in control.

They weren’t.

They had just invited me to prove them wrong.