The pack decides

Lucian didn’t take me to the police.

He didn’t take me to a hospital.

He took me somewhere I couldn’t have found on my own, even if I tried.

We drove out of the busy part of the city and into an area that looked normal at first—older buildings, quieter streets, less traffic. Then we turned into a private underground garage that definitely wasn’t normal.

The doors shut behind us like they were sealing in a secret.

I sat there in the passenger seat, trying to steady my breathing. My hands were still shaking. Not because of the wolves—because of what happened when I raised my hands and threw one back like it weighed nothing.

“What am I?” I asked quietly.

Lucian didn’t answer right away. He parked, turned off the engine, and sat still like he was thinking hard.

“You’re trouble,” he said finally.

I stared at him. “That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only safe one right now.”

I scoffed and pushed my door open. “So where are we?”

He got out too, shut the door, and looked at me.

“You’re going to meet the council,” he said.

My stomach dropped. “The what?”

“The pack council,” he corrected. “They govern the territories. They make laws. They decide what happens when something… unusual shows up.”

Unusual.

“That’s me,” I said flatly.

“Yes.”

I swallowed hard and tried to ignore the tightness in my chest. “And what exactly are they deciding?”

Lucian’s jaw clenched. “If you live.”

I froze.

He didn’t say it like a threat. He said it like a fact.

“That’s insane,” I whispered.

“Welcome to my world,” he replied.

We walked to a private elevator. Lucian pressed his palm to a panel, and it lit up. The doors opened smoothly, and we stepped in.

The elevator went down.

And down.

My ears popped. The air changed. Cooler. Heavier. Like we were sinking into the ground instead of riding an elevator.

When the doors opened, I stepped out into a stone corridor lit by dim amber lights. The walls were carved, scratched in places like something with claws had dragged down them. I smelled earth and metal.

Blood.

I didn’t flinch.

I didn’t know why. I just… didn’t.

Lucian glanced at me.

“You’re calm,” he said.

“I’m not calm,” I replied. “I’m just tired of acting shocked. Everything about my life has been strange. This is just… a different kind of strange.”

His eyes stayed on my face longer than necessary.

Then he looked away. “Stay close.”

I followed him down the corridor.

The closer we got to the chamber, the louder the voices became. Low murmurs. Occasional growls. The sound of a crowd waiting for something to happen.

For me.

Lucian stopped in front of a set of heavy double doors.

“You need to listen,” he said quietly.

“I’ve been listening,” I snapped.

“No,” he said, meeting my gaze. “You need to listen even when you want to speak. Don’t challenge them. Don’t insult them. Don’t give them a reason.”

“A reason for what?” I asked.

His eyes darkened. “To make an example out of you.”

My chest tightened, but I nodded.

Lucian pushed the doors open.

The council chamber smelled like stone, sweat, and old blood.

It was a large circular room carved into the earth. Torches lined the walls. The ceiling was high and dark. And every seat was filled.

Dozens of wolves stared at me.

Gold eyes. Green eyes. Dark eyes. Some looked human. Some didn’t. Some had that same wild, slightly wrong energy I’d felt from the man who tried to track me earlier.

Whispers rippled through the room as I stepped inside.

“She’s human.”

“That’s her.”

“The rejected one.”

“She smells like bond.”

My jaw tightened.

At the center of the room were five elders seated on a raised platform. The oldest was a woman with silver streaks in her hair and eyes like cold amber.

Her gaze locked on me immediately.

“Belle Griffin,” she said. “Step forward.”

Lucian’s shoulders tensed.

“She stands with me,” he said.

The elder’s eyes flicked to him. “She stands where the pack decides.”

The word decides landed like a verdict.

Lucian turned slightly toward me. “Stay close,” he murmured. “No matter what they say.”

I nodded and stepped forward into the center of the circle.

The floor beneath my feet felt warm.

Not metaphorically.

Actually warm.

Like it had a heartbeat.

The elder studied me with a face that didn’t soften.

“You are human,” she said. “And yet you carry the scent of a bond.”

Murmurs rose instantly.

“A mistake.”

“A weakness.”

“A threat.”

Heat crawled up my spine, but I kept my face calm.

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” I said. “I didn’t ask to be here. And I didn’t ask to be judged.”

A ripple of laughter moved through the chamber.

Lucian’s low growl made the room go quiet.

The elder raised one hand, and silence snapped into place again.

“You were marked,” she continued. “And then rejected.”

The word hit hard.

Even though I was trying to act tough, my stomach twisted.

Lucian went still beside me.

The elder turned to him.

“Alpha Andrews,” she said, her voice calm but sharp. “You recognized her as your fated mate.”

The chamber went still.

“And you rejected her,” she finished.

Lucian’s jaw clenched. “Yes.”

Gasps and murmurs erupted immediately.

“You would deny fate?” another elder demanded.

“I would deny chaos,” Lucian replied coldly. “Claiming her would endanger the pack.”

“And rejecting her endangers her,” the silver-haired elder replied. “You know the law.”

My stomach dropped.

“What law?” I asked before I could stop myself.

The elder’s gaze returned to me, assessing.

“A rejected mate becomes unclaimed,” she said.

Unclaimed.

The word tasted wrong in my mouth.

“Unprotected,” she continued. “Unbound. Vulnerable to challenge.”

Lucian moved instantly, stepping forward. “No one will touch her.”

The elder’s eyes hardened. “You forfeited that right when you turned your back on her.”

The room buzzed with approval.

My chest tightened painfully.

“So you’re voting on whether I live or die?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.

The elder looked at me like I was a child who didn’t understand the rules.

“We are deciding whether you remain among us.”

Lucian’s control cracked.

“She is not property,” he snapped. “You do not get to—”

“You taught us otherwise,” someone said from the side.

I turned.

A man leaned casually against one of the pillars, expression easy, eyes sharp. He looked like Lucian in some ways—same height, same confident posture—but his energy was different.

Less controlled. More playful.

More dangerous in a quiet way.

“Well,” he said, pushing off the pillar, “this is awkward.”

Lucian’s eyes flashed. “This doesn’t concern you.”

The man smiled. “Everything concerning the throne concerns me.”

He walked closer, stopping a few feet from me.

“So,” he said lightly, “you’re the human who made my brother forget himself.”

I bristled. “I didn’t make anyone do anything.”

His smile widened. “Oh, I like her.”

Lucian’s growl echoed in the chamber.

The elder frowned. “Enough. This council convenes to decide the human’s fate.”

My heart pounded.

“And what choices do I get?” I asked quietly.

The elder tilted her head. “You may leave.”

Relief flickered for half a second—then died.

“Alone,” she added. “Without protection. Without claim. Without sanctuary.”

Lucian swore under his breath.

“Or,” she continued, “you may remain under observation, stripped of all expectation of bond or future claim.”

I let out a short laugh.

“So either I die out there, or I stay here knowing I’ll never belong.”

The elder didn’t deny it.

Lucian turned toward me, anguish flickering across his face. “Belle—”

I raised a hand.

“Don’t,” I said quietly. “Don’t speak for me again.”

The room fell silent.

I looked around the chamber—the elders, the watching wolves, the politics disguised as tradition.

“I won’t beg,” I said. “And I won’t disappear quietly to make you comfortable.”

The floor beneath my feet pulsed.

Lucian noticed.

“So here’s my choice,” I continued. “I stay. Not because you allow it—but because you don’t get to erase me.”

Gasps erupted.

The elder’s eyes narrowed. “You misunderstand your position.”

“No,” I said, feeling heat rise in my chest. “You misunderstand mine.”

The light surged.

Not blinding, but clear. Controlled. Like it had been waiting.

A low hum vibrated through the chamber. Torches flared higher. Wolves shifted uneasily.

“What is she doing?” someone whispered.

The elder stood abruptly. “Enough!”

But it was too late.

The light answered me.

Not rage. Not fear.

Choice.

I felt something inside me stretch awake, like a muscle I hadn’t used in years.

Lucian stared at me like he was seeing me for the first time.

“She’s not human,” someone breathed.

The man by the pillar—Lucas—stopped smiling.

The light faded as quickly as it came.

My legs went weak.

Lucian caught me immediately, his hands warm and steady.

“You felt that,” I whispered.

“Yes,” he said hoarsely.

The elder’s voice had a slight shake to it now.

“The First Luna’s bloodline was erased.”

Lucas’s voice was quiet, almost amused. “And yet here she stands.”

The room erupted into chaos.

“No,” the elder snapped. “This council is adjourned.”

She turned sharply to Lucian.

“Alpha Andrews, until we determine the extent of her threat, the human will remain under pack custody.”

Lucian’s eyes burned. “She stays with me.”

“No,” the elder replied. “You’ve proven you cannot be trusted with her.”

That landed like a slap.

Lucian’s hands tightened around me.

“I will not let you take her.”

The elder met his gaze. “Then you will stand against your own pack.”

Silence fell.

Lucian looked down at me, conflict tearing him apart.

I met his gaze steadily.

“Choose,” I said softly. “But this time—choose knowing I’m watching.”

Something broke in his eyes.

“I choose you,” he said.

The declaration echoed through the chamber like a challenge.

The elders recoiled.

Lucas smiled slowly, something dark and pleased lighting his face.

“Well,” he said lightly, “this just got interesting.”

And deep inside me, the light stirred again.

Not scared.

Not confused.

Hungry.