Chapter 6

I stared at Holton. For a second I thought I'd heard him wrong.

Once the Elder Council opens a formal trial under pack law, everything gets reopened. My status, my territorial share, even ten years of service. All of it, back on the table.

All because I slapped Marlene.

Grace was already calling the guards.

Holton stood there and didn't stop her.

In that moment, the man in front of me became terrifyingly unfamiliar.

I pulled out my phone and called an old friend from the academy.

She was still laughing when the call connected.

"Irene, eight whole years and you finally remembered I exist?"

"Don't tell me you're doing the official Moon Ceremony with Holton and you want to send me an invite?"

I looked at Holton in the distance. My voice was flat.

"No."

"Holton wants to put me in front of the Elder Council."

"Your mate is the most respected judge across all the territories, right?"

"I need him here."

Two seconds of silence.

Then an explosion.

"What?!"

"The man who built Silver Moon with you is going to put you on trial?!"

"Irene, don't be scared. I'm bringing people right now!"

The call dropped. I looked up.

Holton was watching me.

His lips moved. Nothing came out.

I knew. He was starting to regret it.

We'd been together eight years.

Building Silver Moon, we'd fought countless times. Over territory, warriors, hunting grounds, alliances. There were nights we didn't speak at all.

But those fights never truly hurt.

Holton once went deep into the northern snowfields alone to find me a rare moonstone. I made it into a necklace. I've worn it ever since.

One winter, I mentioned offhand that I missed him while I was stuck at a border post. He rode a snow wolf through the night and showed up at my camp by dawn.

He was shaking from the cold. Lips white. But still grinning. "Miss me?"

And the hardest year. The very first one. Silver Moon had just been founded. Holton took warriors north to trade for food and got ambushed. A caravan boss trapped him with a fake debt contract and tried to strip the pack of everything.

When I got there, he was locked in an abandoned stone hut, beaten bloody.

The men saw me, just a young she-wolf, and didn't take me seriously.

I pulled the hunting blade from my belt.

"Let my mate go."

"Or I'll show you what blood debt really means."

That night, I fought our way out.

Later, he told me it was the most humiliating moment of his life. But also the moment he knew for certain he was in love with me.

He said I was the person who saved his life.

He said no matter how big Silver Moon grew, he would always stand beside me.

And now, the first person handing a blade to the Elder Council was him.

Thinking about all of it, I found I had no more tears left.

In the distance, guard footsteps were approaching.

Marlene stood at Holton's side, triumph barely hidden behind her eyes.

After a long silence, Holton finally spoke. Low.

"Just apologize to Marlene. We'll let the whole thing go."

"Leave Silver Moon, and I won't come after you."

His voice sounded like he was doing me a final favor.

I looked up at him.

Behind me on the mountain road, a black SUV had already pulled to a stop.

My friend stepped out, flanked by two escorts and a tribunal judge.

I looked at Holton and slowly shook my head.

"Too late."

This time, I wasn't turning back.

Behind me, the judge's voice carried clearly through the mountain wind.

"Silver Moon Alpha Holton. Regarding allegations of violating the Mate oath, abuse of pack authority, and deliberate framing of a pack member, the Judgment of the Moon has formally begun."

My feet didn't stop.

This time, the one staying in Silver Moon wasn't me.

It was him, and everything he had coming.