chapter 10: The Ghost Walks In

*Chapter 10: The Ghost Walks In*

I stared at Kieran’s hand.

In front of 50 people. 

The Alpha who rejected my sister was now claiming me.

My fingers trembled as I took it. His grip was warm. Possessive. 

The second our skin touched, the mark on my neck burned.

Whispers turned to shouts.

“This is wrong!”

“She’s just like Mae!”

“The moon goddess has lost her mind!”

Kieran squeezed my hand once. “Enough.”

The room went silent.

“We will discuss this in private,” he said. “Council dismissed.”

But we never made it to his office.

Because the great doors of the meeting hall slammed open.

And she walked in.

Mae.

My sister.

The entire pack gasped.

Three months. It had been three months since Kieran threw her out in front of everyone. Her hair was longer. Her eyes were harder. And around her neck... a silver collar. 

The collar of a rogue.

But she was walking in here like she owned the place.

Behind her, two unfamiliar wolves. Scarred. Dangerous. Not pack.

“Mae,” I whispered.

Her eyes found mine. Then they dropped to our joined hands. To my neck. 

To the black mark.

For one second, her face cracked. Hurt. Betrayal. Pain.

Then it was gone. Replaced with ice.

“Well,” Mae said, voice loud and clear. “This is interesting.”

Kieran stepped in front of me. Instinct. Protection. 

“You’re not allowed here, Mae. You’re rogue.”

“I know the law, Alpha,” she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “A rogue can enter pack territory to address the council. Especially when it concerns a matter of the moon goddess.”

Elder Voss stood up fast. “What do you want?”

Mae’s gaze never left me. “I want to see the girl who took my place.”

The words were a slap.

“I didn’t take anything,” I said, stepping out from behind Kieran. My voice shook but I forced it steady. “The moon chose.”

“The moon chose?” Mae laughed. It was bitter. “The moon chose the 16 year old who watched me get rejected? How convenient for you, little sister.”

“Kieran didn’t—”

“Shut up.” Mae’s eyes flashed. “You don’t get to say his name.”

Kieran growled. Low. Dangerous. “Don’t talk to her like that.”

Mae turned to him. “Or what? You’ll mark me too? Oh wait, you already did that. And then threw me away like trash.”

The hall was so quiet you could hear breathing.

“I made a mistake,” Kieran said, and I swear the whole room froze. “With you. With her. The bond wasn’t supposed to—”

“Save it.” Mae cut him off. She walked closer. Right up to me. 

She was taller now. Stronger. 

She reached out and her cold fingers pushed my hair aside, exposing the black mark fully.

The crowd hissed.

“A forced bond,” Mae murmured. “Black. The moon’s punishment.” She looked at me. “Do you know what that means, Rejoice?”

I shook my head.

“It means he can never truly love you. It means the bond will hurt. Every. Single. Day.” She leaned in. “And it means I’m here to make sure you regret it.”

Fear shot through me.

Before I could react, one of the scarred wolves behind Mae stepped forward.

“Alpha Kieran Blackwood,” he said. Deep voice. Not pack. “I am Gamma Rafe of the Shadow Moon Pack. We have come to claim the rogue Mae. She is under our protection now.”

Claim. Protection.

My stomach dropped. Mae wasn’t alone anymore.

Kieran’s eyes went gold. “She was born in this pack. She stays under my law.”

“She rejected your law when you rejected her,” Rafe said. “Now she has new pack. New Alpha.”

New Alpha.

Mae lifted her chin. “I’m not here to fight, Kieran. I’m here to warn you.” She looked at the mark on my neck again. “Black bonds break people. They drive Alphas mad. They destroy packs.” She turned to leave. “You have one month before it turns on you. Enjoy it while it lasts, sister.”

And then she walked out. 

With her new wolves. 

Leaving me, Kieran, and a pack full of people who now hated me twice as much.

The doors closed behind her.

Kieran turned to me. His face was pale.

“One month,” he whispered.

The mark on my neck pulsed. 

And for the first time, I was scared of it too.

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