Chapter thirteen:Proof of the bond

The decision of the Elders didn’t come the next day, or the one after.

Instead, tension lingered like a storm cloud hanging over the Carter-Monroe household. Every knock at the door, every unexpected call, made Alex’s heart stutter. The waiting was worse than the confrontation itself.

On the fourth day, a letter arrived. Hand-delivered. Stamped with the black crest of the Elder Council.

Daniel opened it in the living room while Rachel and the boys stood silently nearby.

His eyes scanned the paper. His jaw tightened.

“They’ve summoned both of you,” he said, looking between Brian and Alex. “Tomorrow morning.”

Alex’s blood ran cold. “Why me?”

“They want proof,” Brian answered quietly. “Of the bond.”

Rachel stepped forward. “They can’t force that.”

“They won’t need to,” Alex whispered. “They’ll watch for it. Smell it. Sense it. Like wolves do when another’s mate is close.”

Brian nodded. “We’ll give them what they want.”

But Alex could already feel the pressure curling into his stomach like a stone. Being around Brian in private was one thing—intimate, natural. But standing in front of people who wanted to rip them apart? That was different.

That was terrifying.

⸻

The next morning, the council hall was colder than before.

This time, Alex stood beside Brian—not behind him. The moment they entered the stone chamber, the room’s energy shifted. Alphas tensed. Betas frowned. Only Elder Donovan seemed unaffected, his gaze piercing as ever.

“You came willingly,” he noted.

“We have nothing to hide,” Brian said.

Elder Silva stood. “Then show us. Show us this bond you claim is real. Not a product of adolescent confusion or… deviant urges.”

Alex flinched, but Brian stepped in front of him like a wall of protection.

“Watch. Listen. Sense. You’ll feel it for yourselves.”

Alex placed a shaky hand on Brian’s chest. “Brian… are you sure?”

Brian nodded, his voice softer now. “I need them to know. I need you to know.”

Then, before the Elders, he tilted Alex’s chin up and kissed him.

It wasn’t frantic or rushed. It was slow. Steady. A claiming, a promise. His scent flared—raw, powerful, dominant—and Alex’s scent responded immediately, curling around them like smoke. Soft, sweet, unmistakably omega.

Gasps filled the room.

The air changed. Thickened.

Donovan slowly stood. “That’s enough.”

Brian stepped back. Alex was breathless, flushed. But more than that, something unseen had filled the room. The bond, raw and real, hung in the air like electricity.

Donovan’s eyes narrowed. “It’s true. The bond exists.”

Silva looked sick.

“But it changes nothing,” she snapped. “Rules exist for a reason.”

“Rules are meant to protect the pack,” Brian said. “Not cage it. You don’t have to accept us. But you can’t deny what the Moon Goddess chose.”

Donovan raised his hand again. “We will speak privately. You are dismissed—for now.”

Alex and Brian left the room, shoulders touching.

Outside, the sun was beginning to rise.

“They felt it,” Alex whispered.

“They had to,” Brian said. “You’re mine.”

Alex leaned on him. “And you’re mine.”

Whatever the verdict would be, their truth had been seen.

And nothing could unmake that now.