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The price of voluntary chains

Penulis: Lady min
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2026-01-09 17:27:12

The Council Hall had never felt so alive.

Alex felt it the moment he stepped through the towering doors—the hum of power, old authority woven into marble and glass. Eyes turned. Whispers followed. Every alpha, beta, and omega present felt the bond before they consciously recognized it.

💭 So this is what it means to be visible.

Brian walked beside him, posture rigid, expression unreadable. ❄️ He didn’t touch Alex—not because he didn’t want to, but because the Council was watching for weakness.

And Alex knew it.

A raised platform dominated the center of the hall. At its heart sat the High Circle—seven figures cloaked in ceremonial restraint.

Drew stood near them.

Smiling.

Alex’s jaw tightened, but he kept walking.

“Alex Monroe,” the lead Councillor intoned, voice amplified. “You have presented yourself for voluntary mediation regarding a destabilized mate bond.”

Alex stopped at the marked line on the floor. “I have.”

The Councillor’s gaze flicked to Brian. “Alpha Brian Carte
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  • MY BROTHER IS MY MATE   The Room Without Windows

    The room was smaller than Alex expected. No flags. No insignia. Just a long table, soft lighting, and walls painted a careful, forgettable gray. The kind of space designed to feel neutral—and succeed only if no one looked too closely. Alex felt the bond tighten, not defensively, but attentively. 💭 They want precision. A clerk checked his name, offered water, and gestured to an empty chair. Across the table sat seven people—review panelists, each with a folder and a practiced stillness. No hostility. No warmth. Politeness sharpened to a blade. “Thank you for coming,” the chair began. Her voice was calm, professional. “This session is on the record. Closed, but transcribed. You may review the transcript after.” Alex nodded. “Understood.” “We’re not here to debate,” she continued. “We’re here to understand.” Alex met her gaze. “Then I’ll answer carefully.” The first questions were structural. “Define the bond as you experience it.” “Is participation voluntary?” “How does inf

  • MY BROTHER IS MY MATE   After The Answers

    The day after the hearing felt unreal in its normalcy. Buses ran late. A bakery sold out of bread by noon. Someone argued with a parking attendant over a ticket that was absolutely deserved. Life, stubborn and untheatrical, carried on. Alex found comfort in that. 💭 If the world can stay ordinary after something breaks open, maybe it’s strong enough to change. The bond was quieter than it had been in weeks—not withdrawn, not tense. Integrated. Like a muscle that had finally learned its natural resting state. Kyla slid a tablet across the table. “Transcripts are being cited already. Two judges. One regulatory board. A university review committee.” Brian raised an eyebrow. ❄️ “That fast?” “They were waiting,” Kyla said. “The hearing gave them permission.” Alex nodded. “Permission matters to people who want to do the right thing but don’t want to stand alone.” Outside, the Council’s tone shifted—subtly, but unmistakably. Press statements began to include phrases like community i

  • MY BROTHER IS MY MATE   Questions Without a Script

    The hearing was announced as a gesture of transparency. Alex heard the words and felt the bond tighten—not in alarm, but in recognition. 💭 They wouldn’t do this unless they had to. Public hearings were messy by design. Once you opened the door, you couldn’t choose which truths walked in first. The Council had avoided them for years, preferring panels, reports, carefully filtered consultations. But the memo had changed the math. Now silence looked like confirmation. “They’re calling it an open forum,” Kyla said, scanning the announcement. “Public questions. Limited time. Moderated.” Brian’s lips thinned. ❄️ “Moderated by who?” “By a panel of five,” Kyla replied. “Two Council members. One legal scholar. One civic mediator. One… wildcard.” Alex raised an eyebrow. “Wildcard?” “Name withheld,” Kyla said. “But they insisted on independence.” The bond stirred faintly—curiosity without pull. 💭 Someone inside pushed for that. The days leading up to the hearing were tense in a ne

  • MY BROTHER IS MY MATE   What Slipped Through the Cracks

    The leak didn’t announce itself. There was no dramatic drop, no encrypted blast across channels already primed for outrage. It appeared the way truth often did now—embedded, almost polite, slipped into a space where it was assumed no one would look too closely. Alex felt it as a sudden tightening in the bond, sharp and specific, like a finger tapping glass. 💭 Someone found something they weren’t supposed to. Kyla’s slate chimed a second later. She stared at it, then looked up slowly. “We have a problem.” Brian straightened. ❄️ “Define problem.” “A memo,” Kyla said. “Internal. Council Strategy Subcommittee. Circulated three months ago.” Alex didn’t rush her. He’d learned that rushing people when they carried fragile things only made them drop them. “What kind of memo?” he asked. Kyla swallowed. “The kind that answers the question they keep pretending no one asked.” She projected it onto the wall. It wasn’t inflammatory. That was the worst part. No slurs. No threats. No gra

  • MY BROTHER IS MY MATE   The Long Silence Between Motions

    The quiet after a ruling was never empty. Alex knew that now. It had texture—thin in some places, heavy in others—like air before a storm that refused to arrive. The courts had spoken just enough to slow the Council’s hand, and in response the Council did what institutions did best when they could not win outright. They waited. The bond reflected it immediately. Not tension, not urgency—drag. A subtle pull on attention, a dulling at the edges where adrenaline used to live. 💭 This is how they exhaust you. “They’ve entered delay mode,” Kyla said, scanning the latest updates. “Requests for extensions. Supplemental briefs. Jurisdictional clarifications.” Brian leaned against the counter, arms folded. ❄️ “They’re betting people can’t hold this pace.” “They’re betting on life,” Alex said quietly. “Jobs. Kids. Rent. Fatigue.” He didn’t say it like an accusation. Just a fact. The bond hummed softly—not pushing him to respond, not offering solutions. It had learned, like Alex, that

  • MY BROTHER IS MY MATE   The Day The Law Listened

    The Council chose the courts because the streets had stopped answering them. Alex felt the shift before the filings went public—the bond tightening into a careful stillness, the way a body braces before a cold plunge. Not fear. Anticipation. The kind that comes when something long ignored finally demands attention. “They’ve moved,” Kyla said, eyes scanning the slate. “Emergency injunctions. Narrow language. Very clean.” Brian leaned closer. ❄️ “Against what, exactly?” “Against ambiguity,” Kyla replied. “They’re asking the courts to compel registration under the banner of public safety—no mention of Unbound, no mention of the bond.” Alex nodded slowly. “They’re trying to make it procedural.” 💭 If they can make it boring, they can make it permanent. The filings spread across districts in a coordinated pattern—jurisdiction shopping, friendly benches, precedent stitched together like a quilt meant to smother. The Council didn’t need to win everywhere. Just once. Just enough to c

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