The Council’s Judgement

The pyres burned until dawn.

The stench of charred fur clung to the wind, bitter and heavy, carrying the memory of the slaughter across the pines. Lena stood at the edge of the clearing, her cloak wrapped tight, watching black smoke coil into a pale morning sky. Her hands were raw from scrubbing, but the wolf’s blood clung stubbornly beneath her nails.

The others moved around her with practiced efficiency. Wolves dragged carcasses, warriors sharpened blades already dulled by shadow flesh, hunters disappeared into the trees to scout for stragglers. None looked at her for long. Some averted their eyes. Others didn’t bother hiding their suspicion.

Human. Marked. Wrong.

The whispers weren’t loud, but they carried.

When Kade returned from the far edge of the woods, the pack parted for him without question. He walked through the smoke bare-chested, his skin streaked with dried blood, his golden eyes hard. Every movement screamed authority, raw and undeniable.

And yet, Lena felt the heat of their stares shift to her as soon as he reached for her wrist. Possessive. Claiming. A declaration in front of every soul gathered.

“She walks with me,” Kade said, his voice cutting through the murmurs. “To council.”

Lena stiffened. Council. The word thrummed with weight, like a gavel about to fall.

Darius arched a brow but said nothing, only adjusted the strap of his blade across his chest. Mara spat into the snow, her grin sharp and feral. The others exchanged glances, some wary, some openly hostile. But no one challenged Kade.

The march back to Blackwood was a blur of shadows and cold. Lena’s body ached from the fight, her legs heavy, her mind heavier still. The bond simmered like a fever beneath her skin. Every time her thoughts strayed, it dragged her back to Kade—the heat of his hands, the weight of his gaze, the brand of his bite still throbbing at her neck.

She hated it. She hated him. And yet… part of her moved in step with him as if pulled by invisible threads.

By the time they reached the heart of the territory, the sun had clawed its way above the trees, washing the stone spires of Blackwood Keep in pale light. The fortress rose from the mountain like it had grown there, its walls blackened with age, its battlements sharp against the sky.

Two sentries shifted at the gates, eyes widening at the sight of Lena at Kade’s side. They dropped into bows, their gaze flicking warily toward her before snapping back to their Alpha.

The doors groaned open.

Inside, the air was colder than the snow outside. Stone swallowed sound, thick and heavy, so every footstep echoed. Torches lined the hall, their flames struggling against the chill. At the far end, beneath a vaulted ceiling etched with runes, a circle of chairs waited.

The Council.

Six elders sat in a half-moon, cloaked in black, their faces carved with lines of age and power. They were wolves, yes, but older than any she had seen, their eyes carrying centuries. Gold dulled to amber, some near white with clouding—but sharp, all the same.

Lena’s breath caught. These weren’t just leaders. They were judgment given form.

The pack filed in, forming a ring around the chamber. Kade’s presence filled the space like a storm. He didn’t bow. Didn’t yield. He stood tall, his hand heavy on Lena’s shoulder, his eyes daring the council to speak first.

It was the woman in the center who broke the silence. Her hair was silver braided down her chest, her gaze like frost.

“Kade Wilder,” she said, her voice carrying the weight of command. “You bring a human before this council. Explain.”

The murmurs swelled. Lena swallowed hard, the blood roaring in her ears. She had thought the pack’s whispers cruel, but here, beneath the gaze of these wolves, she felt stripped bare. Exposed. Small.

“She carries my mark,” Kade said simply. His voice was gravel, steady, absolute.

A ripple passed through the chamber.

The silver-haired elder’s eyes narrowed. “Do you understand the weight of what you claim? The law is clear. No human may be bound to the Alpha. No outsider may carry the bloodmark.”

Kade’s jaw flexed. “The law has never met her.”

Lena wanted to speak, to deny it, to scream that she hadn’t chosen this. But the words stuck like stone in her throat. Because the heat at her neck pulsed, and every elder in that circle could hear it. Smell it.

“She was attacked,” Kade continued. “The rogues would have torn her apart. My bite saved her.”

Another elder leaned forward, his beard long and white, his eyes sharp as flint. “Or doomed her. You’ve brought a liability into our heart. A weakness for your enemies to exploit. Already Ronan moves against us.”

The name cracked through the air like a whip. Lena flinched. Ronan. The rival Alpha. The shadow wolves.

The silver-haired woman’s gaze pinned Lena. “Step forward, human.”

Her legs felt carved of ice, but she moved. Each step echoed in the hollow chamber until she stood beneath their scrutiny.

“What is your name?” the elder asked.

“Lena Carter,” she managed, her voice thin but steady.

“And do you understand what has been done to you?”

Her throat closed. She glanced at Kade, but his eyes were on the council, unreadable.

“I… I know he bit me,” she whispered. “I know I didn’t choose it.”

A murmur ran through the hall. Some wolves sneered. Others tilted their heads, curious.

The elder’s mouth curved in something like pity. “Then you are already lost. The mark binds, whether chosen or not. The Alpha’s blood runs in your veins now. You cannot run from it. You cannot undo it. You are his.”

Lena’s heart slammed. The words pressed down like chains.

But before she could speak, Kade stepped forward, his voice sharp as steel.

“She is mine. And through her, Blackwood gains strength. Challenge it, and you challenge me.”

The council chamber erupted—voices rising, some outraged, some wary. Wolves snarled, growled, shifted in agitation.

And Lena stood frozen, her pulse thundering, as the weight of his words sank in. She wasn’t just a trespasser anymore. Not just prey.

She was a storm about to break the laws of their world.

The chamber shook with voices. Snarls rose, claws scraped stone, whispers hissed like arrows in the air. Lena stood in the center of the storm, heat crawling up her neck where the mark pulsed like fire.

The silver-haired elder lifted her hand. Silence fell like a blade.

“You claim strength,” she said to Kade. “But the bond to a human brings danger. We cannot take your word alone. The pack must see.”

Kade’s lips pulled back from his teeth. “You dare—”

“Enough.” Her eyes cut to Lena, sharp as knives. “The human will be tested.”

Lena’s stomach plummeted. Tested?

“What kind of test?” she asked, though her voice barely carried.

The elder’s gaze was merciless. “The bond either bends her… or breaks her.”

Two wolves stepped forward, dragging a brazier into the chamber. Coals glowed within, heat shimmering against the cold stone. Another wolf placed a dagger across the flames. Its blade glowed red.

Lena’s breath caught. “You can’t be serious—”

“This is the rite of endurance,” the elder said, her voice cold. “If the bond is true, she will survive. If it is not… she burns.”

Kade moved before she finished speaking. His body loomed, golden eyes blazing, voice a growl. “You will not touch her.”

The elders did not flinch. “If she fails, the mark is weakness. If she survives, she stands beside you in truth. Is that not what you want, Alpha?”

The chamber held its breath. The challenge was clear. Refuse, and Kade admitted his mate was too fragile. Accept, and risk her life before them all.

Lena’s pulse thundered in her ears. She felt Kade’s fury through the bond, hot enough to sear, a storm barely contained. His hand twitched at his side like he wanted to tear the elders apart.

And yet… deep inside her chest, something answered.

Not fear. Not submission. A spark.

“I’ll do it.” The words left her mouth before she realized she’d spoken.

Every eye snapped to her. Kade’s most of all. He turned, his expression murderous. “No.”

She forced herself to lift her chin. Her voice shook, but she held it steady. “You think I’m weak? Fine. Let me prove I’m not.”

The murmurs swelled again. Some approving. Some mocking. But the elders nodded. The silver-haired woman inclined her head.

“So be it.”

The dagger was lifted from the coals. Its blade glowed white-hot. The heat licked the air, burning her throat.

One of the elders spoke. “Bare your arm, human.”

Kade snarled. “Touch her, and you’ll answer to me.”

Lena caught his wrist. His skin burned hot beneath her fingers. She met his furious gaze. “If you fight this, they’ll never accept me. And neither will your pack.”

The bond writhed between them. Rage, terror, possession. But beneath it all, pride. Reluctant. Savage.

Slowly, his jaw clenched, his chest heaved, and he stepped back.

Lena rolled up her sleeve. Her hand trembled, but she held her arm out, refusing to flinch.

The dagger touched her skin.

Agony exploded. White fire seared through her flesh, a scream ripping from her throat. The scent of burning filled the chamber. Her knees buckled, but she refused to collapse.

The bond surged.

Suddenly, she wasn’t alone in the pain. Kade’s roar shook the walls, his fury pouring through her veins. She felt his strength, his rage, his demand that she endure. And deeper still—she felt his pride, his belief. Mine. Strong enough. Survive.

Her vision blurred, black edging in. The dagger lifted, leaving behind a blistered brand. The mark at her neck pulsed, glowing faintly in the torchlight, the wound healing even as smoke curled from her skin.

Lena gasped, clutching her arm. Her skin was raw, but not destroyed. The bond had carried her through.

Silence filled the chamber.

The elder’s voice broke it. “The bond holds.”

A murmur rippled through the wolves. Not whispers of weakness now—but of awe, shock, even fear.

Kade moved like a storm, dragging Lena against him. His arms crushed her close, his chest heaving against her back. His voice was a snarl in her ear, low and raw.

“Never again,” he rasped. “Never again will you bleed for them.”

The council did not argue. They had seen. They had judged.

But before the moment could settle, the doors burst open.

A wolf staggered inside, bleeding, his fur torn to shreds. He shifted mid-collapse, a young warrior gasping for breath, eyes wide with terror.

“Message,” he choked. “From Ronan.”

He dropped a severed head at the council’s feet.

Gasps erupted. Blood pooled across the stone. The dead wolf’s eyes were glazed, his mouth torn in a permanent snarl.

Carved into his chest was a single word.

MATE.

The chamber erupted in chaos. Wolves howled, snarled, voices clashing like thunder. The elders shouted for silence. But Lena couldn’t hear any of it.

Her knees locked, her vision blurred, her stomach turned cold.

Because she understood.

Ronan wasn’t just coming for the pack. He was coming for her.

And he wanted to claim her blood as his own.