Chapter6:A bride with her own terms

The first rule of surviving a new pack was simple.

Never let them see you as a weakness.

I had learned that lesson in Bloodfang, where years of loyalty had earned me nothing when Lucien decided another woman was more valuable. I wouldn’t make the same mistake in Nightthorn.

So when a servant arrived the following morning to escort me to breakfast with the ruling council, I chose the dark dress hanging beside my wardrobe, pinned my red hair away from my face, and followed her without complaint.

If they intended to examine their future Luna, I would give them something worth remembering.

The council chamber occupied the eastern wing of the fortress. Tall windows overlooked the training grounds, where warriors practiced beneath the watchful eyes of their commanders. A long table dominated the room, with Darius seated at its head.

He looked up as I entered.

His gaze paused briefly on my face before he gestured toward the empty chair beside him.

I took it.

Across the table, the council members watched me with varying degrees of disapproval.

The scarred councilman from yesterday sat closest to Darius’s right. He regarded me as though he was still deciding whether my survival was a blessing or a problem.

“Seraphina Vale,” Darius began, “you know most of the council’s concerns. Today, we’ll discuss your position after the wedding.”

“How reassuring. I was beginning to think I’d be married and locked in a tower.”

One of the older council members frowned.

Darius, however, simply folded his hands on the table.

“Nobody is locking you in a tower.”

“Excellent. Then we can begin.”

A younger councilman cleared his throat.

“Your arrival has created uncertainty. You were once promised to Alpha Lucien Draven. Your marriage to our Alpha could be interpreted as a political challenge to Bloodfang.”

“It is a political challenge,” I replied. “Lucien chose to make my life part of his alliance. I’m choosing to build a future without him.”

“Your personal grievances are not our concern.”

“Then stop questioning me about them.”

The man’s expression darkened.

“You’re asking this pack to accept a woman whose loyalty has not been proven.”

I leaned back in my chair.

“You’re asking me to accept a pack that has already decided I am unworthy before giving me an opportunity to prove myself. Perhaps we should both be careful about the assumptions we make.”

Silence settled over the table.

Darius’s expression remained unreadable, but he made no attempt to interrupt me.

The scarred councilman finally spoke.

“What would you have us do, Lady Vale?”

“Judge me by my actions. Give me responsibilities and hold me accountable for how I handle them. But don’t expect me to spend every day begging for permission to exist here.”

The older man studied me.

“And if you fail?”

“Then you’ll have a legitimate reason to criticize me.”

For the first time, his expression showed something resembling approval.

Darius rose from his chair.

“That settles the matter. Seraphina will have the authority granted to her by our marriage contract. Any additional responsibilities will be discussed between us before they are presented to the council.”

The younger councilman looked displeased.

“And the Alpha’s curse?”

The room became still.

I felt the shift immediately. Even the warriors stationed by the doors seemed to become more attentive.

Darius’s face hardened.

“That has nothing to do with today’s meeting.”

“With respect, Alpha, the woman who touched you during your last episode is about to become your wife. The pack deserves to understand the risk.”

I could have let Darius answer.

Instead, I placed my hands on the table.

“I understand that your Alpha is cursed. I also understand that the curse is dangerous. What I don’t understand is why you believe frightening me will make this marriage safer.”

The councilman stared at me.

“You could die.”

“Yes. I’ve gathered that from the repeated warnings.”

“Then perhaps you should reconsider.”

“No.”

My answer was immediate.

I had already lost too much to allow fear to make my decisions for me.

“If I wanted a safe life at any cost, I would have accepted Lucien’s offer to become his second wife. I didn’t. I’m not going to abandon my future because a room full of men has decided I’m too fragile to choose it.”

Darius turned his head toward me.

Something in his gaze made me wonder whether he expected me to be afraid.

I was afraid.

I simply refused to let fear speak for me.

“The meeting is over,” he announced.

Chairs scraped against the floor. The council members filed out, some visibly irritated, others thoughtful.

The scarred councilman lingered by the door.

“You’re either very brave or very foolish, Lady Vale.”

I rose.

“I’ve been called both. Neither has stopped me yet.”

He left without another word.

When the doors closed, Darius looked at me.

“You enjoy making enemies.”

“I’ve noticed they tend to appear whether I enjoy it or not.”

“You could have allowed me to handle the discussion.”

“I could have. But then they would have left believing you needed to speak for me.”

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“You don’t trust easily.”

“Neither do you.”

That silenced him.

For a moment, I thought he might argue. Instead, he gathered the papers from the table.

“Your first lesson in Nightthorn,” he said. “Never assume a quiet room means everyone agrees with you.”

“That sounds suspiciously like advice.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

I smiled despite myself.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

After breakfast, Darius arranged for a messenger to travel to Bloodfang with a formal request concerning Kael.

I insisted on writing the letter myself.

Lucien would ignore an appeal from Darius if he believed it would make him look weak. He might even use it to claim that Nightthorn intended to interfere with Bloodfang’s succession.

But a written request for a mother’s access to her child would be harder to twist without exposing his cruelty.

I sat at the desk in my chambers and began.

Alpha Lucien Draven,

I am writing to request a private meeting concerning our son, Kael. Whatever has happened between us, he remains my child. Your decision to keep him in Bloodfang does not erase my place in his life.

I will not ask you to reconsider our separation, nor will I interfere with your marriage to Princess Isolde. I expect the same respect in return.

I want to see my son. You know what he means to me, and I will not accept being erased from his life because our bond has ended.

Arrange a meeting within seven days.

Seraphina Vale.

I read it twice before sealing the letter.

It wasn’t an apology. It wasn’t a plea.

And it wasn’t a threat.

Not yet.

Darius entered as I handed the letter to the waiting messenger.

“You think he’ll agree?”

“No.”

“Then why send it?”

“Because when I go to get Kael, I want a record showing that I tried to resolve this peacefully. Lucien likes to present himself as the reasonable one. I’d rather not give him an excuse to make me look like the villain.”

Darius considered that.

“You’re planning several moves ahead.”

“I have a child to protect. I can’t afford to think only about what happens today.”

His expression softened almost imperceptibly.

“That’s a good instinct.”

I lifted an eyebrow.

“Was that another compliment?”

“Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Too late.”

He shook his head and left, but I caught the faintest trace of amusement before he turned away.

It was the first time I had seen him look almost comfortable around me.

I wondered how long it would take before he regretted it.

By late afternoon, the fortress had become busy with preparations for the wedding.

I spent an hour reviewing the marriage contract with the steward, ensuring that the provisions Darius and I had negotiated were properly recorded. My inheritance, personal property, and authority over my own affairs would remain mine. Any future children would not be treated as political possessions to be claimed without my consent.

The steward appeared surprised by how carefully I examined every clause.

“Most brides leave these matters to their husbands.”

“Then most brides should read their contracts.”

He lowered his eyes to hide his reaction.

I signed the final document and returned it to him.

As he gathered the papers, I noticed a sealed envelope tucked beneath the ledger.

The crest on it belonged to Bloodfang.

My stomach tightened.

“That letter arrived today?”

The steward glanced at it.

“Yes, my lady. It was delivered to the Alpha’s office.”

“Has Darius read it?”

“I couldn’t say.”

I looked at the envelope for another moment.

I wanted to take it. I wanted to tear it open and find out whether Lucien had finally agreed to let me see my son.

But the seal was unbroken, and the envelope was addressed to Darius.

I wouldn’t give Lucien the satisfaction of making me careless.

“Please inform the Alpha that I noticed the letter. If it concerns Kael, I would appreciate being included in the discussion.”

“Of course, my lady.”

I returned to my chambers before I could change my mind.

The waiting was worse than I had expected.

In Bloodfang, I had at least known where my son was, even when Lucien refused to let me hold him. Here, every hour reminded me how far away Kael had become.

I pressed my fingers against the edge of the desk.

Three days until the wedding.

Seven days until the deadline I had given Lucien.

I could endure both.

I had endured worse.

Darius found me in the library that evening, sitting beside a window with an unopened book on my lap.

“You haven’t turned a page in twenty minutes,” he observed.

I closed it.

“Perhaps the book is terrible.”

“Perhaps you’re thinking about Bloodfang.”

I looked out at the grounds.

“Did you receive a letter from Lucien?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“He hasn’t agreed to a meeting.”

I had expected the answer, but hearing it still felt like a hand closing around my throat.

“What did he say?”

“That Kael is the heir of Bloodfang and will remain under his protection. He claims your presence could destabilize the pack.”

I laughed once, without humor.

“His protection. That’s what he calls it.”

Darius pulled out the chair opposite me.

“I can send warriors to retrieve your son.”

“No.”

His brows drew together.

“You want him back.”

“I do. But Kael isn’t a stolen weapon to be dragged between two armies. He’s a child. If we storm Bloodfang, Lucien will make him a symbol of the conflict. He’ll tell Kael that I brought war to his home.”

Darius said nothing.

“I won’t let him use our son to punish me,” I continued. “We need a better plan.”

“Then we’ll make one.”

The simplicity of his answer caught me off guard.

No lecture. No warning that I was being foolish. No demand that I leave everything to him.

Just a promise that we would work together.

I looked at him carefully.

“Why are you helping me with this?”

“Because I gave you my word.”

“Most people have a reason beyond that.”

“I have several. Your marriage strengthens Nightthorn. Lucien’s alliance threatens my territory. And I don’t particularly enjoy watching powerful men use children to settle their disputes.”

His answer was practical, but I believed it.

For now, that was enough.

Darius stood.

“Get some rest. Tomorrow, we’ll discuss what we know about Bloodfang’s defenses and the people who might help us arrange a meeting.”

I nodded.

At the door, he paused.

“Seraphina?”

“Yes?”

“You handled the council well today.”

I smiled faintly.

“Careful, Alpha. Two compliments in one day might damage your reputation.”

“Then I shall try to be less generous tomorrow.”

He left before I could answer.

I sat alone in the library, the unopened book forgotten beside me.

My wedding was three days away. Lucien had refused my request, and the council was still uncertain whether I belonged in Nightthorn.

Nothing had been resolved.

But for the first time since losing Kael, I had a plan that didn’t depend on begging someone to show mercy.

I would earn my place in Nightthorn.

I would build the alliances I needed.

And when I returned to Bloodfang, I would not arrive as the woman Lucien had discarded.

I would arrive as a woman he could no longer afford to underestimate.