CHAPTER 6: Sealing Our Fate

I looked out the passenger window into the pitch-black night. The memory of the grand hall flashed behind my eyes. Caomh’s cold stare. Dreda’s triumphant sniffle. The collective gasp of the pack when I dropped my jacket into the spilled tea. They expected me to wither away and die in the woods. They expected me to be nothing without him.

My wolf stirred. Just a small, weak flutter, but it was there. A tiny spark of pride pushing through the crushing misery of the rejection. She liked the idea of surviving. She liked the idea of making them regret it.

"If I do this," I started, testing the weight of the words on my tongue. I turned to look at him. "We set strict rules."

Cullen’s mouth twitched. "I'm listening."

"You don't touch me," I said, my voice firming up, sounding more like the healer I was trained to be. "Not behind closed doors. In public, we do what is necessary to sell the lie. We hold hands, we smile. But in private, we are strictly business."

"Agreed."

"I want my own quarters. My own space. I won't be a prisoner in your pack house. I want to continue practicing medicine. I need a clinic."

"You will have the suite adjoining mine. Separate entrances. Complete privacy," he countered easily. "And I will fund a new clinic on the Arden estate. Whatever supplies you need, you will have them by tomorrow."

"And Caomh?" I asked, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm against my ribs. "What happens when we see him?"

Cullen’s silver eyes darkened instantly. The massive, lethal predator lying just beneath his calm exterior flashed dangerously. "When Caomh Colson looks at you, he will see the Luna of the Arden Pack. If he steps out of line, I will crush him. You have my word on that."

The sheer confidence in his voice sent a strange shiver down my spine. Caomh had always been loud, boasting about his strength and demanding respect from the elders. Cullen didn't have to raise his voice. His power was a quiet, heavy current that filled the entire vehicle, wrapping around me like a shield.

"How long?" I asked.

"Until my council stops pushing the Ewart treaty. Until I secure my borders and solidify my position. A few years, at most. After that, we announce that the bond faded. You take a generous settlement and go wherever you please. You will be free."

A few years. Five hours ago, I thought my life was completely mapped out. Now, I was making a deal with the devil in the passenger seat of a moving car, speeding away from everything I knew.

But as I stared at his profile, I realized Cullen was right. I had nothing left to lose. My dignity was the only thing I carried out of the Silver Moon hall, and I refused to let it rot in the muddy woods.

"Okay," I whispered.

Cullen glanced at me. "Speak up, Meghann."

"Okay," I repeated, louder this time. I sat up straighter, rolling my shoulders back. "I'll do it. I will be your fake Luna."

"Good." Cullen reached over and pressed a button on the driver's side door panel. The loud click of the locks disengaging echoed through the cabin. He wasn't keeping me trapped anymore. I was staying by choice.

I let out a long breath, slumping slightly against the soft leather seat. The exhaustion was catching up to me quickly. The adrenaline that had kept me standing in the grand hall was crashing, leaving my muscles heavy and my eyelids drooping.

"Try to sleep," Cullen instructed gently, keeping his eyes on the wet road. "We have a long night ahead of us."

"Are we going straight to your territory?" I asked, pulling my damp sweater tighter around my chest.

"No," Cullen said. His tone shifted rapidly, losing the conversational ease and snapping back into the sharp, strategic edge of an Alpha preparing for a fight.

I frowned, sitting up again. My eyes drifted down to the center console. Sitting wedged between the leather seats was a thick manila folder. The heavy wax seal of the Silver Moon elders stared back at me in the dim dashboard lighting. I reached out, my fingers hovering over the edge of the paper.

"What is this?" I asked.

Cullen’s large hand snapped out, wrapping around my wrist before I could touch the file. His grip was firm, hot against my cold skin, but he didn't squeeze hard enough to hurt me.

"That is classified," he said, his voice low.

"It has my pack's seal on it," I shot back, tugging my arm. He let go immediately, returning his hand to the steering wheel. "You have Silver Moon medical files in your car. Why?"

"It isn't your pack anymore," Cullen reminded me bluntly. He grabbed the folder and shoved it deep into the compartment between our seats, snapping the heavy lid shut. "And you will learn soon enough. For now, you need to focus on your new role."

"You didn't answer my question," I pushed, the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. If he had Silver Moon files, it meant he had spies. It meant he was watching Caomh closely. "If we aren't going to your territory, where are we going?"

Cullen turned the steering wheel sharply, merging the heavy SUV off the dark road and onto the bright, busy main human highway. The blinding lights of oncoming traffic illuminated his face, highlighting the hard, unforgiving lines of his jaw.

"There is a neutral-territory Alpha gathering tonight," Cullen said, his silver eyes flashing in the headlights. "Every major pack leader on this side of the continent will be there to discuss trade."

My stomach dropped to the floorboards. "Tonight? Look at me. I look like a drowned rat. I just got publicly rejected an hour ago. I can't walk into a room full of Alphas right now."

"You can, and you will," Cullen replied softly, though the heavy command in his tone was crystal clear. "If we hide you away, you look weak. You look like the broken girl they all think you are. We walk in tonight, arm-in-arm. We show them exactly who you belong to now."

"Caomh will be there," I whispered, the terrifying reality of the situation crashing into me like a runaway train. My heart hammered against my ribs. I wasn't ready to see him again. Not tonight. Not when the broken bond was still bleeding inside my chest.

Cullen’s lips finally curved into a sharp, lethal smile. "I know. And I can't wait to see the look on his face when you walk in with me."