Bonded

CHAPTER 5

Keira:

The silence after my awakening felt like everyone held their breath. And in that moment, for the first time in my life, the wolves of Silver Moon Pack did not look through me as if I was dirt beneath their shoes. They looked at me like something that they could not name, something that I knew they feared.

Alpha Harlan descended from the platform with the slow, deliberate steps of a man used to being obeyed. His eyes were fixed on me and I could tell that he was angry for he was not used to someone stealing the lights and authority from him, especially not me.

“Keira Brown,” he said, the alpha command wrapping around my name like a leash. “You are going to come with me and we are going to the elders. Now.”

For a moment the old reflex rose in. The small, obedient girl who had survived lowering her head by scrubbing the floors and swallowing insults, seemed to want me to shy back. But tonight, something else sat behind my ribs. And I knew that that I was not going to stand by and allow him to insult me like that.

Lena’s fingers found mine before I could move; they were warm and trembling.

“I’ll come with her,” Lena said, voice small but steady. “She doesn't have to go through this by herself. I can be by her side.”

Alpha Harlan’s gaze snapped to her. “You will return to the omega quarters. And you are never going to try and question my methods again. Do you understand me?”

“Alpha I am not…”

“Now.” He said coldly. The command hit Lena like a physical blow. Her shoulders folded, pain flashing across her face as her wolf bowed. 

“She stays.” I snapped, looking him dead in the eye. 

The word was low, but it carried like a blade. A few wolves stumbled back. Lena’s shoulders eased as Alpha Harlan’s order splintered against whatever had been born inside me. “She is not going to go anywhere if she doesn't want to. She's going to stay with me and she is going to come with me.”

And that was when the bonds struck.

Derek hissed and clutched his chest. Brad staggered, a growl tearing from him. Isaiah pressed his palm to the wall, his polished mask cracking as he sucked in a sharp breath. 

I felt their pain like a distant echo, enough to know the bond was punishing them for what they had done.

Elder Selene stepped forward, silver hair catching torchlight. “The Holy Wolf bond is reacting.”

Alpha Harlan’s jaw tightened. “I want an explanation to this now.”

“The ancient texts say the Oracle’s guardians will answer for wounds done to her spirit,” she said carefully. “If they harm her, dismiss her suffering, or stand against what her soul needs, the bond will punish them. And now they are suffering that pain.”

Brad’s voice came out rough. “We didn’t ask to be tied to her. It is not our fault that we were suddenly tied to an Omega.”

For a moment I remembered their number of times that he hadn't told me, that he mocked me, laughed at me. But now he went pale. And for the first time there was no cruelty in his eyes, only shock.

Derek stepped closer, blue eyes dark with confusion and something like pain. “Keira…”

His face tightened. “I didn’t know it was that bad,” he said hoarsely. “I did not know that this was how much it hurt you.”

The silver wolf inside me bared her teeth. I looked at him. “You didn’t care. It is not like any of you cared about me.”

The words landed harder than I expected and I saw as Derek froze.

Isaiah’s memory came next, sharp and humiliating, the cafeteria, whispers, girls laughing because he had started a rumor, my cheeks burning while he watched with a smile. The amusement drained from his face. 

Alpha Harlan’s voice cut through the room like a blade. “Enough. This spectacle ends now. Whatever this game is, you are going to end it now. Do you understand me? I am not asking you questions, I am giving you a command.”

Most wolves bowed their heads, obeying their Alpha. 

I felt its pressure too and for a second it was only reflexes that reacted. But the command shattered before it reached my bones. 

Elder Selene stepped between us. “Alpha, forcing her tonight would be dangerous. Her power has only just awakened. And her wolf is still beyond control.”

“Power that cannot be controlled becomes a threat,” he said. “And if you cannot control her, then I am going to be sure to make her understand what it is to defy me.”

Lena squeezed my hand and the memory of the small omega room steadied me, shared bread, whispered comforts, the only person who had ever looked at me like I mattered before prophecy made me important.

“I will answer questions,” I said. “But Lena comes with me. I will not go anywhere if she's not by my side.”

Alpha Harlan’s eyes flashed. “You are in no position to make demands.”

Derek moved before I could. “Let her come, father. Arguing with her right now is going to get us nowhere. We need answers and she is going to be able to provide them.”

Alpha Harlan turned on him. “You do not give orders here.”

“No,” Derek said, voice rough with pain. “But if separating Keira from the only person she trusts hurts her, the bond may punish us again. Please spare us the punishment.”

Brad rubbed his chest, still breathing hard. “I’d rather not find out.”

Isaiah gave a humorless smile. “For once, I agree. This is far beyond our control, Alpha.”

Alpha Harlan looked at the three of them as if they had betrayed him. Maybe they had. Maybe fate had simply pulled at the first threads of their loyalty before they were ready to choose.

“Fine,” he said at last. “The girl may come. But she stays silent unless spoken to. And if she speaks without my permission, then I am going to kick her out myself.”

Lena lowered her gaze. I, however, didn't. I kept my eyes on him, raising an eyebrow.

Whispers followed us as we left the hall, Oracle, Lunar Shadow Wolf, three mates, Keystone, monster. The words should have been painful, but I knew that I was called worse. At least this time they actually feared the meaning of the words.

The elders’ chamber closed around us with a heavy, final sound. The room was circular, lined with old books, silver candles, and carved symbols that pulsed faintly when I stepped inside. Alpha Harlan planted himself at the center table and faced me.

“Now,” he said coldly. “Tell us exactly what you are. And I want to know every single detail.”

The silver light in my eyes reflected in the polished wood. For once I did not lower my head.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I don't have an answer that I can give you.”

“That is not good enough,” he snapped. “You claim that you would answer my questions if she came with you. You do not get to pretend that you do not have them.”

The voice inside me rose then, old, patient, and terrible. It wrapped around my next breath like a cloak.

“Then maybe,” I said softly, “you should have asked before tonight who it was that you were dealing with.”