All Chapters of BOUND TO MY AWAKENING : Chapter 31 - Chapter 33

The doors groaned open, revealing, Hundreds of pack leaders, high lords, and regional delegates crammed against the stone risers."Hold your head up," Draven muttered, his eyes fixed straight ahead as we crossed the threshold into the main ring."Don't give them a reason to look away.""I'm not," I whispered back, my voice steady despite the cold sweat prickling my ribs.At the center of the marble platform, Elder Vane stood up from his high stone throne. He smoothed the front of his gold-trimmed silk robes, putting on a grand smile for the crowd. He raised his silver staff, slamming the butt of it against the floor. "Welcome, noble delegates, to the Equinox Assembly!" Vane boomed, his voice carrying off the high stone arches. "We gather today to address the state of our empire and kingdom. On our agenda: the expansion of our eastern trade routes, the winter grain rations, the renewal of border charters..."Vane paused, letting his gaze sweep over the crowd before resting heavily on

Draven didn't answer right away.His eyes stayed fixed on mine, tracking the rapid rise and fall of my chest in the dim firelight."If I were afraid of you, Kaela," he growled, his voice dropping into a rough, low drag, "I wouldn't be standing in this room.""Then stop stepping back.""I am trying to keep you alive," he said, taking half a step forward, his shadow engulfing me completely. "Do you have any idea what happened on that floor? You didn't just break the Council. You declared war on every high lord in the northern territories.""I didn't declare anything," I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline still thrumming under my skin. "You did.""I gave you the only shield that works against men like Vane.""And then you pulled back." I looked him dead in the eye, my fingers loosening their grip on the thin silk lining. "You brought me behind locked doors, Draven. Is this where you pretend you're just my Alpha?"Mid-sentence, I let the fabric slip, gliding down my skin with a