They called for me at dawn.I was awake when they called because I had barely slept since Kael's arrival two days ago. How could I, when I felt him constantly? A presence humming beneath my skin, a warmth that never faded, a pull that grew stronger with every passing hour.The servant who delivered the message wouldn't meet my eyes. "The council convenes within the hour, Luna. You're required to attend."Required, wow. Not requested. Not invited.I dressed carefully, choosing a gown of deep gray. Shadow Moon colors, a deliberate statement of loyalty that felt increasingly hollow. My hands shook as I braided my hair, and the mark on my neck pulsed with anxious energy.Whatever the council wanted, it wouldn't be good.The council chamber was already full when I arrived.The Elders sat in a semicircle, their ancient faces grave. Xavier occupied the head seat, looking like he hadn't slept either. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his jaw was tight with tension. He didn't look at me as I entered.Ashlyn stood esides his chair, very close to his aud. Her hand rested on the back of his seat, possessive in a way that made my stomach clench. She smiled when she saw me, all honey and venom."Luna," Elder Rowan began, his voice echoing in the stone chamber. "Thank you for joining us."As if I had a choice.I took my place before them, acutely aware that I was standing alone while they were arrayed like judges at a trial. Again."We've spent the past two days investigating the claims made by Alpha Kael," Rowan continued. "And consulting the ancient texts regarding the Flameborn bloodline and the Twin Alpha Prophecy."My heart pounded. "And what did you find?""Complications." Elder Moira spoke up, her silver hair gleaming in the morning light. "The prophecy is real, and it specifically mentions a Luna bound to two Alphas. However, such a bond is..." she paused, searching for words, "...unprecedented in modern pack law.""It's unnatural," another Elder interjected. "One Luna, one Alpha. That's how the Moon Goddess intended it. This prophecy speaks of older magic, wilder times. Times we've evolved beyond."I forced myself to stand taller. "And yet the Goddess marked me with golden flame. She allowed the bond to form. If She didn't intend it, why would She permit it?""That," Rowan said carefully, "is what we're trying to understand. But in the meantime, we have a more pressing concern."Xavier finally looked at me, and what I saw in his eyes made my blood run cold. Not anger, something worse. Resignation."The mark you bear," Rowan continued, "represents a connection to the Ember bloodline. As long as it burns gold, as long as you carry that fire, you represent a threat to pack unity. The bond between you and Alpha Xavier is being corrupted by this... other influence.""Corrupted?" The word came out sharper than I intended. "You think the Goddess's gift is corruption?""We think it's dangerous," Elder Moira said firmly. "You've been having dreams of Alpha Kael, yes? Feeling drawn to him despite your mated bond with our Alpha?"Heat flooded my face. How did they know about my dreams?Xavier's expression answered that question. He told them. Shared my secrets, my vulnerabilities, my midnight confessions with these strangers who were looking at me like I was diseased.The betrayal cut deeper than any blade."The solution is simple," Rowan said. "There's a ritual, an ancient binding ceremony that can sever unwanted connections. It will purify your bond with Alpha Xavier, removing the golden mark and any influence the Fire Moon holds over you."My stomach dropped. "Sever the connection? You mean destroy part of who I am?""We mean to save you," Moira insisted. "And save this pack from the chaos that prophecy would bring. Two Alphas cannot share one Luna. It would tear us apart.""The ritual must be performed," Rowan continued. "For the good of the pack and for your own protection. We cannot have our Luna torn between two bonds, two destinies. You must be fully committed to Shadow Moon, to Alpha Xavier, without outside interference."I looked at Xavier, waiting for him to defend me, to tell them this was madness. But he just sat there, silent, his hands gripping the arms of his chair."Xavier?" My voice cracked on his name. "You agree with this?"He finally met my eyes, and I saw the conflict warring in his expression. "I think... I think we need to consider all options. If the ritual can stabilize the bond between us, remove the confusion.""It's not confusion!" I was shaking now, with rage or fear or both. "It's power. It's destiny. It's what the Goddess made me to be!""It's tearing you away from me." His voice dropped to something raw and wounded. "Every day, I feel you slipping further. Every night, you call his name. How am I supposed to just accept that?""So you'd rather destroy part of me?" Tears burned behind my eyes but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of them. "Rip away my power, my heritage, just to make yourself feel secure?""To keep you safe," he insisted. "Samantha, you don't understand what these competing bonds could do to you. They could tear you apart from the inside. The ritual would protect you—""The ritual could kill her."Every head turned toward the door. Elder Rowan's face flushed with anger."This is a closed council session. How dare you."But Kael was already striding into the chamber, his warriors flanking him. His amber eyes blazed with fury barely held in check."The binding ritual you're describing," he continued, his voice deadly calm, "was outlawed centuries ago. Not because it didn't work, but because it killed nearly every Flameborn it was performed on."Silence crashed through the room."You're lying," Ashlyn said, but her voice wavered. "The Elders wouldn't suggest something that could harm the Luna.""Wouldn't they?" Kael's gaze swept across the council, contemptuous. "When that harm serves their purpose? When it removes a complication they don't want to deal with?""How dare you accuse us…" Moira started, but Kael cut her off."I'm not accusing. I'm stating fact. The ritual attempts to sever a bond the Goddess herself created. It's not purification. it's mutilation. And the Flameborn's fire doesn't respond well to being caged. It burns from the inside out, consuming the host rather than submitting to chains."He turned to me, and the intensity in his eyes made my breath catch. "They're not trying to save you, Luna. They're trying to make you controllable and weak.""That's not true," Xavier said, but I heard the doubt creeping into his voice. "Elder Rowan, is this true? Could the ritual harm her?"Rowan's expression tightened. "There are... risks. With any magical working. But the benefits,""The benefits are to you," Kael snarled. "You get a Luna who doesn't threaten your precious traditions. Who doesn't force you to acknowledge that the Goddess's plans are bigger than your small-minded laws.""Get out," Xavier said, standing. Power radiated from him, filling the chamber. "This is not your pack, this is not your Luna, or your decision.""Isn't it?" Kael didn't back down. "She carries my bloodline's mark. The Fire Moon chose her just as surely as the Shadow Moon did. That gives me a right to speak.""You have no rights here!" Xavier's control finally snapped. "You show up with your prophecies and your claims, trying to steal what is mine.""I'm not yours to be stolen!"The words exploded from me before I could stop them, accompanied by a burst of golden flame that made everyone in the chamber step back.I was shaking now, power crackling along my skin, the mark on my neck blazing so bright it illuminated the entire room. "I am not a property. I am not yours, Xavier, and not yours either, Kael. I'm a person with my own will, my own choices."I turned to Elder Rowan, and he actually flinched from the fire in my eyes. "You want to perform this ritual? You want to tear away part of what makes me who I am? Then you'll have to do it by force, because I won't submit willingly.""Samantha—" Xavier started, but I cut him off."No. You don't get to make this decision for me. None of you do." I looked around the chamber at all these people who claimed to want what was best for me while trying to control every aspect of my life. "I need time. Time to understand what I am, what these bonds mean, what the prophecy requires. And I need the truth not manipulation disguised as protection.""The council has made its decision," Elder Rowan said stiffly. "The ritual will be performed at the next full moon. Three days from now.""Then the council has made a mistake." I let the flames die, suddenly exhausted. "Because I won't be there."I turned and walked out, leaving shocked silence in my wake.
