The corridor beyond the guest wing was not meant for visitors. Mira knew that the moment she stepped into it.
The air was colder here, heavy with old stone and secrets. Torches burned low along the walls, their flames thin and blue, casting shadows that stretched and twisted like listening ears. She had followed the bond's pull at first—soft, uneasy but now instinct told her to stop.
Voices drifted toward her, low and urgent.
She pressed herself against the wall and stilled her breath.
"…can't wait until dawn," a man was saying. His voice was rough, familiar. Captain Varrik. One of Ryker's strongest warriors. "If Kael wins the challenge, the decision is made anyway. We save time and blood."
"And if Ryker wins?" another voice asked.
A pause.
Then Elder Dain spoke, calm and cold. "Then the execution becomes… unfortunate necessity."
Mira's heart slammed against her ribs.
Execution.
Her fingers dug into the stone as she leaned closer.
"The pack is restless," Varrik continued. "They're blaming her for everything. Crops failing. Pups sick. Wolves are restless at the border. Fear needs a face."
"And she is convenient," Elder Dain replied.
Mira swallowed hard.
"She's the enemy's daughter," another elder said. "Bound or not, her blood carries Nightshade rot. The Moon may have made a mistake."
The words burned.
"What about the Alpha?" Varrik asked. "He won't allow it."
A soft, humorless chuckle answered. "The law allows execution if the mate threatens pack survival. If the bond weakens him… if the pack believes she is poison…"
"Then Ryker must choose the pack," Varrik finished.
Mira's legs trembled. So this was their plan, not a challenge of strength alone but a trap.
They would push Ryker until the pack demanded her death. And when the voices grew loud enough, when fear outweighed loyalty, even an Alpha could be forced to bend or be replaced.
"She can't be allowed to speak to him again," Elder Dain said. "She softens him."
"Agreed," Varrik replied. "After the challenge, if Kael loses, we move quickly. Quietly. Before dawn's second bell."
Mira's breath hitched.
Before dawn. A hand clamped over her mouth, she screamed but no sound escaped.
Mira twisted violently, elbowing backward. The grip loosened just enough for her to spin and face her attacker.
A young wolf stood there, eyes wide with panic.
"Quiet," the girl whispered harshly. "Are you trying to get us both killed?"
Mira stared at her. "You're Ryker's cousin."
Lena Silverfang nodded quickly. "Come. Now."
They moved fast, slipping into a narrow side passage just as footsteps echoed from the main corridor. Lena shoved Mira into a storage alcove and pulled a curtain of old hides across the entrance.
They waited in darkness.
Mira's heart pounded so loudly she was sure it would give them away.
The footsteps passed.
Only then did Lena release her.
"They're going to kill me," Mira whispered.
Lena did not deny it. "Yes."
The honesty stung worse than the threat.
"Why are you helping me?" Mira asked.
Lena's jaw tightened. "Because if they kill you, they kill him too. Just slower."
Mira felt the bond flare at the truth.
"They're planning it after the challenge," Mira said. "Even if Ryker wins."
"I know," Lena said. "That's why you need to disappear."
Mira shook her head. "Running will only prove them right."
"Staying will get you executed."
"I won't hide while they turn him into a monster," Mira said fiercely. "I won't let them force his hand."
Lena studied her for a long moment, then sighed. "You really don't understand Silverfang, do you?"
"Then explain," Mira demanded.
Lena leaned closer. "The pack doesn't just fear you. They fear what you represent. Change. Truth. The end of the war."
Mira's chest tightened. "That's not something to fear."
"It is when your power is built on war," Lena replied.
The bond tugged again sharp and urgent.
Ryker was close.
"I need to tell him," Mira said.
Lena's eyes widened. "No. If he knows, he'll act too soon. Kael wants him unbalanced."
Mira hesitated.
Then she felt pain. Not hers but Ryker's.
She gasped, clutching her chest.
"What is it?" Lena asked.
"The bond," Mira whispered. "Something's wrong."
The pain spiked—rage, pressure, fury barely contained.
"He's already being pushed," Mira said. "They're surrounding him."
Lena cursed under her breath. "They're provoking him before dawn."
Mira stepped out of the alcove. "Then I won't be silent anymore."
Lena grabbed her arm. "If you confront the council..."
"I'll die," Mira finished calmly. "I know."
She pulled free.
"But if I don't," she continued, voice steady, "he'll lose himself. And that's worse."
Mira walked back into the torchlight.
The bond burned bright and loud now, pulling her forward like a living thing.
As she turned the corner toward the council chamber, she heard Kael's voice rise in laughter.
"An Alpha who hesitates is already defeated," he said.
Mira stepped into the open doorway.
"I disagree," she said clearly.
Every head turned.
Ryker's eyes locked onto hers—shock, fear, relief colliding all at once.
Kael's smile widened.
"Well," he said softly. "That saves us the trouble of finding you."
The chamber doors slammed shut behind her. And the council stood as one.
The chamber fell into a sharp, dangerous silence.
Mira stood alone at its center.
Torches flared higher as if the mountain itself had drawn breath. Elders rose from their seats one by one, robes whispering like restless spirits. Warriors shifted near the walls, hands tightening on weapons. No one moved to help her. No one spoke.
Ryker took a single step forward.
"Mira," he said, low and urgent. "You should not be here."
"I know," she replied. Her voice carried farther than she expected. "That's why I came."
Kael circled her slowly, boots scraping stone. "Brave," he murmured. "Or foolish."
She ignored him and faced the elders. "I heard your plans. I heard the word execution spoken like it was mercy."
A ripple moved through the chamber.
Elder Dain lifted his chin. "You were not invited to this council."
"And yet you were happy to sentence me without my voice," Mira shot back. "If my life is to be taken, then I will stand where the decision is made."
Ryker's jaw tightened. "Stop."
She looked at him then. Really looked.
The strain in his eyes cut deeper than any threat. The bond trembled, raw and stretched thin, like a rope about to snap.
"They are turning you into their weapon," she said softly. "And if you allow it, you will lose more than your Alpha title."
Kael laughed. "Listen to her. Already commanding our Alpha."
Mira turned sharply. "No. I'm warning him."
Elder Mara stepped forward, eyes sharp. "You accuse this council of betrayal?"
"I accuse you of fear," Mira said. "And fear makes liars of us all."
The words hit hard.
A growl rolled through the warriors.
Ryker raised his hand. Silence snapped into place.
"Mira," he said, voice steady but strained, "leave now. I will handle this."
She shook her head. "You can't. Not alone."
Before anyone could react, Mira stepped closer to him—too close.
The bond flared violently.
A gasp tore from her chest as pain and heat surged, spiraling out of control. Ryker staggered, eyes flashing gold as the connection snapped fully awake.
The entire chamber felt it.
Elder Dain went pale. "The bond is activating."
Kael's smile vanished.
Ryker caught Mira as her knees buckled, his arms locking around her instinctively.
And above them, the Moon's light broke through the ceiling cracks—bright, undeniable.
The elders dropped to their knees.
"The bond has chosen," someone whispered.
Mira clutched Ryker's tunic, breath shaking. And deep within the mountain, something ancient answered back with a roar.