Maren's POV
Stop!
The word rips out of me before I can think.
The Council soldiers freeze. The councillor turns slowly, one eyebrow raised.
Yes? His voice drips with false politeness.
I step forward. My legs shake but I force them steady. You're wrong.
About what, exactly?
Everything. I lift my chin. Kael didn't kidnap me. I chose to come here. The bond wasn't forced. And he's never used my gift for anything illegal.
The councillor's smile widens. Is that so?
Yes.
Then why He pulls out another scroll, unfurls it slowly. do we have a signed testimony from Lira Foxen, second-in-command of this sanctuary, stating that you were brought here in chains? That you were held prisoner? That you begged to be released?
My blood turns to ice.
Lira.
Of course.
She's lying, I say.
And why would she lie?
Because she's working for you! The words tumble out. For Councillor Serath! She's been feeding you information for years! She's the one who told you where the sanctuary is! She poisoned our water supply last night!
The councillor blinks. Then laughs.
It's not a kind laugh.
My dear girl, he says, Lira Foxen has been a registered Council informant for three years. Everything she's done has been sanctioned by Elder Councillor Serath himself. She's a hero, exposing a criminal operation that's been harbouring illegal refugees and defying Council law.
I can't breathe.
You knew, I whisper. You knew she was the traitor and you didn't care.
Traitor? The councillor looks genuinely puzzled. She's loyal to the Council. That's not betrayal. That's duty.
Around us, the sanctuary wolves are backing away. Some look terrified. Others look furious.
But none of them move to help Kael.
Because they can't.
The Council soldiers have weapons. Training. Authority.
And we have nothing.
Here's what's going to happen, the councillor says pleasantly. Kael Duskhorn will be taken to Council territory for trial and execution. The sanctuary will be dismantled. All wolves here will be redistributed to approved packs or put to work in Council mines.
No! Someone shouts. A woman. This is our home!
This The councillor gestures around. is an illegal settlement on disputed land. It has no right to exist.
Then give us the right! I step closer. Let us prove the sanctuary is legitimate!
And how would you do that?
The bond. I point at Kael. According to Council law, a bonded pair can claim abandoned territory as sovereign land. That's the law. Your law.
The councillor's smile slips slightly. The bond must be completed. Witnessed. Verified.
Then let us complete it. My voice steadies. Right here. Right now. In front of witnesses. If we succeed, you have to recognize this place.
And if you fail?
Then you can take Kael. Take all of us. Do whatever you want.
Silence.
The councillor studies me. His eyes are cold. Calculating.
You'd risk everything on this?
Yes.
Why?
Because the bond is screaming in my chest. Because watching them take Kael feels like someone is ripping out my heart. Because two hundred wolves deserve a home.
Because I'm done being afraid.
Because it's the right thing to do, I say simply.
The councillor laughs again. But this time, it's uncertain.
Very well. He waves one hand. Complete the bond. Here and now. If you succeed if the Council witnesses can verify it's genuine we'll review your claim. His smile returns, sharp as a knife. But if you fail, the Rogue King dies. And you become Council property.
My stomach drops. What?
Those are the terms. Take them or leave them.
The bond pulses. I can feel Kael through it his shock, his fear, his absolute certainty that I should refuse.
But I can't.
I accept, I say.
Maren, no Kael starts.
I said I accept! I turn to him. Meet his grey eyes. You gave me a choice. Now I'm making it.
His face goes pale. You don't know what you're agreeing to.
Yes, I do. I walk toward him. The soldiers tense but don't stop me. I'm agreeing to save two hundred lives. I'm agreeing to give these wolves a home. I'm agreeing to finish what we started.
If we fail
We won't. I take his hand. The bond flares gold. Trust me.
He stares at me. At this girl he bought for twelve thousand marks. This girl who was supposed to be bait. This girl who's somehow become the only thing standing between him and death.
I do, he says quietly. Moon Goddess help me, I do.
The councillor claps his hands. Wonderful! Then let's begin. He gestures to the empty space between the cabins. The ritual requires witnesses, a binding circle, and the exchange of vows. Do you have everything you need?
I look at Kael. What do we need?
Fire. Salt. Blood. His voice is tight. And the words.
What words?
He closes his eyes. The ones that make it permanent.
Something in his tone makes my skin prickle.
Kael, I say slowly. What aren't you telling me?
He opens his eyes. They're filled with something that looks like grief.
Completing the bond isn't just a ceremony, he says. It's a binding. Once we speak the vows, we're connected forever. If you die, I die. If I die, you die. There's no breaking it. No undoing it. No walking away.
The world tilts.
You mean
I mean forever. His grip tightens on my hand. Not just until the Council votes. Not just until we're safe. Forever. You and me. Linked. For the rest of our lives.
But you said you told me I could leave after
I lied. The words are raw. Or maybe I just didn't want to believe it would come to this. But if we complete the bond, you're stuck with me. And I'm stuck with you. Until one of us dies.
I can't breathe.
I'm sorry, he whispers. I should have told you sooner. Should have given you a real choice. But now
Now we don't have a choice, I finish.
No. We don't.
I look at the councillor. At his smug smile. At the soldiers with their weapons.
Then I look at the sanctuary wolves. At the children hiding behind their parents. At the families that Kael built from nothing.
And I make my decision.
Then let's do it, I say.
Kael's eyes go wide. Maren
I said let's do it. I squeeze his hand. Forever is a long time. But dying today is longer.
Something cracks in his expression. Hope. Fear. Gratitude.
You're insane, he says.
Probably. I almost smile. But so are you. So maybe we'll be fine.
Ronan appears with supplies a bowl of salt, a knife, kindling for fire. He doesn't ask questions. Just sets everything down and steps back.
The councillor watches with barely concealed glee.
The sanctuary wolves form a circle around us. Silent. Waiting.
Kael and I kneel in the center.
Ready? he asks.
No. Not even close.
But I nod anyway.
He cuts his palm. I do the same. Our blood drips into the salt bowl, mixing, turning it dark.
Repeat after me, Kael says quietly. By blood and bone
By blood and bone
By fire and stone
By fire and stone
I bind myself to you
My voice shakes. I bind myself to you
Until death takes us both.
I take a breath.
Say the words.
Until death takes us both.
The bond explodes.
Gold light erupts from our joined hands, so bright the soldiers shield their eyes. It pours into the sky, visible for miles, undeniable and wild and completely unstoppable.
The circle of wolves gasps.
The councillor stumbles backward.
And the bond the thing that was humming between us, incomplete and fragile slams into place like a lock turning.
Permanent.
Forever.
Done.
I feel everything. Kael's relief. His terror. His bone-deep exhaustion and his stubborn, impossible hope.
And underneath it all buried so deep he probably doesn't even know it's there something that might be love.
The light fades.
We're still kneeling. Still holding hands.
The councillor clears his throat. Well. That was... impressive.
Kael stands, pulling me up with him. Does that satisfy your requirements?
It does. The councillor's smile is strained. The bond is clearly genuine. Which means, according to Council law, you have a valid claim to this territory.
Victory floods through me.
We did it.
However The councillor holds up one finger. the claim must still be reviewed by Elder Councillor Serath. He has final authority on all territorial disputes.
My stomach drops. What?
You'll be summoned to Council headquarters in three days. His smile widens. Both of you. To present your case formally. He leans closer. And if Councillor Serath finds any reason any reason at all to invalidate your claim, the bond won't save you.
He whistles.
The griffins shriek.
The soldiers mount up.
And in seconds, they're gone.
Leaving us standing in the ashes of our victory.
Kael's hand is still in mine. The bond hums between us. Forever.
We're going to die, aren't we? I say quietly.
He doesn't answer.
Which is answer enough.