Darius “You filed a petition?” The words came out low, lethal, and I felt my control slipping at the edges as my wolf surged against my skin, desperate to tear the smug look off Alpha Ronan’s face.
“I did.” He didn’t so much as flinch, confidence bolstered by whatever game he thought he was playing.
“The Elder Council takes claims of coercion very seriously, Your Majesty and especially when they involve a woman recently expelled from her pack, vulnerable, drinking alone in a bar the very night a king happened to take interest in her.” “Coercion?” Lyra’s voice cracked with disbelief beside me.
“Nothing about that night was coercion.
I made my own choices.” “Did you?” Alpha Ronan’s gaze flicked to her, something almost pitying in it, which somehow made it worse than outright cruelty.
“Or did the bond simply override your judgment, the way it does for so many unclaimed wolves?
The Council will want to determine that for themselves.” “This is absurd.” I stepped forward, letting every ounce of authority I possessed bleed into my voice.
“I am a King.
You do not get to petition against my mate simply because you’re embarrassed by how badly you handled your own daughter.” “With respect, Your Majesty, the law doesn’t bend for kings when it comes to matters of consent and coercion.” He said it so smoothly, like he’d rehearsed the line a dozen times on the drive over.
“The Council will summon you both within the week to present evidence.
Until then, Lyra returns with me.” “Like hell she does.” My claws split through my fingertips, and several of his warriors shifted uneasily at the sight, hands drifting toward the weapons at their hips.
“Darius.” Lyra’s hand found my arm, grounding me even as fury threatened to swallow me whole.
“Don’t.
This is exactly what he wants, he wants a reason to paint you as dangerous.” She was right, gods help me, she was right, and I hated it.
“She stays with me,” I said instead, forcing steel into my voice without giving my wolf the violence he craved.
“If the Council wishes to speak with either of us, they can do so here, in my territory, under my protection.” “That’s not how the process works, and you know it.” Alpha Ronan’s composure never wavered, and it was that unshakable confidence that finally made unease coiled tight in my gut.
He’d planned this, he’d walked in here already certain of his victory.
“The law requires the accused party to return to the jurisdiction where the alleged coercion took place until the matter is resolved.
That’s Ashmoor territory.” “I won’t go.” Lyra’s voice rang out, clear and unshaken despite the way her fingers trembled against my arm.
“You expelled me.
You have no authority over me anymore.” “Ah, but that’s where you’re mistaken, sweetheart.” He reached into his coat, withdrawing a folded document, and held it out toward one of his warriors, who carried it forward and placed it in my hands.
“I rescinded your expulsion the moment I learned who your mate was.
Officially, you are once again a member of Ashmoor Pack, which means you fall squarely under my jurisdiction.” The paper felt like poison between my fingers, official Council seal pressed into the corner, unmistakably legitimate.
My blood ran cold as I scanned the document, every line exactly as he’d described.
“You can’t just reinstate her without her consent,” I snarled.
“I can, and I have.
You can ask any Elder.
A father retains the right to reinstate an expelled child within thirty days of the original expulsion, provided he can demonstrate the original decision caused undue harm.” His smile sharpened.
“And given the economic devastation my pack has suffered thanks to your withdrawal of support, I’d say I have quite the compelling case for undue harm.” I felt Lyra go rigid beside me, understanding dawning in her expression at the same moment it dawned in mine.
He hadn’t come here for an apology, nor even come here out of concern for her wellbeing.
He’d come here because withdrawing my economic support had crippled his pack, and reinstating Lyra, using her as leverage against a king desperate to keep his mate, was the only card he had left to play.
“You’re using her.” My voice dropped to something barely above a growl.
“You’re using your own daughter to extort me into restoring your support.” “I prefer to think of it as correcting an oversight.” He didn’t even bother denying it, and something about his lack of shame made my fury burn hotter than ever.
“Restore my pack’s support, Your Majesty, and I’ll happily withdraw the petition.
Refuse, and Lyra returns to Ashmoor tonight while the Council reviews the coercion claim, a process that typically takes months.
Months during which you will have no legal right to see her, speak with her, or claim her.” “You wouldn’t dare,” I hissed.
“Try me.” The silence that followed felt suffocating, every warrior in the hall watching, waiting to see how their king would respond to being cornered so completely.
My wolf howled inside me, desperate for violence, desperate to simply tear through every single person standing between me and keeping her safe, but violence here would only prove his point, and would only hand the Elder Council exactly the evidence they needed to paint me as the monster he wanted them to believe I was.
“Fine.” The word tasted like ash.
“I’ll restore your support.” “Darius, no.” Lyra rounded on me, horror written across her face.
“You can’t reward him for this.
He’s blackmailing you.” “I know exactly what he’s doing.” I kept my eyes locked on Alpha Ronan’s smug expression, refusing to let him see how badly this had rattled me.
“But I’m not letting some Council drag this out for months while you’re forced back into a pack that already threw you away once.” “There is, of course,” Alpha Ronan said, almost thoughtfully, like the idea had only just occurred to him, “a much simpler solution than any of this.” “And what’s that?” I ground out.
“A formal claiming ceremony.
Tonight.” His eyes gleamed with something calculating, something that told me he’d been building toward this from the very beginning.
“Complete the mate bond publicly, before witnesses from both our packs, and the entire question of coercion becomes irrelevant.
No court reviews a bond freely and formally completed before an audience.” “Tonight?” Lyra’s voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Tonight,” he confirmed, and then, almost as an afterthought, added the words that made the floor drop out from beneath me entirely.
“Of course, there is one small complication I feel obligated to mention before you proceed.” “What complication?” I demanded, my patience for his games long since exhausted.
His gaze slid toward Lyra, something almost gleeful hidden beneath the practiced concern on his face, and dread pooled cold and heavy in my gut before he’d even spoken another word.
“A completed mate bond requires both parties to be free of any prior claims.” He let the words hang, savoring them, savoring the way Lyra’s face had gone bone white beside me.
“Which brings me to ask, my dear daughter…
does he know about the bond you already share with Kade?” The name hit the room like a thunderclap, and beside me, Lyra made a sound like all the air had been punched from her lungs, her hand slipping from mine as every ounce of color drained from her face.
“Lyra.” My voice came out hoarse, disbelieving, my eyes searching her face for some sign that this was another one of her father’s lies.
“Who is Kade?” She didn’t answer, she didn’t even look at me.
Her wide, horrified eyes stayed locked on her father, and the longer her silence stretched, the colder the dread in my chest became, because if this were nothing, if this were just another cruel fabrication, she would have laughed it off already.
She would have told me it wasn’t true but as she stood there, staring at the man who had brought the worst news to her, I already knew the answer.