Cassidy
The room was deathly silent.
The words still hung in the air, heavier than any chains.
"Because she's my mate."
No.
No, no, no.
I could hear my own breathing—shallow, unsteady. My pulse pounded in my ears, my head spinning. It felt like the world had just tilted, shifting into something I no longer recognized.
I wanted to run.
But I was frozen in place.
Kieran's gaze burned into me, dark and unreadable. He wasn't looking at anyone else. Not Garrick. Not the gathered council members. Just me.
Like the rest of the world had ceased to exist.
I tried to speak, to say anything, but my voice was gone.
The murmurs started slow—then exploded into a storm of whispers.
"Impossible."
"A human? The Moon Warden's mate?"
"He's lying—he must be."
My stomach twisted.
They were right. This was impossible. Werewolves didn't mate with humans. Ever.
This had to be some kind of mistake. A cruel trick. A lie.
But when I looked at Kieran…
I knew it wasn't.
He had meant it.
Every word.
Garrick was the first to recover, his amusement turning razor-sharp. "Your mate, you say?"
Kieran didn't respond right away. He was still watching me. Waiting for me to react.
I wanted to scream.
To tell him that I wasn't his, that I would never belong to him.
But I was standing in a room filled with supernaturals who already saw humans as weak. If I defied him, if I denied him—would they kill me?
Would he?
I clenched my fists, my throat tight. "You're wrong," I whispered.
Kieran's expression didn't change.
Garrick chuckled. "Oh? So the little human does have a voice." He leaned back, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement. "Tell me, Moon Warden, do you expect us to believe this nonsense? Or is this just your way of keeping her out of my hands?"
Kieran's power lashed through the room like a crack of thunder. "I don't care what you believe!"
The murmurs ceased instantly.
Even Garrick's smirk faltered slightly.
Kieran took a step forward, his voice low, dangerous. "She belongs to me."
I flinched.
Not from his tone—but from the way my body reacted to it.
The way the words settled into my bones, into something deeper than my mind could understand.
A mate bond.
It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
But then why did his words make my heart stutter? Why did the air between us feel heavier than before? Why did I feel like just giving up and falling into his arms?
Why did part of me know that I wasn't going to escape him?
Garrick's expression darkened. "You expect me to just hand her over?"
"You don't have a choice."
The tension was suffocating.
Garrick's fingers curled over the armrest of his throne. "She was caught running. That makes her a traitor by your own laws, Moon Warden. You really want to claim a human with ties to the resistance?"
I sucked in a breath.
The council members were watching closely.
If Kieran hesitated—if he showed any doubt—they would tear me apart.
But he didn't hesitate.
"She has no ties to the resistance." His voice was like steel. "Your men assumed. They were wrong."
His unwavering certainty sent another wave of murmurs through the room.
Garrick sneered. "You're willing to risk your reputation for a human?"
"I'd be more concerned about yours, Garrick." I said.
Garrick's smirk faded.
"Or do you really want the rest of the world to know that the great Moon Warden of America is so weak that he needs to beat a helpless human to feel powerful, especially one that's mated to Kieran Duskbane?"
I barely had time to process the words before I felt it—
The shift.
The sudden, violent change in the air.
Garrick's aura flared, rage rippling through the room like wildfire.
He moved.
But so did Kieran.
Faster than I could blink, Kieran was between us, one hand gripping Garrick's wrist before he could strike again.
A deep, menacing growl rumbled through Kieran's chest, and I felt it in my bones.
Garrick bared his teeth. "You forget whose land you're standing on, boy."
Kieran didn't flinch.
"I forget nothing," he said smoothly, deadly. "But if you lay another hand on what's mine…"
His fingers tightened around Garrick's wrist—so tight that the bones groaned under the pressure.
"…I'll break you."
The entire room was silent.
The tension was a blade against my throat.
Then—
Garrick laughed.
It was low and sharp, a predator's amusement.
He pulled back, rolling his wrist like nothing had happened. "You must be desperate to be making claims like this, Kieran."
Kieran's expression didn't change.
Garrick turned his golden gaze on me, his smirk returning. "I would have kept you as a pet." He tilted his head. "But you? You might actually ruin him."
I swallowed hard.
Because there was something too knowing in his tone.
Something that made my skin crawl.
Kieran didn't rise to the taunt. He simply reached for me, his fingers brushing against my wrist.
It wasn't a gentle touch.
It was possession.
A statement to everyone watching.
But it was also a warning.
"Don't fight this. Not here. Not now."
I wanted to pull away.
I wanted to slap him and tell him he had no right to claim me, to steal my choices, to own me.
But I wanted to live more.
So I stayed still.
And let Kieran Duskbane lead me out of the throne room.