Kieran
The supernatural council rarely gathered unless the balance of power was at risk.
So the fact that we were meeting now—barely 2 days after I returned with Cassidy—meant one thing.
They saw her as a threat.
Not as a human.
Not as a victim.
But as something that could change everything.
I stood at the head of the council chamber, my arms crossed as I scanned the room.
"Shall we begin?" Freya's voice was calm, but the weight of it settled over the room like a blade. "We have much to discuss."
Orion sighed before starting. "Oh, indeed we do. Our dear Moon warden has returned with a rather… peculiar development."
I clenched my jaw. "Get to the point."
Freya exhaled slowly. "Very well. Alpha ,you have claimed a human."
The words were simple.
But the implications weren't.
I didn't respond.
Because I knew she wasn't finished.
Freya tilted her head slightly. "You do realize what this means, don't you?"
"It means what I say it means," I said evenly. "She is mine."
"And does she know that?" Alaric mused, his sharp violet eyes glinting with something unreadable. "Or is she simply being kept?"
A low growl rumbled in my chest. "Careful, Alaric."
He smirked but didn't push.
Freya tapped her fingers against the table. "This is not just about you, Kieran. It's about the balance we have fought to maintain for centuries. If the world hears that a human has been mated to a supernatural, it will cause questions. It will cause uncertainty."
"And uncertainty leads to war," Alaric murmured, his smirk fading. "We don't need another war, Moon Warden."
I exhaled sharply. "I didn't ask for this. But I will not deny what is mine."
Freya's gaze hardened. "And if other councils demand an explanation? If the human population see this as a violation or other supernatural being start suspecting this might be an alliance between werewolves and humans to maybe overpower the others? you saw how Garrick acted out."
I met her stare without flinching. "Then they can come to me directly."
Silence.
Orion arched a brow. "And what do you intend to do with her?"
"That is none of your concern, Blood keeper"
"It is," Freya said, her voice steady. "Because she is one of mine."
The possessiveness in her tone was expected.
Because while the supernatural council governed all species, each representative still held their own loyalties.
And Freya's loyalty was to humans.
To Cassidy.
Even if Cassidy didn't know it.
"I will not harm her," I said simply. "She will remain under my protection."
Freya studied me for a long moment.
Then, finally—
"See that you do."
The tension in the room didn't fade.
But the conversation was over.
For now.
--------------
The pack meeting was held at dusk.
The entire estate had gathered—warriors, elders, those who had followed me without question for years.
But tonight, there were questions.
And I had to answer them.
I stood before them in the open courtyard, my mom and step sister by my left and Damon by my right, the moon casting long shadows across the gathered wolves.
Cassidy wasn't here.
She didn't need to be.
Not yet.
"I know you have questions," I said, my voice carrying over the murmuring crowd. "So I will answer them now."
Silence fell.
Then—
"Is it true?"
I turned my gaze toward the speaker—Elder Reinhardt, one of the oldest wolves in the pack.
"That you have taken a human as your mate?"
I didn't hesitate. "Yes."
A ripple of murmurs.
Some shocked.
Some uncertain.
Some intrigued.
"Then prove it," Reinhardt said, stepping forward. "Mark her, if her body doesn't reject the mark, if she lives through it, when we smell your scent on her then we'll accept her and protect her with our lives."
The murmurs stopped.
The weight of their eyes settled heavily on me.
Because this—
This was what they had been waiting for.
Not words.
Not declarations.
But proof.
"We do not question your leadership," Reinhardt continued. "But we cannot follow blindly. You have brought an outsider into our home, and if she is truly yours, then you must claim her."
My wolf bristled.
Not at the demand.
Not at the expectation.
But at the idea of forcing something that wasn't meant to be forced.
Cassidy was already terrified.
Already barely holding on.
And marking her now—before she even understood what that meant—
Would destroy any chance of trust between us.
I clenched my jaw. "She is mine."
"Then show us," Reinhardt pressed. "Or you risk losing the faith of your pack."
Silence.
Waiting.
Watching.
But they didn't understand.
This wasn't just about them.
This was about her.
And no matter how much they wanted proof—
I wasn't going to take it from her.
Not like this.
"She will bear my mark when she is ready," I said, my voice calm but firm. "Not when you demand it."
Reinhardt's expression tightened.
But he said nothing.
Because I had made my decision.
And no one would force me to change it.
The pack would have to wait.
Because Cassidy was mine.
But she would come to me on her own.
Or not at all.
_____________________
I wasn't stupid.
I knew something had happened.
The moment Kieran returned from his meeting, I felt the difference.
It wasn't something he said. It wasn't something he did.
It was in the way he stood.
Still. Composed. But watching me.
Like he was preparing for a conversation he wasn't sure how to have.
And that terrified me more than anything.
Because the last time he had looked at me like that, my life had changed forever.
I swallowed hard, curling my fingers into the fabric of my dress. "What?"
His dark gaze flickered, unreadable. "The pack knows."
A sharp chill ran through me. "Knows what?"
"That you're mine."
The words settled over me like a weight.
Not harsh. Not cruel.
Just fact.
I let out a shaky breath, my arms tightening around myself. "And what does that mean?"
He stepped further into the room, his presence pressing against the space between us. "It means they'll be watching."
I forced a bitter smile. "They already were."
"Not like this."
His voice was steady, but I could hear the edge beneath it.
This was different.
I had felt their curiosity before. Their suspicion.
But this wasn't just about curiosity anymore.
It was about claim.
About expectation.
And I had spent my entire life being owned by others.
I turned away, staring at the flickering fire in the hearth, my throat tight. "So what now?"
"Now, they expect proof."
I inhaled sharply. "Proof."
I didn't need to ask what that meant.
I had heard the whispers.
I had seen the way wolves treated their mates.
A mark.
A bond.
Something that told the world I belonged to him.
Something that made it real.
My stomach twisted, a sickening wave of panic curling up my spine. "And?"
"And I told them no."
I blinked, turning sharply. "What?"
Kieran's jaw tightened slightly. "I told them you would bear my mark when you were ready. Not when they demanded it."
My breath hitched.
I stared at him, my mind scrambling to process his words.
Because that wasn't what I expected.
That wasn't what wolves did.
They took. They claimed.
They didn't wait.
But Kieran—
Kieran had waited.
He was still waiting.
And that terrified me more than if he had simply taken it.
I swallowed, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why?"
His dark eyes held mine. "Because it's yours to accept."
Silence.
Thick. Suffocating.
I felt exposed beneath his gaze, stripped raw in a way I hadn't been prepared for.
Because I had spent my entire life being given no choices.
Being owned.
And now, for the first time, I had been given one.
I should have felt relieved.
I should have felt safe.
But all I felt was fear.
Because choices meant responsibility.
And responsibility meant consequences.
I licked my lips, my fingers curling into my palms. "And if I never accept it?"
Kieran was quiet for a long moment.
Then—"Then I wait."
My breath caught.
He said it so simply.
Like it wasn't a burden. Like it wasn't something that would make him weak.
But I saw the way his hands flexed at his sides.
Saw the way his wolf stirred behind his eyes, restless and waiting.
Waiting for me.
I shook my head, stepping back. "This is insane."
"It's the truth."
His voice was calm. Steady.
Like he had already made peace with this.
Like he had already decided.
And that—
That was the part that scared me most.
Because for the first time, I realized—
Kieran Duskbane wasn't just claiming me to prove something to his pack.
He wasn't just doing this to keep me alive.
He wanted this.
He wanted me.
And I didn't know what to do with that.
So I did the only thing I could.
I turned away.
Because if I looked at him any longer, I was afraid I might start wanting him, too.